This is off topic, but I need to vent....

In the 1980's, even the most conservative businesses had staff who had product knowledge sessions, customer service protocols and company visions which meant the staff should know everything about all the products they sold.
If for some reason the staff did not know, they didn't have to be told to go out of their way to find out or at least refer the customer to someone more knowledgeable.

I have just returned from the most frustrating afternoon out in search of a sandblaster or even just a bead blaster, something advertised in both these corporate brochures.

Stop 1 : Staff member did not know what a bead blast was, referred me to a cheap and nasty $14.99 handheld device, which attaches to a compressor. Staff member did not know what else I would need or where to get it. Ended by said staff member looking blankly at me and telling me to go elsewhere.

Could not believe it.

Stop 2: Major hardware chain which advertises on T.V. as knowing all there is to know and helping customers. Staff member asks me why I want to use a sandblaster and looks blankly at me. You guessed it, never heard of a bead blaster either. Thinking perhaps staff member is new, go to the hire shop within. The guy looks again puzzled and says "we don't do them - try kennards". I go out the front, rip the brochure off the messageboard and hold it up in front of him.
"This is what you don't do?", say I.
"Oh,one of those", he says.
"Well what do you call it?", I say.
"A sandblaster", he says.

Now getting more than a little frustrated, someone knowledgeable comes over and says that they do stock them, but are out of stock.
So calming down a little, I ask the specs and what apparatus I need with it.
Guy doesn't know, but says they sell sand to go in it.

For those unaware, if you use sand, even with breathing apparatus, you stand to get silicosis of the lungs, you should only use garnet beads unless you have a special ventilation room.

I walk out on the guy and say "do some research mate - sand is deadly."

The moral of the story, I know only a little about sandblasting and was looking for advice, but I knew more about it than the professionals.
The millenium bug is here, no salespeople know anything about anything anymore,and what's more, they don't care as long as they get their paycheck and get you out the door - sale or no sale.

A very sad reflection on the current retail environment.

Tomorrow I'm going to Total Tools, at least I know they are professional.

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Your point is very correct in MOST businesses in Australia these days Chrome and has been so over the past 10 years or more.

Lazy staff with no product knowledge and a couldn,t care less attitude.

Any GOOD management would have sacked most of them within the 1st hour.Alas though many managements fit the same profile.

darky.

The solution to lost sales and careless staff and management is to simply charge more, sack all the good staff and put on a couple of dimwits.

No wonder retailers are half empty and whinging, while the share price drops.

Thus, people like me turn to places like Ebay, where people I've dealt with give me personal help over the phone and a prompt refund if faulty.
You have to be careful, but I'd rather sacrifice some possible problem than burn all my petrol and patience and time on today's current retailers.

The one man band retailers are still o.k. as they are "old school" in most cases, forget the major chains though.

__________________
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timely thread this one after the morning i had yesterday trying to purchase a new tele, wont go into details, will just say wow, where do they find these clowns!!

Hi Chrome,
I had a similar frustrating situation.
I wanted to buy 6 ceiling fans that had the best functionality, of moving air efficiently per revolutions.

Not one shop could tell me the difference between a 3 or 4 blade device or difference in performance of Rattan fan over a metal fan.
Not a clue .
Some suggested they are all the same.
Another said you only get what you pay for.
So the more you pay , the more air it it will move ? Yes! was their answer (Rubbish)

Feeling positively angry with their ignorance of the products they represented.
I seriously had to question how the devil do they stay in business, they didn't even offer to find out from the suppliers.

I rang the suppliers & they said they all perform much the same ,there's hardly any difference , I asked what the differences were in functionality & they didnt know.
Struth.
So I got onto the internet & bingo , it was all there. Unbeleivable & they did'nt have a clue & they did'nt care to find out either.

By the way the best fans for functionality are the 3 blade aluminium (not steel due to rust from humidity) fans (they push more air per revolution than a 4 blader) due to less wind resistance, or stainless steel if you like looking at chrome hanging from ones ceiling, with a ball bearing motor with a baked ,not just sprayed on , finish, with rubber cushioning in the base to minimise motor vibration which mormally wears motors out over time.
Cost $45-55 with 3 year warranty. For the Std 120cm size.

The Rattan fans push a lot less air per revolution because their blades are not as curved like the metal fans are & their blades are thicker , therefore have more wind reistance, they usually come in the less efficient 4 blade configuration.
Rattans dont have a swishing sound that a metal blade can have when placed on maximum speed .
In a bedroom situation, where this maybe a consideration , most people run their fans at low to medium therefore a swishing sound wont be heard at those speeds , only when set on maximum & if one is boiling hot , one would'nt care what it sounds like to get relief from the heat.
The swishing at max speed, is hardly hear in a lounge enviromnement because of all the backgound noise e.g. TV, Music,traffic,kids talking ect.


The best places to by fans are usually from discount lighting shops who have been around for a number of years because they tend to only stock items that dont give them grief from their customers.
They will normally beat most other places prices also, including Bunnings.

So the verdict for functioality, is a 3 blade aluminium fan, ball bearing motor with rubber cushioning, baked on enamel finish, bought from a reputable discount lighting shop.


I will stop now...
I have said too much.
The truth is out now.
My work is now complete.

Cheers.

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Cheers.

Cool man!

I thought i would add my own recent troubles.
I run a computer repair service from a small mining town so i need to have items shipped to me, my business is small more of a service than a business, but i still need to get stock i have been dealing with one supplier for awhile but they are just hopeless thier staff know nothing.
I desided to changed suppliers and advised my new supplier of my past troubles and told them i wanted trouble free sales.
Here is a breakdown of my first sale with them,

1) i was overcharged $1000 dealing with two many sales people.
2) Items have been left out of the package.
3) They claim to have sent items that i have not got, this is different from items they didn't add to package.
3) No paperwork sent with orders so is lucky i have current prices so i know what to charge.


I am wondering if i should try a second order with them.

Sales staff?

Pay peanuts and get monkeys. Why should the monkeys give a damn?
And that's the sad situation today. New workplace laws [race to the bottom] will make it even worse. Retail sales nowadays are mostly perm-casual or just casual with many workers not knowing what shifts they may or may not have from week to week. They cop a low hourly rate, no holiday pay, no overtime pay and no sick pay.

People moan about lack of service from taxi-drivers to shop assistants, but would scream from the rafters if they had to pay a fair price for it. Once-upon-a-time the service industry was reasonably paid with full benefits and respect and so good service was expected and given [the service was part of the price tags]. We can't expect cheap prices AND top service, it's an oxymoron.

We might have to go the way of the yanks and start tipping to get good service, managment might consider this a bribe.

I've been an employer for 30 years, in that time I've had 2 good employees, who were well rewarded for their effort, (there was no way I wanted to lose them) and approximately 200 idiot bludgers, who wanted all the benefits youre talking about just for turning up, and then the ------s wanted paying if they didn't (turn up)

It's amzing Crash how quickly your politics change when you're paying "Monkeys" good money for bludging, and then guess what you CAN'T SACK EM" GRRRRRRR! and to top it off paying for THEIR retirement as well!!!

NO more, all mine now are on contract, work or WALK!