I didn't know you knew what you were talking about

I didn\'t know you knew what you were talking about

... those were the words that a guy in a knife store said to me today. Here's the story...

I went to the knife shop in the mall today. I saw that they had an A2 in the display window. Well seeing as how my husband is now wanting a blue A2 'cuz I have a red A2, I asked the guy,

ME: "Can you please tell me what color that A2 Aviator is in your display window?"

Stupid sales guy: "I think it's green... they're all green, aren't they?" (... as he goes to the display to get the A2)

ME: "No, the color of the light."

Stupid sales guy: "It's white... they are all white."

ME: "No, they're not."

Stupid sales guy: "Oh! It's red... it has three little red lights and one big white light... see?" (... as he shines it on the counter)

ME: "Yes, I know how it works. I have a red one. I want a blue one. Do you have any blue ones?"

Stupid sales guy: "No, but I can order one for you."

ME: "No, thank you. If I have to order it, I can get it cheaper elsewhere."

Stupid sales guy: "Oh ok. I'm sorry for the confusion... I didn't know that you knew what you were talking about."

ME: "That's ok... thank you."

And I left... mumbling to myself... "... and I'm sorry that you have NO IDEA what you're talking about."

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif

Re: I didn\'t know you knew what you were talking about

Must be a former Wal Mart employee /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Re: I didn\'t know you knew what you were talking about

Probably worked at the local Quick-E-Mart before getting his job at Wall-Mart. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif :toliet: /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

Re: I didn\'t know you knew what you were talking a

Just a typical sales type. Doesn't matter if it's cars, flashlights, furniture, telephones, guns, knives, whatever, they always assume you are as dumb as the last custoner they flummoxed.

This behavior especially shows up if the 'new' customer happens to be female. *sigh*

Re: I didn\'t know you knew what you were talking about

I get that crap all the time.
I hate when I walk in a store, and know 100 times more about the product the person is selling than he does.

Re: I didn\'t know you knew what you were talking about

[ QUOTE ]
Sasha said:

Stupid sales guy: "Oh ok. I'm sorry for the confusion... I didn't know that you knew what you were talking about."

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinser2.gif



[/ QUOTE ]

LOL -- At least you got a tiny self-admission of ignorance. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif All I ever seem to get is a Zombie-fied hangdog glassed-over stare as they shuffle over to the next chump at the display case... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon23.gif

Re: I didn\'t know you knew what you were talking about

Just a typical salesperson.

I think any of us that is particularly knowledgeble about a subject has experienced what you did. No big deal.

GregR

Re: I didn\'t know you knew what you were talking about

Greg... it's a big deal to me!!! This is the first time that I actually DID know what I was talking about!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Re: I didn\'t know you knew what you were talking about

Humm-

Well I guess "I" knew you were a flashaholic and knew that you were one of us and that you had encountered this before.

GregR

Re: I didn\'t know you knew what you were talking about

[ QUOTE ]
Sasha said:
...This is the first time that I actually DID know what I was talking about!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I don't believe that for one minute, Sasha! I get the feeling that you are prolly 5 miles further down the road than 99% of the retail sales staffers out there!

On the real gloomy side -- when the "other" SureFire thread comes true, we had all better get used to dealing with lame-o clerks?! You just gotta know SureFire's own web shopping cart is gonna be MSRP only! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/broke.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Re: I didn\'t know you knew what you were talking about

I've been working with computers for 30 years. A Radio Shack TRS-80 was my first personal computer (1979?) and last year I built my own computer from components I researched on the 'net, ordered, assembled and configured myself. I often have the experience in places like Best Buy where the sales people will tell me something that is clearly just wrong...but they often say it quite confidently. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

BTW... the same experience happens sometimes when I call someone in "Tech support". Same confident tone ...and, sometimes, simply wrong. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Re: I didn\'t know you knew what you were talking about

FYI on the blue LED A2. For what ever reason the blue LEDs produce a very swirly / ringy light pattern.

Re: I didn\'t know you knew what you were talking a

Sasha,

I think it is unusual that the sales person actually appologized for the confusion and admited that you knew what you were talking about. He/she could have tried to cover up their ignorance in some way or another. An admission is something.

My favorite salesperson comment was when I was looking at a torque wrench and this sales guy tells me that once you get really good with an impact wrench you don't need a torque wrench. You see, he worked at a quick lube place, and got to the point where he could "feel" what 30 ft lbs of torque was on the impact wrench. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif

Re: I didn\'t know you knew what you were talking a

Happens everywhere. Yesterday at Lowes I ran my card through the reader and the cashier yelled at me "you can't run the card through before I'm finished ringing up the items.
Me: "I do it al the time and it works fine"
Her: "It might work at WalMart or the grocery store but not here"
Me: "I've been doing it that way at lowes for a long time"
Her: "I've been working here for years and it doesn't work that way"
Me: "Why does it work that way it the Lowes on xxx street and xxx street but not this one, why would you have card readers different than theirs.
I was finished then and took my stuff and left, didn't want to here her anymore.

I asked a tire salesman what the treadlife and temperature and noise rateings were on the tires I was going to buy. He looked at me for a minute and took me over to the rack where the tires are and let me read the info off of them myself.

When I first got married my wife always wanted to call a professional for everything as thats how here parents always did things. When we would bring in that professional plumber, electrician, etc I would catch them cutting corners and ask them questions and stump them every time so now she has learned that theose professionals are no better than I and lets me just fix things myself. Like the professionals at the car repair place who hadn't driven a carb'ed car before (her parents gave her their old Ford Tempo when we got married) and proceeded to flood it and when it wouldn't start gave us an estimate for new fuel injectors until I went out and started it righ up /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Re: I didn\'t know you knew what you were talking a

Morons, they're everywhere!!! Just let them all have their maglights and sit back laugh at them! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hahaha.gif

A fairly recent (this year anyway) related experience of mine:
I'm at a gun/knife show, so most people know what they are talking about, right? I found there are so many more stupid people out there than I had thought, which is pretty bad if you know me.

I was looking at the new Leatherman squirts one retailer had. I was looking at the P4 model and then asked to see the S4. The retailer acted put-out and said that the S4 was the same as the P4 except it had scissors. I say, "so the P4 has tweezers too, I don't see them?" fully knowing that it didn't. She then says that the "S4 doesn't have tweezers!" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yellowlaugh.gif

I say, "Are you sure, I thought it did. May I please see it?" I then proceed to show her where the tweezers were located, with several on-lookers seeing what was transpiring. I then point it out to her on the box where it says that the S4 has tweezers. She's just baffled and shocked that I was right since she has "been selling these for months" (they hadn't even been out that long) and didn't know about the tweezers... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jpshakehead.gif

I then tell her their price on the S4 was $15 more than what I could easily get one on the 'net for, and over $20 more than Costco (just down the street) had them for. Everyone who was watching this then moves on, I'm sure heading for Costco after the show!

The sad thing was her and her husand were also selling SureFire lights. I'd hate to know all the dis-information they were dishing out on those... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

Re: I didn\'t know you knew what you were talking a

When I was in college we would go in places like radio shack and wait until there were other customers and then stump the salesman with highly technical questions.

My best though is at the Chrysler dealer when we had our Plemon (thats a Plymouth Lemon if you didn't figure it out). I had to make one of my many parts trips and while leaving it didn't shift into reverse like it did often so I opened the door and pushed it back out of the space with my leg like I would do. There was a couple looking at a Grand Cherokee with a salesman watching me so before I closed the door I reached up and pulled off a big chunk of the peeling paint and flicked on the ground, then put it in gear and gave some gas and let the high quality Mitsubishi engine pump out a could of blue smoke as I drove off. I bet that salesman was happy /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Re: I didn\'t know you knew what you were talking a

Customer service people are worse. One of the first responses is "reload the operating system" ... or now "roll back the operating system."

No, it's three layers down, some program overwrote this one field and all I have to do is retype it.

Sheesh!

Even the Microsoft Knowledge Base has contradictions in it.

Cheers?

Richard

Re: I didn\'t know you knew what you were talking a

Ah retail; Where not quite good enough is just right. Clerk rhymes with jerk doesn't it? And the clerks say that "Buyers are Liars".

The net will eventually push many retailers to close the B&M doors and buy black leather chairs, Flatscreens and install shopping carts me thinks /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif