+1 @celtic66 You get it. Cheers
How many times can u visit a hifi store before it annoys the store if u plan on a purchase
I plan on buying a McIntosh system C12000 and 2 MC611 monoblocks in a about 3 months from this Stereo shop I have chosen. I’ve been to the store about 4 times over the past year and half to listen to various components trying diff equipment.
My question, is, what would be considered visiting the store to much before I buy a system? I plan on spending over 20k but I didn’t know what is proper etiquette.
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In the 80's there was a Boulder Sound Gallery in downtown Denver. As I worked downtown I'd pop in about once a week to see what was new or just shoot the breeze. I never gave them the "someday" line. I never monopolized their time and when there were other customers, I'd just nod or wave and stay out of the way. It didn't take long until they were comfortable with me and moreso when I did start buying things. (I had a young family and money was tight.) One day I went in to buy some Monster Cable and connectors to make my own. They asked if I'd be interested in a barter: I'd make cables for their listening room and in return, I'd get mine for free. Win-win! Eventually I bought my Acoustat 1+1s and an ARC SP3-A that had come in on trade. My point is, there's a right way and wrong way to hang out in an audio store or any business for that matter. Don't be a dick and you should be okay. |
You need to be respectful of the dealer’s time with your visits without buying anything otherwise the dealer’s radar will go up on you, you might be discussed negatively within their shop, and your experience with them will suffer. No problem visiting occasionally of course but avoid long conversations or demos that distract the dealer from real paying customers assuming that you never purchase. Once the dealer’s radar is up on you, your only recourse is to reset by admitting that you were a time waster, then buy something then and there, preferably without a lot of negotiating and even better if you cheerfully pay at or near full retail. The only exception is if you have a personal friendship with the dealer, but even then be respectful and circumspect about your visits and discussions. |
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The factors that determine how many visits you can make depends upon the personality of the business as set by the proprietor, the personality of the sales person you get assigned, and your personality. I had a similar experience as @jasonbourne71 at Lyric Manhattan where I could not get in the door but was always treated well, even when just inquiring without intent to purchase at Lyric Westchester. There was a high end store in Great Neck NY that actually was yelling aggressively at me because I couldn’t sing along with the bass line concluding I had no ear. His premiss, documented in a position paper he provided, was that a high end system was of a resolution that permits you sing along with the melodies. I guess he was not selling me a high end system. Yet another proprietor in Manhasset down the road apiece let me audition at my leisure, being informative without trying to influence. You know who got the sale. Recently, Bill Parish at GTT Audio was extremely patient suffering from multiple calls, never pressuring or putting me off, for over a year, until I finally purchased a Mola Mola Tambaqui from him. The key is to be sincere and try to set appointments. If you are, the seller will let you demo as often and long as you need. |
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