It's cheaper on the internet!

[DesignFox]

I hate this. So much.

For the love of all that is holy, please do not waste my time on the sales floor arguing with me about prices.

Especially do not piss me off by trying to take a customer away from me by informing him that the same phone is "cheaper on the internet." and "what's wrong with this one? It's FREE online!" (said in the snottiest tone possible)

GAH. This lady was just so RUDE. Her father was there to buy a phone. He called ahead of time to make sure I was in the store (I helped him a few weeks prior) so he could get a phone! And she spent the entire time trying to get him to get it someplace else!

Thankfully, the situation this happened in, the customer (a very sweet old man) totally ignored his daughter and bought the phone from me, anyway.

He whispered to me, "You get paid on commission, right? Well, you helped me out a couple weeks ago, so I wanted to make sure I got my new phone from you!"

I love people like that man. Too bad all my customers can't be like him. *sigh*

I understand that we charge more, but shit...we can't compete with the internet.

Besides, we do give good service, and we don't charge any more than the other actual physical store locations. You want sales advice, freakin' pay for it!

[blas87]

There are certain things I buy online that are way more expensive than going to the store. But I buy them to avoid going to the store....particuarly the eye doctor's office. ShopKo's Optical Center is a cesspool of all kinds of lovely people I'd rather avoid.

[Rapscallion]

Since the advent of online travel agents, there were reports of store-based agencies having to charge consultation fees. People were coming into their stores to get advice and then booking online.

Rapscallion

[AFPheonix]

Most of the smaller independent tack shops have been bought up by a few larger chains, and the variety of equipment they carried is gone. Even clothes lines are down to just a few choices. So now I'm pretty much stuck with online retailers and eBay for equipment.
I wouldn't bitch to a salesperson, though.

[Greenday]

I just recently got one of my textbooks for the fall semester online of amazon.com. What would normally cost me $180 for a brand new book, cost me only $50. For a college student, that's an enormous reason to go on the internet.

[DesignFox]

People were coming into their stores to get advice and then booking online.

This is exactly what I'm talking about, though.

I understand going online. Hell, I do it occasionally! Just don't come to my store, ask me all sorts of questions, insult me, then buy it somewhere else.

[Boozy]

I get that at the wine store. We offer extensive wine education and tastings, all for free. The staff are very knowledgeable about wine, whereas the staff at liquor stores are just expected to be clerks.

So we get a lot of people coming in to learn about wine, and then leaving to buy the cheap imports from our competitors (we sell only Ontario wine).

People will ask why Chilean or South African wine is so much less expensive than the stuff they buy at our store. I tell them that we stock mostly premium vintages, and you can also buy cheap Ontario wines elsewhere, but you get what you pay for.

What I really want to say is that we pay our farmers and pickers a living wage, and it drives the cost up. That's not necessarily true in Chile, Argentina, and South Africa. But my company doesn't want me opening that political can of worms, so I keep my mouth shut.

[BlaqueKatt]

He whispered to me, "You get paid on commission, right? Well, you helped me out a couple weeks ago, so I wanted to make sure I got my new phone from you!"

and this is exactly why I didn't like placing phone orders when I was customer service. I actually told them to go to the stores(even though they told us not to), to make sure they liked the phones, and to see how they worked, and they usually didn't have to wait for shipping, be home for the delivery, go to the store anyway to get things transferred over, etc.

We didn't get commission, and Personally I'm strange about not wanting to purchase a phone unless I like how it fits in my hand.

[powerboy]

I will only buy online

• If I cannot find it at the store
• If it is cheaper online
• If it is only available online

[Dreamstalker]

Yup. For specific older books/games, I'll order exclusively from Amazon sellers as it would be way too much hassle otherwise (IME, most used bookstores do not and cannot keep track of their entire inventory by title).

If D&D Miniature X is available both locally and online, I'll get it at the store even if it is a bit more expensive; game stores are struggling around here as-is and very few sell singles.

[Peppergirl]

Since the advent of online travel agents, there were reports of store-based agencies having to charge consultation fees. People were coming into their stores to get advice and then booking online.

Rapscallion

Yeah, and they still do it.

[Slytovhand]

To me, a large part of the difference comes down to value. Sometimes I feel that I'm getting ripped off by going to the store (note: down here, rarely are people paid on commission in retail jobs) - especially when there's a massive price difference.

On the other hand, like the phone guy above, if I get good service, I'm likely to come back - even if it is more expensive! And touching things is good...

Similarly - if you're a creepy or pushy salesperson, I'll happily ditch you for a 22" monitor and keyboard

[tropicsgoddess]

There are certain things I'm willing to buy online for a cheaper price provided that the website is reputable and that it's not something that I have to try on before buying.Besides that, I would do the comparison shopping online to see where I can get it for the right price from the right website. Which, is the better way (IMO) than to call the store or go inside asking the price of [insert particular item] and waste the poor rep's time and/or money like an SC.

[Giggle Goose]

I just recently got one of my textbooks for the fall semester online of amazon.com. What would normally cost me $180 for a brand new book, cost me only $50. For a college student, that's an enormous reason to go on the internet.

I got ALL my textbooks from Amazon. The prices at college bookstores are outrageous! And if you want good money selling your books back at the end of the semester; you can forget it. There was this company that had a van parked across from campus where students could sell back their books; even ones that the bookstore wouldn't take. I got a lot more back this past May. Too bad they started coming my last semester of college.

But anywho, you can get whatever you want online, but going into a store and mouthing off to strangers about something being "cheaper on the internet" is just plain rude. If they wanted to get it online they probably would've gotten it by then. Let the salespeople do their jobs.