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Why do sales associates play dumb about BF deals?


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Posted

I was at Staples last night just checking out their stock and while I was looking at the laptops a SA came over trying to sell me a laptop.

 

I told him I was in the market, but just looking right now to see what my options are and he told me about the different laptops.

 

I asked him if they were going to have any sales coming up for the hollidays and he said, "I really don't know that's up to corporate and we don't know if they are going to have any sales." Come on you know you are going to have a massive sale on Friday! I'm sure every store has had a staff meeting to go over the plan on that day!

 

To me it's stupid to say they don't know if they are having any sales because if I was ignorant I would see a WM or CC ad and be like wow and think Staples isn't doing anything.

Posted
A lot of sales associates are instructed to not say a word about this. I don't fully understand why, it seems they'd make more sales if they just admitted to what they know.. but it may also be that they don't want their associates giving misinformation as well.
Posted

Either they genuinely do not know about upcoming BF sales or they were instructed not to discuss it.

 

So in other words they're just doing their job.

 

Very true. Why would they encourage you to NOT spend your money today with the particular item at its full price? You better believe they've been told to discount/defer/deflect questions about the BF sales, otherwise their regular sales the last week or two would suffer.

 

This may be the true reason the stores/chains hate the early leaking of their BF sales ads.....eats doo much into their sales the week(s) prior to BF.

Posted

Very true. Why would they encourage you to NOT spend your money today with the particular item at its full price? You better believe they've been told to discount/defer/deflect questions about the BF sales, otherwise their regular sales the last week or two would suffer.

 

This may be the true reason the stores/chains hate the early leaking of their BF sales ads.....eats doo much into their sales the week(s) prior to BF.

It's about customer service. The average customer knows there are always sales around the hollidays.

 

If a customer tells you he is just looking then asks about sales, I think that is a tell-tale sign that he isn't planning on buying anything today and they might as well try and get you to spend your money at their sale on not someone else's sale.

 

I don't buy that he didn't know about BF, I didn't ask him if they were going to have a sale on BF (which I still think he would) I asked if they would have sales during the holliday's which they know they are going to have.

Posted

Ditto the above, plus they don't know who you are. You could be from corporate doing some sort of qc check, you could be a competitor looking for info, or you could just be a smart shopper!

 

It's not worth getting in trouble for, even IF they know.

Posted

Ditto the above, plus they don't know who you are. You could be from corporate doing some sort of qc check, you could be a competitor looking for info, or you could just be a smart shopper!

 

It's not worth getting in trouble for, even IF they know.

I understand this argument and I think its the most valid, but I'm a 21 year kid with flip-flops and a scraggly beard because I'm too lazy to shave. I don't think I can pass for a corporate guy.

 

Would be cool though. I could get some ladies at the bar if I could!

 

Ahhh the possibilities. :yelclap:

Posted

Ditto the above, plus they don't know who you are. You could be from corporate doing some sort of qc check, you could be a competitor looking for info, or you could just be a smart shopper!

 

It's not worth getting in trouble for, even IF they know.

Good thinking, I never even considered that possibility.

 

Make no mistake, competition is fierce during Black Friday.

Posted
Doesn't matter how you dress. Most people who do "shops" on stores for the corp headquarters don't come in wearing a neon sign announcing themselves. They are made to look and dress like an everyday shopper.
Guest Deals4Me
Posted

I was thinking cause some of them ARE...but thats not nice.

Sometimes I wanna smack them cause its like IKNOW whats happening Friday, I KNOW you've seen stock....damn them!

Posted
I was in KB Toys last night and the associate there was great. She knew that websites are publishing the ad but apologized and said she couldn's give me one. (not that i really expected one) She did say that YES the BOGO Fisher Price really means almost all the fisher price (except orange tagged stuff) She said she's working friday and bringing her camera to take pictures of all the lined up people before the store opens. How fun!!!
Posted
I went to CC yesterday and the guy was trying to sell me a laptop and I told him I was waiting until BF and he was very cool and open with it. If even helped me more. At BB I know the SA are told to keep hush or else.
Posted

I went to CC yesterday and the guy was trying to sell me a laptop and I told him I was waiting until BF and he was very cool and open with it. If even helped me more. At BB I know the SA are told to keep hush or else.

 

Yup, last night I went to my local BB and the computer guy thought I was talking in another language :insane: . I finally whipped out the ad from this website and his jaw just about hit the floor and he was like hmmm errrr iiiii eeee I was like yeah so now about that computer......:2bat:

Posted

I was thinking cause some of them ARE...but thats not nice.

Sometimes I wanna smack them cause its like IKNOW whats happening Friday, I KNOW you've seen stock....damn them!

Sad thing is they're probably thinking almost the same thing about you/us! I know that you know what I know you know, you know? :gd_stars:

Guest Deals4Me
Posted

Sad thing is they're probably thinking almost the same thing about you/us! I know that you know what I know you know, you know? :gd_stars:

To funny...but see, my hubby worked at BB and they ARENT commissioned, so they really could CARE less about what you buy and what you dont. They only thing they get commission on is the warranty.

 

At CC he worked there for a year or so, and made GOOD money. VERY good money at xmas and tax time. And they were commissioned but helped you get what you wanted and were knowledgeable about the product and had departments NOW, its open floor, no departments per se, they arent trained, they dont care and arent paid on commission so could care less what you bought.

 

And believe me, hubby is smart but said most people that worked there would be more qualified to run the fry station at mc donalds.

Posted

To funny...but see, my hubby worked at BB and they ARENT commissioned, so they really could CARE less about what you buy and what you dont. They only thing they get commission on is the warranty.

 

At CC he worked there for a year or so, and made GOOD money. VERY good money at xmas and tax time. And they were commissioned but helped you get what you wanted and were knowledgeable about the product and had departments NOW, its open floor, no departments per se, they arent trained, they dont care and arent paid on commission so could care less what you bought.

 

And believe me, hubby is smart but said most people that worked there would be more qualified to run the fry station at mc donalds.

 

:giggle:

Posted
It was funny, I called KB toys to ask them a questions about part of their sale Friday, and the manager was like "You have a sales paper???"...I metioned that I had seen it 'various' places online and such - and she just started laughing and then went ahead and answered my questions. It was almost like a 'speak-easy' type conversation. Like if I hadn't verified that I really KNEW what the sales were gonna be then we couldn't discuss it or something...
Posted
I think they are just trying to keep their jobs. I know that they are told not to discuss it with customers to the point of giving details. The guy at WM who let me look at a map followed me to another part of the store and told me he would let me see it but he could lose his job if anyone knew. He also said he couldn't tell me EXACT prices because they had been instructed not to.
Posted
Having worked at BB I can say that most employees really don't know what's going to be on sale. I was a supervisor, so I got to see the ad in a meeting with the supervisors and managers, but we had to turn the ad in at the end of the meeting (no one could leave the room before all the ads were acounted for). From there we didn't pass the info on to our employees. We did the prep work ourselves. Only employees that might have known would be the ones closing on Wed as they had to set up the bulk stacks and stuff. They might be able to get an idea of what will be on sale just from the large # they get in, but don't know what the price will be.
Posted

I was in KB Toys last night and the associate there was great. She knew that websites are publishing the ad but apologized and said she couldn's give me one. (not that i really expected one) She did say that YES the BOGO Fisher Price really means almost all the fisher price (except orange tagged stuff) She said she's working friday and bringing her camera to take pictures of all the lined up people before the store opens. How fun!!!

Did you tell her about this site and to come here after bf and post her pics.?
Posted
I went to bb this morning to see what the line looked like for the xbox. when i got in i asked a upper employee how many laptops they are going to have and he got bugged eyed :eyepoppin for a second (like how did you know) and then turned miliatry on me and just kept saying sir i don't know.:bs:
Posted

I went to bb this morning to see what the line looked like for the xbox. when i got in i asked a upper employee how many laptops they are going to have and he got bugged eyed :eyepoppin for a second (like how did you know) and then turned miliatry on me and just kept saying sir i don't know.:bs:

 

That was the answer I got yesterday also at my BB. I dont know. I dont know. I dont know.....of course you do!!! :g_thumbsd

Posted
I went to CC and hinted around asking an associate and anytime I got close he would just say they had no idea what was going to be on sale, etc. A manager came over for whatever reason and I just came right out and asked him and he flat out told me about the laptops and other pcs they were going to have. The associate's jaw dropped -- he couldn't believe he told me any of this. Then the manager told me to search the web because all the ads are out already. Little did he know... :)
Posted
I was at Wal-Mart earlier trying to find out what their BF protocol was - to see if I had any chance at getting a computer (I can't race for it). No one knew / wouldn't tell me if there would be tickets handed out, or a line, or if they'd shut the store down and then open the doors and let it be every man for himself... No one would say a thing. Garh. I'll keep asking, hope I get some answers.
Posted
I went to CC today to find out about the Sirius radio FAR. First he showed me what they had on display. I told him nope not it. Then he took me to the BF radio and told me all about it and tried to sell me the boombox too. They had a whole bunch of radios and said they won't be handing out tickets for those but I would have to dodge lines for the other stuff.
Posted
I work for a corporate giant and the reason we keep it on the down low is because our competitors won't know what we're doing and we'll be the lowest price in the competitive market.
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