Up-selling Sucks!!

[viking90]

Went to one of the auto parts stores in Mt. Gilead after work today to get some car detailing supplies because my car is FILTHY!!! I went to check out and the guy said "I see what you're going to do this weekend." I replied that my filthy cars are driving me crazy. He said, "Do you need any rags today?" I said no thanks I'm good. He then says "Do you need any air freshners?" Once again, I said no thanks this is it. He then said "Do you need any De-icing windshield wiper fluid?" I replied, got plenty at home...this is it. Finally, he cashed me out!!! Holy crap that is annoying!!

[scioto]

Hey Viking90...would you like fries with that?........

[SPQR]

Yea that is annoying...but what I really hate is when you are checking out somewhere and they ask for your phone number!!

[Dean.]

They're just trying to do their jobs. I'm sure it is a job requirement. They are probably rated on their attempts in their reviews and can get disciplined for not doing it. Or, they get docked on their over all performance score and hence receive a smaller raise.

The manager was probably watching or listening. Or, a district manager or other big wig was in the store. In this computer age, they track every detail of every employee in ways you can not fathom. Every retail company in the world trains their help to suggestive sell. Suggestive selling is what you experienced. Up-selling would actually be if you picked XXX Generic Brand car Wash and he tried to sell you ZZZ Name Brand more expensive car wash.

In this day and age, and considering the times, it's necessary for every company to squeeze out every dime they can from the consumer.

You might not like it, but please just remember that the human being you are dealing with is just trying to feed and clothe themselves or their family and be civil to them. Don't take out your dislike or frustration on the poor guy just trying to do the job they are paying him to do.

[behindthelense]

How about all the FALSE up-selling that's done at the "rapid" oil change places.

Every time I go in there I tell them up front that I only want the oil changed, and I can handle all the rest myself,
and every time, without fail, they seem to want to sell me 4 or 5 more "services".

The last time, they told me that my 60 day old battery was no good, and they could install a new one for $129.95....no thanks.
My air filter (that they changed last time) was in dire need of replacement (for 29.95)......no thanks
I had 2 bulbs out in my 3rd brake light (9.99 each).......no thanks
and finally, now get this.....my fuel filter (in-line, and not possible to visibly "inspect") was bad......79.95 (no thanks)

Do the math, they wanted to up-sell me on these items, to the grand total of $259.93.

Here's the kicker....the only reason I go to them for the oil change is that I don't feel like jacking up my car and doing it myself. Heck, they'll do it for about $5 more than it costs me for the filter and oil. I am fully capable and have all the proper tools, to do all this stuff myself. I went home, tested the battery and alternator, it was fine. Took the air hose to my air filter, it was fine. Bought the 2 bulbs for the 3rd brake light for 3.49, and pressure tested the fuel system which came back well within spec. Thanks for the information, guys, but you're out of your mind if you think I'm going to let you pull the wool over my eyes, OR pay your outrageous prices.

I went from $260 of necessary repairs (according to them) to spending $3.49 and about a total of an hour of my time.

[jellybean]

I worked my way through college via a movie theater and you could and would be fired for not upselling. Be nice.. they may have to upsell or face losing their jobs.

[Dean.]

How about all the FALSE up-selling that's done at the "rapid" oil change places.

Your first mistake is going to a "rapid" oil change place where the guy under your car got fired from the taco joint last week after finishing a career of 4 1/2 months with a temporary agency building windows out east.

[viking90]

Okay, Jellybean and Dean...I concede!! I knew it was managment making the employees do this, but I never thought hard about it and saw it your way. I was polite, just frustrated. But it still sucks!!

[ohiostate4ever]

Yeah it's part of their job. But when they ask if you need anything else, and you reply no, that should be it. When I go to the store, 99% of the time I know exactly what I'm going after, and where it's at, or the other 1% I'm mulling to myself whether or not to try something else or looking around. It never fails, when you don't need help they're circling like vultures annoying the crap out of you, and when you do it seems the store has no employees at all. I had one guy ask me if I was OK or if I needed help with something, and I told him no "I'm good." When I looked out of the corner of my eye a couple minutes later, he was a couple feet behind me watching me like I was going to steal something. I turned and asked him if there was a reason he was watching me like I was a criminal, and he didn't have a reply, so I told him he needs to go on his way and leave me alone I don't need help. I went to one of the managers and told him of what his employee did, and he apologized and said it won't happen again. I told him thanks, and he's right, it won't happen again for I won't shop there again. I was greatly offended that this employee stood there like he did watching me, after I told him I didn't need any help after he asked.

[Dean.]

Yeah it's part of their job. But when they ask if you need anything else, and you reply no, that should be it. When I go to the store, 99% of the time I know exactly what I'm going after, and where it's at, or the other 1% I'm mulling to myself whether or not to try something else or looking around. It never fails, when you don't need help they're circling like vultures annoying the crap out of you, and when you do it seems the store has no employees at all. I had one guy ask me if I was OK or if I needed help with something, and I told him no "I'm good." When I looked out of the corner of my eye a couple minutes later, he was a couple feet behind me watching me like I was going to steal something. I turned and asked him if there was a reason he was watching me like I was a criminal, and he didn't have a reply, so I told him he needs to go on his way and leave me alone I don't need help. I went to one of the managers and told him of what his employee did, and he apologized and said it won't happen again. I told him thanks, and he's right, it won't happen again for I won't shop there again. I was greatly offended that this employee stood there like he did watching me, after I told him I didn't need any help after he asked.

Okay...

I was in jewelry sales. The company had a long standing rule, "Nobody walks until somebody else talks." In other words, if the customer cannot be persuaded to buy by the original salesperson, then that person must bring in someone else to try to persuade them and on and on and on until finally the manager decides to let the customer go.

In the same sense, employees were required to offer three add-on sales. Earrings to go with the ring? Bracelet to go with the earrings? Necklace to go with the bracelet? If you look at it from a customer service point of view, the salesperson owes it to you to make certain that you have everything that you need before you leave the store.

I'm not saying that you, specifically, would do this ohiostate4ever, but I guarantee that managers at auto part stores have handled complaints from customers who have said, "Why didn't anyone tell me I would need that, too?" And then they chewed out the manager and stormed out of the store vowing to never shop there again.

As far as the lack of salespersons at needed moments...well...the company I worked for had gone to graphing the number of sales per hour. They actually had gotten to the point where every time a staff member spoke to or assisted a customer in any way, something had to be entered into the computer. This way, the company could see when their peak customer count hours were and when their slack periods were. They then, in their infinite wisdom, decided to staff the stores based upon the graphs that came from all of this analyzation. And of course, the company did not work into the figure merchandising resets, sale changes, shipments of new merchandise coming in, etc or figured that work could be done on our slack time. Which took away from much needed customer service hours. *sigh*

Then, of course, the public can't understand why "those dam salespeople are all huddled around that cash register all of the time." Cash registers disappeared 30 years ago. Big Brother watches and marks every movement made by their employees. Go out and look at your mailbox. There is a sticker with a barcode on it or in it. Ours is on the inside of the lid. The mailcarrier must scan that code every day at every delivery. Every second of their time is accounted for. The guy who delivers our mail can't even stop to chat any longer.

A lot of what people are complaining about is a danged-if-you-do and danged-if-you-don't situation. OR, it's the fact that the Bean Counters run the companies now and not the customer service managers, marketing people, or merchandisers.

[jellybean]

When I looked out of the corner of my eye a couple minutes later, he was a couple feet behind me watching me like I was going to steal something. I turned and asked him if there was a reason he was watching me like I was a criminal, and he didn't have a reply, so I told him he needs to go on his way and leave me alone I don't need help.

I had that happen too! I was at a make-up outlet and after asking if I needed help an employee started shadowing me... guess she didn't like my leathers (I was riding a Ninja). Anyway I picked up some Red Door perfume and a bunch of other stuff over the course of 20 minutes with her eyeballing me half the time and then when I mentally tabulated the cost I decided not to buy the Red Door and put it down next to the makeup... yes I was lazy and didn't walk it back to the perfume section. Anyway at checkout she approaches and loudly demands to know, in front of like 20 other customers, where the perfume is. I tell her and she goes and looks and and can't find it so she frantically insists I take her to it NOW... so I walk her back and show her where it is. I was so furious... I mean I had no purse and was wearing skin tight leathers and a bodysuit... there were not many places I could have hid a box of perfume... hello??? I still refuse to shop in that place.

[ohiostate4ever]

When I looked out of the corner of my eye a couple minutes later, he was a couple feet behind me watching me like I was going to steal something. I turned and asked him if there was a reason he was watching me like I was a criminal, and he didn't have a reply, so I told him he needs to go on his way and leave me alone I don't need help.

I had that happen too! I was at a make-up outlet and after asking if I needed help an employee started shadowing me... guess she didn't like my leathers (I was riding a Ninja). Anyway I picked up some Red Door perfume and a bunch of other stuff over the course of 20 minutes with her eyeballing me half the time and then when I mentally tabulated the cost I decided not to buy the Red Door and put it down next to the makeup... yes I was lazy and didn't walk it back to the perfume section. Anyway at checkout she approaches and loudly demands to know, in front of like 20 other customers, where the perfume is. I tell her and she goes and looks and and can't find it so she frantically insists I take her to it NOW... so I walk her back and show her where it is. I was so furious... I mean I had no purse and was wearing skin tight leathers and a bodysuit... there were not many places I could have hid a box of perfume... hello??? I still refuse to shop in that place.

I hate when things like that happen. I understand there's all kinds of lowlifes that shoplift, but I'm not one, I work hard for my money. To have that guy watching my every move, was an insult to me. I made it known to him and his manager, and have yet to set foot in that place since it happened about 2 years ago, the only reason I had went there in the first place was all the other stores that carried what I needed were sold out of that particular item.

[ohiostate4ever]

Yeah it's part of their job. But when they ask if you need anything else, and you reply no, that should be it. When I go to the store, 99% of the time I know exactly what I'm going after, and where it's at, or the other 1% I'm mulling to myself whether or not to try something else or looking around. It never fails, when you don't need help they're circling like vultures annoying the crap out of you, and when you do it seems the store has no employees at all. I had one guy ask me if I was OK or if I needed help with something, and I told him no "I'm good." When I looked out of the corner of my eye a couple minutes later, he was a couple feet behind me watching me like I was going to steal something. I turned and asked him if there was a reason he was watching me like I was a criminal, and he didn't have a reply, so I told him he needs to go on his way and leave me alone I don't need help. I went to one of the managers and told him of what his employee did, and he apologized and said it won't happen again. I told him thanks, and he's right, it won't happen again for I won't shop there again. I was greatly offended that this employee stood there like he did watching me, after I told him I didn't need any help after he asked.

Okay...

I was in jewelry sales. The company had a long standing rule, "Nobody walks until somebody else talks." In other words, if the customer cannot be persuaded to buy by the original salesperson, then that person must bring in someone else to try to persuade them and on and on and on until finally the manager decides to let the customer go.

In the same sense, employees were required to offer three add-on sales. Earrings to go with the ring? Bracelet to go with the earrings? Necklace to go with the bracelet? If you look at it from a customer service point of view, the salesperson owes it to you to make certain that you have everything that you need before you leave the store.

I'm not saying that you, specifically, would do this ohiostate4ever, but I guarantee that managers at auto part stores have handled complaints from customers who have said, "Why didn't anyone tell me I would need that, too?" And then they chewed out the manager and stormed out of the store vowing to never shop there again.

As far as the lack of salespersons at needed moments...well...the company I worked for had gone to graphing the number of sales per hour. They actually had gotten to the point where every time a staff member spoke to or assisted a customer in any way, something had to be entered into the computer. This way, the company could see when their peak customer count hours were and when their slack periods were. They then, in their infinite wisdom, decided to staff the stores based upon the graphs that came from all of this analyzation. And of course, the company did not work into the figure merchandising resets, sale changes, shipments of new merchandise coming in, etc or figured that work could be done on our slack time. Which took away from much needed customer service hours. *sigh*

Then, of course, the public can't understand why "those dam salespeople are all huddled around that cash register all of the time." Cash registers disappeared 30 years ago. Big Brother watches and marks every movement made by their employees. Go out and look at your mailbox. There is a sticker with a barcode on it or in it. Ours is on the inside of the lid. The mailcarrier must scan that code every day at every delivery. Every second of their time is accounted for. The guy who delivers our mail can't even stop to chat any longer.

A lot of what people are complaining about is a danged-if-you-do and danged-if-you-don't situation. OR, it's the fact that the Bean Counters run the companies now and not the customer service managers, marketing people, or merchandisers.

I understand what you're getting at Dean.

The thing that they don't account for is the customer. To badger the customer with all kinds of questions, and to try and sell this or that, upsets some customers and can turn them away from that store.

[weneedtoknow]

At least in them stores you are ask if you would like this or that. Over the last few years Banks, Insurance companies, Credit Card companies, utilities companies and right on down the line are doing it to you every day and you don’t even see it or if you do, there’s nothing you can do about it.

[Dean.]

I understand what you're getting at Dean.

The thing that they don't account for is the customer. To badger the customer with all kinds of questions, and to try and sell this or that, upsets some customers and can turn them away from that store.

You are absolutely correct! And, I've found that a good salesperson knows when to back off and a good manager knows when he/she has a salesperson who is good enough to know when to back off.

Problem is, no one pays enough to hire good salespeople any longer and managers are ridden so hard by the companies that they work for that in the end, the customer suffers.

Selling is all bottom line driven and has little or nothing to do with customer service any longer.