Just Looking...

squinney wrote:

Well, yeah, Slappy! Considering you would be about crotch high, I'm sure that was a huge relief!!!

0 Replies

asking if you need help is how the sales people make thier money.
I try to keep that in mind and realize that they are not just being rude, they are trying to do the job and ensure a paycheck.
How ever uncomfortable I feel with the tactics they use.

I always try to consider that when I see a sales person approaching me. I use the same line as slappy, " Im not buying today" or.. if I am looking for exactly what I want i will tell them
" Im comparing sony ---blah blahs-- , so when I am done I will let you know and you can help me buy it. Thanks."

not quite that rude.. but you get the idea

0 Replies

squinney wrote:

I'll crack the code for you, msolga.

The salesperson is likely just keeping an eye out from a distance, giving you the space you requested, but also making themselves easily available in case you do need assistance.

Also, there is usually an "up" system. When a customer comes in, and it is my turn, I greet them, determine their needs, and go from there. IF you are "just looking" I still can't take another "up" until you leave. I have to wait for you to finish looking before I can get another opportunity to earn. If it is a busy day and all salespeople have an "up" we can take another customer coming in (overflow), but otherwise, we have to wait. While you are "just looking" other salespeople are getting opportunities.

That's why I will tell the salespeople when I come in that I'm not a real up if I'm just looking. Sometimes I'll tell them I'm a 'shopper' so the person that was supposed to take me still gets to approach the next person that comes in.

Wow. That's great advice squinney....

I'm not sure I totally understand though. If I tell the sales person I'm a shopper, won't that make them want to stay with me?

What if I said to them...."I know you take turns as new customers come in...but really, feel free to take the next person, I'm really not buying today, and won't have any questions."

I understand they are trying to make a living, but some of them are so incredibly obnoxious they have to know they are way out of line, and wouldn't buy something from them now, even if you wanted to.actually, it's self defeating for them in another way, since someone tailing you and babbling, even after you've made it clear you'll call them over if you need them puts me at least TOTALLY out of the mood for shopping, and I'll end up leaving, frustrated.

On the other hand, when I have a salesperson who gives me space, I will make sure I give the credit of the sale to him/her.

I looked for months for my new living room furniture, because I knew I was going to be looking at it for many years. I wasn't about to walk into a store, point to a couch and say "that's it" As a matter of fact, when we found the perfect set, I was afraid I'd never see anything as good, so we bought it and put in in storage for 6 months before the house was ready for it.

Items like furniture aren't like t-shirts or a new blenderit's a big deal.

0 Replies

Chai Tea wrote:

Items like furniture aren't like t-shirts or a new blenderit's a big deal.

They are a big deal, but I have a habit of making large purchases without putting too much thought into them. Or at least I'm not afraid to jump on something good when I see it. When I bought my current car, I wasn't even in the market for a car. I was online looking at used cars the night before, saw it, did a little research on it, went down and bought it the next day.

I was looking online at condos for the past two years, and had a decent feel for the market. When I first went out and really looked, it was a weekend. Found my current place that following Wednesday. Except this was a little different of a situation, I got hooked up pretty good. So I was in the market for about 4 days.

And I can think of only one large purchase I regret, but it was a car that turned out bad, and you can't really predict that.

0 Replies

I'm "just looking" probably 90% of the time I'm shopping. Especially something major like a sofa. (I've been "just looking" for a good 2 years now!) I do a lot of comparison shopping. I will pretty much never impulse buy that kind of thing -- if I find something that seems good right at the beginning, I'll make note and then keep looking around. If it remains the best thing I see, I go back and get it. So my "just looking" may well translate to an "I'll take that."

And I always keep cards and go back to the person I told I was "just looking for now," if I do decide to buy. (IF I like the salesperson and he/ she wasn't too pushy...)

0 Replies

I couldn't spend months shopping for furniture. I'd look online, find a general style/type/color I want, hit a few places, and buy something. Maybe that's the difference, I always research things a lot online, so when I'm out shopping, I'm usually ready to buy.

0 Replies

That's a good tool, I do that, too.

When I have more money I don't take so long. I bought the couch we already have when we were DINKs, and that was much more efficient -- research, comparison-shop at about 4 places, decide. All within a weekend, because we could afford it.

Now we're struggling financially and I want to get something both crazy-cheap and decent. I've found a lot of near-misses, nothing that is just what I want yet.

Plus, we NEEDED that first couch (all we had for seating at the time was an old naugahyde loveseat that was an absolute monstrosity), this one is "would be nice" but not so necessary.

Anyway, point is, to rebut Squinney's boss, I do a TON of genuine "just looking".

0 Replies

Montana wrote:

On the same note, I find it frustrating when you need help and you can't find someone to help you ;-)

Even worse is when you find them and they don't have a clue about the product Crying or Very sad

0 Replies

I greet my customers and when they tell me just looking I ask for permission to tell them about the layout of the store and how things are tagged and priced. Usually they will want to know that. By the time I take two minutes to explain that to them, they are educated about how things work, they do not feel threatened, and I have made an impression on them so hopefully they will remember me. I tell them to please ask for me because I am a commisioned sales person and then I leave them alone awhile unless they want me to walk the floor with them.

I have to make an impression on them for two reasons.

!. Shoppers either don't get or don't give a **** that sales people in a larger tagged environment like cars or furniture work on commision not hourly.

2. Other sales people will clip you in ten seconds.

I make sure that I know something personal about my customers by the time I get to the close. It's a relationship business, even if it's a short relationship. My buyers receive a thank you card from me within 72 hours even if all they bought was a lamp.

On the other hand, if a customer comes in and stiff arms me in a rude manner I will tell them to look around and if they find they need help to see who they can flag down, and I go on to the next up. F*ck 'em.

I'm currently in the top five at my store.

0 Replies

Intrepid
Absolutely! This just happened to me last week when I went to Staples. I wanted more info on high speed internet cards, since my son needs to convert my old computer over to high speed and not only did he tell me things I already knew, I told him some things about it that he didn't even know.
This really ticks me off because it's a waste of my time and oh how I hate wasting my time.
I ran into several situations like this in the past few weeks as I switch over to a new computer and changing over from dial up to high speed.
I got so many different answers to my question from different sources (who should have known what they were talking about) that I was getting right pissed off.
In fact, it happened again yesterday and I did get a bit snippy with the sales person because they were insisting that I was wrong. Then another sales person came along and varified that I was right.

Grrrrrr!!!!

0 Replies

Bear
You wrote: !. Shoppers either don't get or don't give a **** that sales people in a larger tagged environment like cars or furniture work on commision not hourly.

This is something that I think needs to be changed because as a customer, I never thought about the sales people until now and I don't think as a consumer that I should have too.
When I'm out buying things for myself, I'm focused on what I'm buying and the sales reps never even cross my mind unless I need their help.
I understand what you're saying and I'd be honoured to have you as my sales rep, but considering that most people are ingnorant (like myself) to the way things work, it doesn't seem very fair to anyone who works in sales on commision.

0 Replies

Montana,
The problem is....If nothing sells then there is no money to pay the sales people anyhow. Those who sell eat. Those who do not better have lots of friends.

0 Replies

On an item where the customer often needs educating like furniture and needs a knowledgeable salesperson, they have to paid on commision. Believe me, if everyone who sold furniture was just on an hourly wage, you would have a parade of idiots who could give a **** less if you needed help. When a customer wants to know the reason for price discrepancies in what appears to be the same piece of funiture, I need to be able to tell them and I have invested time in that product knowledge. It has value to both me and the buyer.

Unfortunately sometimes you get "don't give a ****" idiots anyway, but those idiots clear the way for people like me and squinney to actually earn, so I guess in a way it's a good thing. :wink:

0 Replies

Intrepid wrote:

Montana,
The problem is....If nothing sells then there is no money to pay the sales people anyhow. Those who sell eat. Those who do not better have lots of friends.

no one gets paid until the salesoperson is paid. Period.

0 Replies

Ok, I see what you mean, Bear. I'll be thinking about this when I shop from now on.
I truly had no idea that I was causing sales people to lose money by shopping the way I do/did.

0 Replies

Montana wrote:

Ok, I see what you mean, Bear. I'll be thinking about this when I shop from now on.
I truly had no idea that I was causing sales people to lose money by shopping the way I do/did.

come see me and squinney baby... we'll take care of you...nothin' but love for ya... Cool

0 Replies

I suppose there needs to be a middle ground because if the sales rep is too pushy, they lose a sale (with me anyway) and if they're not there when I need them, they also lose a sale, so I like the sales rep who watches from a comfortable distance.
This way they're not up my ass, yet they're there if I need them.
I don't mind if I'm approached when I first walk in the store and asked if I need help, because sometimes I do, but when I tell them I'll let them know if I need them, I like it to end there.

0 Replies

I understand salespeople have been told to approach me, and I'm very friendly at that point. I even extend the courtesy, when they tell me of sales or specials immediately after that. It really pisses me off if they continue to follow me about. I have, many times, after three or four tight monosyllabic responses, no eye-contact and walking toward items of interest, stopped and turned to them and said, "Please don't follow me."

I like to look at what I want to look at, not what they want to drag me over to-- I don't want to talk, until I've seen what I want to see. If I have questions, I know where to find them. I don't like the whole idea of "being sold." Car dealerships are the worst. They actually arrange the cars in a maze, so you can't get out of there, without being trapped long enough for them to sprint over to you. At some point, a person is going to have a question about a product they intend to buy. I just really resent the mad dash to "bag me" as I enter.

If the person pleasantly follows my request, I make sure they are who I ask for when I'm ready to buy. I've worked in sales and understand how they are paid.

I mean, I tip at least 20%--and that's for basic service, not good service.

But, if you're my waitress, don't sit down at my table with me or tell me about your life. I'm there to enjoy a meal.

I've told car salesmen that I'll remember them if I buy, only if they'll leave me alone. One guy said his boss was watching, and he couldn't leave me.

I guess there are all kinds of opinions about browsing. I like to browse.

0 Replies

blueveinedthrobber wrote:

Montana wrote:
Ok, I see what you mean, Bear. I'll be thinking about this when I shop from now on.
I truly had no idea that I was causing sales people to lose money by shopping the way I do/did.

come see me and squinney baby... we'll take care of you...nothin' but love for ya...

Awwww shucks, the pleasure would be all mine :-D

0 Replies

Lash wrote:

I understand salespeople have been told to approach me, and I'm very friendly at that point. I even extend the courtesy, when they tell me of sales or specials immediately after that. It really pisses me off if they continue to follow me about. I have, many times, after three or four tight monosyllabic responses, no eye-contact and walking toward items of interest, stopped and turned to them and said, "Please don't follow me."

I like to look at what I want to look at, not what they want to drag me over to-- I don't want to talk, until I've seen what I want to see. If I have questions, I know where to find them. I don't like the whole idea of "being sold." Car dealerships are the worst. They actually arrange the cars in a maze, so you can't get out of there, without being trapped long enough for them to sprint over to you. At some point, a person is going to have a question about a product they intend to buy. I just really resent the mad dash to "bag me" as I enter.

If the person pleasantly follows my request, I make sure they are who I ask for when I'm ready to buy. I've worked in sales and understand how they are paid.

I mean, I tip at least 20%--and that's for basic service, not good service.

But, if you're my waitress, don't sit down at my table with me or tell me about your life. I'm there to enjoy a meal.

I've told car salesmen that I'll remember them if I buy, only if they'll leave me alone. One guy said his boss was watching, and he couldn't leave me.

I guess there are all kinds of opinions about browsing. I like to browse.

but you do understand the difference between stalking and remaining at a discreet distance to be available to give service if necessary right?

0 Replies

Just Looking...

Related Topics

Quick Links

My Account

able2know