Ever feel like a "low dollar" customer that your dealer doesn't think worth their time?

@rushfan21, apologies if you didn't appreciate my contribution, however, the subject was not audio, but how one was treated.  So I added my contribution to let some know that for you it is rare, but sometimes (in the past) often at some audio stores, but for some of us on a daily basis, this is standard.

Also, my contribution was to discuss how I treated the rude person in order to continue on the path I was on when I walked into the store.

enjoy

I appreciate this thread very much. I've haunted stereo stores since around 1975, and I've certainly experienced my share of places that are unwelcoming. Luckily, I found a store owner in New Haven, CT, who was open and generous, I stuck with him for thirty years even though I moved five hours away. 

What I find especially strange is that there's almost nothing to do in high-end stores unless you're being helped. It's not like a furniture store where you can try the different couches, or even Best Buy where you can fool around with the electronics. I don't feel comfortable moving speakers or cables, connecting speakers to different amplifiers, putting on my own music, or messing around with the gear without permission/encouragement. I had this experience at a New Hampshire store earlier this year; I spent at least half an hour wandering around, I even made a couple friendly remarks to the men working there, but no one welcomed me or offered to help, even though as far I could tell it was a very quiet weekday afternoon with no customers in the place. I would say that I was studiously ignored. After a while I left; needless to say, no one said a word as I walked out. It's a pity; I guess I take Harbeths off my list?? Or cut my ponytail? (I should say that the owner of the store wasn't there. He has a good reputation and I don't mean to impugn the store. And, yes, I had emailed with him before I drove down.)

As others have said, it's a weird experience to be ignored or slighted, especially when one is ready to spend $10k or more. 

“Studiously ignored” is the perfect way of capturing what I experienced, with one additional fact: I have spent money there already!

Going downhill... too bad, snooze you lose.

There is a local chain here in Northern CA that use to be one of "the" places to go 25 years ago. The owners i use to know well are no longer around, hiding in back warehouses somewhere replaced by 2-3 salesmen up front you don’t recognize and none recognize you or care to. All three salesman sitting behind the counter, looking at their computers with nobody else in the store. Big fancy showroom place with four different dedicated audio rooms - lots of overhead too! Lots of fancy lights on, systems powered on, - idling and playing for nobody, burning energy. Somebody gets to pay for all that, how nice.

So, as i walk in, all three guys are heads down behind the counter, I’m thinking... Hmm, what are they looking at, ugh.. maybe a pile of orders coming in - NOT! Something super important I guess, and it takes all THREE of them to figure it out, whatever it is, um, no. Surfing the internet, yes! Must be super interesting, whatever it is :)

Now with a pandemic, no more surfing at a fancy showroom - now the playing fields are equal, store closed - it’s all about "productivity" and results and who sells products online...can’t blame walk-in customers or lack thereof any more. Retail may be changed forever now. Only those who produce will survive as manufacturers and distributors venture more to online sales, more so every year now.

I was there to check out the newer McIntosh MA-252 tube hybrid den room amp for a friend who asked me what I thought.... As I’m walking in, dressed in work close on and all - got a quick look up and glance, told them what I was looking at, and not one of them got up out of their chair to even walk over and show anything. Lazy pr$%s! I browsed each room quickly having not been there for a while... headed for the door, one of them tried to say something as my hand was on the door handle and I just said no thanks - keep surfing and walked out.

Shared back to my buddy I’d never buy an amp or any gear there any more, customer service was crap and nimrod sales people can’t get their faces out of their phones and off their screens any more - rather order from a hungry sales person online or pay an eager BestBuy/Magnolia guy and tip him to just order it instead. They can order McIntosh, let ’em at it. Can’t imagine this other old store will last too many more years with high prices paying too much overhead for 3 sales people who rather surf the internet.

Must be nice to get paid to surf the internet not helping customers. Decided not to tell the owners, if they are so rich to pay people to surf the internet and not do spot checks on their new generation absolutely useless sales staff - wish them all the best of luck.

Sure appreciate the happy hungry hard working sales people of prior generations. Many I knew long ago all went on to do bigger and better things in life and they all earned it :)