at least they weren't trying to save 40 dollars on labor calling around.

 

so if I buy stuff from you, can I expect bubble wrap?

 

"At DBTuned, the customer is seldom right. And don't **** with Paul."

 

Lol nice!

 

Nice.

Some people don't realize that it is at the discretion of the company as to if they want to do any type of price matching. Typically from what I have seen businesses might be inclined to match other local store pricing if they are a brick-and-mortar business or they might match other internet pricing if they are doing business over the internet (however that kind of pricing usually requires the consumer to contact the company and see if they will price match or not).

However, brick-and-mortar businesses may or may not match internet pricing as that is a different type of business model. From experience it is usually if a business stocks a particular part on the shelf in their store, then they are less likely to match internet pricing as a lot of internet stores are doing vendor shipments or shipping out of a massive warehouse somewhere instead of from a store front.

A lot of people also fail to take in to account shipping & handling fees as well as the wait time of getting products over the internet. For me when I am shopping a store vs internet pricing I usually try to determine what the actual shipped cost would be first then check with the store if they can do a price match. The business might not price match to the price on the internet, but they might be more inclined to price match to a price point around if not at the shipped price of the product.

It never hurts to ask for a price match, but the consumer should realize that they might not always get the price they are requesting as the business they are dealing with need to turn a profit as well otherwise what is the point of having a company.

I heard this conversation before:
"What is the Number 1 Goal of a Company?"
"Customer Satisfaction."
"Wrong, it's turning a profit."
"What? You have to keep the customer happy."
"Nope, I have to keep my company in business. Customer Satisfaction is key for repeat business, but if I am not making a profit then I won't be in business at all and that doesn't satisfy anyone."

 

we have people that do that do that all the time when i worked in the parts dept at stevens creek subaru. they wanted us to price match subarugenuine parts but we all know that shipping from them is alot plus the 1 week wait. we usually give an iclub discount too but sometimes its not enough for them..

 

Real men don't need gloves!




but good stuff Paulie.

 

i once asked a shop owner who also had an interwebs store if he could match a price on another interwebs. he said, "damn, good price. you should buy from them." i ended up buying from him because of the customer service.

 

Internet lowballers... is there anything worse when working at a retail storefront...

 

Here's one of my experiences at Sports Authority:

Bought an NBA game ball

Clerk: That'll be $109.99 please

Me: Umm, but your company's website says it's listed at $89.99. Why is it $109.99?

Clerk: Hold on. Lemme get the manager.

Manager: What can I do for you today?

Me: *repeats words above* Can't you price match your own company's website listing?

Manager: Sorry we don't price match, even if it's from our own website.

Me: Umm ok....

Good thing I had a $25 off coupon, that I printed ONLINE from their website. Either way I lose, cause the internet price was $89.99 with any order over $50 gets free shipping. Since I was there at the store with the item, I reluctantly bought it anyways.

 

ALL prices are open to negotiation, its all about the margins. Just ask Charlie Sheen.

 

30%

 

HAAA nice.


in all seriousness though, it's true that some customers are just simply asshat low ballers. but others are gracious people that honestly don't know the ins and outs of small vs large business models - they just want the best price. pleading ignorance to these nuances shouldn't warrant the guy behind the counter to treat the customer like a dumbass though. albeit it is sometimes - excuse me - always funny to hear about these incidents, part of having good customer service is being accommodating to said ignorance by diplomatically explaining 'how things work around here', and if they are good folk they'll most likely buy from the smaller vendor, where face time and personal attention are the hallmarks for success in the brick and mortar setup. I know I would buy from the small guys (screw 'the man' haha).

 

well said!
The longer you work in retail the more things you will experience and hear. Businesses are there to make a profit, but if you nitpick and give out bad customer service, you WILL fail.
Just look at Circuit City . They had poorly trained employees and treated customers like dirt. The ONLY reason you are in businesses is that a customer wakes up and decides to go to your place and look around and maybe buy something. Turning a profit is how well you meet their needs and come up with a solution for why they came in to your store.