when bike sales people talk rubbish.....

[Drago]

If I got uppity every time a sales person talked crap I'd never be able to actually buy anything.

 

[stephec]

It would be remiss of me to say, as it's still my bike shop of choice in this fair city

Is it over the roundabout from McVities?

 

[Deleted member 23692]

Is it over the roundabout from McVities?

You tease me with all this talk of biscuits.

Still not saying, but whichever of the two shops you might think it might be, it's probably the other

...or is it?

 

[Yellow Saddle]

Have some sympathy for the shop assistant. Shops can't afford to employ specialists in every field of produce on the shelf. Further, training someone takes years and shop assisting isn't exactly a career, usually just a waypoint for people studying or waiting for another opportunity to arise. This doesn't give them carte blanche to talk complete nonsense, but like Young Ed pointed out, many customers have done such excellent research before they come into the shop that you cannot expect a junior to match that knowledge or even contribute to it.

In modern retail the shop assistant is not allowed to say "I don't know." He/she has to say, "let me ask so and so," or "let me find out for you." That's all very well but a well researched customer comes into the shop and bombards the assistant with questions and if he/she has to go and find out each one of these questions, the interaction fails and the customer walks away angry.

Good retailers offer training to their staff but this is slow. Training is by way of supplier briefings that happen before or after shop hours. There is very little time available for training.

A further complication is to ask the assistant to compare a product he sells with something that someone else sells. There is no way you will find a good answer in that scenario. Obviously knowing the competitor's product is important in high value sales but in retail it is just about impossible unless you are an enthusiastic and seasoned cycling lifer.

Give them a break, don't be a smart alec and apply some understanding. Working in retail is very, very hard and demoralizing, especially if the shop is not yours.

 

[Headgardener]

Gawd, they're at it everywhere though...my daughter went to the London Eye on Friday and has been asked to do a school project off the back of it...asked the tour guide for some useful information and then, when she got home, started doing a write up...her mum nearly passed out when she saw some of the 'facts.' A swift few checks here and there and it turns out you can't believe an official tour guide...either that or he'd been on the mushrooms...

Now you have left us all in suspense wondering what these "facts" were, please do tell. That's if they pass the Cyclechat swear filter.

 

[Turbo Rider]

100% agree with YS......'they' say it takes around 6 months for basic competence in any field...a lot more to become skilled or acquire mastery...and shop staff turnover is relatively fast. Best bet is to go in pre-prepared and to know what you want.

 

[Turbo Rider]

Now you have left us all in suspense wondering what these "facts" were, please do tell. That's if they pass the Cyclechat swear filter.

Blimey...it's quite a list...first fact though was that children chose the design for it...which is partly true...except all of the public designs got ignored in favour of a select committee and a vast group of designers and architects...was actually quite fascinating finding out the exact process off the back of it though TBH...took quite a few lovely hours

 

[Pumpkin the robot]

To be fair, they were on a slightly different planet, but some of that makes limited sense. A brand new Sora, is not a hill of beans different to a couple of year old 105.

105 5700 came out in 2011. The cables run under the bartape. Sora is more like 5600 so it is a couple of generations of 105 old, not a couple of years.

 

[Piemaster]

Now you have left us all in suspense wondering what these "facts" were, please do tell. That's if they pass the Cyclechat swear filter.

Could be just a bored tour guide making it up to pass the time and seeing how big a porky they can get away with.

 

[young Ed]

Have some sympathy for the shop assistant. Shops can't afford to employ specialists in every field of produce on the shelf. Further, training someone takes years and shop assisting isn't exactly a career, usually just a waypoint for people studying or waiting for another opportunity to arise. This doesn't give them carte blanche to talk complete nonsense, but like Young Ed pointed out, many customers have done such excellent research before they come into the shop that you cannot expect a junior to match that knowledge or even contribute to it.

In modern retail the shop assistant is now allowed to say "I don't know." He/she has to say, "let me ask so and so," or "let me find out for you." That's all very well but a well researched customer comes into the shop and bombards the assistant with questions and if he/she has to go and find out each one of these questions, the interaction fails and the customer walks away angry.

Good retailers offer training to their staff but this is slow. Training is by way of supplier briefings that happen before or after shop hours. There is very little time available for training.

A further complication is to ask the assistant to compare a product he sells with something that someone else sells. There is no way you will find a good answer in that scenario. Obviously knowing the competitor's product is important in high value sales but in retail it is just about impossible unless you are an enthusiastic and seasoned cycling lifer.

Give them a break, don't be a smart alec and apply some understanding. Working in retail is very, very hard and demoralizing, especially if the shop is not yours.

on this one i will agree, as you say it's not a job that you are likely to stay in for many, many years and so extensive in depth training is generally not worth while. and the training is simply difficult to fit in and find time for

although one thing i would prefer is if they weren't to start telling you rubbish facts to sell the product, if they fill in the odd gap here and there when you ask a question fair enough but if they start selling it with mad up facts then no thanks!

as i say the best way is to find out the real facts online before you go to buy and then you can simply avoid/ignore any sales talk and just go in and ask to buy said bike
Cheers Ed

 

[Turbo Rider]

Could be just a bored tour guide making it up to pass the time and seeing how big a porky they can get away with.

Exactly that, I think...half facts and exaggerations ahoy...don't think it helps that Coke are the new sponsor either...but as I said, if was quite nice to have a proper, in depth look at things off the back of it.

 

[vernon]

Could be just a bored tour guide making it up to pass the time and seeing how big a porky they can get away with.

A bit like this?

 

[Racing roadkill]

A bit like this?

If the beefeaters take the pee, what hope is there?

 

[Sandra6]

This is why I don't like Bromptons, or Brompton riders.

You don't like bromptons or their riders because the sales assistant in Evans doesn't know what she's talking about?
OK.

 

[nickyboy]

Once you've convinced yourself you need a Brompton or similar you've pretty much given up on reality - next stop Dignitas.

Never see Bromptons around these parts. But I was at Euston station waiting for my train and there was a steady procession. I wanted to throw my half -eaten Cornish pasty at each and every one of them