roddyama said:Back when there were a lot of high-end audio stores in the Detroit area, I generally found the sales people to be relatively knowledgeable about what they were selling. But they weren't always the the most polite people in the world
So, I was sitting for my 3 year old niece and had to do some running around. I stopped in at one of the mid to high-end audio stores to pickup some connectors and maybe get a listen at the new Beveridge speakers they had just gotten in. So I was standing with my niece by a wall of mid-fi amps and receivers in the main sales area, waiting for service. There were only a few other customers in the store and I waited as my niece kept trying to get away. After one particular salesmen, who didn't seem to be doing anything in particular, caught eye contact with me for the third time and egnored me, I decided I've waited long enough. I let my niece go and pluged my ears. She did not disappoint me. She made a B-line for the wall of mid-fi and started to play NASA space center. The sounds that came from that store were frighteningIt took about 4 seconds, and I had 3 salesmen waiting on me hand and foot.
"Ah, yes I was interested in some...."
Rodd Yamas***a
That's one way... here's how I did it:
My old and trusty Marantz cassette deck went out, and since the cassette era was coming to an end (thank God!) you could go into any cheapie hi-fi store and pick up a decent one for way cheap. I spotted the one I wanted- a Sony that was on sale for a reasonable price, and my wife and I stood there for about 5 or 10 minutes, waiting for a little help. I was in my early 20's, and wasn't dressed like I have any money at all- my typical old pair of jeans and ratty T-shirt. My wife was getting ticked off, and wanted to go to some other stores. I said "watch this- I will have a salesguy over here in less than thirty seconds". I pulled out my wallet and started counting the 20's I had taken out of the bank to buy the deck, and what do you know? 2 sales people in less than fifteen seconds. The vultures had smelled the fresh $20's!
Banned
Joined 2002
Here is a good story i like and tell alot.
I was in a electronics/stereo store in Prince Rupert. I was looking around with my friend he was thinking about buying some speakers for his room nothing to fancy just enough to make noise. So we headed to the back of the store and seen a nice not bad looking energy speakers they were a few years old and had scratches on the boxes. but oh well looks were not the goal. so we took off the grills to see that in both the left and right the tweeters were punched in badly. we looked at the price tag witch said 899.99 i looked at the speaker and said 899 for these and started to laugh. so i said to the owner/ sales man how much would you take off this price from the tweeters being ruined and damaged. he looks at me and says tweeter do nothing it is all in the bass woofer. you don't need tweeter.
There better this way with out the tweeter. just take them out. So right there i started laughing so hard same with my friend. then we said ok never mind well go some where else. it was so funny because the speakers were marked up about 500% and not worth 899 plus they were about 3 years old and just sat there for the longest time with the over priced tag.
I was in a electronics/stereo store in Prince Rupert. I was looking around with my friend he was thinking about buying some speakers for his room nothing to fancy just enough to make noise. So we headed to the back of the store and seen a nice not bad looking energy speakers they were a few years old and had scratches on the boxes. but oh well looks were not the goal. so we took off the grills to see that in both the left and right the tweeters were punched in badly. we looked at the price tag witch said 899.99 i looked at the speaker and said 899 for these and started to laugh. so i said to the owner/ sales man how much would you take off this price from the tweeters being ruined and damaged. he looks at me and says tweeter do nothing it is all in the bass woofer. you don't need tweeter.
There better this way with out the tweeter. just take them out. So right there i started laughing so hard same with my friend. then we said ok never mind well go some where else. it was so funny because the speakers were marked up about 500% and not worth 899 plus they were about 3 years old and just sat there for the longest time with the over priced tag.
Noddy Salesmen....
I went into a superstore recently just to take a look at what is available nowadays.
I stood in the back of the audio demo room while the salesman proudly demonstrated a large screen tv and audio system.
When the prospective clients had left, I politely informed this salesman that the speakers were out of phase wrt each other.
"Err, what's that mean ?."
I just told him to take a closer listen to pair 3 and left the room.
Eric.
I went into a superstore recently just to take a look at what is available nowadays.
I stood in the back of the audio demo room while the salesman proudly demonstrated a large screen tv and audio system.
When the prospective clients had left, I politely informed this salesman that the speakers were out of phase wrt each other.
"Err, what's that mean ?."
I just told him to take a closer listen to pair 3 and left the room.
Eric.
Might be that way for a reason
, out of phase I mean..
Years ago, worked in a store. We had a pair of the top of the line Infinity speakers wired up, out of phase, in the board. No, we didn't really sell the brand, but the big store down the road did. Sold the hell out of them.
So when Customer came in and listened to the Alpines and crap that we sold, he would almost always want to compare them to the Infintys that he had just heard up the street.
Regional sales manager for Infinity came and and bought all of them one day - the owner made him pay list.
Its a crappy business to try to make a living.
, out of phase I mean..
Years ago, worked in a store. We had a pair of the top of the line Infinity speakers wired up, out of phase, in the board. No, we didn't really sell the brand, but the big store down the road did. Sold the hell out of them.
So when Customer came in and listened to the Alpines and crap that we sold, he would almost always want to compare them to the Infintys that he had just heard up the street.
Regional sales manager for Infinity came and and bought all of them one day - the owner made him pay list.
Its a crappy business to try to make a living.
Some levity to break up the mudslinging.....
There used to be a high-end store in Dallas....we'll call it "Zombie Sound", run by a guy that we will affectionately refer to as "Mad Man."
One Saturday, there is a problem with the A/C. "Mad Man", ever the cheapskate, was not about to spend $$$ to get it fixed. So he decides to try it himself. He pops up a few ceiling tiles, and starts to poke around.
"Mad Man" has consumed, over the course of decades, way too many recreational pharmaceuticals. And he was ignorant about virtually anything electrical. But he decides to futz with the blower motor. Bad idea.
Typical Saturday.......the store has customers other than the usual gang of audio nerds who go there to hang out and be entertained by "Mad Man's" insane antics. Several start to look concerned by all the commotion coming from the ceiling. And the constant barrage of obscenities.
Somehow, "Mad Man" manages to hook up the field winding the wrong way, and the blower starts to blow air in the wrong direction. More obscenities. More commotion. More customers starting to make movements to the door.
Suddenly, "Mad Man" falls halfway through the ceiling, unable to free himself.......face turned purple......kicking......screaming.......cussing at the store help, the fan motor, anything and everything in sight.
Yep.....all the customers left. He kept on screaming. I think that even Phred was a little bit frightened at this point.
Comedy that good you just can't get any ol' place.
There used to be a high-end store in Dallas....we'll call it "Zombie Sound", run by a guy that we will affectionately refer to as "Mad Man."
One Saturday, there is a problem with the A/C. "Mad Man", ever the cheapskate, was not about to spend $$$ to get it fixed. So he decides to try it himself. He pops up a few ceiling tiles, and starts to poke around.
"Mad Man" has consumed, over the course of decades, way too many recreational pharmaceuticals. And he was ignorant about virtually anything electrical. But he decides to futz with the blower motor. Bad idea.
Typical Saturday.......the store has customers other than the usual gang of audio nerds who go there to hang out and be entertained by "Mad Man's" insane antics. Several start to look concerned by all the commotion coming from the ceiling. And the constant barrage of obscenities.
Somehow, "Mad Man" manages to hook up the field winding the wrong way, and the blower starts to blow air in the wrong direction. More obscenities. More commotion. More customers starting to make movements to the door.
Suddenly, "Mad Man" falls halfway through the ceiling, unable to free himself.......face turned purple......kicking......screaming.......cussing at the store help, the fan motor, anything and everything in sight.
Yep.....all the customers left. He kept on screaming. I think that even Phred was a little bit frightened at this point.
Comedy that good you just can't get any ol' place.
"Mad Man" strikes again.....
Phred left a copy of a high-end magazine from the UK in plain view one day at "Zombie Sound" (Probably Hi-fi News and Record Reviews.......not important which one.)
Some guy........either as daft as "Mad Man", or clever like a fox, starts thumbing through it. He saw an ad for a piece of gear.......C-J probably.....and notices that the price is lower than the one "Mad Man" is asking.
Well, the integer number is lower. If one took the time to do a currency conversion, it was probably higher. But no........this is "Zombie Sound".
The guy starts to give "Mad Man" grief that he was trying to rip him off, and used the "price" in the magazine to back up his claims.
"Mad Man" freaks out. Dispensing with all the obscenities that flowed, let us just say that "Mad Man" capitulated and sold it to him for the going price.
UK price......in dollars......without currency conversion.
"Mad Man" was wound up the rest of the day. Phred shows up.....he probably left it there while he went to eat lunch. "Mad Man" launches into him, for leaving that damn magazine with bargain prices around and causing him to get screwed in the deal.
"You idiot.......that price is in pounds..not dollars. How stupid are you? Don't you know that a pound is worth almost 2 bucks. You can't be that stupid, can you?"
"How am I supposed to know that? What do I look like? You leave anything like that in here again and I'm going to kill you. I got screwed so bad on that deal that I won't be able to sit down for a week. If it wasn't a price in dollars, then why didn't it say that? How am I supposed to know that they have different money. It is written in English, isn't it? Why the **** can't they use the same ****ing money that we do? What are they so ****ing stupid? Those people over there are so ****ing stupid."
Etc., etc., etc. You get the idea.
Phred left a copy of a high-end magazine from the UK in plain view one day at "Zombie Sound" (Probably Hi-fi News and Record Reviews.......not important which one.)
Some guy........either as daft as "Mad Man", or clever like a fox, starts thumbing through it. He saw an ad for a piece of gear.......C-J probably.....and notices that the price is lower than the one "Mad Man" is asking.
Well, the integer number is lower. If one took the time to do a currency conversion, it was probably higher. But no........this is "Zombie Sound".
The guy starts to give "Mad Man" grief that he was trying to rip him off, and used the "price" in the magazine to back up his claims.
"Mad Man" freaks out. Dispensing with all the obscenities that flowed, let us just say that "Mad Man" capitulated and sold it to him for the going price.
UK price......in dollars......without currency conversion.
"Mad Man" was wound up the rest of the day. Phred shows up.....he probably left it there while he went to eat lunch. "Mad Man" launches into him, for leaving that damn magazine with bargain prices around and causing him to get screwed in the deal.
"You idiot.......that price is in pounds..not dollars. How stupid are you? Don't you know that a pound is worth almost 2 bucks. You can't be that stupid, can you?"
"How am I supposed to know that? What do I look like? You leave anything like that in here again and I'm going to kill you. I got screwed so bad on that deal that I won't be able to sit down for a week. If it wasn't a price in dollars, then why didn't it say that? How am I supposed to know that they have different money. It is written in English, isn't it? Why the **** can't they use the same ****ing money that we do? What are they so ****ing stupid? Those people over there are so ****ing stupid."
Etc., etc., etc. You get the idea.
Hi everybody!
My late father was a reputed electronics repairman in this area, since his humble begginnings (after he studied his Occidental Schools by mail) and during his entire life he spent working and studying to keep the pace with the electronics amazing evolution.
One of the stories most amazed him, was one of a doctor who complained to him, that his TV's screen was producing some kind of breeze!
My puzzled father asked him how did he noticed that, and he just responded that he was quite sure about that, because when he put his bare arm in front of the screen, the arm's hair just waved!
It seems that doctor could not remember what he had learnt at the High School about static electricity, anymore...!
Cheers, JPB
My late father was a reputed electronics repairman in this area, since his humble begginnings (after he studied his Occidental Schools by mail) and during his entire life he spent working and studying to keep the pace with the electronics amazing evolution.
One of the stories most amazed him, was one of a doctor who complained to him, that his TV's screen was producing some kind of breeze!
My puzzled father asked him how did he noticed that, and he just responded that he was quite sure about that, because when he put his bare arm in front of the screen, the arm's hair just waved!
It seems that doctor could not remember what he had learnt at the High School about static electricity, anymore...!
Cheers, JPB
Many moons ago when I was a freshface graduate, I thought I was going to fill the world with beautiful music. I got a sales job in a small boutique type outfit in a strip mall in a little town called White Rock BC. This mall had a restaurant, a 7-eleven an auto parts store etc. All the merchants knew one another quite well and often chatted when things were slow. So here I am one day behind the counter (at the back wall) when three of the hairiest knuckled guys I'd ever laid eyes on walked in the store. Full leather and chains, no doubt from the local chapter of the Hell Angels. The biggest, ugliest, hairiest of the three approached the counter and stared down on me.
Are you Cal?
> Um er uh - NO - I mean y-y-y-yyes
Well good 'cause Bob said we should pay you a visit. (Bob is the owner of the auto parts store who was never that nice to me)
About then I started to feel my bowels move.
Ya, Bob says we should see you about car stereos. What's your best one?
> Uh well er I uh...how about this one I asked as I held the box out in front of me hoping he and his gang of thugs would just take it and leave me in one piece.
How much?
> More stumbling about the MSRP but that our price was such and such.
Ya well how much profit does that leave you?
> (Total knee shaking and quivering now) Well I'm n-n-n-not sure.
OK then forget about that, lets just do the price on the box how's that?
With that the guy pulls out a wad of bills seen only in the movies and peels off a few.
How about the install?
Oh that's free I said. (In fact we charged 50 bucks for a deck, amp and two speakers back then but I was too scared to remember at that moment)
Off come a few more bills and he says "Here, here's a hundred bucks, do a good job for me will ya Cal? (by now the guy is grinning at me realizing he has me paralyzed with fear)
> Ummm...yes sir.
A couple days later he comes get his car and hands me a case of beer, pats me on the back and invites me to the clubhouse to meet the boys. You just never know do you?
And that folks is why I listen to my mother when she tells me to bring a change of underwear. You never know what kind of accident you're going to have.
Are you Cal?
> Um er uh - NO - I mean y-y-y-yyes
Well good 'cause Bob said we should pay you a visit. (Bob is the owner of the auto parts store who was never that nice to me)
About then I started to feel my bowels move.
Ya, Bob says we should see you about car stereos. What's your best one?
> Uh well er I uh...how about this one I asked as I held the box out in front of me hoping he and his gang of thugs would just take it and leave me in one piece.
How much?
> More stumbling about the MSRP but that our price was such and such.
Ya well how much profit does that leave you?
> (Total knee shaking and quivering now) Well I'm n-n-n-not sure.
OK then forget about that, lets just do the price on the box how's that?
With that the guy pulls out a wad of bills seen only in the movies and peels off a few.
How about the install?
Oh that's free I said. (In fact we charged 50 bucks for a deck, amp and two speakers back then but I was too scared to remember at that moment)
Off come a few more bills and he says "Here, here's a hundred bucks, do a good job for me will ya Cal? (by now the guy is grinning at me realizing he has me paralyzed with fear)
> Ummm...yes sir.
A couple days later he comes get his car and hands me a case of beer, pats me on the back and invites me to the clubhouse to meet the boys. You just never know do you?
And that folks is why I listen to my mother when she tells me to bring a change of underwear. You never know what kind of accident you're going to have.
I used to be a hifi salesman... I worked with a colleague who had a talent for saying the wrong thing... Stevie if by chance you read this, you know who you are... Hows BB?
My two favourites from Stevie..
A rather posh customer had just agreed to buy a hifi. Stevie asked her for her name to put on the reciept. She replied
"Its Mrs Smythe Lane"
Stevie replied...
"It was your name I was looking for, not your address"
Letter of complaint to a Mr Julian Richer promptly despatched.
Or on another ocasion.
A customer came in to the store and dumped an amplifier on the counter.
"I paid £600 for this amplifier yesterday. I put it on and it played for 10 minutes and then went down on me"
Stevie replied....
"If I had known it would do that, I woud have charged you an extra £10"
Letter of complaint to Mr Richer promptly dispatched...
On a similar note, we once had a lady enquire in the store.
"Will that cd player in the window fit in my Bush?"
I was up a ladder at the time and very nearly sustained a seriour work related injury.
My two favourites from Stevie..
A rather posh customer had just agreed to buy a hifi. Stevie asked her for her name to put on the reciept. She replied
"Its Mrs Smythe Lane"
Stevie replied...
"It was your name I was looking for, not your address"
Letter of complaint to a Mr Julian Richer promptly despatched.
Or on another ocasion.
A customer came in to the store and dumped an amplifier on the counter.
"I paid £600 for this amplifier yesterday. I put it on and it played for 10 minutes and then went down on me"
Stevie replied....
"If I had known it would do that, I woud have charged you an extra £10"
Letter of complaint to Mr Richer promptly dispatched...
On a similar note, we once had a lady enquire in the store.
"Will that cd player in the window fit in my Bush?"
I was up a ladder at the time and very nearly sustained a seriour work related injury.
You know those moments when you hear something so unbelieveable, that it seems time goes slow motion for a second while you replay it in your mind, trying to just make some sense out of it?
Well it is not realy hifi related, but still happend in a TV and hi-fi repair shop, my dad shared the shop with the tv and hifi guys, he had a small watch repair business at the time.
Anyway one Saturday morning I was helping out my dad when this guy came in with one of those old small, black and white TVs.
It was an african gentleman, but the oposite to being westernised in the nth degree... I suspect he only recently migrated in from one of the then "homelands".
When asked about what is wrong with the TV he dead seriously replied the ink was up.
I thought it was the loudest we ever laughed in the shop, until about a week later (think it must have been some solar occurance), when a boy walked in and asked for a pumpkin...
Both theses stories are 100% true, I witnessed them both...
Well it is not realy hifi related, but still happend in a TV and hi-fi repair shop, my dad shared the shop with the tv and hifi guys, he had a small watch repair business at the time.
Anyway one Saturday morning I was helping out my dad when this guy came in with one of those old small, black and white TVs.
It was an african gentleman, but the oposite to being westernised in the nth degree... I suspect he only recently migrated in from one of the then "homelands".
When asked about what is wrong with the TV he dead seriously replied the ink was up.
I thought it was the loudest we ever laughed in the shop, until about a week later (think it must have been some solar occurance), when a boy walked in and asked for a pumpkin...
Both theses stories are 100% true, I witnessed them both...
Way a off subject, but reading this recalls the burning debate in Sweden (1980 i think) regarding an election on wether we should have nuclear power or not.
A politian, don't remeber who, stated on TV at prime time that
-WE DO NOT WANT NUCLEAR POWER, WE WANT ELECTRICITY!
I woted for nuclear power.
/Mike
A politian, don't remeber who, stated on TV at prime time that
-WE DO NOT WANT NUCLEAR POWER, WE WANT ELECTRICITY!
I woted for nuclear power.
/Mike
Since the gates are open, I'll tell you a true story.
Even further back in my career I worked in a photo shop. Remember the days of film? We took in many rolls a day so it became rather routine until this one woman walks in with her roll. I started filling out the form that includes all the instructions for the processor back at the lab. What size print, what finish, how many prints per negative etc. and then I asked her name. There was a pause so I looked up and she says: "Goodhead". Before I could ask her whether it was one word or two, she gave me a look that told a tale of many a fallen man. I declined to ask and just wrote it down as one word.
Speaking of words, none more were spoken between us.
Even further back in my career I worked in a photo shop. Remember the days of film? We took in many rolls a day so it became rather routine until this one woman walks in with her roll. I started filling out the form that includes all the instructions for the processor back at the lab. What size print, what finish, how many prints per negative etc. and then I asked her name. There was a pause so I looked up and she says: "Goodhead". Before I could ask her whether it was one word or two, she gave me a look that told a tale of many a fallen man. I declined to ask and just wrote it down as one word.
Speaking of words, none more were spoken between us.
best salesman story
Well...as is often the case...truth is better than fiction...look around the web for stories and reviews of people who have purchased " WHITE VAN" speakers....many of them tell the entire ordeal...if you want a new definition of "getting screwed" these stories beat any salesdroid presentation..
http://www.audioreview.com/cat/spea...ab-audio-technologies/PRD_119437_1594crx.aspx
Well...as is often the case...truth is better than fiction...look around the web for stories and reviews of people who have purchased " WHITE VAN" speakers....many of them tell the entire ordeal...if you want a new definition of "getting screwed" these stories beat any salesdroid presentation..
http://www.audioreview.com/cat/spea...ab-audio-technologies/PRD_119437_1594crx.aspx
How about a positive story?
Great stories, many laughs. Here's a positive story:
Years ago, I wandered into a shop where I had left many $ behind on a few occasions, so I vaguely knew the owner. It was almost closing time, I was looking for interesting new vinyl when the UPS truck showed up with a load of brand new Cello gear. Well the "OPEN" sign got flipped over to "CLOSED", and I ended up helping the owner and the UPS guy tote the boxes into the listening room. We tore them open and got everything set up, and spent the rest of the evening listening and enjoying. Ran around the corner for beers and called for chinese takeout. Never had the opportunity to play with such a nice system before or since. When I finally had the $ to afford the new Maggies I'd been wanting the owner remembered and gave me a nice discount - which I promptly spent on other things in his store.
Great stories, many laughs. Here's a positive story:
Years ago, I wandered into a shop where I had left many $ behind on a few occasions, so I vaguely knew the owner. It was almost closing time, I was looking for interesting new vinyl when the UPS truck showed up with a load of brand new Cello gear. Well the "OPEN" sign got flipped over to "CLOSED", and I ended up helping the owner and the UPS guy tote the boxes into the listening room. We tore them open and got everything set up, and spent the rest of the evening listening and enjoying. Ran around the corner for beers and called for chinese takeout. Never had the opportunity to play with such a nice system before or since. When I finally had the $ to afford the new Maggies I'd been wanting the owner remembered and gave me a nice discount - which I promptly spent on other things in his store.
I went into a chain store that sells TV, computers, beds, tables, chairs, washing machines etc. Consumer stuff but at the higher end of consumer. Leather couches, Denon and Yamaha, that sort of thing but they still stack a dozen boxes of the sale items with one unpackaged for you to look at.
I was looking around and found what I wanted, but only the display item was out, none in boxes. I dithered about, the 6 staff members in sight tried to look busy. I stood there in front of it, staring around the room at the staff, one of them had to assist, there was one other customer in the store. None of them looked at me, no-one wanted to move. They knew I was there and they tried to pretend I wasn't.
Big LCD screens were the lastest thing at the time. something like $10,000 for a 42 inch with a terrible ghost-trail habit.
So I walked over the the prime display with the LCD in front of their most expensive leather couch. Then proceeded to drag the rather hefty cabinet away from the wall. Then I climbed in behind the set and started fiddling with the cables on the back.
Three salesman started heading over, one actually broke into a jog.
Breathlessly the runner asked: "can I help you sir?"
I stood up, pointed across the room and said: "Have you got one of those toasters in a box? that one has a scratch."
Not as good as the three year old story.
I was looking around and found what I wanted, but only the display item was out, none in boxes. I dithered about, the 6 staff members in sight tried to look busy. I stood there in front of it, staring around the room at the staff, one of them had to assist, there was one other customer in the store. None of them looked at me, no-one wanted to move. They knew I was there and they tried to pretend I wasn't.
Big LCD screens were the lastest thing at the time. something like $10,000 for a 42 inch with a terrible ghost-trail habit.
So I walked over the the prime display with the LCD in front of their most expensive leather couch. Then proceeded to drag the rather hefty cabinet away from the wall. Then I climbed in behind the set and started fiddling with the cables on the back.
Three salesman started heading over, one actually broke into a jog.
Breathlessly the runner asked: "can I help you sir?"
I stood up, pointed across the room and said: "Have you got one of those toasters in a box? that one has a scratch."
Not as good as the three year old story.
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