It is so annoying to get customers who tell us how great our competition is. :P

[Estil]

Am I the only one in this congregation that finds it SUPER annoying to hear a customer talk about how much cheaper such and such is at [insert competitor's name]? Or when they talk about how much better things are at [insert competitor's name]?

To which I feel like saying (but don't obviously), "If you think [insert competitor's name] is so great, then why don't you do your shopping there and leave us the hell alone about it??" :P

Does anyone else get customers like that too? I don't understand what customers hope to accomplish by doing that. :P

[Ad_Astra]

All the time. Seriously, I agree that our stuff is for the most part wildly overpriced--if you want to go somewhere else, by all means go. I won't have to listen to you bitch and moan...

[Arcade Man D]

Actually, I don't mind them telling us how much better our competition is. Because they always compare us to that restaurant/arcade with the giant rat for a mascot, and they usually mention the 1 token for each game that they do.

My response: "We also don't charge an extremely high profit margin for mediocre pizza to cover our losses in that department."

Haven't gotten in trouble for it yet. Heck, one of the manager-types who heard it once snickered because he used to work there.

[workerbee222]

It isn't just "the competition."

I alter clothes for a living. I've done it for a number of years. Of course, anyone can do that, right? The people who come to me "just don't have time." When I tell them how much it will be, they look shocked.

One man came in a few weeks ago with a leather jacket the lady down the street "fixed" for him. He had wanted the collar re-shaped to a more modern look and she'd made a mess of it. I told him $50. He was surprised, said lady down the street only charged him $15. I told him he'd gotten what he'd paid for.

[RedRoseSpiral]

It doesn't annoy me. Half the time I'll say something like, "Really? Wow, guess I'll be stopping there after work." or something of the like. It's very entertaining to watch their faces if they're using the line to be sucky.

[iviles]

Its really annoying! But more so when they compare you to your sister store. Like why are u always the most expencive. Um because even though were a small store and the manager and supervisors have to fill more then one position (we also do a reorders position and everything else short of handyman) We are on the ball enough to get system alerts and check with the main intranet on what the prices are supose to be. Hmm sorry Im doing my job well enough that you have to pay 5 more cents for bread because the real reorder in another store hasnt checked or the other store is getting a discount and not telling the rest of us about it. And instead of bitching just price challange as long as its not crazy and you havent pissed us off we wont bother checking and just give it to you for the same price!

[Naaman]

I generally only heard it when they were trying to scam a price match so loved it, given that we'd only match local shops and it had to be in stock.

"But Argos has it much cheaper!"
"No, Argos advertises it cheaper. They sold out at half ten this morning"

[Record Store Tough Guy]

Yeah, being a mall record store, we got it all the time. "Blue Box has it cheaper!"

Our response was "Of course they do. We're in a mall. Everything's going to be more expensive here." I had one lady actually shake a CD (that was about $17) in my face and announce "Blue Box, 9.99!" in the snottiest tone imaginable. I chuckled and said "Well, I'd buy it there, then. That's cheaper than our discount." Her face turned bright red and she slammed the CD back down and stormed off. Her weaselly little husband demanded my name. "I'm Record Store Tough Guy," I obliged.

"Well, Record Store Tough Guy, there's no reason to be rude!"

I couldn't help myself. I started laughing. Which just made him angrier. "Listen man, I'm just trying to save you a few bucks. If you think that's rude, my manager's right up there behind the counter. She'll tell you the exact same thing."

He stormed off. To my manager. Who told him the exact same thing.

Maybe I was a little sucky in laughing at him, but it was just one of those "I can't believe I'm hearing this" kind of laughs.

Another favorite was people who would come in for the latest thug rap piece of crap album (seriously, if it's not like, Snoop Dogg, or Mos Def, or MF Doom, or maybe the Roots, it's CRAP! ^_^) plastered with parentals and snidely inform us that they intended to purchase said album at Wally World for a substantial discount. Of course they wouldn't believe us when we told them they couldn't get the explicit copy. They would inevitably be back an hour or so later and sheepishly buy the explicit version.

[freaktard]

On a few occasions, I would get people who had been to Wal-mart, but couldn't find anyone there who could answer questions about appliances.

So, they would come to my store and ask me questions about food processors or toasters or whatever, then they would thank me and compliment me on my product knowledge, and talk about how nobody at Wal-Mart knows anything about the products they sell.

Then they would go back to Wal-Mart and buy it.

Hey, I got paid the same whether they bought it from me or not. Still, it was pretty annoying.

[rerant]

When people try to say that such-and-such a furniture item is cheaper at another store we, the employees, laugh at them. In private, of course.

One lady was pitching a fit over the price of a leather sofa and was ranting about going to The Brick instead.

The Brick's website doesn't seem to list prices, but I challenge anyone to find a brand new leather three-seat sofa for under $999 (which is the price of our cheapest one).

Guess who came back for the sofa?

[Enjis]

On a few occasions, I would get people who had been to Wal-mart, but couldn't find anyone there who could answer questions about appliances.

So, they would come to my store and ask me questions about food processors or toasters or whatever, then they would thank me and compliment me on my product knowledge, and talk about how nobody at Wal-Mart knows anything about the products they sell.

Then they would go back to Wal-Mart and buy it.

Hey, I got paid the same whether they bought it from me or not. Still, it was pretty annoying.

Gawd, I got that ALL the time when I worked in the flower department of my dept. store. "Could you tell me how to care for my spathaphylum?" they'd ask. "Sure" I'd say and proceed to tell them all the care instructions.
"Oh, thanks...I bought it at Farmer Jack's, cuz they're so much cheaper there!"
And I would often answer "Yes, I'm sure they are, because they don't have to pay a salesperson to tell people how to care for their plants!"
No one seemed to get the hint...'subtle' as it was!

[Anakah]

I had a man who was really upset that our exchange rate was .98 and he said he got a better deal somewhere else where is money was worth like 1.06 somewhere else.

Me: I'd recommend you go back there then.

I couldn't believe I said that. I could get fired for any kind of snarky remarks. He got huffy and left. I can't help the exchange rates, its what the casino wants.

[Ad_Astra]

Yeah, being a mall record store, we got it all the time. "Blue Box has it cheaper!"

Our response was "Of course they do. We're in a mall. Everything's going to be more expensive here." I had one lady actually shake a CD (that was about $17) in my face and announce "Blue Box, 9.99!" in the snottiest tone imaginable. I chuckled and said "Well, I'd buy it there, then. That's cheaper than our discount." Her face turned bright red and she slammed the CD back down and stormed off.

That's pretty much on repeat for me 20 times a day...I've started saying similar things.

[VenomX]

My boss allows us to tell them...

"Well our price is $X.XX, do you want it or not?"

[powerboy]

At my last job

SC - Best Buy has it cheaper
ME - Oh yeah?
SC - Yeah
ME - Well we are higher because, it was the price set by the main company that sent us these.

We would get them for 1/2 off and sold it at the actual retail value.

Where I work now, which is in the self storage business

SC - (Name of company) has these sizes cheaper
ME - And what did that (Name of other place) look like
SC - Well it is not as nice as this place
ME - Well you get what you pay for

Not as nice as us, that is what everyone says