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On Tue, 18 May 2004 20:45:13 GMT, "John Hall"
wrote:

I'd like to plug local non big box retailers.

Jon, I agree with you - they deserve worthy mention for sure. Most
just assume they are a dying breed but every metro area still has one
or two who meet your description and supporting small businesses never
hurts in the long run. We have a local Sony dealer, a family-operated
business in our area who also performs all warranty work theirselves
just like Sears does. They have a huge selection of Sony products,
including the XBR's and many other models that Sears simply does not
carry, so I love to drop by once in awhile to put my hand on the
newest super-high end Sony's.

These people know I work at Sears as their competitor and they still
treat me like gold everytime I walk in and I appreciate their
friendliness. They ask how biz is going for me and they tell me how
biz is going for them. They love to talk "Sony" and to demo their
"latest and greatest" models to me. I send people who want to see a
better selection of stands and enclosures their way because they've
got 'em. The customers who come in while I'm there just dearly love
these people and I can tell they'd never shop anywhere else.

The ONLY drawback to doing business with one of these small businesses
is the fact that they just simply do not have the margins to compete
with me. I can sell the same TV for hundreds less on a pricematch
against another big-box retailer and they simply cannot and won't even
try. On the other hand, unlike even Sears, where you at least know
the logo's gonna be a Sears logo on a Sears uniform... with a mom &
pop, you know the warranty tech's actual name and how many kids he's
got. There's something to be said for that.

On Tue, 18 May 2004 20:23:15 -0400, "GGA"
wrote:

Not all Sears stores perform their own warranty work. Maybe the one you work
at does, but I know for a fact not all. The reason I know this is the
company I work for does service work for BB, CC, some of Sears and some of
Tweeter. The company I work for is a dept store chain. In fact they are the
biggest privately owned dept store in the US.

You make some very valid points about commissioned salesman, the draw back
you didnt come up with is that a lot of commissioned salesman push product
or the customer to something they really dont want or need. But yes in
general most commissioned salespeople are more knowledgeable, not all
though. I have run into some very dumb commissioned salespeople who were
veterans by decades of sales experience who doesnt know what the difference
from their left and right hand.

Scott

Great points, Scott. The Sears stores you are referring to that do
outsource the warranty work are the privately-owned dealer stores and
I should have drawn that distinction. While some are like other mom &
pop electronics stores who perform their own warranty work, many
others must outsource to the nearest Sony, Hitachi, etc., servicer.
Of course, all corporately-owned and operated big-box Sears stores
offer the advantage of dealing with Sears and Sears ONLY when it comes
to warranty work.

As for what you say about commissioned salespeople, I agree also with
your points there. The only thing I can counter with is that the
commissioned salespeople I know are trying to build a clientele so
they can make a REAL living. Selling a 73" Hitachi to somebody who
sits 6 feet away from the screen, or selling a 60" plasma to somebody
who's ready to spend their life's savings to better enjoy their
PlayStation II on a big screen is a great way to get your ass kicked
and an even better way to damned sure not get referrals - the
lifeblood of any big ticket salesperson's career.

The beauty of it is the fact that the system itself keeps a revolving
door available for the greedy folks who live for today only. I can
tell you from my own experience, the people I work with despise these
clowns as much as anybody else does because of the reflection it makes
upon the rest of us.

A great test is to ask the commission salesperson a couple of very
difficult questions you know the answer to. If the salesperson knows
the answers, you are talking to an expert. If the salesperson doesn't
know the answer and lies to you, find another. If the salesperson
doesn't know the answer but admits to you that he/she doesn't know the
answer but asks you if you have a few moments for him/her to see if
he/she can find the answer for you, you may want to buy your TV from
this person if the price is right.

This is coming from the "consumer side" of me, BTW... remember, I am
also a consumer/buyer... I buy far more product than I sell when it
gets down to it and like yourselves, I also do my research before a
large purchase :-)

I recommend shopping for your best price at Circuit City, Best Buy, and
6st Ave Electronics...

...then go to PC Richards and let them beat the price.

Harry
Admin of http://www.hdtvforum.com

"HDTV-slingr" wrote in message
...
A great test is to ask the commission salesperson a couple of very
difficult questions you know the answer to. If the salesperson knows
the answers, you are talking to an expert. If the salesperson doesn't
know the answer and lies to you, find another. If the salesperson
doesn't know the answer but admits to you that he/she doesn't know the
answer but asks you if you have a few moments for him/her to see if
he/she can find the answer for you, you may want to buy your TV from
this person if the price is right.

I don't have the same mentality. I could care less if the salesperson I buy
from knows anything. I don't depend on them to help me make a decision. I
do all the research at home beforehand, and then I go to the store and know
exactly what I want to buy.

I bought my Panasonic 47" HDTV from Sears and I'm sure the salesperson was
happy with me, because I didn't ask him any questions...I just bought it.
What was nice about shopping at Sears back then was they actually price
matched online prices. But from what I read back then in the newsgroups and
forums, it was a 50/50 chance whether you'd get a store which would actually
do it "no questions asked". Some stores would apparently have to call the
place and verify the shipping costs (since they're supposed to add this to
the price). And some places would flat out refuse to match the price unless
they were on a specific store list.

But luckily the salesperson at my Sears location didn't even flinch, and
just accepted the web printout I showed him, which by the way showed a S&H
of $0.00. The particular web site I printed from showed no shipping charge,
but in reality if you go to the checkout screen, the true shipping charge
would be shown. So I lucked out big time!

Dan

Actually mom and pop stores usually do not have the overhead that a big
chain has, including Sears. That means they can have there prices lower if
they want to and have more room to negotiate.

Scott

"HDTV-slingr" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 18 May 2004 20:45:13 GMT, "John Hall"
wrote:

I'd like to plug local non big box retailers.

Jon, I agree with you - they deserve worthy mention for sure. Most
just assume they are a dying breed but every metro area still has one
or two who meet your description and supporting small businesses never
hurts in the long run. We have a local Sony dealer, a family-operated
business in our area who also performs all warranty work theirselves
just like Sears does. They have a huge selection of Sony products,
including the XBR's and many other models that Sears simply does not
carry, so I love to drop by once in awhile to put my hand on the
newest super-high end Sony's.

These people know I work at Sears as their competitor and they still
treat me like gold everytime I walk in and I appreciate their
friendliness. They ask how biz is going for me and they tell me how
biz is going for them. They love to talk "Sony" and to demo their
"latest and greatest" models to me. I send people who want to see a
better selection of stands and enclosures their way because they've
got 'em. The customers who come in while I'm there just dearly love
these people and I can tell they'd never shop anywhere else.

The ONLY drawback to doing business with one of these small businesses
is the fact that they just simply do not have the margins to compete
with me. I can sell the same TV for hundreds less on a pricematch
against another big-box retailer and they simply cannot and won't even
try. On the other hand, unlike even Sears, where you at least know
the logo's gonna be a Sears logo on a Sears uniform... with a mom &
pop, you know the warranty tech's actual name and how many kids he's
got. There's something to be said for that.

So you lied to the store to get a better deal. Wow, you're a stand up moral
guy.

Scott

"Dan P." wrote in message
om...

"HDTV-slingr" wrote in message
...
A great test is to ask the commission salesperson a couple of very
difficult questions you know the answer to. If the salesperson knows
the answers, you are talking to an expert. If the salesperson doesn't
know the answer and lies to you, find another. If the salesperson
doesn't know the answer but admits to you that he/she doesn't know the
answer but asks you if you have a few moments for him/her to see if
he/she can find the answer for you, you may want to buy your TV from
this person if the price is right.

I don't have the same mentality. I could care less if the salesperson I
buy
from knows anything. I don't depend on them to help me make a decision.
I
do all the research at home beforehand, and then I go to the store and
know
exactly what I want to buy.

I bought my Panasonic 47" HDTV from Sears and I'm sure the salesperson was
happy with me, because I didn't ask him any questions...I just bought it.
What was nice about shopping at Sears back then was they actually price
matched online prices. But from what I read back then in the newsgroups
and
forums, it was a 50/50 chance whether you'd get a store which would
actually
do it "no questions asked". Some stores would apparently have to call the
place and verify the shipping costs (since they're supposed to add this to
the price). And some places would flat out refuse to match the price
unless
they were on a specific store list.

But luckily the salesperson at my Sears location didn't even flinch, and
just accepted the web printout I showed him, which by the way showed a S&H
of $0.00. The particular web site I printed from showed no shipping
charge,
but in reality if you go to the checkout screen, the true shipping charge
would be shown. So I lucked out big time!

Dan

On Wed, 19 May 2004 08:35:03 -0400, "GGA"
wrote:

Actually mom and pop stores usually do not have the overhead that a big
chain has, including Sears. That means they can have there prices lower if
they want to and have more room to negotiate.

Scott

Hi Scott,

I'm just going by what this particular local mom & pop told me about
their margins and why they won't pricematch. With them, it's list
price only, take it or leave it. YMMV :-)