Pro tip: If you're going to be in sales, first make sure you aren't a snarky bastard.

[Locut0s]

<brool story co>

Was at a store and I asked about an unusual looking camera, very off looking body. I just asked "wow what's that". Stupid question maybe. Reply: "It's a camera" in a very rude snarky, fuck off tone. Meh maybe he had a bad day. He's probably seen be browsing in the store a thousand times before too since I live in the area. I tend not to buy much, though I did by my pentax K20D from them. Still wrong job to be in then, you have to have infinite patience if you're in retail. Put me up against the worst ass hole around at work and I'm still nice back. Course I'll tell him off afterwards once he's left but rule 1: you NEVER are rude or treat the customer like an idiot (even if they are, which they often are).

Yes I know this sounds like I'm but hurt over this. I'm not at all, I just find it surprising to run across people like this in sales, and it's not at all unusual.

In my case aside from having been there browsing a lot I was wearing my NCIX shirt, just got off work. Maybe he thought I was showing off, or being a smart ass or something? Still not the way to handle things.

</brool story co>

 

[natto fire]

The funny part is that if you had asked him technical info about the camera above megapixels he would have stared at you like a deer in headlights, because the other protip is to know as little about what you are selling as possible.

 

[Rifter]

maybe he isnt commision so doesnt care.

 

[Mr. Lennon]

Who visits electronic stores anymore besides the technologically inept?

 

[Locut0s]

maybe he isnt commision so doesnt care.

No they aren't commission. But in commision jobs, like the one I'm in now, you can get the same kind of people. There you have rude fuckers because they want to pump sales out of you, if you aren't there to buy, fuck you. Though it's not the norm.

 

[Locut0s]

Who visits electronic stores anymore besides the technologically inept?

Who says something like this except the socially inept?

 

[SSSnail]

Maybe he knew you were a tire kicker?

 

[Locut0s]

Maybe he knew you were a tire kicker?

Not the way to treat tire kickers. Tire kickers actually often eventually end up buying something at some point if you know how to deal with them. They may look 1000x more than the other people but they are there because they are interested in some way.

The way I deal with them is I'm nice and answer their questions quickly and correctly but make it look like I'm busy with something and move on to the next customer naturally if I have to. If there aren't other people to deal with I *shock* actually talk with them at length, even if I know they aren't going to buy.

 

[natto fire]

Who visits electronic stores anymore besides the technologically inept?

I am certainly not an expert in technology, very far from inept though, and I visit Micro Center every once in a while. I also went to Best Buy a few times with my dad to help him pick out a laptop.

Electronic store can certainly be construed different ways depending on where you live as well. Back in my hometown, Staples was the only "electronic" store we had, so maybe that is why you arrived at your conclusion?

 

[Soccerman06]

Not the way to treat tire kickers. Tire kickers actually often eventually end up buying something at some point if you know how to deal with them. They may look 1000x more than the other people but they are there because they are interested in some way.

The way I deal with them is I'm nice and answer their questions quickly and correctly but make it look like I'm busy with something and move on to the next customer naturally if I have to. If there aren't other people to deal with I *shock* actually talk with them at length, even if I know they aren't going to buy.

So were you going to buy it or just wasting his time?

 

[darkswordsman17]

Maybe he knew you were a tire kicker?

Yeah.

There's any number of reasons.

Retail sucks.
They're pushed to push shit like extended warranties and shit so they look for the biggest suckers.
Retail sucks.
Probably just got done with some bitch that wanted him to teach them how to take pictures "like in the Cosmo".
Retail sucks.
Maybe some punk ass kid
Maybe they're having a bad day.
His ex wife took the house and kids after she gave him herpes from cheating on him.
He's a temp holiday worker who had to take the job because he's broke as fuck.
He's a temp holiday worker who graduated with $50,000 in student loans and hasn't been able to get a job yet.
He's an asshole.
He stepped in dogshit while he was going out to get in his car to go to work.
Some asshole cut him off and he almost or did get into an accident.
He noticed that some bum had more money in his cup than he had in his bank account when he dropped the loose $0.35 cents from his pocket.
Retail sucks.
He's roleplaying Randal from Clerks.
He's roleplaying Al Bundy.
Retail sucks.
Retail sucks.

What it comes down to it, yeah, sucks, for him, you, us.

 

[Locut0s]

So were you going to buy it or just wasting his time?

Asking "what's that" is wasting a saleman's time? There were no other people there. I've looked at other things there before but always briefly and never spent more than 4 or 5 mins. On the other hand as a sales buy at NCIX I know of customers who have spent 30mins on more than one occasion looking at something with clearly no intention of buying, now that is wasting your/their time.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Asking "what's that" is wasting a saleman's time?

Uh, yeah. He could have spent that time flirting with the cashier or neffing on ATOT.

 

[Locut0s]

Yeah.

There's any number of reasons.

Retail sucks.
They're pushed to push shit like extended warranties and shit so they look for the biggest suckers.
Retail sucks.
Probably just got done with some bitch that wanted him to teach them how to take pictures "like in the Cosmo".
Retail sucks.
Maybe some punk ass kid
Maybe they're having a bad day.
His ex wife took the house and kids after she gave him herpes from cheating on him.
He's a temp holiday worker who had to take the job because he's broke as fuck.
He's a temp holiday worker who graduated with $50,000 in student loans and hasn't been able to get a job yet.
He's an asshole.
He stepped in dogshit while he was going out to get in his car to go to work.
Some asshole cut him off and he almost or did get into an accident.
He noticed that some bum had more money in his cup than he had in his bank account when he dropped the loose $0.35 cents from his pocket.
Retail sucks.
He's roleplaying Randal from Clerks.
He's roleplaying Al Bundy.
Retail sucks.
Retail sucks.

What it comes down to it, yeah, sucks, for him, you, us.

Yeah I agree with all this in the end. Which is why I'd never say anything back or tell a manager or the like. I know what it's like. But still I've never been rude to a customer personally for having had a bad day and I know of other co workers who never have either.

 

[Locut0s]

Uh, yeah. He could have spent that time flirting with the cashier or neffing on ATOT.

The cashier in this case was a guy that looked like he had a medical case of megacephaly. Nefing, ok you have me there.

 

[RbSX]

Who says something like this except the socially inept?

Locutus making comments about someone being socially inept. That's a fucking laugh and a half.

Regardless, the dude sounds like a prick. Sometimes when I go into stores I love 'shit testing' some of the sales staff, and it's funny when they start off like dicks or conversely dudes that think they will be able to sell you the gold plated monster cables and take you to the bank, and then they realize you aren't stupid like everyone else.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Yeah I agree with all this in the end. Which is why I'd never say anything back or tell a manager or the like. I know what it's like. But still I've never been rude to a customer personally for having had a bad day and I know of other co workers who never have either.

That's why you carry around either some pot brownies or a nitrous tank.

 

[Mr. Lennon]

I am certainly not an expert in technology, very far from inept though, and I visit Micro Center every once in a while. I also went to Best Buy a few times with my dad to help him pick out a laptop.

Electronic store can certainly be construed different ways depending on where you live as well. Back in my hometown, Staples was the only "electronic" store we had, so maybe that is why you arrived at your conclusion?

I don't see the reason to ever visit a B&M unless it's an emergency. You will not only pay tax, but also get ripped off. Yeah, Microcenter has some good deals on processor/mobo deals, but thats about it.

 

[Locut0s]

Locutus making comments about someone being socially inept. That's a fucking laugh and a half.

SNIP

Regardless, the dude sounds like a prick. Sometimes when I go into stores I love 'shit testing' some of the sales staff, and it's funny when they start off like dicks or conversely dudes that think they will be able to sell you the gold plated monster cables and take you to the bank, and then they realize you aren't stupid like everyone else.

He was an old guy. He may be just sick of his job or like others said had a bad day. Which doesn't really excuse being a dick but still retail CAN suck hard. On being socially inept that depends on what you mean. Anyone know knows me would say I am not in 1/2 a second. But it's true I don't do things like date, go out to many social events and the like. Which you could say is the definition. But I'm extremely personable, friendly and talkative in other settings. Like at work or just hanging out.

 

[Locut0s]

I don't see the reason to ever visit a B&M unless it's an emergency. You will not only pay tax, but also get ripped off. Yeah, Microcenter has some good deals on processor/mobo deals, but thats about it.

NCIX where I work is essentially like Microcenter here in Canada. The stores are smaller and we do more internet orders with instore pickup than MC maybe.

 

[natto fire]

I don't see the reason to ever visit a B&M unless it's an emergency. You will not only pay tax, but also get ripped off. Yeah, Microcenter has some good deals on processor/mobo deals, but thats about it.

Truth be told, that is the only reason I have recently made a purchase at the Micro Center except for a fan controller that was a decent buy. That said, it is only 4.2 miles (I shit you not Guide fans) from my house, and my time is not really all that valuable so it is neat to stop by every once in a while, especially to look at cases and other things a B&M is simply better at than etailer. (from a tirekicker standpoint )

Then again I am not the typical OTer that claims their time is priceless and still manage to make 30+ posts a day to a message board that exists solely because there is time to waste.

Not calling you out specifically Mr. Lennon, just an observation of an elitist board by an armchair elitist.

 

[OverVolt]

I'm seriously reading a thread about someones routine visit to the camera store and his 5 second interaction with the sales guy who worked there.

 

[shortylickens]

Kick him in the balls. He'll forget about every other bad customer he's ever had, trust me.

 

[natto fire]

I'm seriously reading a thread about someones routine visit to the camera store and his 5 second interaction with the sales guy who worked there.

And if you read the entire thread, a point and counterpoint amongst two strangers on the value of brick and mortar stores.

It is funny how things can change so quickly though. Not much more than a year ago, I was all but absent from this forum. While I was climbing thirteeners and adding hotspring notches to my belt, blind to what was around the corner in the always fickle technology world, always keeping it in the back of my mind and plugging away with my Atom netbook crap.

You are reading this thread because all the rest of them seemed less interesting. While you felt the need to attempt denigration of the OP with your comment, it failed in my eyes because it is hard to talk down to someone when you are going through so many steps to get to a final step of smug superiority.

I am certainly not immune as this whole post reads like a diatribe of some asshole with special computing needs, but it is simply not there. There are many like me who see that a compute cycle is a terrible thing to waste, and that is where the thread might pick up steam, in some kind of distorted way.

 

[Meghan54]

I don't see the reason to ever visit a B&M unless it's an emergency. You will not only pay tax, but also get ripped off. Yeah, Microcenter has some good deals on processor/mobo deals, but thats about it.

Guess you haven't shopped in Microcenter much. Never been ripped off in one, all 6 that I've shopped in. Of course, one must simply remember to mention that Newegg has a cheaper price on an item, if NE does, and they'll PM the price, no problems or drama.

On the other hand, buying at MC really cuts down the "ship it back to NE, wait a week for the replacement" crap that happens with DOA items you get from them, with their horrid hard drive packing, among other packing issues. Instead, I walk into the store, return the item and walk out minutes later either with my $$ back in my pocket or a new replacement item.

As for sales tax, depends on what you're buying for.....having a resale cert. helps cut unnecessary sales tax down, and for personal use, I have no issue paying sales tax.....I like paved roads, police, fire dept., sewage, clean water, etc.