I'm sick of NYC shops attitude towards customers

So sad. 'Cos I'm guessing that's the only Shindo dealer in the NE, maybe? Too bad you weren't in LA, Matt at Pitch Perfect would have been hospitable; behaviour and reputation precedes.

 

The best thing about having money is knowing you don't have to spend it anywhere and on anything you don't want to. Few things are rare enough to only be obtainable via a singular means. I don't mind if people tell me, via their actions, that they don't want my money. Fair enough. They won't get it. I do very much mind when people try to con me out of or steal my money, outright; then we have a serious problem. But, idiots behind counters... nah. - Signed, Born in NYC

 

It'd be interesting to hear a perspective from a hi-fi shop. Knowing people who work retail, I probably couldn't hack it. Oh the humanity!

 

Hi-fi shop, no. But, just because I always wanted to, I worked at a record shop part time for a couple of years, albeit not in NYC. Thankfully, the attitude was "everybody is a potential buyer; so, let's not shoot ourselves in the foot". It reminds me of watching a scraggly looking person (who I admit I assumed was a homeless man) casually walk up to a Ferrari outside an Applebees, slide in and drive off! Beautiful! You never know. As much as it is possible, be at peace with all.

 

If it's a Shindo dealer, I know the store and auditioned a Shindo and Devores there as a walk-in. That guy is the owner and treated me okay. I didn't end up buying anything because the sound wasn't my cup of tea, much to my surprise. I normally like lower wattage tube amps and high efficiency speakers, but preferred my 300B set to the Shindo. I don't recall the tube (EL34?) but it wasn't 300B.

 

I've mentioned this before probably in another thread. Years ago I went to a **very** well known Hi Fi store in NYC (no longer there - but kinda online now) cough... Sounds like... hum Dinger... cough.... and basically told them I had 5g's to spend on a system. They practically kicked me out of the store. They got what they deserved I suppose in the end..

I really don't bother with shops anymore

There are some nice ones left though I'll admit but not really in NYC.

You can test gear for free by using Audiogon, Ebay etc and if it's not to your liking- sell it for practically what you paid for it and you avoid the nonsense.

 

You mean like this?

 

NYC has shops? This thread must be at least a decade old.

 

When I lived in Delaware some years ago, Overture Audio offered good service. There was a bit of a snooty feel in the store, and their sales people never had a good thing to say about a brand they didn't carry, but they were very helpful.

 

My wife and I have lived in Michigan for eight years and have been to an ABC Warehouse once. We were in the market for a new washer and dryer when we moved in, so we tried ABC Warehouse. The store was ugly on the inside, and the employees were like stereotypical used car salesmen. Once was enough.

 

Off-topic, but those Shindo 604 loudspeakers look so unassuming (in pictures). The price tag nearly took my breath! Would love to hear 'em with Shindo amplification and a top shelf digital front end.

 

Sad to hear I've experienced similar and what I take from this is don't use such dealers and complain to manufactures or distributors and I'm sure they will not be happy to hear this is how there product is being represented in the marketplace.
Ideally you want to deal with people who are genuine HI-FI enthusiasts who are sympathetic to other enthusiasts needs,not pathetic salesmen who could be selling anything and don't earn enough to buy this kit themselves.

 

Yeah, perhaps; but, even worse. The guy had on cut-off jean shorts, raggedy flannel button down and salt & pepper 8 o'clock shadow. ....Oh, and it was a red Ferrari.

 

Just to clarify, my friend and I were far from scruffy looking when we went in, yes we had jeans on but both of us were dressed in dress shirts and jackets since we were going to dinner and The Jazz Standard to catch the 50th Anniversary show of A Love Supreme ( which was awesome, I might add).

 

So happy pretty much all the hifi shops in the NW are staffed with friendly, happy, low-key folk.

 

Yep, you pretty much summed it up Keith, they all hawk at the front door

 

Yes, of course... didn't mean to imply you were dressed shoddily, at all. If I was the owner of the shop, I would have fired the sales rep... ...last year. If the owner has that attitude towards people/potential clients... ...well, I'd say good luck to him, if I gave a ............ But, for folks like that, I generally do not give a ................ I'm sure much better experiences have and will continue to greet you elsewhere.

 

Interesting, if I'm in a store as a browser and no other customers are around I'd like to chat up the sales rep, simply because I may learn something and become a customer in the future. I'll identify myself as such out of fairness, so that the rep can go and work with a "real" buyer if one steps in.

I bought my last car this way, after four visits and drives in varying weather.

The smart reps selling all high end products have a word for this: SERVICE

 

If anyone in the NYC metro area is concerned about their clothes while shopping for top-notch gear should visit Summit NJ, 30 miles W of NYC and visit my friend Ken Gould @ Audio Nexus. Ken is blind.

 

My sister in LA makes big bucks. I was visiting once and she wanted to look at cars. She told me to dress down, as she did, just for fun. We were treated like royalty (i.e. lattes) at Lexus, Mercedes, etc. I guess that they are used to people with money looking like bums and their intuition must be excellent as well. She bought an 80k car from one of them.

 

Very nice - what did she buy?

 

Some big four door Lexus GS something. Wouldn't look at the go fast stuff. She did let me and the wife cruise it up to Big Sur for a few days. It was really nice.

 

And especially in LA. They dress like **** there.

 

Having worked retail and then as a financial adviser for many years I learned early on that you treat any potential customer like they've got millions and you would do anything for them. I could never understand why anyone would do it any other way.

 

Sorry to hear. As there is only one Shindo dealer in town, it should be no secret who the dealer is you are talking about. I'm not excusing the behavior by the salesman, but my experience at that dealer has been excellent. No attitude, no BS, none of that. They even sell LPs in the store, so the idea that "browsers" turn them off is kind of surprising to me. They also have events and listening parties every once in a while and they give out free refreshments, finger food and drinks. Then they have instore events on Record Store Day as well. This doesn't excuse your treatment of course. That's inexcusable. It's just that they aren't the hoity-toity stuffy dealer from my experience.

Things like this make me realize that even places that you may have had good experiences will have others who have opposite experiences. All these experiences are valid. For instance, I've always been treated very well at Stereo Exchange, but others have had negative experiences. Different sales staff, different experience. I've come to realize that. Maybe you got a prick that day.

Still, beyond your experience, this is something that has to change. One shouldn't need to "brace themselves" to be a customer. If I have to walk on eggshells for the privilege of giving you money, then forget it.

One place where I was treated absolutely horrendously was at Sound by Singer. I was dissed and ignored straight to my face. As in a refusal to help or give me any service. In years past, I thought I perhaps caught the salesmen on a bad day. Things happen. But nope, I came to realize that this was how they were. They were just awful in every regard. They were comically bad. I never wish anyone bad luck in business and after starting his online venture after closing up his storefront, I wished Singer well, but some of the salesmen he had were atrocious. It seemed like some of his staff lacked interpersonal skills to boot.

I've told this story of my last dealing with Sound by Singer here before, but I'll tell it again. For some time, Singer was the only Esoteric dealer in NYC and this was when I was into SACD. Despite the bad experiences I had at Singer, I figured I would give them another shot. I like buying in person, so his shop was the only place to see and purchase in person. I went in to audition the SZ1 and SA-60 SACD players. It came down to those two players. The salesman didn't even get up from behind his chair. He was too busy sipping his coffee to help. I had to acknowledge him. No response. He still sips his coffee like I'm not there. I tell him what I'm interested in. He glances at me and tells me it's expensive, as if I don't know what these players cost. Then he says the players are not connected to the system right now, as if it's an insurmountable task to plug in a player. I was dumbfounded. I stood there for a few moments. He carries on drinking his coffee, acting like I wasn't there. Not even looking at me. It was surreal. I was the only person in the shop, so he was not busy attending to other customers. He wasn't on the phone. He was just sitting there sipping coffee. He literally just left me standing there and went on sipping his coffee. Really loud sips too. I just walked out. I'm not going to beg you to be your customer. I ended up buying the Esoteric from a Hoffman forum member (timtunz) who had listed it on Audiogon for far less than what I was going to pay at Singer. I saved thousands in the process. I can't imagine how much money these people lost to others because of their attitude. I walked in there with cash in my pocket ready to make a purchase. The guy basically rejected a sale.

The people who keep going on about appearances don't get it. It's happening to some of us regardless of how we look. I'm well dressed and neatly groomed every day, so that is not the problem. I'm not some unwashed hobo covered in filth. Be that as it may, these salesmen need to realize that people who can afford gear these days are changing. I'm not the "stereotypical audiophile". I know this. I earn a good living. I have disposable income. I can buy what I want. The customer base isn't just older Wall Street guys, bankers, hedge fund managers, doctors and lawyers. If people had any brain cells, they'd know that there are those who perhaps work with online startups, media agencies, branding companies, social media etc. Most are all under 35 with sizable disposable income. These folks are mostly single with no children or real responsibilities and they are rising in ranks. They're not going to come into your shop in a business suit because they don't wear business suits. They go to work in jeans, so they aren't going to do leisure activities like shopping for a stereo dressed formally. Get real. Why should they? They'd probably walk in wearing a hoodie or a t-shirt with some jeans or shorts.

Salesmen need an attitude and perception adjustment. They need to stop assuming things about people. I'm sure someone like David Karp or Naveen Selvadurai (google them if you don't know who they are) could walk into a hifi dealer and someone would be condescending to them based on appearances. These are not your granddaddies' entrepreneurs. This is a new era, but people still have antiquated ideas on what people who can afford things look like.

Regardless of how someone is dressed, even if you suspect they might be a tirekicker, there really is no reason to be a dick about it. It's unwarranted. If I'm in your store, don't insult or disrespect me. It's as simple as that. What does dealing with tirekickers and time wasters have to do with being a rude prick? If you don't want to ever deal with flaky people, then don't enter the business of sales. It's like a cop complaining about dealing with the dregs of society. Don't be a cop if you can't handle all that your line of work entails. Furthermore, don't take out your frustrations on others. Dealing with time wasters doesn't give you the right to be a jerk.