I think the big difference is that I don’t know what I want. Generally hubby is deep into some project and goes, "Hon, can you go get me a [string of syllables that sorta sound like English but don’t actually convey any meaning.]
So I generally arrive at the RS carrying a…something…that needs to be connected to a …something else…which was immobile but I have a neat-o sketch of what the face of that socket looks like…
To their great credit, the clerks at the RS not only manage not to laugh (at least until I’m out of the store) and better than 9 out of 10 times, the [whatever] they sell me is what hubby needed.
If you are getting hassled by the salespeople, why do you stay? Politely ask them not to hover over you, and if they still do, then walk out. Back when RS asked for your phone number, I once walked out of the store, after the parts had all been rung up, leaving the parts on the counter and the sales unmade. Be polite but firm. If you really need that one resistor, I’m sure that Digikey will happily ship it to you. (I used to work for a capacitor manufacturer, and I used to turn green with envy every time I saw how much RS was charging for our caps. I used to sell whole damn reels of the things for less then RS was charging.)
This pitting is a few years late… I used to hate going in when they would ask the name, addy stuff. I don’t want your useless flyers and circulars. Like most posters here, I go for electronic components.
I actually don’t mind the drones in the local RadioCrack asking if I need help, because they moved all of the cool electronic stuff to the back (all they have in the front is cellphones). I usually go to their site, give them the exact part number, and roll the fuck out.
There is a Pit-worthy Radio Shack in Harvard Square, on JFK Street. It has the most overpowering potpourri crockpots going on. I actually gag when I walk in there. I almost want to ask, “Why the fuck do you have the potpourri cranked up to 11 in here? Is there a decaying body in here?” I hold my breath as long as I can without inhaling.
Another Pit-worthy store is Micro Center. They ask for the address there too, and the clerks get all huffy if you say no. Luckily, I gave my old address from about 10 years ago when I first started shopping there, and I guess they still use it. Best Buy is getting to be the same way with their stupid extended warranties that they try to hawk with everything you buy. The salesputz actually wanted me to buy a warranty for a PS2 game. Dude, if I can’t safely buy a PS2 disc without worrying about it spontaneously combusting, I probably need to invest in a non-disc based system, like an ATARI 2600.
Retailers: if you want to stay in touch with customers, give a website on a receipt and offer 10% the next purchase for signing up with your e-mail or street address. First, I hate getting your circular flyers. Second, if you must send a circular, I’d much rather it be an electronic one!
This is what I don’t understand. Why do people continue to shop and/or spend money in stores that annoy them? You have the ultimate power: you get to decide who gets your money. If their behavior annoys you, go somewhere else to shope and call the RS manager or district manager and TELL them why you no longer shop there.
But to just bitch about it and continue to spend money there is just silly and perpetuates the problem.
How about the stores that ask for your phone number. Typically I just politely say no, sometimes I say “Give your CEO’s home phone and I will leave my number on his voice mail.”
There are some stores, like RS, who pretty much have the market cornered on some things. I agree with this sentiment for a big box or a department store. But if you need AV components, fuses, couplers, etc. your only option is Radio Shack. As much as I’d like to give someone else my business, these are usually things you need quickly… the online options will take a few days.
Ditto. Not to mention sometimes you do need to LOOK at the stuff you buy. I, too, only go in about once a year but customer service aside it is almost guaranteed they will have the cable/connector/thingamajig I am looking for in stock. And no one else locally will. Especially for older things - one of our TVs is a few years old and shops run through things so fast and immediately jump on the “new” bandwagon, as though everyone can afford to replace all their electronics every few years! So I suck it up and drag myself down there when I need to, after I’ve tried other places.
I used to go the “No thanks, I’ll let you know if I need help” --> “I already said I don’t need help” --> “Lost your sale. Bye” route. Now I stick my earbuds in before I enter the store (no music, but they don’t know that) and point to them with a friendly shrug if anybody is trailing me. This works pretty well.
In Doperland, perhaps, we hate pouncing salespeople. Still, retailers continue to do it, and I don’t think they would impose a practice that has been shown to decrease sales. I’m guessing in the real world, the masses actually respond positively to such pain-in-the-ass salespeople.
Where are such people? Well, along people who drive and talk on the cell phone at the same time, talk during the movies, like Applebees, think bands that get a lot of radio airplay are pretty good, or drive hulking SUVs just because they can, and not to haul horse trailers up and down steep mountain passes every weekend, they don’t live in Doperland.
YES! “Are you absolutely sure that’s the right battery for your phone? They can look really similar!” I am able to read the model numbers the battery fits and I guess if I screw that up I’ll take the hit.
I gave up on RS the day I went in for one of these, a very common and simple product. He didn’t understand what I was asking for and tried to sell me something unrelated. After that plus the battery crap above, I put my selections back and went to Kmart. There I found the jack box no problem. Then I went on-line and bought my phone batteries without incident.
Radio Shack is a horrible company that sells second-rate garbage at inflated prices. But they also happen to have the magic wall that has every plug, adaptor, or wire that you can imagine, and that’s all they’re good for. What’s really funny is that on the rare occasions where I actually go into a Radio Shack because I need a plug or adaptor, the salesman will generally do the bit that the OP is talking about, so I will explain that I’m looking for such-and-such adaptor. But the sales staff almost never has any idea what the contents of the magic wall are, so they basically scratch their head, stare at the wall, pull things off at random and say, “Uh, is this what you’re looking for?”
I have no doubt that they know that’s the reason people even go to their store. So they stock all that stuff, even though they don’t make any money on it, in hopes that they can get you to buy some overpriced junk while you’re there.
I went there recently and was pounced on as soon as I walked in the door. Fortunately I knew exactly what I wanted and the guy walked me straight to it (nice). Unfortunately, he also called me “honey” and “sweetie” and touched me on the shoulder(ew)!
He also asked for my address and phone number at the register. I told him I didn’t want to be contacted in any way about this purchase, as it was a gift for my husband, and he swore that it would never happen. So I gave him my work info.
I didn’t get that vibe. What with the “honey” and the “sweetie”, I just felt he was being a condescending ass. You know, the more I think about this, the less I’m sure that he asked for the address. He definitely wanted a phone number though.
Being a former BestBuy manager for many a year I knew how the system worked and knew how the salespeople reacted to different customers. Ashamed to say I have used this to my advantage over the past few years to get better customer service.
Buying a bigscreen HDTV I had a ton of questions and wanted them all answered and by a polite salesperson and correct answers. Basically I wanted the dude to spend some time with me so I got what I wanted.
Knowing that out of the gates the salesperson is thinking “gotta get the warranty, gotta get the $$ cables” and not thinking “gotta service this customer to help him find the correct tv and give him all the answers” I bought into his introductory spiel right away. “Yes, I want the warranty and I want the good stuff that makes it run the best.” Once I dropped this line on him I was his best friend for the day and he was the nicest person willing to do cartwheels for me making sure I was treated right.
Unfortunately I had to return the following day to get a refund on the warranty and $$ cables. The customer service gal couldn’t have cared less and the return would be buried in that days sales numbers. And the sales guy still got the credit for yesterday’s sale.
Funny, my Radio Shack has commendable service, with just the right amount of ‘can I help you’ and no stalking whatsoever. (Or at least it did the last time I was there.) I gather that this isn’t the norm; should I be gloating?
