Poor retail buyers

[Via]

Yeah, best buy is terrible. I've noticed the same thing when browsing, where there are sometimes midrange cards with an OK price but low end stuff (which people are probably desperate for in case of a repair or system failure) is just a major ripoff.

Worse, I think they still had a radeon 9200 PCI for sale for like $50 last time I was there. Isn't that card like 10 years old now?

The last time I glanced at video cards at Best Buy they still had a 7300 GT.

 

[amenx]

How about a 6800gt? Only $345.

http://www.pcplanetsystems.com/abc/product_details.php?category_id=193&item_id=1084

 

[jhansman]

Put it in perspective. They are still way better off than if they found themselves in an Apple Store, for example

True enough. A reasonably savvy friend of mine had to visit the Apple Store no less than three times to finally learn that an iPad would not do what he needed. He didn't go back a fourth time.

Occasionally, just for shits and giggles, I'll go into BB and act like a complete noob just to see what kind of BS gets tossed around by the "salesperson" about certain products.

 

[railven]

i was at fry's watching some dude give his friend worse advice than the sales monkeys would have. he had his friend buy a 1366 board [expensive dead end] and triple channel ram [pointless unless you have a 990x] after figuring out his friend had no where near high end computing needs.

I dunno, unless you know the preface to that conversation you might be taking it out of context. I've had lots of friends/family ask me to build them a PC well beyond their needs. I often have to talk a lot of them back from what they want to what they need, and if they don't listen then I go into the spiel of what's current within their set price range.

Of course I wouldn't sell them a 1366 unless they get a great deal (which isn't too hard now with the 1155's mopping the floor.)

 

[railven]

Occasionally, just for shits and giggles, I'll go into BB and act like a complete noob just to see what kind of BS gets tossed around by the "salesperson" about certain products.

Haha, I have a friend who works at BB and he called me out as a troll one time. I had a good chuckle more so cuz I was screwing with the Geek Squad crew. Man, sometimes I wonder if they require computer literacy for that position. The Magnolia peeps know their A/V though, just don't buy the Monster cables they are forced to push on customers.

 

[TakeNoPrisoners]

Once I tried to buy a laptop at Best Buy. The guy told me they only have more expensive versions that have the bloatware removed. Basicly they are charging $100 more for a clean install of windows. I had a W7 64 Bit disk I could do the same thing with anyway so I didn't need their service.

So after lying about that he says that it will take 2 hours to get a normal laptop without the service added on. I called his bluff and said I can wait.

He comes back saying he just "found" a laptop at the advertised price for me to buy. :whiste:

Shady stuff.

 

[bryanW1995]

I work in sales and I see this all the time. I don't even trust salesmen.

I, however, am completely honest with customers. Regrettably, I'm also the lowest income person in my department because of it. In my opinion, the guys who are the biggest geeks are probably going to be the most honest because they're not there for the $$, they're there to be around electronics.

tl;dr
Some salesmen are ok.

Being honest doesn't hurt you sales ability. I'm extremely honest but I was able to go from salesman/finance/sales mgr/gsm/owner over the course of 15 years in the car business. Not being able/willing to take shortcuts (like lying) can hurt you in the short run but in the long run you'll be a better salesperson because of it (or in a different, non-sales type position).

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Being honest doesn't hurt you sales ability. I'm extremely honest but I was able to go from salesman/finance/sales mgr/gsm/owner over the course of 15 years in the car business. Not being able/willing to take shortcuts (like lying) can hurt you in the short run but in the long run you'll be a better salesperson because of it (or in a different, non-sales type position).

-This is true. I work at a Microcenter and try my hardest to match up a customer with what he actually needs for the best price and don't shy away from letting customers know if our competitors have something comparable for a far better price (monoprice.com, for example). Its a lot easier in all things, IMO, to be honest than to keep your lies straight. I'm at the high end of our pay scale, make my numbers and have made more than a few loyal customers.

People have to understand though that retail is brutal and management is often breathing down an associates neck to keep the customer turnover going as fast as possible. Associates also have their own history of bad experiences with customers: time thiefs that are either dangerously ignorant or so distrustful of salesmen that they seem to have hardened themselves to even good advice if a salesman is saying it. Whats worse (I think some in this thread will find this humorous) is once you've figured out what someone wants and needs and are well into helping them some "good Samaritan" who hears one small part of your conversation with no context comes barreling in with all the wrong advice and confuses the hell out the person you are helping!

That being said, there are definitely a few people that know everything they know from the vendor directed training, have no regard for the customer and are willing to tell them anything to make a quick buck. Unfortunately the comeuppance for these types is rare and far between but its so sweet when they get called out on their BS.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

i was at fry's watching some dude give his friend worse advice than the sales monkeys would have. he had his friend buy a 1366 board [expensive dead end] and triple channel ram [pointless unless you have a 990x] after figuring out his friend had no where near high end computing needs.

Sounds like a lot of forum users here, who recommend an i5-2500K for web/email/netflix/facebook games.

 

[Red Storm]

Sounds like a lot of forum users here, who recommend an i5-2500K for web/email/netflix/facebook games.

Haha, so true. :awe:

 

[djnsmith7]

Once I tried to buy a laptop at Best Buy. The guy told me they only have more expensive versions that have the bloatware removed. Basicly they are charging $100 more for a clean install of windows. I had a W7 64 Bit disk I could do the same thing with anyway so I didn't need their service.

So after lying about that he says that it will take 2 hours to get a normal laptop without the service added on. I called his bluff and said I can wait.

He comes back saying he just "found" a laptop at the advertised price for me to buy. :whiste:

Shady stuff.

Shady is right. It makes you appreciate a "real" sales person when you find them. Whether it be in a retail store or elsewhere, it's a good thing. Meeting an experienced, knowledgeable & helpful sales person can go a long way.

There can be a nice shock factor in saying, "Hey, don't BS me, I know what we're talking about. Just give it to me straight." The tone changes right there.

 

[ShawnD1]

I love when people ask me if there pc can handle a certain game, usually I will tell them to check out the back of the box because theres some useful information on the back of it

Next time you point someone to the back of the box, I want you to remember this article:
http://www.worldcarfans.com/1100322...series-drivers-think-the-car-is-a-front-wheel

In a conference call with reporters and analysts, BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer revealed that 80 percent of BMW 1-Series drivers believed they were driving a front-wheel drive car.

The 1-Series is, in fact, a rear-wheel drive car. BMW does not yet make any front-wheel drive vehicles, although, BMW Group's MINI brand does.

If people can't pull their heads out of their asses long enough to figure out which wheels on their car are connected to the transmission, then they probably don't know anything about their computer either. Some people don't even know if their house's water heater is electric or natural gas.

 

[pw38]

Some people don't even know if their house's water heater is electric or natural gas.

I highly doubt that. You get a gas bill, you know what it's for. Bad example.

Anyway the MC near me is actually staffed with some decent sales people. There are the obvious "know-it-alls" that recommend what they want, not what the customer needs, but welcome to retail. It happens. I have no problem going from salesman to salesman to find the correct info if I feel I'm being lied to or misdirected. Being commission based doesn't hold me to them just because they were the first one to say hello. If they want to fight over who's commission it is afterward they can do it after I leave.

As for intervening in a sale, I get that it seems like the right thing to do and you're just doing your duty to protect the unwitting but I've seen cases where the helpful customer ends up giving bad information or doesn't know the whole story before chiming in. I've also seen people thrown out of stores for intervening in sales and/or confronting salesmen about giving what they perceive as bad info. Sometimes it's smart to just keep to yourself.

 

[nonameo]

Most people don't know that their dishwasher recycles water

I mean seriously, what do you think that element in the basin is for?

 

[StrangerGuy]

Most people are clueless with PC hardware, even those so-called enthusiasts who thinks buying a GTS450 SLI that cost more than a faster 6950 2GB is something worthy to brag about.

 

[ShawnD1]

I highly doubt that. You get a gas bill, you know what it's for. Bad example.

The gas bill could be for anything. For example, heating in west canada is mostly natural gas and most stoves are electric. In east canada, most heating is electric but everyone seems to have a natural gas stove. Electric water heaters also look very similar to gas water heaters. The only real difference is that the electric ones don't have an exhaust pipe.

The people who don't care how things work as long as they work are the ones who don't know what kind of heater they have or which wheels move the car or what type of "CPU" (computer) they have at home.

 

[Blitzvogel]

I'm thinking part of the reason Console gaming is 10x bigger than PC gaming is because customers get confused trying to deal with the stuff.

This, though I think this as an oversimplified explanation.

 

[ShawnD1]

This, though I think this as an oversimplified explanation.

Nah, not oversimplified. Trying to figure out if your 3 year old computer can run a new game can be a real bitch. The requirements on the box are just made up; they obviously never test those. If your computer just barely meets the requirements, the game will run maybe 10fps at the lowest resolution with all of the options and details turned off. If you want the game to actually be playable, it's all guessing.

 

[skipsneeky2]

How about a 6800gt? Only $345.

http://www.pcplanetsystems.com/abc/product_details.php?category_id=193&item_id=1084

Maybe some old new stock new in box card.

About as useful if someone was a collector of vintage parts or building a retro gaming machine...