Pride in Sales

[Knifemaker]

I'll start this rant off by saying I have been in wholesale sales for over 32 years. I wake up each morning looking forward to another day of helping my clients out with their needs and finding pleasure on occomplishing this task.

 

What has happened to pride in ones job on the retail market?

 

The example...I am restoring a 1965 Honda Benly 150. Went to Pep Boys and after going through the tools and not finding an impact driver I asked a sales person if they had any impact drivers his answer "Look over on isle 4 that is where the tools are" I explained to him I looked on isle 4 and could not locate one and was asking him if they might be elsewhere his answer " If it is a tool look for it on isle 4."

 

Ok I'll let that one go...I went to another salesman and asked if they had any buffing wheels for a bench type grinder set up he told me to go to the car wax area so I went there and not finding any buffing wheels I went back and told him I could not locate them and with a huff like I was bothering him he took me over to the car wax section pulling a buffing cover for a hand buffer off the shelf and said "I don't see how you missed it"

 

I swallowed hard not wanting to explode on this jerk and thanked him for his help and left the store grumbling and not buying anything....

 

I got in my truck and my wife asked why I did not get what I wanted and I brushed it off saying they did not have it and went down 2 blocks to AutoZone....

 

As I walked in I asked the salesman standing next to the auto wax section if he had any bench grinder type buffing wheels and he said "NO" turned around and ignored me...Ok maybe my approach is wrong in trying to find buffing wheels in an auto parts store so I asked the same salesman if he had an impact driver to help remove stuck srews...Again reluctingly he took me over to where he had a section of screws and I told him again I was not looking for screws but an impact driver you use a hammer with to remove screws with his answer "Everything we have relating to screws is right here." Now I am ticked off and as I started heading to to the I said I said "NO..you are wrong your screw drivers a 6 rows over"

 

I got into my truck and my wife knew I was pissed off and told me, as I was going through my rant about what has happened to customer service, that "These guys are highly trained to help the public they never make a mistake when standing behind the counter and asking if this is cash, charge, or credit...the rest is up to you...

 

I finally, the next day, found what I was looking for and was helped by a real nice intellegent salesman at the....FLEA MARKET... Who knew....

 

This is not just an isolated problem for these products but it seems it exists in every retail market.

 

So what has happened to sales pride? Are companys telling their employees to handle clients like this? It can not be just a low salery pay problem... Are we turning out a work force that has no desire to learn anything about the market they are selling to? Why do retail sales companys not reconize these problems and continue not doing anything about them?

 

Or...Am I just and old f%^t professional salesman who enjoys and takes pride in his job that should just move on accept things as the are?

 

By the way if any of my sales people would treat a client like this they would be FIRED on the spot.

 

P.S. this rant was NOT checked for spelling or any other errors.

 

 

 

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Well, the rant certainly isn't up to Jomamma standards but this is, after all, MRN.

 

Salespeople in auto stores, in my experience, rarely know their floor stock well, if at all. They are counter persons and really only deal with the final transaction after you have wandered all over the store.

 

Next time, try an Ace Hardware. I've been really pleased with most of them.

 

You, of all people, should know that things like buffing wheels are better obtained via on-line purchase from folks like MCS or McMaster Carr. Industrial supply houses local should have them in stock as well.

[Ken H.]

Personally I think here's where your logic falls apart:

 

These guys are highly trained to help the public

They're not. In these days of intense economic pressure, slim margins, and highly competitive market segments, 'hire the cheapest you can find' is the company mantra more and more. Employer training of employees, in most any aspect of a business, is going by the wayside.

 

I see it all the time in the tech sector. The trend is definitely away from training employees in new areas of expertise, and toward discarding existing employees for newer (and often cheaper) ones who already have the skill set desired. I've read several tech management articles of late promoting just that. 'You don't have the time and money anymore to keep train your technical staff, cut them loose and replace them with someone who has what you need for the moment and can hit the ground running.' The HR person where I work has a favorite phrase she likes to use a lot, "Free up their future." Now there's a double-speak for, "Fire them." if I ever heard one!

 

The same is true in retail sales, maybe even more so. And the 'self-serve' phenomena (which began in buffet restaurants I would guess) fuels it. Helping customers isn't the focus, collecting money from them is. If you fail to collect because you failed to help, and they go to the next place down the street, oh well they'll do the same to someone else there, who will then come to you. In the end it's a wash.

 

All of which overall leads to the dumbing down of the workforce. But alas, nobody is capable much anymore of looking at the big picture / long term.

 

"Am I just and old f%^t professional salesman who enjoys and takes pride in his job that should just move on accept things as the are?

Probably. The need to make the today's buck pretty much trumps most every other priority anymore. Blow them off, be glad you found what you where looking for somewhere somehow, and move on. Life's too short.

 

P.S. This rant was checked for spelling or any other errors, and probably still has them!

 

 

[Shaman97]

Next time, try an Ace Hardware. I've been really pleased with most of them.

 

Me too, but to my great lament, the 'old time' hardware store - and their knowledgeable staff - are quickly disappearing around these parts.

About 3 months ago, I needed some gear oil for my Skil HD-77 saw. Home Depot/Lowes/Orchard were all a bust (I knew that going in, but I went there anyway). I went to the nearest Ace. The younger (early 20 somethings) didn't even know what I was talking about, though they were extremely polite and helpful. They then went to 'Al' who knew exactly what I was looking for, and where it was located. He further told me how to service the saw, and what parts/supplies I might need in the next year or two. WOW! just for a circular saw!

Big problem - the store was in 'going out of business' mode; squeezed out of the market by the two HD's and 1 Lowes in the area. I hope 'Al' finds work in one of the big-box home improvement stores in the area - I'll go there for what I need. So far, no Al.

 

I think we ultimately get what we settle for. Expect less, you'll find it, even if we eventually get nothing!

[Bob Palin]

Home Depot/Lowes/Orchard were all a bust (I knew that going in, but I went there anyway). I went to the nearest Ace.

And there lies the problem, you knew the big places wouldn't have it but you still went there first, presumably because it would be cheaper if they did have it. Nobody is willing to pay for service any more.

[SteveB]

I feel your pain. Now we are shocked when we actually get good service. After numerous trips shopping for a new dishwasher and microwave for the kitchen in our new to us home I headed back to Home Depot to make the purchase. (It takes me awhile to resolve my champagne taste / beer budget issues.) After discussing the features and benefits of different models and making our selection ‘Bob’ the salesman tells us to wait until the new ad takes effect tomorrow and save an additional 10%. Ok, we can wait another day. The next day Bob writes up the order and we talk about what I’ll need to install the appliances. (Back to that beer budget) Bob then leads me around the store collecting the vents, plumbing and electrical parts required for installation. This was not my typical shopping experience at the big box hardware stores that I have come to dread.

 

Remember the slogan “Ace is the Place”, it’s now Ace WAS the place as they are getting harder to find.

 

[Paul Mihalka]

It probably depends on the local management, but I also have good experiences at the local Home Depot. When I ask a employee where to find something, instead of just telling me where it should be he/she (I hate PC) drops whatever he/she is doing and walks me to where the item should be. Helps me to look for it and if not found looks somewhere else or asks another employee.

[Shaman97]

Nobody is willing to pay for service any more.

 

Oh, I would be, but even Ace's folks (the two 'youngsters') didn't know what i was talking about. Used to be that Home Depot actually had people that were knowledgeable about the products they sell. Now they don't have...well, now they don't have people, let alone folks that know what the products are used for.

 

But I do agree with your statement, too. We have a small lumber yard/hardware store here in town that specializes in high grade redwood products - mostly for decking. They own a small mill on the coast in Fort Bragg that produces the good stuff. They know their product like nobody else knows wood in the area. They've been here for 40 years. Then Depot moved in, and their business is terrible. Almost no hardware at all, and a now small lumberyard - they do special orders for most stuff now. What was once a thriving hardware business is now a location that is holding on until the real estate market improves, then they'll sell and be gone, too. I recently saw they were advertising Cappuccino on their fence. A sad state, to be sure.

 

 

 

[Rinkydink]

We have a local family owned Ace hardware chain that's been in business probably 40 years. There are 4 or 5 stores in the chain. You are greeted at the front door by an eager/knowledgeable sales"man" (I'm with you Paul) and they offer free fresh popcorn to boot. Yes their prices are 10-20% higher than Lowes Depot on some things but to me the personal service makes it well worth it.

 

SteveB, we also have an Ace Hardware distibution center locally that seems to be busier now than it ever has been. Per the amount of trucks coming and going out of that place Ace is definitely selling something somewhere.

[jackflash]

Next time, try taking one of your knives in with you....a big one...

 

IMHO, that thing called "work ethic" is less than it used to be. It's all about "me" now. That said, I met some really cool people just riding around the countryside today. They're out there....

 

 

[DaveTheAffable]

What has happened to pride in ones job on the retail market?

 

Mentorship... and leading by example.

 

Not a hijack, but it isn't just the retail market. Common courtesies, politeness, and helpfulness is something that doesn't get taught (or enforced... a whole 'nother topic) in the public schools, and the truth is many parents haven't taught it for a variety of reasons to their children.

 

"Customer Service" can be taught to employees, but if it has never been seen, or emulated by others, it's a difficult concept to grasp.

 

My son, in college, opens doors for men AND women, as a courtesy. He knows that when a woman say's in shock, "You didn't have to open the door for me because I'm a woman...", that he simply responds, "I did it because I'm a gentleman".

 

(p.s. - My wife gets more credit than I for instilling that in him, she spent far more time raising the kids than did I with my travelling, nights, weekends... but I tried.)

[russell_bynum]

I feel your pain. Now we are shocked when we actually get good service. After numerous trips shopping for a new dishwasher and microwave for the kitchen in our new to us home I headed back to Home Depot to make the purchase. (It takes me awhile to resolve my champagne taste / beer budget issues.) After discussing the features and benefits of different models and making our selection ‘Bob’ the salesman tells us to wait until the new ad takes effect tomorrow and save an additional 10%. Ok, we can wait another day. The next day Bob writes up the order and we talk about what I’ll need to install the appliances. (Back to that beer budget) Bob then leads me around the store collecting the vents, plumbing and electrical parts required for installation. This was not my typical shopping experience at the big box hardware stores that I have come to dread.

 

Remember the slogan “Ace is the Place”, it’s now Ace WAS the place as they are getting harder to find.

 

I very rarely have a bad experience with service at Lowes or Home Depot.

 

If I ask for help, I usually get more than I asked for. Example: I asked one guy where the pneumatic nailers were, and he spent 30 minutes with me giving me tips and pointers for my Wainscoting project. That's not out of the ordinary, either.

 

I do recall one time that the kid I asked where something was told me "We don't sell those." Then when he walked away, I saw that the thing that "we don't sell" had been on the shelf right behind him. And occasionally you'll get some kid ask what you're trying to do when you ask where a specific tool/part is. When you tell them that you're working on a BMW motorcycle or something, they go into vapor lock saying stuff like "we don't have motorcycle parts here".

 

I went in last week with a subframe bushing from my old 325 looking for a bolt to thread into the base as a part of some percussive maintenance I was planning on doing. The guy at the hardware desk at Lowes laughed and spent 10 minutes with me trying different ideas to see if there was a better way than what I'd thought of.

 

PepBoys and AutoZone folks are usually useless. Sometimes the local NAPA has people who know what they're doing but usually you're flying solo on that sort of thing.

[Paul Mihalka]

PepBoys/Autozone/Advanced Auto Parts store employees are useless. You go in, find/pick what you need, and pay. OTOH, near by is a "Bumper to Bumper" chain store attended by the owner and his picked employees, and the expert help is great. A little higher price than the others, but well worth it.