Not so "bright" store employee

[yuandrew]

I went into my local Best Buy to look around and ended up overhearing some people who have just purchased a PS3 and a LCD Flat Panel to go with it. They were talking to some store employee who was telling them what cables they need to hook up the TV. The topic of HiDeMI cables came up and the employee told us that we needed the official Sony HDMI cable which costs about $60 . I asked if the 10$ HDMI cable that the computer warehouse I work for sells would work and was told it wouldn't fit into the back of the PS3 since Sony designed two little "pegs" inside the connector so that only their official cable would fit.

I grabbed a $80 Monster Cable HDMI 400 and the Sony HDMI cable and stared at the ends with my flashlight in my mouth for a while in disbelief but I didn't see anything different about the two.

I went to Fry's later and looked at their $20 "Link Depot" HDMI cable (which was almost exactly the same as what my workplace sells) and compared the ends again to the Sony and the Monster Cable 400 and it still looked the same. Asked a nearby employee and was told all of them will work.

 

[Illum]

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).

now that you mention it...it does make sense that store employees simply paraphrase whats on the box without any further knowledge of what they are selling....I was expected for a small store like radioshack they at least know what the components are called and whats on the inventory and whats not.
I was expecting they know everything and prepared the hard questions on the previous day to bring in with my order list

I found them about 10 min later in plumbing of all places.

that explains why I found a chain of energizer AAs while in Wally's Banana section while shopping for fruits
I hope who ever shelved the aisles didn't have battery powered bananas in mind

I tend to wonder why these sort of organization abnormalities appear so frequently in food stores and technical parlors alike....maybe the issue of ignorance is worst than we realize...just my $0.02

 

[The_LED_Museum]

... (although not knowing an alligator clip is exhibiting a general ignorance about life I think)...

They might not know what an alligator clip is, but I bet if you asked for a "roach clip", they'll immediately steer you toward the alligator clips. :laughing: :laughing:

 

[PhotonWrangler]

...The topic of HiDeMI cables came up and the employee told us that we needed the official Sony HDMI cable which costs about $60 . I asked if the 10$ HDMI cable that the computer warehouse I work for sells would work and was told it wouldn't fit into the back of the PS3 since Sony designed two little "pegs" inside the connector so that only their official cable would fit.

Hmm... I think the folks over at www.hdmi.org would like to know this. Any manufacturer who claims to have an HDMI interface has to play by the rules... even the big boys. :scowl:

A long time ago, IBM tried to roll out a consumer PC with a "proprietary" bus interface inside. Remember how well that worked out for them?

 

[speederino]

A long time ago, IBM tried to roll out a consumer PC with a "proprietary" bus interface inside. Remember how well that worked out for them?

Oh yes, Micro Channel. Geez I had almost forgotten about that one. Brings back memories....

 

[PhotonWrangler]

Oh yes, Micro Channel. Geez I had almost forgotten about that one. Brings back memories....

Yep, that was it. And that was the time when the marketplace said "enough!" and a more open interface took over, causing IBM to lose their dominance of the retail market. When I see a manufacturer trying to commandeer another interface like this, I'm reminded of how IBM flubbed their attempt and managed to p*ss off everyone in the process.

 

[Illum]

They might not know what an alligator clip is, but I bet if you asked for a "roach clip", they'll immediately steer you toward the alligator clips. :laughing: :laughing:

is that what they call them nowadays?

 

[Pellidon]

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..

I used to attend that engineering school way back in the pre-internet, pre satellite TV(barely) days. The manager at the Rat Shack in the mall wasn't very bight. I walk in with my camera around my neck. He asked if it was an extreme telephoto so I could take a picture of his---well we won't say what.

I deadpanned a "no" while the assistant started spitting up his lunch and almost fell over laughing. He had to tell his boss that a telephoto made small things large.

My last trip there.

 

[PhotonWrangler]

....The manager at the Rat Shack in the mall wasn't very bight. I walk in with my camera around my neck. He asked if it was an extreme telephoto so I could take a picture of his---well we won't say what.

:huh2::eeew:

Of course, you'd need a microscope attachment for that camera :nana:

 

[Diesel_Bomber]

Bump!

Went to Costco today to put new tires on the wife's Blazer. The Costco near here fills their tires with nitrogen and puts green plastic valve stem caps on the wheels. My wife and I think they look terrible, and she asked me to make sure her chrome valve stem caps stay put.


Me: My wife doesn't want green valve stem caps, please make sure you leave the chrome ones on.
Costco Tire Tech: I'm sorry sir, we have to put those caps on all the tires we install.
Me: Why? Corporate policy? If you need, I'll make sure the manager knows I requested that the original caps be retained so you won't get in trouble.
CTT: It's not that, it's because we fill all our tires with nitrogen. The green cap lets us and other tire shops know that the tires are full of nitrogen, so that they won't add normal air.
Me: I see. And what would the problem be with adding air?
CTT: Adding normal air to nitrogen could cause a corrosive or explosive mixture of gases, not something you want in your tires.
Me(dumbfounded): Did you know that the "normal" air we're breathing right now is around 78% nitrogen? I'll risk it. If you really can't fill with nitrogen because of the tire caps, air will be just fine.
CTT: I'm sorry sir, I can't fill the tires with air, only nitrogen.
Me: I'm sure you can't. Please go get your manager, I need to speak with them.

The manager was pissed about being bothered by valve stem caps. I was rather amused at the conversation and went to buy a couple slices of pizza.

:buddies:

 

[PhotonWrangler]

Good grief. That's clearly a case where procedure matters mre than common sense. He "couldn't" use the normal stem caps because he didn't want to get written up for violating procedure, and some chowderhead in management thought that uniformity was more important than anything else.

"Think, McFly, think!"

 

[jzmtl]

Time for my story I guess.

I needed a upgraded steering stablizer for my jeep after putting on bigger tires so I went to canadian tire (walmart like chain store with more focus on auto parts/tools), since I know they have rancho rs5000 on their catalogue, and it went like this:

me: Hi I want a rancho rs5000 steering stablizer.
clerk behind parts counter: a what?
me: you know, a steering stablizer, the shock that goes between drag link and wheel knuckle.
clerk: what year vehicle
me: er I told you what I need, why do you need to know that
clerk: I need to find it in computer
me give him info
clerk: I can't find it, is it under steering or suspension?
me: it's your computer system, how should I know?
clerk: errrrrrr
me: okay hand me that catalogue
me find rancho rs5000, pointing at it: I want this thing.
clerk rans off with with catalogue, comes back with another older clerk
older clerk play with computer for a while: I'm sorry sir I can't find it in my computer
me: alright forget it.

Dumbasses can't even find the part after I pointed it out in the catalogue, with part number and everything.

 

[Diesel_Bomber]

Good grief. That's clearly a case where procedure matters mre than common sense. He "couldn't" use the normal stem caps because he didn't want to get written up for violating procedure, and some chowderhead in management thought that uniformity was more important than anything else.

"Think, McFly, think!"

Not only all that, but it would have been just fine to say that management wouldn't allow it, instead of telling me some bovine excrement line about how mixing nitrogen and air is dangerous.

I feel like an idiot about the whole thing. What I should have done as soon as I got any argument about the green caps was just go back out to the truck and pull off the valve stem caps I wanted to keep. Then let them fill the tires with whatever they want and put whatever valve stem caps they want on, and switch them back myself. That would have taken less time than waiting on the manager.

:buddies:

 

[mossyoak]

first off, i am part of that "playstation generation" that bravo25 is referring to, and i have to say that i have had more trouble with the cassette and 8-track generations than i have with my own, it seems that they get stuck in ruts and maglites are the best flashlight ever made, and cold steel knives are amazing knives because they are sold at gunshows.

i work in retail, at sears, we have insane training for what we do, i went through 76 hours of online training for lawn and garden, tools, and sporting goods before even going out on the sales floor, at the tender age of 19 i could tell you more about air tools, elliptical trainers, and table saws than you would ever want to know. i get paid on commission but i honestly dont care, because i learned early on that if you sell something to someone and they dont need/want it itll come right back and bite you in the ***. i have sent more people away from sears that were looking for a flashlight that i care to admit to my boss carrying nothing more than my business card with "fenix-store.com" or directions to sportsmans warehouse scribbled on the back. i tell people that im to honest to be a good sales person, but those first few people that i lost because i actually told them the drawbacks of a product have become my best customers waiting behind other people just to get me to wait on them when other associates were available. bottom line is that honesty sells. and i will never try and convince someone that a craftsman weedeater is better than a stihl.

 

[Numbers]

It's probably not fair to expect a salesman to be as familiar with all of the products they sell as a customer might be after having done the research on the specific item they came to purchase. I am sure that often the customer knows as much or more about the product they are interested in than the salesperson does.
But there should be a certain level of basic knowledge on the part of any salesperson -- a while back at RS:
Hello, sir may I help you? We have a Verizon sale today.
No, I dont need a phone just 50 feet of 18 gauge zip cord.
I am sorry sir "I am not familiar with that term"!!
I found it for him, then instead of hanging his head in shame he tried the cell phone thing again when ringing up my purchase.

 

[mossyoak]

yeah, the only thing i ask a sales person is where the general area it might be found is. i know more about it than they do 9 times out of 10. and at sportsmans warehouse,i know way more than they do about the lights, so much so that the people that work in that dept know me and actually have called me over to help another customer with a replacement bulb, and things like that. in exchange they give me 10 percent off on just about anything.

 

[Monocrom]

Went to Wal-Mart on Sunday to get a couple of things for work. Walked past the watch stand, and realized I never got around to replacing the band on my Timex Expedition. (Ironically, I had gone to 2 different K-marts and despite selling Timex watches, they had no replacement bands).

I picked out a nice band, and the young woman behind the counter had no clue how to attach the new band. It's one of those adjustable velcro bands that attaches a bit differently than a regular watchband. She struggled, and failed. I'll give her credit for the effort she put in.

At about this time, a stockboy comes over to the counter with a large item for another customer. That customer is off doing some shopping, so the stockboy waits by the counter, sees what's happening, and then in a few seconds; he does what she couldn't do in almost 15 minutes of continuous effort.

To be fair, he had the same type of watchband. And he used the new support bars which popped into place easily. She tried using the bars that originally came with my watch. At one point, I even commented that perhaps it would be best to use the new bars. As she struggled with a jeweler's tool, she very politely told me she often used original bars with no problem.

Ironically, I got good customer service from Wal-Mart...... in a completely roundabout way. Oh, the other customer decided not to buy the $120 item that the stockboy brought over to the counter. Why? Cause the genius customer forgot to factor in $10 for tax. The best part was when he actually went over to the stockboy, and started explaining why he could now no longer afford the item. Wow.....

 

[ACMarina]

Not to keep coming back to this topic, but..

I get a call yesterday from a VERY ANGRY customer who'd "bought a voltage converter from me" and found out the hard way that it was the wrong one. Blew up his LED lamp (kudos for LED!)

Funny thing was, I normally remember every bit of my customers, and I didn't remember this guy at all..

Seems he needed 18v DC and "I" got him 18v AC. Trying my best to figure out what was going on, I took his information and looked him up. Turns out he hadn't been in that day, it was the day before when "I" wasn't there. Whew, sweat stopped a little bit..

Best part? The store manager, the guy who ought to know far more than any of the lowly salespeople, was the one who sold him the wrong adapter. Ended up telling customer that he'd want to speak with the manager directly.

I really, really need a new job

 

[Illum]

.CTT: Adding normal air to nitrogen could cause a corrosive or explosive mixture of gases, not something you want in your tires.

:sigh:

normal air is around 78% nitrogen....I heard around 23% oxygen
oxygen by nature is corrosive, that can't be helped
nitrogen is by nature stable :thinking:
if he winds up pumping hydrogen into a tire previously pressurized with nitrogen...nothing will happen other than maybe a lighter feeling and a varying compression?
now pumping hydrogen into a normal air tires another story

I think I learned this in 7th grade?
is with technicans nowadays?

 

[junkfms]

Let me share a story with you all. Back in '99 I was in college in Hightland Heights, KY. Went to a local GNC store to buy a pack of creatine monohydrates to boost up my sports stamina (well... back then) Anyway, the store employee was asking to see my driving license to proof If I was some sort of certain ages to buy such substance. So I told him that I don't have driving license cos I just arrived in the US about a month ago but I showed him my passport which rather more official with US Visa that has my photo and DOB on it. That guy had no what the hell is passport and did not accept it!:candle: