# Is this a new sales gimmick? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 15, 2015, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217 "2015-07-15T03:38:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217/1 "2015-07-15T03:38:39Z")
I was in Best Buy today looking for a product and when I couldn’t see it I asked one of the employees if he could assist me. He asked around and found out that they didn’t carry the product I was looking for. No big deal - except that at least three times during the short conversation, the guy referred to me as “young man”. Now this guy looked to be around thirty. I’m 53 and with the gray in my beard, I look my age. There’s no plausible way this guy thought I was a “young man”. So I have to assume this was supposed to make me feel good. In actuality it was so obviously false it was more annoying. Although not to the point where I bothered making an issue out of it during the minute or two when we spoke. Is this something this one individual came up with on his own? Or is this something that businesses are training their employees to do? ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217/2 "2015-07-15T04:48:00Z")
Methinks his job as a salesrep will be short. It sounds like a tin-eared attempt to be jocular. Maybe Best Buy is having trouble keeping people who depend on commissions. A sign of a troubled store - you can’t sell to people who don’t come in. Did he have another product to suggest? If he is on commission and thinks a flat “No, not here” without any suggestions, he probably WILL be there briefly/ ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217/3 "2015-07-15T13:50:19Z")
I sincerely doubt he was trained to do that. He probably thought he was being friendly. Most sales professionals would probably have referred to you as a gentleman. “This gentleman is looking for blah blah blah.” ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217/4 "2015-07-15T13:55:34Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > I sincerely doubt he was trained to do that. He probably thought he was being friendly. Most sales professionals would probably have referred to you as a gentleman. “This gentleman is looking for blah blah blah.” Makes you sound like a suspect on _Cops._ “The gentleman was seen savagely beating his female companion before disemboweling her.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217/5 "2015-07-15T14:29:38Z")
It’s been around for decades, usually as “young fella.” I’ve seen it when I was growing up, usually with salesmen talking to older men. It’s more a linguistic quirk than anything to do with sales. ---
**Author:** ![storyguide3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@storyguide3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyguide3)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217/6 "2015-07-15T14:30:57Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > Methinks his job as a salesrep will be short. > > It sounds like a tin-eared attempt to be jocular. > Maybe Best Buy is having trouble keeping people who depend on commissions. A sign of a troubled store - you can’t sell to people who don’t come in. > > Did he have another product to suggest? If he is on commission and thinks a flat “No, not here” without any suggestions, he probably WILL be there briefly/ According to their web site, Best Buy sales people are not on commission. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/22080_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217/7 "2015-07-15T14:58:04Z")
I hate hate HATE when anyone calls me “young lady” - it’s not flattering at all. First off, I’m 61, and while I know I look a bit younger than that, there’s no way anyone under 90 should refer to me as “young lady.” That’s a term one applies to a sassy 6-y/o, in the context of “You just wait till we get you home, young lady” or perhaps even “Oh, aren’t you a lovely young lady!” Once a person of the female persuasion has hit puberty, the phrase should be banned!!! You’re not going to get a bigger tip or make a bigger sale - you’re just going to piss me off!! Yes, I have issues. Deal! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217/8 "2015-07-15T15:48:18Z")
You don’t have issues, well not about this anyway. 😉 It’s condescending. ---
**Author:** ![Macca26](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Macca26](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Macca26)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217/9 "2015-07-15T16:26:49Z")
I worked at a cafe once and guy who was rolling in Employee of the Month awards, scads of positive customer reviews, and unexpected tips was the guy who called out to the next woman in line, “Hello, beautiful! What can I get you today?”/“What can I get for you, young lady?”/“How are you today, young lady?” regardless of how old or young the women were. He just charmed the pants off all of them by acting like each one was the center of his universe. But if you don’t have the charm and sheer positivity he had, I expect it won’t work. And I especially think it’s not as useful on men. But no, it’s not an especially new technique. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217/10 "2015-07-15T16:54:06Z")
I’m a middle-aged woman and hate that condescending crap, as if we’re all desperate morons who melt in a puddle of stupid bliss at being called young or gorgeous. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217/11 "2015-07-15T17:44:13Z")
As far as I can tell, it’s a very old sales gimmick. Humor and flattery are both excellent tools in sales and customer service. Some people are better at it than others. The ones who do it well seem more natural and appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217/12 "2015-07-15T17:56:10Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I was in Best Buy today No, no _no_! Don’t _DO_ that! ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217/13 "2015-07-15T19:24:24Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I was in Best Buy today looking for a product and when I couldn’t see it I asked one of the employees if he could assist me. He asked around and found out that they didn’t carry the product I was looking for. > > No big deal - except that at least three times during the short conversation, the guy referred to me as “young man”. > > Now this guy looked to be around thirty. I’m 53 and with the gray in my beard, I look my age. There’s no plausible way this guy thought I was a “young man”. > > So I have to assume this was supposed to make me feel good. In actuality it was so obviously false it was more annoying. Although not to the point where I bothered making an issue out of it during the minute or two when we spoke. > > Is this something this one individual came up with on his own? Or is this something that businesses are training their employees to do? I know 2 people who will call every male they deal with at work, even their bosses and clients “young man” without regard for whether or not the referent is objectively young or even younger than they are. They think it’s “friendly” and “no disrespectful” but the look on most people’s faces as they are addressed or referred to as “young man” is unmistakably annoyed and offended. I find it demeaning, derogatory and condescending. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2015, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217/14 "2015-07-15T22:03:51Z")
I’m 58 and I got called a kid yesterday. It was my dad, so I let him live. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217/15 "2015-07-16T07:54:30Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > Methinks his job as a salesrep will be short. > > It sounds like a tin-eared attempt to be jocular. > Maybe Best Buy is having trouble keeping people who depend on commissions. A sign of a troubled store - you can’t sell to people who don’t come in. > > Did he have another product to suggest? If he is on commission and thinks a flat “No, not here” without any suggestions, he probably WILL be there briefly/ I worked at Circuit City in the 90s. One of Best Buy’s selling points was that no one was on sales commission. After a long period of Circuit City saying that was a disadvantage (no motivation to be knowledgeable and help customers), once they started losing out to Best Buy (and Walmart) they reversed course, fired all highly ranked salespeople, and cut out commissions, too. I highly doubt that any similar stores (not that many of those chains are left) are paying commissions in 2015. Maybe some bonuses for service plans or something. Though I did recently go in an HH Gregg for the first time and they had an oddly 1990ish Circuit City/Service Merchandise vibe. ---
**Author:** ![SeniorCitizen007](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8baadc/32.png) [@SeniorCitizen007](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeniorCitizen007)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217/16 "2015-07-16T10:40:25Z")
You’re 53 eh? It won’t be long before you’ll start running into the Dobists. On my 65th birthday my bank sent me a letter wishing me happy birthday … and an offer to cover my funeral for a couple of quid a week. A similar letter arrived the very next day, from the same bank. Then another the next day. At the end of the week, five letters later, I got a call from the bank: “Did you get our letters?” “Yes” “Did you read them?” “Yes” “What are you going to do about it?” The guy at the other end of the phone got really upset when I started laughing. Dobists (people who know or want to know you’re date of birth) can pop up at any time: I was instructed by a nurse to report to an office in a hospital. The moment I entered a woman jerked her head around, stared at me menacingly and spat out: “What’s your date of birth?” The most efficient way to identify me was by my date of birth. I needed an ambulance to a larger hospital. Two ambulance men appeared: “What’s your date of birth?” one demanded of me. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217/17 "2015-07-16T12:05:47Z")
> [@SeniorCitizen007](#): > > I was instructed by a nurse to report to an office in a hospital. The moment I entered a woman jerked her head around, stared at me menacingly and spat out: > > “What’s your date of birth?” > > The most efficient way to identify me was by my date of birth. > > I needed an ambulance to a larger hospital. Two ambulance men appeared: > > “What’s your date of birth?” one demanded of me. As long as the hospital or ambulance don’t already have the date of death filled out for you too, you’re ok. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217/18 "2015-07-16T12:30:15Z")
> [@Honey](#): > > It’s condescending. Yep. You should have replied, calling him “Gramps” each time. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217/19 "2015-07-16T13:02:30Z")
> [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](#): > > I highly doubt that any similar stores (not that many of those chains are left) are paying commissions in 2015. Maybe some bonuses for service plans or something. Though I did recently go in an HH Gregg for the first time and they had an oddly 1990ish Circuit City/Service Merchandise vibe. Fry’s is on commission, I believe, or at least has been the last time I bought something there. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217/20 "2015-07-16T13:47:02Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Makes you sound like a suspect on _Cops._ > > “The gentleman was seen savagely beating his female companion before disemboweling her.” > > 😃 Better than “particular individual”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-new-sales-gimmick/725217.md?page=2)