Things that most business owners know to be true that just...aren't

My mother was bitching about this very thing to me, yesterday. This seems to be a very common complaint.

I keep things warm in winter and cool in summer, but that is more for me and my employees’ comfort.

Heh.
There are plenty of pet peeves in this thread (plus lots of general misogyny - “How dare people greet me enthusiastically!!”), but very little of the thread title.

Offering upsells to customers makes money.
Automated phone systems save money.
Insurance is a huge cash cow for car rental companies.
Of course the big gaudy signage outside the car dealership won’t increase the overall market, but it may increase that dealer’s share of it.
Bars with loud music are usually packed full of customers.

Sad but true, folks. Businesses are there to make money, and I think most know that people who are so curmudgeonly that they’ll actively avoid a store that greets them at the door or uses their name are few and far between.

Misogyny is the hatred of women.

D’oh!! :smack:

Misanthropy. Carry on.

Someone in another thread mentioned the common belief that prices ending in .99 (or .95 or .97) make people think things are cheaper, and presumably buy more. This was The Law when I worked retail. Do people really think, “Wow, this table is $289.99 — nowhere near $300!” ? I would imagine that it would only take a few trips through the register, where the total to pay is $313.92, to cure people of this idiocy. And yet it persists.

I really don’t see what the big deal is about answering the phone with “XYZ company; this is MLS, may I help you?” It actually bugs me a bit when I don’t get this on a business call. I don’t immediately recognize the voice of everyone I call, even when I call them a lot. It’s embarrasing to say “May I speak to Joan,” and hear, “This IS Joan.”

Also, in case of a wrong number, it lets the caller know right away they have made a mistake.

Finally, in the case of businesses we deal with a lot, it gives a chance for some pleasant interaction.

If you insist on short and terse answers, you will have difficulty working with businesses in the American southeast. The standard interaction is generally along the lines of:
“Good afternoon, this is XYZ company, MLS speaking.”
“Well, hi there, MLS. This is Mary Jo from Whatsit. How y’all doin’?”
"Oh, I’m just fine Mary Jo, how’re you? Hope you haven’t been bothered too much by that <insert recent weather event here>.
“We had a bit of trouble, but we’re all good now.”
“I’m glad to hear that. So, what can I do for you today?”
<business transpires>

Yeah, it drives New Yorkers crazy.

Yep. When one member of a couple would ask me when I worked retail how much something was, I would often say “24.99” and then the one who asked would say, “Wow honey, it’s only 24 dollars!” I noticed it was more often women who would do this, but men also. It’s an amazingly stupid psychological trick that apparently works on some people.

Then I also had idiot customers who after I said “24.99” say “Why didn’t you just say it costs 25 dollars?” :rolleyes:

I know this worked on my ex. We’d see something on sale for $7.99 and he say “We can get that for 7 bucks” where I’d say “That thing costs 8 dollars and will tax it’ll be 10.” He always went with the first number, I always round up.

My phone number is always 867-5309. It is my little contest to see if I can deadpan it to the point that the clerk doesn’t notice it.

My email address is nyfb@pissoff.com

I’m not a New Yorker, but there is a line between a pleasant greeting and someone who is simply unable to state his business.
This thread seems to be mostly about retail, but I’m pissed off about magazines that offer subscriptions for $X “plus postage.” What do they think “subscription” *means? * Do I have the option to go pick it up myself? If Midwest Living costs $14.97 for two years plus $4 postage, just fucking say it costs $18.97. Or were you hoping I wouldn’t notice that small print?

When EVERYBODY has huge signs, though …

Japan has figured this out. In winter, they hand out packs of tissues with advertising on or in the package, so that as long as you have the pack the ad is staring at you. In summer, they hand out hand fans with advertising on them. Sometimes they actually have a decent picture or cool design on one side and the ad on the other.

You want people to carry your ad around? Put it on something they want to carry around.

25? Seriously? I would die at 25. We keep our house around 18.