Question for the younger generation

[Charlie Stanford]

During my vacation up here in Maine, my wife let me go to Lie-Nielsen Toolworks. I originally was going for a shooting plane, but since it is our anniversary, the spending limit set by the wife was fairly high (several thousand).

Anyway, as I walked in the showroom, basically we were ignored. I had the wife in tow and was explaining what things were used for, trying to pass time until the kid helping the older guy approached. He never did, but instead elected to help another group of older guy that came in after. My wife was a tad bit pissed, and the manager-type lady didn't really want to listen to her (I finally had gotten help after milling about for 30 to 40 minutes).

All said and done, I got a shooting plane and their American Hardwood sample book when I had planned to drop much more.

Now, the question for the younger guys. . .does this happen a lot to you all also? I have noticed when i walk into "serious" woodworking shops, people tend to ignore me. I am just curious if I'm alone in this, or if it is just cruddy luck.

PS: Pardon the crappy typing. I am on my phone and it sucks for stuff like this.

They only had one salesperson working a showroom where most customers are going to want to demo each tool before they buy it? There's your problem.

[Jonathan McCullough]

Hmm. Retail experiences. I think there's a cultural cutoff point somewhere around the age of 30 when you instantly become "old." One of the things that changed since I became "old" is that most young people in retail aren't paid enough to care about much of anything, and that their opportunities for advancement are severely curtailed. Their situation is not like it was when people were growing up in different eras, more like the 1930s, which few people remember. A big put-off for a lot of customers is commission sales; the retail establishments that use them shall go nameless but you know how annoying it is for Willy Loman to wrap their arms and legs around your calf and let you drag them around the store with their furtive, hungry glances and sickly air of quiet desperation. Another thing to consider is how degrading it must be to deal with an unpleasant personality that walks through the door. There are the narcissists, the "you're cheating me" types, the inexplicably hostile, the "customer is always right"-ists, followed by the "I demand to see your manager"-s, and the internet-whining-my-ego-wasn't-stroked-ers. Multiply that by twenty, forty, a hundred, and although I've never worked retail, I can easily see how things sometimes don't work out. Almost all customer problems can be laid at management's feet, it seems, or the customer, but seldom a salesperson. My best advice is to approach a salesperson with a pleasant disposition, say please and thank you, tell a joke. You wouldn't believe how this changes a person's day when they get dumped on by customers and bosses all day long.

[Winton Applegate]

My best advice is to approach a salesperson with a pleasant disposition, say please and thank you, tell a joke. You wouldn't believe how this changes a person's day when they get dumped on by customers and bosses all day long.

I don't know much about the pope that is going out but you are a candidate for saint hood from my perspective.

[Jeff Duncan]

Long thread but I'll add a couple thoughts.....first in answer to the original question, I've had good and bad experiences and age has not seemed to change that significantly. You simply have good, and bad, and plenty of in between sales people, and it comes down to luck of the draw. An example, I drove up to the local Ford dealer in my F-150 to look at the new F-150's. A salesman eventually came out and although seemed polite enough, when I tried to open the door to one of the trucks on the lot which happened to be locked, he explained that the keys were inside. I stood there for a long awkward moment or two before turning away.....well thanks anyway I bought from another dealer......almost an hour away Doesn't mean the dealership was bad, just that particular salesman was and unfortunately the dealer, good or bad, takes the hit.

As far as Maine goes, in a general sense I find they do tend to be very friendly and helpful. Of course the areas we frequent are in southern Maine which tends to have a significant population of transplanted Massholes I guess they get tired of being Massholes and want to go on to friendlier pastures And Portland kind of reminds me of what Boston was like 25 years or more ago before it got so snotty, so it just feels kinda comfy.....if not a bit small

JeffD

[George Gyulatyan]

So, Google thinks I am in the 65+ year old bracket just because I google woodworking related stuff a lot .

I am 41 FTW.

[Jim Koepke]

I bought from another dealer......almost an hour away Doesn't mean the dealership was bad, just that particular salesman was and unfortunately the dealer, good or bad, takes the hit.

I would have been tempted to go back to the first dealer to show them my new truck. Maybe the first time you go in for dealer service.

Where I grew up a lot of people had their own businesses. Many of them continued to wear their coveralls even though through the years they had done quite well for themselves. One friend referred to them as "overall millionaires."

jtk

[Dave Sheldrake]

Technology franchises seem to be the problem here rather than woodshops or tool suppliers.

I'm scruffy most of the time, clean but scruffy, I wear blue jeans and T-shirts in the office and only spanner myself into a suit if a "situation" requires it.

I was in the local PC World (UK computer parts franchise) as I needed to get some memory for a desktop and didn't have time to wait and get it (50% cheaper) online. The normal saturday job young lad pounced on me and started into his sales pitch about all the properties of the memory I was looking at (half of which was erroneous and the other half plain wrong), well that's his job I guess so I let him carry on without saying anything. After he's finished his sales pitch he added "but I wouldn't expect you to understand that"

I just said "No Habla Ingles" and wandered out.

As is often noted "Arguing with idiots is pointless, they will simply drag you to their level and beat you on experience" I could have given him a 30 minute lecture on Nuclear Physics to demonstrate I'm no idiot but it wouldn't achieve anything other than losing me 30 minutes I'm not getting back. The minute the seller assumes anything they have already insulted the other party as well as discredited themselves (not to mention losing whatever sales they may have made).

For me...the best way to save face is knowing when to keep the lower half closed

best wishes

Dave

[Brian Ashton]

Technology franchises seem to be the problem here rather than woodshops or tool suppliers.

I'm scruffy most of the time, clean but scruffy, I wear blue jeans and T-shirts in the office and only spanner myself into a suit if a "situation" requires it.

I was in the local PC World (UK computer parts franchise) as I needed to get some memory for a desktop and didn't have time to wait and get it (50% cheaper) online. The normal saturday job young lad pounced on me and started into his sales pitch about all the properties of the memory I was looking at (half of which was erroneous and the other half plain wrong), well that's his job I guess so I let him carry on without saying anything. After he's finished his sales pitch he added "but I wouldn't expect you to understand that"

I just said "No Habla Ingles" and wandered out.

As is often noted "Arguing with idiots is pointless, they will simply drag you to their level and beat you on experience" I could have given him a 30 minute lecture on Nuclear Physics to demonstrate I'm no idiot but it wouldn't achieve anything other than losing me 30 minutes I'm not getting back. The minute the seller assumes anything they have already insulted the other party as well as discredited themselves (not to mention losing whatever sales they may have made).

For me...the best way to save face is knowing when to keep the lower half closed

best wishes

Dave

But when you consider the sales attendant's, age, pay scale and brain capacity you'll quickly understand they don't give a crap about losing sales only getting back to texting. The only loser there is the store owner that can't find anyone with an IQ above 70 to work for them.

I live next to the local university here and over the years boarded many students and I've come to the conclusion that 90% of gen y are intellectually challenged and for the most part useless at basic daily functions. I mean most of them can't even load a dishwasher without comprehensive ongoing instruction.

[Dave Sheldrake]

But when you consider the sales attendant's, age, pay scale and brain capacity you'll quickly understand they don't give a crap about losing sales only getting back to texting

So very true my friend

best wishes

Dave

[Josh Rudolph]

Absolutely! It happens to me all of the time. Try being 5'4" with a baby face! I get so turned off anytime I have to deal with a salesperson as they tend to judge me as soon as I walk in the door. So I am sure to educate myself on the product of interest as good as possible and just count on being blown off.
My worst experience took place at a trade show back a few years ago. I was 31 and had $1,000,000 (yep you read that right) to spend on providing a new/upgraded capability at my work place. I had spoken with most of the vendors in the past and talked with all of them at the show. The company hosting the show used to be the "cadillac" for providing this capability and had provided my old unit that we would be upgrading. I went over and stood in the middle of their booth browsing all of their wares. I browsed for about 10 minutes throughout the large booth. There were at one point 7 employees in the booth...not one approached me to even say hello. I had finally reached a point I was getting irritated with being blown off, so I went over and stood next to 2 of the employees that were having a conversation. I did not interrupt them and it was obvious I was waiting on one of them to address me. I stood probably about 2 minutes, which seemed around 20 minutes. I then turned and walked out of their booth to never look back. I made sure when it was time to select the vendor to provide the capability, it was not going to be that one. Since then, I have been contacted by them as my name was on the list of attendees. I told them my experience and how I was treated, I let them know what they missed out on being able to provide. I have since then bought many other high dollar items (though not near as large) from their competing vendors as I refuse to give them any money for how they treated me.