Shopper Maliciously Complies And Buys A $900 Appliance After Sales Assistant Tells Him To Look For Something He Can Afford
It’s not uncommon to come across ill-mannered people throughout your lifetime. As much as we would’ve liked to exist peacefully and comfortably – there’ll always be someone eager to ruin it. Most of the time, the person is probably not even aware of their ignorance and is simply throwing their microaggression towards anyone who dares to walk beside them.
We are always taught not to judge and not to discriminate against folks, yet it seems like too many people have trouble understanding this easy motto. It honestly shouldn’t be that hard not to put yourself above those who literally walk on the same planet as you do – however, many individuals need to seriously reconsider their life choices:
More info: Reddit
In-store shopping can be quite stressful, especially if a sales assistant is being unnecessarily shady
Image credits: 7C0 (not the actual photo)
In-store shopping can certainly be emotionally and even physically tiring, so most of the time buying things online saves us our nerves and gives us some free time to do something else, though, of course, there are days when you would rather take a stroll to your nearest chain. Well, this online user took it to one of Reddit’s well-known communities to share an unpleasant encounter he had experienced with a sales assistant. The post received 21K upvotes and 1.2K worth of comments discussing the unprofessional behavior of the salesman.
Customer maliciously complies and buys a washing machine after salesman makes a “you can’t afford it” remark
Image credits: Moshozz
A self-proclaimed late bloomer who looks like he’s in his twenties but is actually slightly over 30, who also describes himself as a Kenyan photographer that loves to dress for comfort, was shopping around for a new washing machine when this unnecessary unpleasant event occurred. The author revealed that before visiting the store in person, he checked the available appliance online and once he confirmed that the item that he wanted was in stock, he headed straight to the store.
Image credits: Moshozz
Once the OP arrived at the store, he went straight to the home appliance section where a salesperson greeted him. The man checked out the exact washing machine that he wanted and together with a sales assistant, they began discussing the model. Of course, the assistant asked whether the man was planning on buying it, but before proceeding, he wondered whether there were any discounts or payment plans available.
Image credits: Moshozz
The author also mentioned that he had actually bought a cooker before at this exact place, so he somewhat knew about the plans and while he could’ve afforded to buy the washing machine straight away, he wanted to spread the cost a little in order to be financially comfortable with the purchase. However, a well-dressed couple appeared and the salesman left the OP hanging.
Image credits: Moshozz
Naturally, the man was puzzled so he questioned the salesman, to which he replied that he was serving customers and that perhaps the author could wander around and look for something that he could actually afford. It completely infuriated the OP, so he went up to the customer service to repeat his enquiry once again. The person offered the help of the same guy that left the author for “wealthier” folks, but without any hesitation, the man declined.
Image credits: Moshozz
The OP said that he already knew what he was buying and all he needed was a little help with paperwork. The person did just that and the man paid the full amount on the spot. Though, when they were finishing up with the formalities, the salesman appeared and claimed that the OP was his client but he denied and the woman listed herself as the sales agent.
Image credits: Moshozz
The good news is that those folks get decent commissions from each sale and the salesman that ditched our OP was left without a bonus because the couple didn’t purchase anything. And as a cherry on top, before leaving, the author turned around and proudly said: “turns out I could afford it.”
Fellow Redditors supported the author and shared their own stories
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Also..... some tool tried to up-sell me a mattress. He told me my "purse cost more than the mattress, and I should prioritize." btw....My purse was a no name functional accessory that cost $25. I told him he creeped me out with his judgement, and my purse had nothing to do with a mattress so I was leaving. I then bought SEVEN mattresses at Sears for a summer cottage, and stopped by to show him my receipt. Epic.
Upvoting to remove the unnecessary down vote. C*ck-wombles like them always deserve the Pretty Woman treatment..."big mistake...HUGE!"
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I had some d-bag salesman tell me to go home and ask my husband if I could buy the washer and dryer, and then come back. Also mentioned it "did a good job on diapers"! As if it's 1950!?! I told him to jam it sideways, and that I would purchase elsewhere, which I did.
Wow. I'm glad you went to someone more deserving. Decades ago I went to buy my first computer. Instead of helping me, the sales started to show off what he could do on the computer. I returned months later to buy another piece of equipment - the sales rep was terrific - courteous, helpful, patient, knowledgeable. I don't know if she got a commission, but I certainly hope so.
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I lived in the Caribbean. People wearing torn shorts, torn t's, just stopped off of million dollar yachts. Don't judge. Cost you nothing to be kind
This happened in my home town. My dad knew the owner of one I the biggest construction companies in that area. Guy was working in his yard one day and realized that he really needed a pickup truck, so he went to the dealership to buy one as he was: dirty jeans, tee-shirt, baseball cap, work boots. All the sales people ignored him except the new kid, who went to and treated him well. The man bought a brand new fully loaded truck from him. Flash forward a few days, and the same man comes back to the dealership dressed in a suit. Of course, all the sales people were scrambling to talk to him then, but he told them he would only deal with the guy who helped him on the weekend. Guy ended up buying a FLEET of trucks from this salesman for his company! Never, EVER judge someone by their appearance, not because you might reap financial reward, but because EVERYONE is human and deserves to be treated with respect and kindness
That's kind of odd, as most people who drive pickup trucks are also in the business of wearing dirty jeans, work boots and baseball caps. Sounds like they were all inexperienced salespeople?
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There are a lot of folk/fairy stories about this sort of thing too. I guess it's a lesson humans need to keep learning.
Heh. Or just Google "Gabe Newell". Not that he's unique, especially in the PNW where there are Timber Barons who wore blue jeans all the time before you could buy overpriced designer blue jeans.
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This reminds me of when my hubs and I went to Ashley Furniture. It's a chain that has cheaper (not by much) furniture than their lead store. We were greeted at the door. She asked what we were looking for. I told her we were looking for a nightstand and this b*tch immediately told us they had nothing in our price range. We hadn't even left the entryway yet. I was completely floored. We weren't dressed badly. Jeans and nice shirts. So I asked my husband "do you think we have enough?" and bless that man. He knew exactly where I was going. He pulled out his wallet and told me to check mine. We both pulled out a stack of hundreds. And we told her "guess this isn't enough". And walked. She chased us stuttering trying to get us to come in. Nope. Felt good though. We were furnishing our first place and had all our savings on us. That'll never happen again but we still laugh about it.
Be glad you didn't. I bought from Ashley's Furniture during the pandemic. They told me they had an item in the warehouse that they'd deliver in a couple weeks... It was an outright lie. They didn't have anything in the warehouse they had to build my couch. It took 9 months to get it! Then they delivered it to the wrong house. They had to return and pick it up from God knows where and took another month to schedule deliver again to the correct address, and I put the majority of the cost down as a down payment. I later realized I was charged more than the agreed upon price. Customer service repeatedly lied and told me I would be contacted the next week about delivery (like 10 times) until I realized that's just what they'd always say. The price was never corrected. It was a painful process. I do like the couch though. Won't shop there again.
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My ex-husband and I frequently shopped at a very nice jewelry store in Madison. About 2 months before holidays we would go window shopping for me and our daughter. Typically it wasn't planned and just an errand. I used to wear a rather battered army jacket my uncle left me. When I did, I had a hard time getting helped. One day I was picking up my rings from their 6 month inspection, no help to be found. Waited and waited. When some one came to service counter to finally take me ticket, they were professional, but not friendly. Attitude changed drastically when they grabbed my repair out of back and took rings out of bag. It was disgusting. From then out I found the newest associate each time I went in and gave them the sale. Don't judge your customers based on how they are dressed.
I've never heard of rings getting a six month inspection. What is the purpose of that and why would you?
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So, it's really funny how many people assume that rich people would "look rich." Money gained doesn't necessarily break old habits. A person I have known would say they wouldn't walk out in fancy clothing, because they wouldn't want the attention. That attention could cost them their lives. Really, though. Not sure why kindness isn't the default.
I worked in retail and people's appearances never phased me. However, that first reply I would not have done as well - boils, overweight, gnarly hands, meh. But smelly? I have an oversensitive gag reflex - I cannot do smelly. I know people can't always help it either, but my stomach can't tell the difference between those unfortunate folk and the lazy-ass ones.
I have had to do smelly. I found if you breathe through your mouth, not nose it is bearable. You cant get the first whiff though. If they look smelly start breathing through your mouth right away.
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I worked at a car dealership in Victoria back in 2011. I was the only female salesperson on the floor. We had a customer come in on a motorcycle, typical tattoos, long hair, older ratty looking dude the salesmen told me that even though it wasn't my up the would be gracious and give it to me, so they could take a real up. So I went out and greeted this guy, he was the nicest person and informed me that his mom had passed and he had come into a large inheritance and wanted his dream car. He then custom ordered a 370Z convertible from me and paid full sticker cause he wanted me to have a good day too. The look on the other salesmens faces when I walked that deal into the Managers office was priceless. The icing on the cake was when the car came in he had me personally deliver it to his house and then had me drive him around in it for a couple hours so he could learn all the controls👌 Never judge a book by it's cover!
Both my self-made billionaire uncle and 2 exes of mine (one who owns the largest construction company in our 4-state region, the other who is one of the leading commercial real estate developers along the east coast) are like this. My uncle, who is German, dresses like a nutty old British professor in shabby clothes with holes in his sweaters, my construction-company ex BF shops looking like a foreman from a 90s Seattle grunge scene, and my ex who is a commercial real estate developer dresses like he just came off a boat (Which he usually did--wearing cargo shorts, tattered Ts, flip flops). It's hilarious watching them each unroll large stacks of money to pay cash for things when they look just shy of homeless--especially if we go some place to eat. All three have been known to tip $500+ for a $10 meal if the server treated them with respect despite how they looked. People who assume "the clothes make the person" obviously don't know any self-made million- or billionaires.
I always find it funny when people don't look beyond the clothing. You can tell the difference between the I've been boating or doing construction all day vs.a person in unfortunate circumstances most of the time. Besides, why would a broke or homeless person go into any of these places and even act like they wanted to buy something, looking like that? A scam artist dresses like Anna Delvey, not a hobo.
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I once worked with a lady who worked just because she was bored. She liked to buy a new Mercedes every year, out of pocket, wouldn't even haggle over price. One year she goes there and they have replaced all their salespeople. They wouldn't give her the time of day because she liked to dress comfortably and was a woman by herself. She never bought a Mercedes from them again - went somewhere else and started buying a new Toyota Lexus each year instead.
I have always shopped for my homes (4 new construction), cars at least 10 new) without my wife straight from work (I'm in manufacturing) because I want to see how people treat me, If I don't get the proper respect, I'm outta there and I ALWAYS SHARE MY EXPERIENCE ON YELP and similar review sites. Of I always included my wife on our final decisions.
Reminds me of an incident years ago in Greece.Travelling with a group of women a very casually dressed man approached our table and started a conversation centered on one of the group. She quickly let him know she wasn't interested (she wanted a wealthy guy). Long story short our waiter came up and asked which of us was the lucky lady. Seems Mister Casual was very rich, the waiter pointed out his very impressive yacht in the marina.
I have dated a few quite wealthy men that I had no idea were wealthy (nor did I care) because they didn't look the part. I'm very sapiosexual, though, so if they are very learned, intelligent, and witty, that's like the ultimate for me (looks don't really matter). I never really knew the wealth behind these guys until they started trying to whisk me away for exotic trips or, to my surprise, propose to me with humongous diamonds (although not as shocked as THEY were when I declined and told them I don't wear diamonds, anyhow, and haven't since I was in high school bc I refuse to support the DeBeers cartel). But it made me realize that a lot of single, wealthy men (especially self-made) dress very casual so that they never have to wonder if a woman is into them for their money or who they are. The guys I know who flaunt their money are usually so insecure deep down that they assume the only way they can avoid being alone is to exude wealth.
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People never learn. Unless he is testifying in front of Congress, even Zuckerberg only wears t-shirts most of the time.
Not only is it true that your clothes are no indication of how rich you are. But it's also true that a lot of rich people are really cheap, and a lot of poorer people buy things they can't afford. You can't tell who's going to pull out a credit card based on what they look like, so it pays for a salesperson to give polite service to everyone.
Most wealthy people have money because they don't spend it foolishly
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I worked for Panera Bread at one point and when I was interviewing with then, I saw this older gentleman who had very thin white hair, raggedy clothes, and looked like he worked day in and day out without breaks. I thought he was homeless and wondered if the store just let him come through, but when I got the job and started working, turns out this guy has quite a good payload and is a loyal customer. He's super sweet and friendly and he's been coming to this location on the corner even when different companies had their stores there. I was told the spot was an arcade at one point and also a pizza shop. It's more a lesson against me judging the book by its cover which I try not to do on the daily - everyone loved him. I hope he's doing well. I've also learned this lesson at my current retail job where anybody can be a thief, everyone is suspicious, but you gotta serve with a smile and take the bad with the good... even though we sadly don't get commission for a sale.
I learned the everyone can be a thief thing, working for Claire's. I think stealing from that place was a right of passage.
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When I lived in Raleigh, NC a friend of mine worked at a BMW dealership. I remember him talking about not judging a book by the cover. He said the person who pulls up in an expensive car, wearing expensive clothes, and carrying an expensive briefcase might have money, but equally might not. The car may be a rental, the clothes may be the only expensive clothes in their closet, and the briefcase may have been a gift, a convincing fake, or bought secondhand (same could be said of the clothes as well). Plus, they’re probably drowning in debt to keep up the appearance of prosperity, but couldn’t put a couple hundred bucks cash together if they had to. But some farmer in old overalls, who looks like he doesn’t have two nickels to rub together? He’s buying his granddaughter a BMW for her college graduation gift—-which might look like an impossibility for him, right? He picks out a car with all the extras, pulls out his ancient wallet held together with a rubber band, and pays for everything IN CASH!
My hubby was a new car salesperson for a time. Once after he left, a young man was walking in the car parking lot looking at cars. He looked it a teenager--saggy jeans, etc. he had a backpack. Security was watching his every move. One by one, the salespersons blew him off. Finally a new salesperson invited him in. When he checked the man's credit and he had no score. He wanted a $90k truck. He called corporate who said that this young man was just drafted by an NFL team and got a $2,000,000 signing bonus--give him what he wants. He dumped his backpack and he had around $100,000 in cash! He got his truck, paid cash and left. Never underestimate people who don't "look" a certain way.
Why do you write exactly what the screen grab says? Everyone reads the same thing twice. It's unnecessary.
My late husband and I went to buy a new fifth-wheel RV in 1996. We'd been to this dealership before and had narrowed it down to about half a dozen floorplans. We were dressed casually and arrived in our old truck. It was midweek and we were the only customers, so all the RVs were locked. The salesman (Tony) wouldn't open any for us and said, "We have some used pop-ups in the back." He gestured to the back lot and walked away. We left, went to another dealership on the same road, and purchased a motorhome that cost about twice what the fifth-wheels we had been considering did. At our request, the manager called the manager of the other dealership and told him how his salesman blew the deal
Yup, happened to me also. Went bed-shopping. With no actual limit on what to spend. I look casual, always. Husband at the time, dito. But we managed our own business, which was very very profitable, hence the no spending limit. Walked into the first store. The employees, who were drinking coffee together, checked us out, and in stead of helping us pick out a suitable bed, just told us to look around and tell them when we found what we were looking for. Did not want to assist us, even after we asked for it. So we left the store. Walked into the second store, asked for assistance, got it and spend 1,5 hours testing al kinds of beds, mattresses and combinations. Spending a whooping 5.500 euros in the end. I couldn't keep myself from going back to the first store to ask them if the worked on commission and tell them they missed out on a 5.500 euro sale. Loved the look on their faces ! Made my day even more
Similar story: My son was in college out of state and we visited often. Rather than constantly renting a car (expensive) , we asked him to shop around b4 we got there for something basic and reasonable, and we would follow up on our arrival. He went to a Chevy dealership with a friend, college kids mind you, so wearing flannel PJ pants and T shirts. All salespeople ignored him except one. He got some info, and the next day strolled in with his Dad and bought a car, from the helpful guy. The other salespeople who recognized him, stood there with their mouths hanging open like torn pockets. So rewarding :)
Happened to me about 2 months ago. Went into a Porsche Dealership and I was in my PJs almost and they kept telling I had to wait in a specific area because they had no selling agents available. After 1 hour of kindly waiting they kept telling me the same, I called another dealership of Porsche 30 minutes away and they told me that's impossible, they catered really well to customers so they contacted the manager from the current dealership and then 3 sales people appeared at the same time, including the manager. I simply told them, you just a sale because I was able to purchase the other one remotely from the other dealership while I waited and their manager confirmed it. Their faces went blank as apparently I was the only person who bought a car that day.
I had a neighbor no one talked to bc he seemed angry, distant. He had torn clothes and duct tape on his sneakers... he was frail but walked his dogs daily. One day I seem him in the street, face down, his dog had pulled him down. I go to pick him up and he's light as a feather. That day we became friends and I started taking meals to him. I learned he had no family and started doing his chores but I never went into his house bc of his one mean dog. A few months later he told me he was a millionaire and I brushed it off bc everything he owned was falling apart. One day he didnt get the groceries I left at the door and I called the police. He had fell. He died a couple months later. In his generosity in his Will, he left me three pcs of nice property and a house. ~He was deaf, not angry and so lonely. Dont judge people as you think they are... do more to know them as they truly are.
Not me but a friend. He owns his company as a home appraiser. Makes north of 200k a year but lives well within his means and doesn't act like a "rich" guy. Was driving his beater truck while wearing a t-shirt and holey jeans when he spotted a Porsche Cayenne at a dealership. He wanted to replace his wife's SUV so he stopped to ask about it. He was basically told he needed to leave because they wouldn't let poor tire kickers take their vehicles for test rides. He found another Cayenne a few days later, paid cash money, and made sure to visit the other dealer while dressed for work. The salesman didn't even know how to respond knowing the commission he lost.
My youngest sister was looking to buy a new car. She knew her credit history, income & had done her research so she knew EXACTLY what she was looking for. Three dealerships treated her like a child. She walked into the fourth dealership, looked at the salesman & said "I am looking to buy a car. I know my credit score, my credit history & my income. Do you want to sell me a car or not " He told he wanted to sell her a car, let her take the car home for a few days to try it out & got the sale.
Yes! Male car salespeople can be some of the most misogynistic people I've ever met (next to some older plumbers and electricians). I got screwed over buying my own first car at 18, so the next 3 cars I bought new, I studied up on EVERYTHING. I argued like hell with all 3 salesmen until their general managers had to take over because I kept shutting down every BS line they threw at me (I think they figure, "This works for everyone else..."---but not everyone else goes and does extensive research before purchasing a new car). At the end of the ordeals, 2 of those 3 GMs offered me a job in sales mgmt because they each said I knew the car, the financing promotions, etc. better than most of their staff did. Lol. I couldn't abide being a car salesman, but the first time it happened, I felt vindicated and decided I was never going back to not being fully armed and aggressive. Lol. Of course, ONE of the GMs DID ask me to please buy my cars elsewhere next time. 😆
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I was in the market for my first luxury class car and I was pre-qualified for a substantial loan amount. I wet to a Lexus dealer because I wanted to buy a Lexus. The salesman took me out for a test drive (he’s male, I’m a woman) but wouldn’t let me drive til we got to an empty lot because he didn’t trust my driving. I didn’t buy from him. I later went to a Mercedes dealer. The lady sales rep handed me the keys and let me test drive the car alone. She never questioned my driving skills. After that, I purchased several luxury class cars over the years but always from a woman sales rep - always. The men, without exception, were condescending but the women were respectful so they earned the commissions! Respect your customer and you will earn her loyalty and business.
This is a very weird attitude to have in any country nowadays. I work in a company where folks with 6-figure salaries wear jeans and t-shirts to business meetings. Some of those same folks drive beaters because they're cheap and reliable. It's a mistake to size up anyone by their appearance.
I was salesman in a store where, among other over-priced things, we sold air purifiers. Basically two types, with or without UV light inside. With UV light, price was two for $850. Very expensive. We worked on 8% commission. Middle aged guy comes in, unshaven, overweight, dressed sloppily. Three or four other sales people ignore him completely, he's not going to buy anything, spending time with him will result in no sale and time wasted. I approach him, ask if he needs any help. He asks about the expensive, top of the line air purifier. I explain it all to him, demonstrate it, even clean it to show how easy it is. Turns out, he's the handyman/caretaker for the owner of huge nationwide newspaper company, who just had heart surgery, needs very clean air for his mansion. This shabbily dressed guy, who was ignored by every salesperson, bought twelve air purifiers (because that's all that fit in his truck), and came back the next day and bought twelve more. Largest sale in my whole career.
Bored panda needs a report button for author's. While the story is good none of this is malicious compliance and they edited the headline just for clicks. But for the op good for you if a salesman has no time for you why should he get commissions. Salesmen try this at some car lots too. I went to by my car before last and I dressed comfortable. Couldn't find a salesman though my wife was approached several times. When I told my wife the salesman runs over "hey he doesn't work here", "sir I am calling the cops". I called a relative that worked in the office of their financial department. His supervisor comes running out telling him to shut up, to which the man responds why would someone like him be here if not to steal. Yeah he got terminated and I got a wicked discount.
Not about money but once, I bought some rather expensive pants I needed for a representative job. In my free time, in general I wore old jeans and converses, no makeup. After only two months, the pants just ripped, not even on the seam but right in the middle of my right butt cheek, at work of course. So, I went back to the store and some snotty sales woman refuses to believe they are the same pants as on the receipt I showed her. She then proceeded to tell me it was because I was too fat for the pants (I'm rather svelte and the pants were even a bit too big for me). Finally, she had to call a manager because I did not leave lol. The manager concluded she would give me another pair, as she thought I had bad luck with the ones I had. She also agreed I should size down for a better fit. It was so rewarding to see the sales person have a quiet meltdown when she was asked to conclude the swap. The second pair was excellent quality indeed.
I came out of hospital with my arm bandaged up from a carpal tunnel operation and as you can imagine I had to dress roughly, so I was wearing flip-flops, jogging bottoms and a baggy T-Shirt. My fiancée had picked me up from hospital, and we needed a new TV as well as a couple of kitchen gadgets and had saved up £2000 to blow on it all. Went to our local John Lewis and not only did they ignore us but actively walked away when we approached. We went elsewhere and got what we needed and sent their complaints department an email with a photo of the receipt of how much we spent and a photo of me and the address of the store where I was badly treated. News gets around fast where I live, and no one wanted to shop there any more. They closed their doors 6 months later. Turns out I wasn't the only one who complained about the bad treatment too
Once in Miami, I was disgustingly cheated at a Collins Av. restaurant. When I complained, the waitress told me "go back to your poor country you poor tourist. We don´t need you"
Years ago I had been painting the kitchen & got a call to go to a fancy dinner. Rather than take time to change I went in my painting clothes to an "upscale" department store to find something to wear that night. The security guard met me at the door & asked what I wanted. He escorted me to the department & stood by me the whole time. After a few minutes I left & bought something in the store next door. Too bad they treated me like a criminal & lost a sale forever. Never went back.
This happened to my husband and I in 2020 when we went to Carmax wanting to buy two cars. We found two vehicles that we were interested in purchasing. The salesman was so arrogant when we asked if they could do a better deal on the prices as we were paying cash. He stated that prices were the prices and they weren't willing to negotiate. We walked out with him and his manager chasing us to try to save the deal. We weren't interested at that point and told them that. A few days later we received a phone call from the owner still trying to sell us the cars. We laughed at him. We ended up purchasing the same models from other dealers that were willing to negotiate the prices because we paid cash.
I just have to share this. Was a college kid whose parents can afford my first BMW. So i went to a bmw dealership asking for a certain new model I liked. Was assigned a salesman who took servicing me as his smoke break. And didnt even let me test it while telling me that he should get back to work. Next day, came with a friend who bought a few cars from that dealership. Was served by another regular salesman of my friend. Even took a test drive of the newest M3 right out of the showroom. Eventually, I purchased a unit with cash. The first salesman? His face was down with regret the whole time.
My husband and I were ring shopping for the big day and found one we liked. We look young and dress comfortable because, well, it's comfortable! Even though we said multiple times we could pay for it outright, the salesperson insisted we use their financing options (and getting rude about it) which ended up frustrating my husband to the point of anger. We walked away and ended up elsewhere with a much better ring for a very decent price! Takes no effort to be kind and actually listen to people.
This kind of thing happens all the time, to all kinds of people. It's happened to me a lot.
When I first got a job at a telephone company in a city, they phone company took up an entire 5-story building plus all of a second 3-story building next door and on the corner of the street. There was a bank on the first floor on the corner. This is in the summer and an old man wearing a dirty, heavy overcoat and shoes with holes in them had just picked up a discarded cigar butt from the curb. After wiping it off he proceeded to light it. The next day he tried to get into the phone company building but there's a touch pad lock. (The building is not open to the public.) After I went inside I told the security guard about the old man trying to get in. He immediately went over and opened the door for him. It turned out the old man owned both buildings and a couple of other building on the block. The guy was a multi-millionaire but had the appearance of a 'jakey bum." When he left that building, he went into a restaurant a few doors down to collect the rent.
A former co-worker of mine had a story like this. We worked together at a mall and there was a high-end jeweler's in the mall that she'd gone to looking to buy a watch for her husband. She, a 60-something black woman, had gone in on her day off and so was wearing casual "comfy" clothes, and she couldn't get the associates to give her the time of day. Any item she asked to see, the associates acted like she might steal it and like she was wasting their time. She got so fed up with their attitude that she not only purchased the watch, but several items for herself. When the cashier asked who'd helped her -- that is to say, which associate earned the commission from her purchase -- she pointedly replied "no one" and left with her items. She retired about 5 years ago, wonder how she's doing now.
My cousin generally wears hippie-looking clothes and looks like any middle-aged suburban soccer mom. Once, she went to the bank to make a deposit and discuss safe deposit box options. Despite the hustle and bustle of the lobby, and the existence of several bank employees, no one gave her the time of day. After 20 minutes of being ignored, she stood in the center of the lobby and bellowed, "OK, who wants to help me with my $100,000.00 deposit??!" The response was immediate --"Right this way, Mrs. Cousin!""Have a seat Mrs. Cousin!!""Would you like some coffee or tea, Mrs. Cousin??" Turned out that the hippie-clad Mrs. Cousin owned a gold mine and there were plenty more deposits in store. People can be so short-sighted...
It may be a psychological ploy by the management...sometimes look down on a customer to force a buy from them...it's reverse psychology. But I suppose reputable outlet don't practise that though...
I've always had a job since I was old enough to get a permit to work at 14. When I was18, still in highschool, my best friend and I were coworkers. We had worked over the holidays, got that fresh holiday paycheck with overtime because we were out for Christmas/new years break. We decided to go to a "nice" restaurant in Raleigh "The Cactus Flower". The sun was still up and the place wasn't very busy. The hostess sat us and went to get us a waiter. We watched her walk to the wait staff, standing by the bar talking. They were young adults. One girl looked over her shoulder at us and laughed. She visibly shook her head no, and the other girl waitresses followed suit. One guy finally came to serve us and he was really nice. My friend and I figured the staff thought we were too young to be worth the trouble, assuming we were broke. So we both broke our a $50 each from our freshly cashed checks just to make a point. The girls probably just thought we liked the guy.. we liked respect.
I'm not rich by any means. I remember trying to get my first car. I was just out of nursing school in 1996 and the only credit I had was a $200 credit card. I wanted a Pontiac that cost $17,000. I had $2000 cash as a down payment, but they insisted I needed cosigner. That wasn't an option, so I didn't get a car from there. The next day, I went to the Honda dealership next door. After telling them what happened, I had no problem with approval. Their exact words were, you make more than enough money and have a down payment. Why do you need a cosigner? I was able to get fully loaded Civic, for the MSRP price since I chose them over their rival. A few days later, I get a call from the Pontiac dealership, and miraculously they reworked the numbers, so I can now come and get a car from them. My reply, sorry, I already got a car. From where? Next door at Honda. And I was able to get it without a cosigner and at a better deal than you were offering. Oh, ok.
Had a friend who owned 2 successful Chinese restaurants, who went to buy his brother in law(also his chef) a Cadillac. He dressed in jogging pants and flip-flops and borrowed an old station wagon to drive to the dealership. He walked around looking at new cars on the lot. A "salesman" came up and asked if he needed help. My friend put on a thick Chinese accent and asked how much the cars were. The "salesman" told him they were VERY EXPENSIVE and asked if he was sure he was in the right place. My friend replied maybe not. He drove a block down the street to the Mercedes dealership where he was greeted by a salesman who asked what he was interested in and offered to let him test drive the one he liked. He got back, wrote a personal check for the full amount, then drove the Mercedes to the Cadillac dealership and told the salesman he dealt with there, in excellent English, that he was right. He had been in the wrong place!
It seems a lot of people still have this image in their minds of how a wealthy person looks. Well, being wealthy isn't a prerequisite to being treated fairly either. So the whole mindset is pretty eff-ed up.
The responses are hilarious while quoting prices for a 300k car that didn't exist in those days The internet makes you minimum wage monkeys feel cool doesn't it
...I worked at a retail store that used the "up" system. A black Mercedes pulled in and right behind it a Buick. A man wearing a blazer got out and started walking towards the door at which time Doug got up and started heading for the door. Two older ladies got out of the Buick and also headed towards the store. The gentleman stopped at the door and opened it for the two ladies. Doug signaled to me to go ahead and take them and he would get the man. Turns out they just inherited their parents house and wanted new flooring through out and the man was looking for a doorway trim. CHERRY PICKING GONE WRONG
I went to buy the bank to inquire about a line of credit to purchase a vehicle. Without asking any questions or offering me a form to fill out the loan gal basically treated me as if I were a homeless person trying to use a jar of boogers as collateral and perhaps, I might jump on the counter and begin fornicating with a monkey or some equally horrifying act of lunacy. I left there and went to the dealership where I purchased a vehicle, with a down payment from my account I've held for 25 years at the same bank.
This is totally off topic, but I was in a mall with my children. I couldn't find my older son(15). I was so tired of walking around as I was carrying my 14 month old and asked the concierge if she would page my son. She said " we don't do that". I was furious. So I told her I would page him myself. I stood in the middle of the mall and screamed his name. When he showed up, he was laughing about it. "That's my mom!"
Load More Replies... I walked into a furniture store in search of a couch. Not one sales associate greeted me nor paid me any mind cos I was on my own for the day. They attached themselves to any families or couples that came in the store. I calmly walked out and sent a note to head office stating no one helped me nor gave me the time of day. Needless to say they found out what rolls downhill through their actions. Eventually the GM of that store gave me a sweet deal and not one of them got any commission on the highly discounted couch I purchased from that store.
My mother is salt-of-the-Earth looking, but she and my dad working their butts off as farmers, starting off with nearly nothing but being pretty solvent now. She was driving past a car dealership when a van caught her eye. It's the early 2000's and she walked into the dealership in her aqua-colored sweatpants and a ratty jacket. Strode up to the salesperson and asked him "How much for that van, straight-up cash, out the door right now?" Sales guy sniffs and points at the price on the window. Doesn't say a word. Mom shakes her head, drives 30 miles to the next dealer, Finds something comparable then walks to the sales manager's office. He cut 10% off the list price, she cut a check for the full amount, then drove back to the first dealer and walked into THAT sales manager's office. She got her van at a good deal, and the first salesman got his butt chewed. Don't judge a book by the cover. Some of these people aren't only better off than you think, they can be a force of nature when mad.
Often people with wealth prefer to stay under the radar, for lots of reasons.
I wouldn't call someone with only 1K USD disposable income wealthy.
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In my early days of living in Phoenix, Arizona, I would regularly visit a number of local, used bookstores... the kind where stuff isn't well organized and books are just stacked all over. At one particular store I often ran into this recurring customer who looked homeless... shabbily dressed, unkempt beard, etc. I would often see him talking to the store owner. After a while I guess he must have begun to recognize me as a regular visitor and would nod and sometimes say "Hi" as we passed each other walking thru store aisles. Never really had a conversation with him, and only ever saw him once outside of that bookstore. Turns out he was heir to the Hormel family fortune. Much later saw a pic of him in a tux from his younger days. He looked like George Carlin when he first started doing standup.
I went with partner to buy new baby clothes once, I was wearing one of his shirts, an old tatty shirt. I was very young too. Pulled out a few hundred in cash (bulk buy) and she then attended to someone else. Clothes were bagged already. She came back and said oh no you paid. I said no I hadn't, here is cash...and she insisted no you paid. Others were watching and laughing. So in the end we left with clothes and cash cause she refused to listen. I tried...but I bet it went badly at end of day till check!
Unfortunately, it's human nature to go for $50 now, instead of a dollar a day for six months.... Too many people have that mindset about every thing in life.
Give me 50 dollars on day one and I'll have more than 183 dollars 6 months later...
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.i kept getting messages when i tried to post that my BP account had been temporally suspended. anyone know what that is about? === my grandfather-in-law went to buy a truck. salesman made it difficult - walked across the street and paid cash for another truck. he was wearing overalls. ======== i used to have really long hair & a beard. it is amazing, amazing how differently you are treated based on your appearance.
I am sleeved out tattooed and on my days off I like to dress super comfy. Sweats, leggings, oversized shirt or tank whatever. Anyhow, EVERY store I go into I get followed around like I'm going to steal something it's the most annoying thing ever. But when I dismiss a sales associate for a manager and then drop serious cash it's really fun to see their faces.
His reaction was a non-verbal, deer in the headlights, blank stare. I didn't wait around for conversation. Mission accomplished.
Good story! But why is everything repeated? They tell the story and then repeat the same part of the story! Am I missing something?
This has to be the laziest article I've read in the last month. The authors essentially have taken what the OP wrote and repeated it virtually verbatim.
I was thinking the same. I don't even know why they feel like adding ANY commentary. Most of it is so drab and poorly written that it actually undermines my interest in reading stuff posted on BP at all.
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No, he left a customer he was already helping. Its rude.
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Five minutes? Yeah, nope. You have no idea why they were slow. They may have just opened and were still doing prep work. Of all these stories, yours is the only one that makes the customer seem rude and judgmental.
Load More Replies... Also..... some tool tried to up-sell me a mattress. He told me my "purse cost more than the mattress, and I should prioritize." btw....My purse was a no name functional accessory that cost $25. I told him he creeped me out with his judgement, and my purse had nothing to do with a mattress so I was leaving. I then bought SEVEN mattresses at Sears for a summer cottage, and stopped by to show him my receipt. Epic.
Upvoting to remove the unnecessary down vote. C*ck-wombles like them always deserve the Pretty Woman treatment..."big mistake...HUGE!"
Load More Replies... I had some d-bag salesman tell me to go home and ask my husband if I could buy the washer and dryer, and then come back. Also mentioned it "did a good job on diapers"! As if it's 1950!?! I told him to jam it sideways, and that I would purchase elsewhere, which I did.
Wow. I'm glad you went to someone more deserving. Decades ago I went to buy my first computer. Instead of helping me, the sales started to show off what he could do on the computer. I returned months later to buy another piece of equipment - the sales rep was terrific - courteous, helpful, patient, knowledgeable. I don't know if she got a commission, but I certainly hope so.
Load More Replies... I lived in the Caribbean. People wearing torn shorts, torn t's, just stopped off of million dollar yachts. Don't judge. Cost you nothing to be kind
This happened in my home town. My dad knew the owner of one I the biggest construction companies in that area. Guy was working in his yard one day and realized that he really needed a pickup truck, so he went to the dealership to buy one as he was: dirty jeans, tee-shirt, baseball cap, work boots. All the sales people ignored him except the new kid, who went to and treated him well. The man bought a brand new fully loaded truck from him. Flash forward a few days, and the same man comes back to the dealership dressed in a suit. Of course, all the sales people were scrambling to talk to him then, but he told them he would only deal with the guy who helped him on the weekend. Guy ended up buying a FLEET of trucks from this salesman for his company! Never, EVER judge someone by their appearance, not because you might reap financial reward, but because EVERYONE is human and deserves to be treated with respect and kindness
That's kind of odd, as most people who drive pickup trucks are also in the business of wearing dirty jeans, work boots and baseball caps. Sounds like they were all inexperienced salespeople?
Load More Replies... There are a lot of folk/fairy stories about this sort of thing too. I guess it's a lesson humans need to keep learning.
Heh. Or just Google "Gabe Newell". Not that he's unique, especially in the PNW where there are Timber Barons who wore blue jeans all the time before you could buy overpriced designer blue jeans.
Load More Replies... This reminds me of when my hubs and I went to Ashley Furniture. It's a chain that has cheaper (not by much) furniture than their lead store. We were greeted at the door. She asked what we were looking for. I told her we were looking for a nightstand and this b*tch immediately told us they had nothing in our price range. We hadn't even left the entryway yet. I was completely floored. We weren't dressed badly. Jeans and nice shirts. So I asked my husband "do you think we have enough?" and bless that man. He knew exactly where I was going. He pulled out his wallet and told me to check mine. We both pulled out a stack of hundreds. And we told her "guess this isn't enough". And walked. She chased us stuttering trying to get us to come in. Nope. Felt good though. We were furnishing our first place and had all our savings on us. That'll never happen again but we still laugh about it.
Be glad you didn't. I bought from Ashley's Furniture during the pandemic. They told me they had an item in the warehouse that they'd deliver in a couple weeks... It was an outright lie. They didn't have anything in the warehouse they had to build my couch. It took 9 months to get it! Then they delivered it to the wrong house. They had to return and pick it up from God knows where and took another month to schedule deliver again to the correct address, and I put the majority of the cost down as a down payment. I later realized I was charged more than the agreed upon price. Customer service repeatedly lied and told me I would be contacted the next week about delivery (like 10 times) until I realized that's just what they'd always say. The price was never corrected. It was a painful process. I do like the couch though. Won't shop there again.
Load More Replies... My ex-husband and I frequently shopped at a very nice jewelry store in Madison. About 2 months before holidays we would go window shopping for me and our daughter. Typically it wasn't planned and just an errand. I used to wear a rather battered army jacket my uncle left me. When I did, I had a hard time getting helped. One day I was picking up my rings from their 6 month inspection, no help to be found. Waited and waited. When some one came to service counter to finally take me ticket, they were professional, but not friendly. Attitude changed drastically when they grabbed my repair out of back and took rings out of bag. It was disgusting. From then out I found the newest associate each time I went in and gave them the sale. Don't judge your customers based on how they are dressed.
I've never heard of rings getting a six month inspection. What is the purpose of that and why would you?
Load More Replies... So, it's really funny how many people assume that rich people would "look rich." Money gained doesn't necessarily break old habits. A person I have known would say they wouldn't walk out in fancy clothing, because they wouldn't want the attention. That attention could cost them their lives. Really, though. Not sure why kindness isn't the default.
I worked in retail and people's appearances never phased me. However, that first reply I would not have done as well - boils, overweight, gnarly hands, meh. But smelly? I have an oversensitive gag reflex - I cannot do smelly. I know people can't always help it either, but my stomach can't tell the difference between those unfortunate folk and the lazy-ass ones.
I have had to do smelly. I found if you breathe through your mouth, not nose it is bearable. You cant get the first whiff though. If they look smelly start breathing through your mouth right away.
Load More Replies... I worked at a car dealership in Victoria back in 2011. I was the only female salesperson on the floor. We had a customer come in on a motorcycle, typical tattoos, long hair, older ratty looking dude the salesmen told me that even though it wasn't my up the would be gracious and give it to me, so they could take a real up. So I went out and greeted this guy, he was the nicest person and informed me that his mom had passed and he had come into a large inheritance and wanted his dream car. He then custom ordered a 370Z convertible from me and paid full sticker cause he wanted me to have a good day too. The look on the other salesmens faces when I walked that deal into the Managers office was priceless. The icing on the cake was when the car came in he had me personally deliver it to his house and then had me drive him around in it for a couple hours so he could learn all the controls👌 Never judge a book by it's cover!
Both my self-made billionaire uncle and 2 exes of mine (one who owns the largest construction company in our 4-state region, the other who is one of the leading commercial real estate developers along the east coast) are like this. My uncle, who is German, dresses like a nutty old British professor in shabby clothes with holes in his sweaters, my construction-company ex BF shops looking like a foreman from a 90s Seattle grunge scene, and my ex who is a commercial real estate developer dresses like he just came off a boat (Which he usually did--wearing cargo shorts, tattered Ts, flip flops). It's hilarious watching them each unroll large stacks of money to pay cash for things when they look just shy of homeless--especially if we go some place to eat. All three have been known to tip $500+ for a $10 meal if the server treated them with respect despite how they looked. People who assume "the clothes make the person" obviously don't know any self-made million- or billionaires.
I always find it funny when people don't look beyond the clothing. You can tell the difference between the I've been boating or doing construction all day vs.a person in unfortunate circumstances most of the time. Besides, why would a broke or homeless person go into any of these places and even act like they wanted to buy something, looking like that? A scam artist dresses like Anna Delvey, not a hobo.
Load More Replies... I once worked with a lady who worked just because she was bored. She liked to buy a new Mercedes every year, out of pocket, wouldn't even haggle over price. One year she goes there and they have replaced all their salespeople. They wouldn't give her the time of day because she liked to dress comfortably and was a woman by herself. She never bought a Mercedes from them again - went somewhere else and started buying a new Toyota Lexus each year instead.
I have always shopped for my homes (4 new construction), cars at least 10 new) without my wife straight from work (I'm in manufacturing) because I want to see how people treat me, If I don't get the proper respect, I'm outta there and I ALWAYS SHARE MY EXPERIENCE ON YELP and similar review sites. Of I always included my wife on our final decisions.
Reminds me of an incident years ago in Greece.Travelling with a group of women a very casually dressed man approached our table and started a conversation centered on one of the group. She quickly let him know she wasn't interested (she wanted a wealthy guy). Long story short our waiter came up and asked which of us was the lucky lady. Seems Mister Casual was very rich, the waiter pointed out his very impressive yacht in the marina.
I have dated a few quite wealthy men that I had no idea were wealthy (nor did I care) because they didn't look the part. I'm very sapiosexual, though, so if they are very learned, intelligent, and witty, that's like the ultimate for me (looks don't really matter). I never really knew the wealth behind these guys until they started trying to whisk me away for exotic trips or, to my surprise, propose to me with humongous diamonds (although not as shocked as THEY were when I declined and told them I don't wear diamonds, anyhow, and haven't since I was in high school bc I refuse to support the DeBeers cartel). But it made me realize that a lot of single, wealthy men (especially self-made) dress very casual so that they never have to wonder if a woman is into them for their money or who they are. The guys I know who flaunt their money are usually so insecure deep down that they assume the only way they can avoid being alone is to exude wealth.
Load More Replies... People never learn. Unless he is testifying in front of Congress, even Zuckerberg only wears t-shirts most of the time.
Not only is it true that your clothes are no indication of how rich you are. But it's also true that a lot of rich people are really cheap, and a lot of poorer people buy things they can't afford. You can't tell who's going to pull out a credit card based on what they look like, so it pays for a salesperson to give polite service to everyone.
Most wealthy people have money because they don't spend it foolishly
Load More Replies... I worked for Panera Bread at one point and when I was interviewing with then, I saw this older gentleman who had very thin white hair, raggedy clothes, and looked like he worked day in and day out without breaks. I thought he was homeless and wondered if the store just let him come through, but when I got the job and started working, turns out this guy has quite a good payload and is a loyal customer. He's super sweet and friendly and he's been coming to this location on the corner even when different companies had their stores there. I was told the spot was an arcade at one point and also a pizza shop. It's more a lesson against me judging the book by its cover which I try not to do on the daily - everyone loved him. I hope he's doing well. I've also learned this lesson at my current retail job where anybody can be a thief, everyone is suspicious, but you gotta serve with a smile and take the bad with the good... even though we sadly don't get commission for a sale.
I learned the everyone can be a thief thing, working for Claire's. I think stealing from that place was a right of passage.
Load More Replies... When I lived in Raleigh, NC a friend of mine worked at a BMW dealership. I remember him talking about not judging a book by the cover. He said the person who pulls up in an expensive car, wearing expensive clothes, and carrying an expensive briefcase might have money, but equally might not. The car may be a rental, the clothes may be the only expensive clothes in their closet, and the briefcase may have been a gift, a convincing fake, or bought secondhand (same could be said of the clothes as well). Plus, they’re probably drowning in debt to keep up the appearance of prosperity, but couldn’t put a couple hundred bucks cash together if they had to. But some farmer in old overalls, who looks like he doesn’t have two nickels to rub together? He’s buying his granddaughter a BMW for her college graduation gift—-which might look like an impossibility for him, right? He picks out a car with all the extras, pulls out his ancient wallet held together with a rubber band, and pays for everything IN CASH!
My hubby was a new car salesperson for a time. Once after he left, a young man was walking in the car parking lot looking at cars. He looked it a teenager--saggy jeans, etc. he had a backpack. Security was watching his every move. One by one, the salespersons blew him off. Finally a new salesperson invited him in. When he checked the man's credit and he had no score. He wanted a $90k truck. He called corporate who said that this young man was just drafted by an NFL team and got a $2,000,000 signing bonus--give him what he wants. He dumped his backpack and he had around $100,000 in cash! He got his truck, paid cash and left. Never underestimate people who don't "look" a certain way.
Why do you write exactly what the screen grab says? Everyone reads the same thing twice. It's unnecessary.
My late husband and I went to buy a new fifth-wheel RV in 1996. We'd been to this dealership before and had narrowed it down to about half a dozen floorplans. We were dressed casually and arrived in our old truck. It was midweek and we were the only customers, so all the RVs were locked. The salesman (Tony) wouldn't open any for us and said, "We have some used pop-ups in the back." He gestured to the back lot and walked away. We left, went to another dealership on the same road, and purchased a motorhome that cost about twice what the fifth-wheels we had been considering did. At our request, the manager called the manager of the other dealership and told him how his salesman blew the deal
Yup, happened to me also. Went bed-shopping. With no actual limit on what to spend. I look casual, always. Husband at the time, dito. But we managed our own business, which was very very profitable, hence the no spending limit. Walked into the first store. The employees, who were drinking coffee together, checked us out, and in stead of helping us pick out a suitable bed, just told us to look around and tell them when we found what we were looking for. Did not want to assist us, even after we asked for it. So we left the store. Walked into the second store, asked for assistance, got it and spend 1,5 hours testing al kinds of beds, mattresses and combinations. Spending a whooping 5.500 euros in the end. I couldn't keep myself from going back to the first store to ask them if the worked on commission and tell them they missed out on a 5.500 euro sale. Loved the look on their faces ! Made my day even more
Similar story: My son was in college out of state and we visited often. Rather than constantly renting a car (expensive) , we asked him to shop around b4 we got there for something basic and reasonable, and we would follow up on our arrival. He went to a Chevy dealership with a friend, college kids mind you, so wearing flannel PJ pants and T shirts. All salespeople ignored him except one. He got some info, and the next day strolled in with his Dad and bought a car, from the helpful guy. The other salespeople who recognized him, stood there with their mouths hanging open like torn pockets. So rewarding :)
Happened to me about 2 months ago. Went into a Porsche Dealership and I was in my PJs almost and they kept telling I had to wait in a specific area because they had no selling agents available. After 1 hour of kindly waiting they kept telling me the same, I called another dealership of Porsche 30 minutes away and they told me that's impossible, they catered really well to customers so they contacted the manager from the current dealership and then 3 sales people appeared at the same time, including the manager. I simply told them, you just a sale because I was able to purchase the other one remotely from the other dealership while I waited and their manager confirmed it. Their faces went blank as apparently I was the only person who bought a car that day.
I had a neighbor no one talked to bc he seemed angry, distant. He had torn clothes and duct tape on his sneakers... he was frail but walked his dogs daily. One day I seem him in the street, face down, his dog had pulled him down. I go to pick him up and he's light as a feather. That day we became friends and I started taking meals to him. I learned he had no family and started doing his chores but I never went into his house bc of his one mean dog. A few months later he told me he was a millionaire and I brushed it off bc everything he owned was falling apart. One day he didnt get the groceries I left at the door and I called the police. He had fell. He died a couple months later. In his generosity in his Will, he left me three pcs of nice property and a house. ~He was deaf, not angry and so lonely. Dont judge people as you think they are... do more to know them as they truly are.
Not me but a friend. He owns his company as a home appraiser. Makes north of 200k a year but lives well within his means and doesn't act like a "rich" guy. Was driving his beater truck while wearing a t-shirt and holey jeans when he spotted a Porsche Cayenne at a dealership. He wanted to replace his wife's SUV so he stopped to ask about it. He was basically told he needed to leave because they wouldn't let poor tire kickers take their vehicles for test rides. He found another Cayenne a few days later, paid cash money, and made sure to visit the other dealer while dressed for work. The salesman didn't even know how to respond knowing the commission he lost.
My youngest sister was looking to buy a new car. She knew her credit history, income & had done her research so she knew EXACTLY what she was looking for. Three dealerships treated her like a child. She walked into the fourth dealership, looked at the salesman & said "I am looking to buy a car. I know my credit score, my credit history & my income. Do you want to sell me a car or not " He told he wanted to sell her a car, let her take the car home for a few days to try it out & got the sale.
Yes! Male car salespeople can be some of the most misogynistic people I've ever met (next to some older plumbers and electricians). I got screwed over buying my own first car at 18, so the next 3 cars I bought new, I studied up on EVERYTHING. I argued like hell with all 3 salesmen until their general managers had to take over because I kept shutting down every BS line they threw at me (I think they figure, "This works for everyone else..."---but not everyone else goes and does extensive research before purchasing a new car). At the end of the ordeals, 2 of those 3 GMs offered me a job in sales mgmt because they each said I knew the car, the financing promotions, etc. better than most of their staff did. Lol. I couldn't abide being a car salesman, but the first time it happened, I felt vindicated and decided I was never going back to not being fully armed and aggressive. Lol. Of course, ONE of the GMs DID ask me to please buy my cars elsewhere next time. 😆
Load More Replies... I was in the market for my first luxury class car and I was pre-qualified for a substantial loan amount. I wet to a Lexus dealer because I wanted to buy a Lexus. The salesman took me out for a test drive (he’s male, I’m a woman) but wouldn’t let me drive til we got to an empty lot because he didn’t trust my driving. I didn’t buy from him. I later went to a Mercedes dealer. The lady sales rep handed me the keys and let me test drive the car alone. She never questioned my driving skills. After that, I purchased several luxury class cars over the years but always from a woman sales rep - always. The men, without exception, were condescending but the women were respectful so they earned the commissions! Respect your customer and you will earn her loyalty and business.
This is a very weird attitude to have in any country nowadays. I work in a company where folks with 6-figure salaries wear jeans and t-shirts to business meetings. Some of those same folks drive beaters because they're cheap and reliable. It's a mistake to size up anyone by their appearance.
I was salesman in a store where, among other over-priced things, we sold air purifiers. Basically two types, with or without UV light inside. With UV light, price was two for $850. Very expensive. We worked on 8% commission. Middle aged guy comes in, unshaven, overweight, dressed sloppily. Three or four other sales people ignore him completely, he's not going to buy anything, spending time with him will result in no sale and time wasted. I approach him, ask if he needs any help. He asks about the expensive, top of the line air purifier. I explain it all to him, demonstrate it, even clean it to show how easy it is. Turns out, he's the handyman/caretaker for the owner of huge nationwide newspaper company, who just had heart surgery, needs very clean air for his mansion. This shabbily dressed guy, who was ignored by every salesperson, bought twelve air purifiers (because that's all that fit in his truck), and came back the next day and bought twelve more. Largest sale in my whole career.
Bored panda needs a report button for author's. While the story is good none of this is malicious compliance and they edited the headline just for clicks. But for the op good for you if a salesman has no time for you why should he get commissions. Salesmen try this at some car lots too. I went to by my car before last and I dressed comfortable. Couldn't find a salesman though my wife was approached several times. When I told my wife the salesman runs over "hey he doesn't work here", "sir I am calling the cops". I called a relative that worked in the office of their financial department. His supervisor comes running out telling him to shut up, to which the man responds why would someone like him be here if not to steal. Yeah he got terminated and I got a wicked discount.
Not about money but once, I bought some rather expensive pants I needed for a representative job. In my free time, in general I wore old jeans and converses, no makeup. After only two months, the pants just ripped, not even on the seam but right in the middle of my right butt cheek, at work of course. So, I went back to the store and some snotty sales woman refuses to believe they are the same pants as on the receipt I showed her. She then proceeded to tell me it was because I was too fat for the pants (I'm rather svelte and the pants were even a bit too big for me). Finally, she had to call a manager because I did not leave lol. The manager concluded she would give me another pair, as she thought I had bad luck with the ones I had. She also agreed I should size down for a better fit. It was so rewarding to see the sales person have a quiet meltdown when she was asked to conclude the swap. The second pair was excellent quality indeed.
I came out of hospital with my arm bandaged up from a carpal tunnel operation and as you can imagine I had to dress roughly, so I was wearing flip-flops, jogging bottoms and a baggy T-Shirt. My fiancée had picked me up from hospital, and we needed a new TV as well as a couple of kitchen gadgets and had saved up £2000 to blow on it all. Went to our local John Lewis and not only did they ignore us but actively walked away when we approached. We went elsewhere and got what we needed and sent their complaints department an email with a photo of the receipt of how much we spent and a photo of me and the address of the store where I was badly treated. News gets around fast where I live, and no one wanted to shop there any more. They closed their doors 6 months later. Turns out I wasn't the only one who complained about the bad treatment too
Once in Miami, I was disgustingly cheated at a Collins Av. restaurant. When I complained, the waitress told me "go back to your poor country you poor tourist. We don´t need you"
Years ago I had been painting the kitchen & got a call to go to a fancy dinner. Rather than take time to change I went in my painting clothes to an "upscale" department store to find something to wear that night. The security guard met me at the door & asked what I wanted. He escorted me to the department & stood by me the whole time. After a few minutes I left & bought something in the store next door. Too bad they treated me like a criminal & lost a sale forever. Never went back.
This happened to my husband and I in 2020 when we went to Carmax wanting to buy two cars. We found two vehicles that we were interested in purchasing. The salesman was so arrogant when we asked if they could do a better deal on the prices as we were paying cash. He stated that prices were the prices and they weren't willing to negotiate. We walked out with him and his manager chasing us to try to save the deal. We weren't interested at that point and told them that. A few days later we received a phone call from the owner still trying to sell us the cars. We laughed at him. We ended up purchasing the same models from other dealers that were willing to negotiate the prices because we paid cash.
I just have to share this. Was a college kid whose parents can afford my first BMW. So i went to a bmw dealership asking for a certain new model I liked. Was assigned a salesman who took servicing me as his smoke break. And didnt even let me test it while telling me that he should get back to work. Next day, came with a friend who bought a few cars from that dealership. Was served by another regular salesman of my friend. Even took a test drive of the newest M3 right out of the showroom. Eventually, I purchased a unit with cash. The first salesman? His face was down with regret the whole time.
My husband and I were ring shopping for the big day and found one we liked. We look young and dress comfortable because, well, it's comfortable! Even though we said multiple times we could pay for it outright, the salesperson insisted we use their financing options (and getting rude about it) which ended up frustrating my husband to the point of anger. We walked away and ended up elsewhere with a much better ring for a very decent price! Takes no effort to be kind and actually listen to people.
This kind of thing happens all the time, to all kinds of people. It's happened to me a lot.
When I first got a job at a telephone company in a city, they phone company took up an entire 5-story building plus all of a second 3-story building next door and on the corner of the street. There was a bank on the first floor on the corner. This is in the summer and an old man wearing a dirty, heavy overcoat and shoes with holes in them had just picked up a discarded cigar butt from the curb. After wiping it off he proceeded to light it. The next day he tried to get into the phone company building but there's a touch pad lock. (The building is not open to the public.) After I went inside I told the security guard about the old man trying to get in. He immediately went over and opened the door for him. It turned out the old man owned both buildings and a couple of other building on the block. The guy was a multi-millionaire but had the appearance of a 'jakey bum." When he left that building, he went into a restaurant a few doors down to collect the rent.
A former co-worker of mine had a story like this. We worked together at a mall and there was a high-end jeweler's in the mall that she'd gone to looking to buy a watch for her husband. She, a 60-something black woman, had gone in on her day off and so was wearing casual "comfy" clothes, and she couldn't get the associates to give her the time of day. Any item she asked to see, the associates acted like she might steal it and like she was wasting their time. She got so fed up with their attitude that she not only purchased the watch, but several items for herself. When the cashier asked who'd helped her -- that is to say, which associate earned the commission from her purchase -- she pointedly replied "no one" and left with her items. She retired about 5 years ago, wonder how she's doing now.
My cousin generally wears hippie-looking clothes and looks like any middle-aged suburban soccer mom. Once, she went to the bank to make a deposit and discuss safe deposit box options. Despite the hustle and bustle of the lobby, and the existence of several bank employees, no one gave her the time of day. After 20 minutes of being ignored, she stood in the center of the lobby and bellowed, "OK, who wants to help me with my $100,000.00 deposit??!" The response was immediate --"Right this way, Mrs. Cousin!""Have a seat Mrs. Cousin!!""Would you like some coffee or tea, Mrs. Cousin??" Turned out that the hippie-clad Mrs. Cousin owned a gold mine and there were plenty more deposits in store. People can be so short-sighted...
It may be a psychological ploy by the management...sometimes look down on a customer to force a buy from them...it's reverse psychology. But I suppose reputable outlet don't practise that though...
I've always had a job since I was old enough to get a permit to work at 14. When I was18, still in highschool, my best friend and I were coworkers. We had worked over the holidays, got that fresh holiday paycheck with overtime because we were out for Christmas/new years break. We decided to go to a "nice" restaurant in Raleigh "The Cactus Flower". The sun was still up and the place wasn't very busy. The hostess sat us and went to get us a waiter. We watched her walk to the wait staff, standing by the bar talking. They were young adults. One girl looked over her shoulder at us and laughed. She visibly shook her head no, and the other girl waitresses followed suit. One guy finally came to serve us and he was really nice. My friend and I figured the staff thought we were too young to be worth the trouble, assuming we were broke. So we both broke our a $50 each from our freshly cashed checks just to make a point. The girls probably just thought we liked the guy.. we liked respect.
I'm not rich by any means. I remember trying to get my first car. I was just out of nursing school in 1996 and the only credit I had was a $200 credit card. I wanted a Pontiac that cost $17,000. I had $2000 cash as a down payment, but they insisted I needed cosigner. That wasn't an option, so I didn't get a car from there. The next day, I went to the Honda dealership next door. After telling them what happened, I had no problem with approval. Their exact words were, you make more than enough money and have a down payment. Why do you need a cosigner? I was able to get fully loaded Civic, for the MSRP price since I chose them over their rival. A few days later, I get a call from the Pontiac dealership, and miraculously they reworked the numbers, so I can now come and get a car from them. My reply, sorry, I already got a car. From where? Next door at Honda. And I was able to get it without a cosigner and at a better deal than you were offering. Oh, ok.
Had a friend who owned 2 successful Chinese restaurants, who went to buy his brother in law(also his chef) a Cadillac. He dressed in jogging pants and flip-flops and borrowed an old station wagon to drive to the dealership. He walked around looking at new cars on the lot. A "salesman" came up and asked if he needed help. My friend put on a thick Chinese accent and asked how much the cars were. The "salesman" told him they were VERY EXPENSIVE and asked if he was sure he was in the right place. My friend replied maybe not. He drove a block down the street to the Mercedes dealership where he was greeted by a salesman who asked what he was interested in and offered to let him test drive the one he liked. He got back, wrote a personal check for the full amount, then drove the Mercedes to the Cadillac dealership and told the salesman he dealt with there, in excellent English, that he was right. He had been in the wrong place!
It seems a lot of people still have this image in their minds of how a wealthy person looks. Well, being wealthy isn't a prerequisite to being treated fairly either. So the whole mindset is pretty eff-ed up.
The responses are hilarious while quoting prices for a 300k car that didn't exist in those days The internet makes you minimum wage monkeys feel cool doesn't it
...I worked at a retail store that used the "up" system. A black Mercedes pulled in and right behind it a Buick. A man wearing a blazer got out and started walking towards the door at which time Doug got up and started heading for the door. Two older ladies got out of the Buick and also headed towards the store. The gentleman stopped at the door and opened it for the two ladies. Doug signaled to me to go ahead and take them and he would get the man. Turns out they just inherited their parents house and wanted new flooring through out and the man was looking for a doorway trim. CHERRY PICKING GONE WRONG
I went to buy the bank to inquire about a line of credit to purchase a vehicle. Without asking any questions or offering me a form to fill out the loan gal basically treated me as if I were a homeless person trying to use a jar of boogers as collateral and perhaps, I might jump on the counter and begin fornicating with a monkey or some equally horrifying act of lunacy. I left there and went to the dealership where I purchased a vehicle, with a down payment from my account I've held for 25 years at the same bank.
This is totally off topic, but I was in a mall with my children. I couldn't find my older son(15). I was so tired of walking around as I was carrying my 14 month old and asked the concierge if she would page my son. She said " we don't do that". I was furious. So I told her I would page him myself. I stood in the middle of the mall and screamed his name. When he showed up, he was laughing about it. "That's my mom!"
Load More Replies... I walked into a furniture store in search of a couch. Not one sales associate greeted me nor paid me any mind cos I was on my own for the day. They attached themselves to any families or couples that came in the store. I calmly walked out and sent a note to head office stating no one helped me nor gave me the time of day. Needless to say they found out what rolls downhill through their actions. Eventually the GM of that store gave me a sweet deal and not one of them got any commission on the highly discounted couch I purchased from that store.
My mother is salt-of-the-Earth looking, but she and my dad working their butts off as farmers, starting off with nearly nothing but being pretty solvent now. She was driving past a car dealership when a van caught her eye. It's the early 2000's and she walked into the dealership in her aqua-colored sweatpants and a ratty jacket. Strode up to the salesperson and asked him "How much for that van, straight-up cash, out the door right now?" Sales guy sniffs and points at the price on the window. Doesn't say a word. Mom shakes her head, drives 30 miles to the next dealer, Finds something comparable then walks to the sales manager's office. He cut 10% off the list price, she cut a check for the full amount, then drove back to the first dealer and walked into THAT sales manager's office. She got her van at a good deal, and the first salesman got his butt chewed. Don't judge a book by the cover. Some of these people aren't only better off than you think, they can be a force of nature when mad.
Often people with wealth prefer to stay under the radar, for lots of reasons.
I wouldn't call someone with only 1K USD disposable income wealthy.
Load More Replies... In my early days of living in Phoenix, Arizona, I would regularly visit a number of local, used bookstores... the kind where stuff isn't well organized and books are just stacked all over. At one particular store I often ran into this recurring customer who looked homeless... shabbily dressed, unkempt beard, etc. I would often see him talking to the store owner. After a while I guess he must have begun to recognize me as a regular visitor and would nod and sometimes say "Hi" as we passed each other walking thru store aisles. Never really had a conversation with him, and only ever saw him once outside of that bookstore. Turns out he was heir to the Hormel family fortune. Much later saw a pic of him in a tux from his younger days. He looked like George Carlin when he first started doing standup.
I went with partner to buy new baby clothes once, I was wearing one of his shirts, an old tatty shirt. I was very young too. Pulled out a few hundred in cash (bulk buy) and she then attended to someone else. Clothes were bagged already. She came back and said oh no you paid. I said no I hadn't, here is cash...and she insisted no you paid. Others were watching and laughing. So in the end we left with clothes and cash cause she refused to listen. I tried...but I bet it went badly at end of day till check!
Unfortunately, it's human nature to go for $50 now, instead of a dollar a day for six months.... Too many people have that mindset about every thing in life.
Give me 50 dollars on day one and I'll have more than 183 dollars 6 months later...
Load More Replies... .i kept getting messages when i tried to post that my BP account had been temporally suspended. anyone know what that is about? === my grandfather-in-law went to buy a truck. salesman made it difficult - walked across the street and paid cash for another truck. he was wearing overalls. ======== i used to have really long hair & a beard. it is amazing, amazing how differently you are treated based on your appearance.
I am sleeved out tattooed and on my days off I like to dress super comfy. Sweats, leggings, oversized shirt or tank whatever. Anyhow, EVERY store I go into I get followed around like I'm going to steal something it's the most annoying thing ever. But when I dismiss a sales associate for a manager and then drop serious cash it's really fun to see their faces.
His reaction was a non-verbal, deer in the headlights, blank stare. I didn't wait around for conversation. Mission accomplished.
Good story! But why is everything repeated? They tell the story and then repeat the same part of the story! Am I missing something?
This has to be the laziest article I've read in the last month. The authors essentially have taken what the OP wrote and repeated it virtually verbatim.
I was thinking the same. I don't even know why they feel like adding ANY commentary. Most of it is so drab and poorly written that it actually undermines my interest in reading stuff posted on BP at all.
Load More Replies... No, he left a customer he was already helping. Its rude.
Load More Replies... Five minutes? Yeah, nope. You have no idea why they were slow. They may have just opened and were still doing prep work. Of all these stories, yours is the only one that makes the customer seem rude and judgmental.
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