A Ponsonby retailer has revealed why National leader Judith Collins and her entourage were ordered out of the store - and says staff are now copping an online backlash.

It was the stuff of election campaign nightmares yesterday when Collins - with the media in tow - was told not to enter an Auckland optometrist.

The Ponsonby store, Oscar Wylee, explained today that the refusal was not political but down to the size of the group. And staff did not want to be on TV.

"I don't want to politicise it in any way," an Oscar Wylee spokesman told the Herald.

"The whole reason was because there was a big crowd and we didn't want to be on TV."

Since the incident, the store has faced a huge backlash online, particularly on social media, where some National supporters have called for a boycott on the business.

Retail NZ's Greg Harford says people need to calm down. He told Heather du Plessis-Allan that online reviews can helpful, but they turn toxic when they come from people with no experience in the store. 

"We're seeing a rise across the board in aggravation and anti-social behaviour." 

He says peoiple should be nice, stay calm and let businesses get on with their job.

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