Idea of Customer service

I dislike being approached by shop staff so would have been fine with this. I like the freedom to take my time among the merchandise and get a feel for what things the shop sticks and offers and what their pricing is like. If I had approached the staff and found them unhelpful, unknowledgable and unresponsive then I would have been put off, but can't see why leaving a customer to their own devices is considered bad service.

I reckon there's a line on how to be approached.

Generally, when someone walked into the shop, a quick hello to acknowledge their presence and then leave them to their own device would be enough.

if they went straight to a certain section (says shoes, helmets, or locks), then I'd approach them offering my service after a short while.

If they're just walking around the shop looking at various items, I don't bother them, unless they're looking for assistance (which isn't surprisingly hard to spot watching their body language).

the staff at that particular shop have the right idea of not approaching customers straight away, but a little too over the top by not giving much acknowledgment that the customer actually does exist.