How much trust do you put in the knowledge of store staff?

@Asylum (47893)

Manchester, England

April 4, 2016 10:44am CST

It is quite reasonable to assume that someone who works in a shop will have an understanding of the products on sale. They usually undergo some form of introductory training and also have the advantage of handling the products on a daily basis. It is quite natural for customers to seek advice from these people at times. However, just how confident would you be about the advice or opinions of these people? Would you accept whatever you were told at face value, or would you have some reservations about it? If I go to purchase net curtains I take the window measurements and accept the advice about what length I should buy, although I have experienced unreliable advice on occasions. I often visit computer stores and mobile phone stores, simply to keep in touch with what is available these days. Over the years I have heard customers being given unrealistic advice, which I know is absolute nonsense. I wonder how many people accept such advice as authoritative fact.

14 people like this

17 responses

@marlina (154130)

• Canada

4 Apr 16

I do my own research on the net first, so I am more aware.

2 people like this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

4 Apr 16

That is a wise approach and would avoid being misled.

@Dextoi (1845)

• Philippines

5 Apr 16

I don't always trust store staff as they are there to sell their stuff and gain profit. There are some who are honest about their products and some of them are most likely to over-rate their products. When I make a purchase on a guitar store, I would look at reviews of them on the internet and check out the actual guitar if it's true. I do my little research first before heading out to any store...

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Apr 16

I do exactly the same with mobile phones because they change so fast that you easily lose track of which is which quality.

@Dextoi (1845)

• Philippines

5 Apr 16

@Asylum yes, they do upgrade and downgrade fast... it's good to settle to something that really suits your needs and not much on the wants... a lot of people I know get to change their phones as soon as a new one comes out in the market... they sell their old phones a lot cheaper...

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Apr 16

@Dextoi I have known many people to do this, which is certainly a very expensive hobby.

Show more comments

@allknowing (138207)

• India

5 Apr 16

With so many avenues open to us thanks to the Internet there is no need to go by the recommendation of a shop keeper

1 person likes this

show previous comments

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Apr 16

@allknowing The majority probably do exactly what you suggested, but not all people will. In fact, many people still do not have internet access. In these cases they will no doubt visit the stores, just as we used to do many moons ago.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Apr 16

This is very true, but all people do not check online prior to visiting the stores.

1 person likes this

@allknowing (138207)

• India

5 Apr 16

@Asylum How does one go about then learning about a product?

1 person likes this

Show more comments

@besweet (9859)

• Ireland

5 Apr 16

It depends, most of the times I ask for their personal opinion and I listen to their advice but don't always follow it. We should have in mind that the store staff may get bonuses from certain products or they are advised by management to promote a specific brand. Most of the times the comments are very useful though. My most recent experience was last week, when I went to purchase a pair of shoes and the guy who owned the store tried to sell me one size smaller than the one I am wearing because he didn't have my size available.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Apr 16

A pair of shoes a size too small would not be of great use to anybody. I would have been compelled to ask him what he expected me to do with such an item.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Apr 16

@besweet He must have been insane because that would not give the store a good reputation.

1 person likes this

@besweet (9859)

• Ireland

5 Apr 16

@Asylum He said that it will open with walking and adjust to my feet.. It was obvious that he was desperate to sell so I wore my shoes fast and told him that I wanted time to think about it.

1 person likes this

Show more comments

@TiarasOceanView (70022)

• United States

7 Apr 16

I would not trust it unless it was a highly specialized small shop you know like a piano and organ shop in the High St.

I feel the bigger stores have come down with the knowledgeable staff factor.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

7 Apr 16

I can appreciate the difference with the example that you mentioned, which would be more likely to have someone with a deeper understanding.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

7 Apr 16

@TiarasOceanView Very true, those people are much less likely to move around. Even if they do it would be to another music store.

1 person likes this

@TiarasOceanView (70022)

• United States

7 Apr 16

@Asylum And usually doing the same job for years.

1 person likes this

Show more comments

@JudyEv (342448)

• Rockingham, Australia

5 Apr 16

I am inclined to be gullible but Vince is much more cluey than I am and will challenge what customer service people say if he thinks the info isn't correct.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Apr 16

I have been told some absolute nonsense over the years and wonder how other people react when they buy something and find out it is not suitable.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Apr 16

@JudyEv Even then it would cause the inconvenience of returning the item and a delay in acquiring the product that you want.

1 person likes this

@JudyEv (342448)

• Rockingham, Australia

5 Apr 16

@Asylum In that case we would normally take it back.

1 person likes this

Show more comments

@kaka135 (14931)

• Malaysia

4 Apr 16

I am not sure about other countries, but here, we don't always trust the advice given from the staff in the shop, because many of them seem to be not professional. Of course, there are also some professional staff. We usually have done some researches before we go and buy something.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

4 Apr 16

I would always have reservations when considering the purchase of an expensive item.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

11 Apr 16

@kaka135 Yes, the Internet does serve many good uses.

1 person likes this

@kaka135 (14931)

• Malaysia

11 Apr 16

@Asylum Yes, I think when it comes to expensive item, or requires more technical skills, I'd still do my own research first. Glad that we have Internet today!

1 person likes this

Show more comments

@rebelann (113039)

• El Paso, Texas

5 Apr 16

The only reason I do not is that too often those store clerks are simply trying to get people to buy .... I haven't a clue if they got that attitude from management or if it's their own misguided idea that getting people to buy is a way to secure their jobs.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Apr 16

The reality is that if they treat customers fairly they will return. Therefore it is better to point out that a cheaper model would suit their needs and sell them something appropriate because that way they have a future customer.

1 person likes this

@rebelann (113039)

• El Paso, Texas

5 Apr 16

I completely agree @Asylum but not all store clerks are that bright.

1 person likes this

Belle Starr (Iz)

@BelleStarr (61101)

• United States

5 Apr 16

When I am in a small specialty shop I do accept advice and trust it pretty much, however in a larger store not so much.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Apr 16

That seems reasonable because the large stores will tend to have several new staff at times and also temporary staff at weekends.

1 person likes this

@cmoneyspinner (9219)

• Austin, Texas

6 Apr 16

When it comes to electronics, I usually talk to a sales person who knows what they're talking about. I can tell because they not only answer my questions but they get really enthusiastic and start telling you about all the other terrific features, etc. etc., etc. For most other types of products I don't normally ask for assistance from a sales person.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

6 Apr 16

It can be evident at times due to the enthusiasm as you described. I even end up behaving that way myself at times.

1 person likes this

@jaboUK (64354)

• United Kingdom

5 Apr 16

In a computer store I would accept what they told me, as I know nothing about computers myself. I'd have no way of knowing if they were right or wrong. In the light of what you say, perhaps I will be more questioning in future.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Apr 16

Computer stores tend to be the biggest culprits, which is possibly due to so many people owning computers without any in depth knowledge.

1 person likes this

@Inlemay (17713)

• South Africa

5 Apr 16

I am "a know it all" therefore I never take store personnel advice at all. I am very articulate when preparing to purchase anything - It took me 10 months to buy a car - does that say anything?

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Apr 16

Despite not being an offensive person, I have managed to upset a few staff over the years. I remember going to PC World will a work colleague many years ago because he was looking for a computer. This was back in the days of Windows 98 when 128 Mb RAM was very fast and we were looking at a model with that component specification. I asked the assistant if this model had one DIMM socket on the motherboard or two of them and whether the RAM was installed as a single 128 or two 64s. He replied that it would not make any difference because 2 X 64 = 128. Despite agreeing I pointed out that upgrading the RAM later would depend on a spare socket, otherwise you would have to remove a 64 Mb DIMM to insert a 128 instead of just adding the two together. He had to bring a screwdriver and open the case before we agreed to buy it.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Apr 16

@Inlemay I was certainly not prepared to allow him to sell my friend a computer that would make it more expensive for him to upgrade in the future.

1 person likes this

@Inlemay (17713)

• South Africa

5 Apr 16

@Asylum thats the way to make sure that you are spending your money wisely - Well done to you - every hard earned cents should be hard-earned spent!

1 person likes this

Show more comments

Valerie J. Routhieaux

@just4him (317452)

• Green Bay, Wisconsin

5 Apr 16

I've learned over the years to tell the difference between someone who knows what they're talking about and someone who's trying hard to sell you something by telling you that what you think you know, you really don't.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Apr 16

It does often show because they act so knowledgeable which is clearly intended to impress.

1 person likes this

Valerie J. Routhieaux

@just4him (317452)

• Green Bay, Wisconsin

6 Apr 16

@Asylum So true.

1 person likes this

@paigea (36315)

• Canada

5 Apr 16

I listen as they invariable have more knowledge than I do. (particularly electronics). But I go away and try to get information from other sources.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

5 Apr 16

That seems a fair way to deal with the situation rather than accept it at face value.

1 person likes this

@snowy22315 (182671)

• United States

4 Apr 16

It depends on the store. A store like Walmart or Kmart not too much. A speciality store, yes, I think you can put a bit more trust in the store personnel.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

4 Apr 16

The problem is that even speciality stores have to employ new staff, so there is a fair period of time before they fully understand the products.

@amadeo (111938)

• United States

4 Apr 16

I do not most of the time.Lot of these staff works on different station.I cannot believe that they give good advice of what they are selliing

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

4 Apr 16

I do not mind if I ask a question and the salesman says that he does not know, but all too often they would prefer to sound knowledgeable.

@pagetolv03 (131)

• Gladewater, Texas

4 Apr 16

Sales people do need to know about the products & items they are sales in order to give advice. Also if one sale person doesn't know then they can help by getting someone to assist you.

1 person likes this

@Asylum (47893)

• Manchester, England

4 Apr 16

This is what should be the case, but too many give advice without fully understanding what they are talking about.

1 person likes this