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Why do dealers do this?

I'm an old fashioned guy. I like to make my audio purchases from a store and have a person I deal with, establish a relationship, and know that I have someone I can call when I need things. That is why I went into one of the larger stores in my area the other day, ready to audition a couple of things and buy my system. I had a very clear idea of what I wanted, asked to listen to a component with a view to buying it.
The dealer had a completely wrong approach from the start, and it is not a unique situation. I know many good folks in the business are on these forums, so I want to ask why this happens.
From the moment I set foot in the store he created an atmosphere of fairly intense pressure. He started with "you know, I only demo for buying customers". Throughout the visit, I felt continuously pressured to buy on the spot. I was forced to cut my visit short and I was unable to fully appreciate the component I was auditioning. I went from wanting to buy to wanting to run away - who feels comfortable buying something when pressured and rushed to do so right away? So I left the store unsure that I would want to do business with him. Had I had a good experience, and a knowledge that I can go to the store any time and have a good experience rather than have to find a way to "escape" the pressure I would not only have been happy to buy what I wanted, but would have been back often for other purchases. I cannot for the life of me understand where this comes from. One argument I heard is that store owners don't want to have people audition things and then buy online. Well, first off short of refusing to have a show room I don't see how you can make completely sure of that. So, wouldn't making the customer feel comfortable in your store be a better strategy? For me, I now want to shop online rather than go back. And here is one more twist. All online dealers for the product I was looking at make it clear they will not sell to anyone who has a dealer in their area. So I could not buy that online anyway!!
Can anyone enlighten me? Why can I not go to a local store and have that be a pleasant experience any more?
roc_doc

Showing 2 responses by tonywinsc

tonywinsc
583 posts
 
I think age has something to do with it. In my 20's sales people assumed I was either not serious, had no money or didn't know anything about the product I was shopping for. But now that I am 50, salespeople are a little more respectful, I find.

I like to visit stereo shops in the different towns I visit around the world. Some places are cold and indifferent and some places the sales people like to chat and talk shop. One of my best experiences in a stereo store was in Las Vegas in the 90's. I literally traded the shirt off my back for a Half Speed Master recording of APP's Tales of Mystery and Imagination. I was on a vehicle hot fuel test and the shop owner liked the corporate vehicle logos on my shirt. So I took off my dirty smelly shirt and grabbed a clean shirt out of the trunk of my car. Love that record.
tonywinsc
583 posts
 
Back to the main topic... I have been buying mail order since the '70's- both camera gear and stereo gear. I didn't do it exclusive of shop owners but usually because what I wanted was not available to me locally. I have no problem paying a little more at a local store because I want him there for the service as well as to demo the hardware. The occasional shop owner that was not good to work with or had only his profits in mind never lasted too long.

The days of gigantic, price above service, chain stores will run it's course. They are the ones that will succumb first to internet shopping. Because if price is all that matters and I can get it a dollar cheaper delivered to my door, then why bother even driving to the mega warehouse?

The successful shop owners are the ones that can demonstrate a real value of their services to customers. And the best customers are the ones that see real value for their service. It's not for everyone- many will still look only for the bottom dollar.
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