Which part of "no thanks" required repeating, Best Buy salesman?

The BBQ Pit
21

sperfur–the REASON Circuit City has been laying off employees left and right and changing all their commission salespeople into straight hourly is because Best Buy is driving them out of business.No lie.Heard it straight from the horse’s mouth(well…both horses’ mouths actually…we went to CC on Fri to kill some time between dinner and the start of a movie and the salesperson told us so).
and for the OP:

I have worked for BB and so I know about this.The REASON they do this is not only to try and get you to buy a Performance Service Plan but because they are often times being watched by mgmt who will send them to PSP-selling school if they don’t do it.Or write them up.Or both. It’s not their fault. I do agree that SGM was being an ass about it though.He could’ve done it in a more polite manner or something.He could’ve taken the hint that you didn’t want the PSP like a good salesperson. I agree that SGM was an asshat of the most asshatty proportions.
But don’t take it out on BB as a company.They’re only doing their job and they’re very successful at it.
Of course then again…I’m probably biased since CG works for them.

IDBB

22

A couple months ago I went into Best Buy. I bought a couple of Cd’s and an eight dollar calculator. When I went to check out the girl at the register said “You know for an extra five dollars you can get our extended warranty on that calculator” I was struck speechless a fraction of a second before I could decline.

 I can see how someone could get suckered in on a warranty for a thousand dollar computer(Not that I would do anything so stupid),  but who is stupid enough to  pay almost twice as much for a service plan on something that costs **eight dollars?**
23

Those of you willing to walk rather than put up with bullshit have my admiration. To really make this effective, though, you should send a letter to Corporate explaining what happened and why you don’t shop there anymore.

Radio Shack finally took the hint and they no longer ask you for demographic information with every purchase. They had a very funny self deprecating commercial to announce this new policy.

Haj

24

Not too long ago BB, the clerk at the register offered me an extended warranty on a copy of SimCity 4.

25

I opened this thread with the intention of relating a similar story ITS A DAMN SEVEN DOLLAR CALCULATOR!!

At least the lady at the register couldn’t manage to ask with a straight face…:dubious: :smiley:

26

When I went to purchase my car a few years ago, One of the first thing I told the salesman is that I intend to BUY the car, and there is no way in hell I will ever LEASE the car. I told him exactly which model, color, interior…etc. I wanted. He then told me that they do have that car, but it is not on the lot, it is in a parking garage a few miles away, where they keep th excess cars they have no room for. My mother and I got into the salesman’s car , so he could take us to look at it, mentionining how much smarter it is to lease, and blah blah blah. I repeated again that there was no way I was going to lease, and even made a joke to my mother about how my dad would kick my ass for WASTING MONEY by leasing the damn thing. He then “realizes” that my particular car IS on the lot, and not in the garage, and tells us how HE is leasing HIS car and couldn’t be happier with the arrangement. I look at my mom and she is trying not to laugh at this guy’s persistance. I have already made it clear several times that a lease is not happening.
We get bak to the lot and go for a test drive, and I think you can figure out the topic of the conversation that took place during this. We get back and I am ready to sign on the X…And this guy hands me a blank piece of paper, and a pen and starts telling me to do the math on buy vs. lease. My mother got up, grabbed me by the arm and gave me the “let’s get out of here” look.
On our way out the door the floor manager approached us asking why we were leaving without the car. I told him exactly what had happened, to which he replied “X is one of our best salesmen.” NO SHIT, theguy won’t take no for an answer. I went there with the intent of buying THAT particular car, so I told him that I do want the car , but do not want to deal with that asshole again, let alone have him make ANY commision off of me.
I got another salesman who was nice as can be, and bought the car. He didn’t mention a lease once.:dubious:

27

And to think, it only took them about 30 years to figure it out.:smiley:

28

I’d be in with the group who said no once, and if they pushed, I’d find a manager first, and then go buy elsewhere. I did this once at a CompUSA – I’d walked in, gone straight to what I wanted, picked it up, and walked straight to the checkout. It was about 30 minutes before closing and there was no one else in the store. I put my box on the checkout counter, and the register guy, who was standing there chatting with another guy, actually turned to me and said “I’ll be with you in a minute,” and then WENT BACK TO CHATTING!! And it wasn’t work related or anything, just social bullshit. I told a manager that since they obviously really didn’t care about selling stuff, I’d happily oblige and do my shopping elsewhere–then and in the future.

I’m sure he went home and cried about it, too.

29

This sort of attitude just boggles my imagination, Johnny. It’s so difficult to listen to a few little words from a corporate drone? Such ire is raised over some poor schlub trying to work his way through college (or, more realistically, keep treating his too-good-for-him girlfriend to expensive presents) when he’s following Standard Operating Procedure?

Criminy. NOBODY wants the service plans. This is a fact of life. But you’d think that people would quickly develop the ability to tune out the sales pitch and allow their brain to automatically say “No… no… no… no…” over and over again.

I’m not trying to convince people to actually get the friggin’ service plan. I’m saying it’s ridiculous to get so angry over this. Judging by the tone of some posters in this thread, I half expect them to go on a bloodthirsty shooting rampage if they’re asked “Do you want fries with that?”

30

Its not worth getting angry over one incident, perfectly right. But what about ten, or twenty.

We have roadside hawkers here to put all the previously mentioned salesmen to shame and they follow a very hard sell routine, sometimes shoving what they are trying to sell through your window into your face.

What then, train your brain to block out the pitch and just say no, no, no… ad nauseum [sp]

No means no! Not maybe! If I wanted all the extra shit, I would have said, “What extra shit can I get with this?”

There is a limit… A salesman should try his pitch once, if the customer looks like they know exactly what they want (and it aint what he’s trying to sell) then let them get what they want. If they look hesitant, let them know what else there is to waste their money on.

And if I wanted fries with that, I would have asked for a value meal #3, coke, supersize - but instead I said, “Just one big mac please”

gurgle hmm, I’m hungry now.

31

What, they’re supposed to share a hive mind that remembers your face and if you were asked about their Wonderful Service Plan?

Even if doing so can get him fired? No offense to you (or anyone else in this thread), but you ain’t more important to that kid than keeping his girlfriend Mercedes happy with $300 necklaces.

32

I read this yesterday, but I wanna comment today, after I ordered two tacos from a local purveyor of quick-fry consumables, and the cashier pointed asked if I might not prefer Combo #2. I looked up at the lighted display, and discovered that for only one more buck, I could have two tacos, and a drink and some fries. I ordered the combo.
I ordered something, the person with the fast-food experience decided I might be happier with something slightly different, and I was.
He didn’t, however, try to flog me a drink half a dozen times.

SPOOFE, can I take it that you are unopposed to popup windows, especially of the close.window() triggering kind that open again and again and again? 'cause that’s what this:

is saying to me. I don’t wanna have to plead to be allowed the privilege of buying something from someone who doesn’t value my time or my low blood pressure, and if walking out is the length I have to go to in order to affect some good o’l Adam Smith, capitalist market change, that’s what I’ll do.

33

Spoofe, the only reason they would get fired is the management practices of the store. This, like so many other retail rants, is not REALLY against the worker bee, it’s against the corporate policy. Just saying that this is “store policy” doesn’t make it any less annoying.

None of these workers have to do anything. It is someone’s decision that the worker badger you for the service plan, that decision can be changed. I still think the right action is to speak to the manager. When 50% of his time is spent dealing with warranty-irritated customers, perhaps the store policy will change, and the worker bee won’t be forced to do this anymore.

34

While that would be nice, I 'spose it will never happen, but the least they can do is learn to read their customers, and know when to stop. When you deal with people every day, you learn who is going to tell you to shove it, and who is actually going to take your sales pitch, as per Nanoda, who was redirected to a bargain, withouth the hard selling tactics. Salesperson scored brownie points, and customer scored extra. Win-Win.

Well, uhm, I’m not the poor shmo fucking mercedes, NMP! And if the store is going to fire him for treating paying customers with respect, instead of like stupid marks… well, that doesn’t say much for him wanting to work there.

“The Boss forced me to do it” is the crappest excuse ever… the best way to beat the system, is from within the system. Mercedes’s boyfriend has a better chance of correcting the fault than we do, by actually showing the bosses that too hard a sales pitch loses customers.

35

I actually bought a Service Protection Plan from Circuit City on my big-screen t.v. a few months back.

He started with his usual pitch, explaining what a most-excellent agreement it was and how I’d sleep better knowing I was “protected” and blah blah.

I said, “Get to the bottom line. How much?”

“$400 for a 4 year plan.”

“$400?? Wow, that’s more than 10% of the purchase price. That is way too high.”

So he said, “How about if we can knock it down to $300 for 4 years?”

I said, “Steve, that’s still 10%. No way. And let me remind you that the first year is redundant since the manufacturer covers it for the first year.”

“Yes, but we’ll come out to your house to repair it.”

(I gave him an arched eyebrow.)

He said, “Well how much would you be willing to pay for this?”

“$100.”

“$100? That’s way too low!”

“Then I’ll waive it. Where do I sign?”

“Well, wait, let me go ask my manager.”

He comes back and says that he can do it for $150.

“Fine, but then I want free shipping.” (Shipping was $40.)

“Okay, fine.”

So I got a SPP for 4 years on a $3000 item for $110. I was happy; he was happy. He probably made $75 selling me the plan. I can live with that because he did stand there for over an hour and explain to me the difference between a projection tv, a tubed t.v., and a plasma t.v., and go through all the features about each brand. He explained to me how I’d have to call my cable company and get switched to digital cable. And he even told me the location where I could go pick up a digital box so I could have it in time for SuperBowl.

Oh yes, and I can sleep better now that I’m protected.

36

You could also play along just for fun.

Clerk: Hi

You: […smiling…] Hi, there

Clerk: Would you be interested in our extended service plan?

You: Possibly. Why don’t you tell me about it?

Clerk: […startled…] Well, if anything happens to your computer in the next three years, we will fix it or replace it free.

You: Doesn’t the computer have a manufacturer’s warranty?

Clerk: Well, yes, but that only covers parts and labor.

You: What does your service plan cover besides parts and labor?

Clerk: […blinking…] Well, our service plan is for three years. The manufacturer’s warranty is only for one year.

You: Hmm. I can certainly see the advantage of three years over one year. What happens if you go bankrupt in, say, two years?

Clerk: […perplexed…] I don’t really know. I doubt if that would happen. Our business is pretty good.

You: So, you can’t really guarantee three years of coverage, can you?

Clerk: Not personally, no, but the company…

You: Are you familiar with the comments about your extended service plan on the message boards at bad dealings dot com and rip-off report dot com?

Clerk: […noticing antsy customers behind you…] No, not really. I’m just…

You: According to them, whether or not you will honor your service commitment is entirely at your discretion. You also reserve the right to replace my computer with a used computer and to replace parts in my computer with used parts. Plus, you often sell returned merchandise as new, and damaged merchandise as merchandise in good condition. Wait times on the telephone with your service department have been clocked as long as an hour and forty minutes. There are presently more than 1,200 law suits and small claims pending about your extended service plan in every state in the United States. Did you know that?

Clerk: […beginning to ring up the sale…] Why don’t we just mark you up as declining the plan?

You: If you think that would be best…

Clerk: Can I have your home phone number?

You: Can I have yours?

Clerk: […very annoyed…] Look, I’m just doing my job here.

You: I understand. I don’t mind a guy just doing his job. I know you’re not deliberately inconveniencing me. You seem like a nice guy.

Clerk: […sheepishly…] Thanks.

You: You know what my job is?

Clerk: […caught off guard…] No. What is it?

You: I sell health insurance.

Clerk: […hurrying to finish sale as quickly as possible…] Oh.

You: You look like just the sort of person who could benefit from one of our Blue Cross plans designed to supplement your insurance with your employer.

Clerk: I’m really not interested.

You: Oh, okay. Well, I see you’re finished ringing me up. Do you want me to leave now?

Clerk: Please.

You: Okay, but do I get your phone number?

Clerk: No. I didn’t get yours.

You: […winking…] Maybe next time.

37

Its illegal to tease stupid animals

seeing as this IS the pit, that WAS a wise crack, I WASN’T generalising about sales clerks intelligence level (snigger), aw, screw it…

**Libertarian :**Its just plain wrong to tease stupid animals, they don’t know any better.

38

With comments like that,SPOOFE,pretty soon they’ll wise up and start replacing worker bee drones with Borg.
“You must buy this service protection plan.Resistance is futile…”:smiley:

IDBB

39

Yeah. Just look how it worked for the Nazi War Criminals.

(Disclaimer: This post is in no way intended to invoke Godwin’s Law, because it in no way suggests that any of the other posters in this thread are in fact, Nazis.)

40

Is it “difficult”? No. Is it irritating? Yes. Is it especially irritating to tell someone “no” and be ignored to the point of having to threaten to leave the premises before the guy will shut up and ring up my shit? Oh hell yeah. Is it amazingly irritating to have this guy somehow try to shift the blame on to me for not “letting him do his job”? Damn skippy.

But see, I did that. In fact, I did more than that. I smiled and tried to be pleasant to the jackass through the first several times he tried to sell me something which he knew after the first refusal that I didn’t want.

I know he’s required to do it. I know Judy was required to try to sell me another DVD. I know they guy at the fast food joint has to ask me if I want a drink. I try to suffer it gladly when I can’t avoid it and stop it from happening when I can (my credit card companies finally know not to sell me shit when I call in). But by any reasonable stretch of the imagination I should not have to go to the point of threatening to walk out of the store before I can buy what I want and the pitches stop. If you want to use your time listening to a sales pitch for something that you already know you’re not going to buy that’s your choice. I choose to avoid it when I can and expect that one or at most two polite refusals of the additional “products and services” should suffice to alert the seller that I truly am not interested.

This was a minor rant. Your reaction to it more than any sympathetic posts is what’s making it major because you’re acting like those of us who don’t want to submit to the marketing are somehow bad people because of it.