Not so "bright" store employee

[Eugene]

Oh well, my own fault for not driving to a "real" store. But I'm still shocked that people take a job at a place where they don't know the basics of the industry they work in. Kind of like taking a job at McDonalds and not knowing what french fries are. :laughing:

I interviewed at Radio Shack when I started college. I had spent many years looking through their catalogs, back when they mailed out those big thick ones. I knew every one of their products inside and out, had a room full of their stuff, and had completed two years of high school vocational electronics and a home study electronics course. They wouldn't hire me because I had no prior sales experience. So its only part;y the fault of the employee and partly fault of the company for refusing to hire the right people.
I ended up getting a job bagging groceries which I had never done before. I got yelled at by a customer because I dumped her cake in a bag, it was a big while box, how was I to know it was a cake, where I grew up a cake was something your mother baked in the oven not something you bought at the store in a box.

Keep yourself a running list of parts you want and when you get $25 worth order from digikey or mouser, don't waste time in ratshack.

 

[Eugene]

I have a theater type audio system which I have pieced together from ebay items and equipment that would have otherwise been thrown out by schools, churches, etc. Don't get me wrong though, its nice stuff (crown amp, bose performance speakers etc.)

Anyway, I needed to buy some heavy duty speaker wires to use outside with this system. A 100ft oxygen free speaker cable will cost something like $100, and I needed two of them, so I went down to home depot and purchased 4 14AWG 50' outdoor extension cords on sale for $6 each. I brought them home, cut the ends off, soldered two cords together for each 100ft length and soldered the correct connectors at each end. They work beautifully. Total cost: $35 including the connectors.

I should have told an employee what I was planning on doing just to see what kind of reaction he had.

Dad did that but for a 220v pump to put in the creek and pump water into the barn when the little spring that feeds it dried up in the summer. Bought the heaviest gauge 120v extension cord they had and clipped the end off and put a welder plug in it. he left the female end on and just put a 120v plug on the pump (was a small single phase). I looked out back one day as my mother was finishing washing the old 79 Blazer and saw her pulling the cord from the pump over to her vacuum cleaner so I ran for circuit breaker and shut it off because it would have taken forever to explain to her why it would be a bad thing to do that. We put a normal 220v plug on the other end after that.

 

[KingGlamis]

With all of the responses at least I know I'm not alone in my frustration. I just don't get how workers can not put forth the effort to learn what they sell? I've had many jobs in many industries over the years and always tried to learn as much as possible about my "job" as soon as I could. Maybe it's just that Radio Shack customers are of two types... those like us that know what we want and look for it on our own, and those that come in for a cell phone.

The funny part was, what I asked for was a ceramic bi-pin bulb holder. I even showed them a bi-pin halogen bulb in case they didn't know what I meant. After fumbling through the same drawers that they just saw me look through, their answer was to pick up a bulb holder made for a screw-in bulb, and asking me "Will this work?" Well... the label did say "bulb holder" so at least they can read. But I was taught at a very, very young age things like you can't put a square peg in a round hole... how could they be "that" ignorant?

 

[Diesel_Bomber]

I have a friend that once asked an Autozone employee about valve covers for a flathead Ford. It got better when the employee swore up and down that they could be ordered, but he couldn't find the catalog.

For those who're in Oregon, I've had great service from Norvac Electronics. Highly recommended.

:buddies:

 

[Carabidae]

A friend of mine told me that he was in Radio Shack the other day buying a small spool of speaker wire for some ham radio project and the cashier asked him what he was doing with it. I have forgotten what he was using it for, but it was not for speakers. The cashier told him that it would not work because it was speaker wire, and my friend told him that any stranded copper wire of that gauge would work. The cashier then insisted that it would not work and he knew because he had graduated from the Radio Shack audio and electrical class.

My friend happens to be an Electrical Engineer working in the defense industry who builds microwave communications systems for a hobby. He was using this wire for a very simple purpose that anyone should see that it would be fine for. The stupidity of this employee plus the confidence that he knew more than his customers was incredible.

I don't know what they are teaching in the Radio Shack School of Electrocrap (not yet an accredited learning institution) but it can't be much more than how to read packages and regurgitate the information for the customer.

Reminds me of the monster wire they try to push you to buy when you buy any speakers or stereo equipment, almost to the point that they make it seem that you might as well be buying a gheto blaster with led lights in the speakers from the swap meet.

Seriously though it's funny you go in to radio shack and they make up crap. I went there with my friend once while he was looking for a cheapo rabbit ears for his tv, well as anyone knows even a coat hanger works, however the employee tried to sell him the expensive multi loop with knobs antenna. He said the cheap one wasn't a good idea becuase it could overpower the TV possibly damaging it. So I asked him, you mean it comes in so clear and strong that the tv can't take it and it blows up? He then said, "well thats what I heard". I bought my friend a slinky and it was a clear picture from there on.

 

[Valolammas]

Reminds me of when I went to a local lamp shop to see if they had any interesting bulbs I could use in a modding project. Ok, so they sell various kinds of indoor lighting (fixed and movable) instead of flashlights, but they had some bulbs all right. None of them particularly interesting, though. As I was looking at them, the store owner comes and asks if he can help me.
Me: "got any 6 Volt G4 base bulbs?"
SO: "umm, let me check... hmm... uh, yeah" (hands me the same one I was just looking at, a 12V G6,35 one)
Me: "I see, how about 6 Volt ones?"
Store owner goes and opens a cabinet, rummages around and comes back. He did indeed have one, and it *is* a G4! Unfortunately, it's a lowly 5W model.
Me: "Ok... How about a 20W one?"
SO: "What do you need it for?"
Me: "Uh, I have a flashlight project that I'd use it on."
SO: "No, there's no such thing. You need a 12 Volt bulb."
Me: "Yes there are. I could buy them over the internet, but I'd rather shop local, so do you think you could get me one?"
Can't remember what the store owner's exact response was, but the gist of it was that maybe I could bloody well order it from an internet store. Right, I will, thank you very much.

On the other hand, my local electronics shop is small and pretty expensive, but the guy who runs it is helpful and does know what he's selling, so I make a point of shopping there instead of ordering stuff a little cheaper from internet stores.

 

[Dynacolt]

Our local, rural RadioShack looks lika a normal RC car & Cellphone joint.
On close inspection it's still full of cheap gadgets and colourful plastic radios and things.
Nothing in there to suggest they would stock anything other than their mass-produced, ignorant consumer, catolog items.
But...
When I asked about repairs to the logic controls of a Denon surround processor - out from the back workroom comes the local electronic engineer.
No problem, 3 days later all fixed neat and tidy for a more than reasonable cost (It's a rare situation, where the store is both a RS store franchise and also the local electronic service centre).

It is a bit cruel though, knowing the sales staff are trained to sell and to know only the details listed in bullet points on the side of the box, and to go in there and ask something you probably know they will have no idea about (although not knowing an alligator clip is exhibiting a general ignorance about life I think).

I experienced the same thing applying to work in a reputable camera store, described my knowledge if ISO and ASA ratings and types of film, and was told I didn't need to know any of that - "do I have sales experience?".
It messed up my faith in salespeople after that.

Dave.

 

[PEU]

Was in WalMart not long ago to buy a crank battery for a boat. Picked up the battery I wanted (a standard auto batt) and proceeded to checkout. Manager of department asked, conversationally, what I was going to put it on. I said "boat". He said, "you must have a marine battery, a regular battery will burn up the starter". This was the manager of the department.

If I have to choose, I prefer the "deer in the headlight look employee" to one that thinks he knows better than you...
In rare occasions, in fact the employee knows better than me, then I enjoy the explanation and keep my mouth shut.

Its not just corporate America, I see it here too...

Since long time ago, if I have the chance the educate myself before buying something, I do it, internet is a great resource.


Pablo

 

[ACMarina]

Oooh, I'll chime in on this one -

I work for Radioshack on a part-time basis. My store is located next to a large college campus with an extensive engineering program, so 80% of my sales are in component parts like resistors, switches, PC boards, so on and so forth.

We also serve an older community, often stopping in for batteries of every kind. They often remark at the amount of change in staff at the store (about 3 blocks from one of the largest retirement communities in the state).

First off, I'm not a salesman. If you want a roll of hookup wire, that's what you leave with. I'm not trying to convert you from Verizon to Sprint, not trying to get you to buy something you don't need - but I'm pretty uncommon in that regard, I suppose. Radioshack (and most other companies that sell things these days, on a retail basis) don't offer enough of a paycheck to be a career job, unfortunetly. The days of a full-time salesman are dwindling, IMO, as the corporate folks aren't interested in that sort of thing because it's not padding their pockets on a daily basis. Most of the employees that I deal with are college students, also interested in padding their pockets by pushing cellphones and other "profitable" items.

I'm still with Radioshack for two reasons - first off, I enjoy seeing the projects that people come in with. If your cordless phone needs a battery, I want to help you find the right one. If you don't know which potentiometer to get, I can help you find the best option. Secondly, I make a small income that's bolstered by selling batteries and parts, enough so that when I want to buy a new flashlight or something I can do so..

 

[Monocrom]

If I have to choose, I prefer the "deer in the headlight look employee" to one that thinks he knows better than you...

I absolutely hate that! There's one store near my job, where the owner does the exact same thing! I collect knives along with lights. Her Wilderness store is surprisingly well-stocked with both. (Especially Pelican lights). I once wanted a specific LED light. It looked as though she only had the inca version in stock. When I asked her to check some more, she thought she was going to lose a sure sale.... So she made up some nonsense that inca lights last longer than LEDs! :shakehead

It was pathetic. on another visit, I wanted a plain-edged folding knife from Spyderco. She only had the serrated version and told me how "everyone" prefers serrated-edge knives. Well, I don't.... She did eventually find one LED version of the light I wanted.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

REGARDING INTERNET vs. BRICK & MORTAR STORES:

Yeah, the generally higher prices are no longer for any type of great customer service you might get at a Brick & Mortar store. More like, not having to deal with returning a defective light back to the internet shop. Not having to wait to get your light. Not worrying if the guy running the internet shop is a con-man. (Okay, you can limit that possibility by buying from the more established internet shops).

With a Brick & Mortar store, you get to examine the light you want to buy. You can pick out the best example of a model from the ones on the rack. You have the light in your hand immediately after paying for it. You can walk out the shop, put batteries in the light, and if it doesn't work; you can turn around and head right back into the shop so they can fix the problem or replace the light. (Did that very thing with a 2AAA Mini-Mag a few months ago. They fixed it, I walked out happy).

Living in NYC gives me a lot of options when it comes to lights. In fact, every light I own was purchased from a Brick & Mortar shop.... even my Surefires.

But you can forget about customer service from a Brick & Mortar store. I once waited half an hour to buy a Gerber knife at Wal*Mart. Nope, no line at the checkout. That's how long it took the person with the key to the knife cabinet to come over. And no, the place wasn't busy. Wal*Mart now uses lockeable racks for their knives. Next time I want a knife, I'm just going to take the scissors from my Swiss Army pen Knife, and cut into the plastic tab that holds the blister-packed knives in place. And if any Wal*Mart employee asks why I did that, I'll tell him about my previous experience with their B.S. customer service. :ironic:

 

[Bravo25]

It's a little something I call "The Playstation Generation", and it goes a lot deeper than not knowing what you are selling.

 

[jeremyison05]

I hate walking into a store and no one knows what your talking about. Yesterday I walked into Lowes looking for a dowel rod for something I was building. After walking around lumber for 10 min and not finding anything I ask the employee in the lumber department where the dowel rods are. His response: "Whats a dowel rod?". I found them about 10 min later in plumbing of all places.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

...After walking around lumber for 10 min and not finding anything I ask the employee in the lumber department where the dowel rods are. His response: "Whats a dowel rod?". I found them about 10 min later in plumbing of all places.

He didn't know what a dowel rod was? He could lose his guy card for that. :laughing: I'm not the least bit mechanically inclined and even I know what a dowel rod is!

 

[GarageBoy]

Monocrom, which store was this? I'm looking for ANY B&M knife and flashlight store in NYC, short of Paragon and Tents and Trails

 

[dudemar]

The first three times I said "No, I'm ok." The fourth time, after not finding what I was looking for, I did ask for help. They were like two deer in headlights.

It's so funny that you mention this experience. I went to Sears today expecting the same level of customer service you mention, along with the twang of typical s****y attitude you can only find in California. Sure enough an employee walked up to me and asked me if I need any help, and I quickly brushed him off using lowered tones. My brother was looking for a socket for his car, and he needed to ask a Sears employee... he asked the same guy I blew off, and he turned out to be a very kind and knowledgeable worker! Totally blown away, I felt bad afterwards... next time I won't be so harsh!

 

[Monocrom]

Monocrom, which store was this? I'm looking for ANY B&M knife and flashlight store in NYC, short of Paragon and Tents and Trails

Yup, it was Tent & Trails. You already know about Iceberg for Surefire lights. I'm posting this from work. (My boss doesn't care). I've got a list of B&Ms in NYC that sell knives..... saved on my comp at home. Check this thread in about 10 hours.

As for lights, yeah I know a handful of places. But I've got no clue what they're exact addresses are. And don't have their phone numbers. I just stop by when I can. Give me a few days to stop by the stores, and write down that info. (I need that long because my job keeps me exhausted, and the weekend is for sleeping).

BTW, one of the better stores I know belongs to an aquaintence who used to run one of the best knife shops in NY...... until the cops shut him down on some B.S. charges. So now he sells lights instead, from the same shop in Queens.

 

[GarageBoy]

Yea, I heard from a buddy of mine about the queens place. Don't know where it is, though

 

[KC2IXE]

...snip..
BTW, one of the better stores I know belongs to an aquaintence who used to run one of the best knife shops in NY...... until the cops shut him down on some B.S. charges. So now he sells lights instead, from the same shop in Queens.

Lights? Queens? WHERE - I LIVE in Queens (Bayside)

 

[greenlight]

Maybe the employee should just ask, "How can I not help you today?"

 

[Monocrom]

To: GarageBoy & KC21XE -

The shop is actually a keyosck in a small mall. It's on Main Street in Flushing Queens. Last stop on the 7 train, and a bit of walking. Don't know the exact address. Will find out, along with the rest of the addesses for the shops that sell lights.

As for B&M stores in NYC that sell knives, I decided it would be best to make that into a seperate topic in the Cafe.

Here's the link:
https://www.candlepowerforums.com/threads/169359

Hope this helps. Making it into a seperate topic will allow others to find it and hopefully post about shops they know.