I think the guys at the camera store were making fun of me today

[Ranchu]

But its you who's concerned about your ego because the sales people cannot read your mind.

I don't care enough to bother about it really, like zumbido. I just don't buy a lens.

 

[zumbido]

All the time. They refer to something else we built that they've seen and want to know what it costs to get that same thing.

Totally different, because it's never actually a stock item in a box that you hand them, unless you're selling shrink-wrap software. But you implied that you're talking about contract project work, so that doesn't hold.

Yes, it does. Interest is shown in a product, this is an opportunity to sell.

I think what you aren't factoring in here is what's often called "barriers". By the time somebody is sitting down to ask you "build something just like this" for me, they've demonstrated a certain basic amount of seriousness. Not always a lot, but some, because they had to contact you, put together a meeting, etc. This is totally different from a retail setting, where there is no barrier (literally none, if you're already going past the shop) to going in and asking things like "how much does this cost?". I would venture a guess that the rate of time-wasting no-intention-to-buy contacts is literally multiple orders of magnitude higher for a person at a retail counter than it is for you sitting down with a possible customer.

Except in very particular rich-person niches (which a camera shop isn't unless *all* they do is, say, Leica), there is a huge opportunity cost to fawning over every person who asks you a simple question. You do that all day, and you'll miss the five people that were actually going to give you money because you spend all your time on contacts with a nil conversion rate. You have to be discriminating--and the busier you are, the more freedom you may have to actively send the message to people to not waste your time playing around.

It just isn't comparable, when you look at anything beyond the broadest brush strokes.

 

[RayPA]

I just love the title of this thread. Who hasn't thought that. In every camera store I've ever been in the staff has mostly exhibited a rude 'know-it-all' attitude. It used to be that way in coffee shops (in the pre-Starbucks era) and record stores.




/

 

[braver]

...

I accept your point about barriers, but you make too many assumptions to make it wortwhile to discuss anything.

 

[Ranchu]

Except in very particular rich-person niches (which a camera shop isn't unless *all* they do is, say, Leica), there is a huge opportunity cost to fawning over every person who asks you a simple question. You do that all day, and you'll miss the five people that were actually going to give you money because you spend all your time on contacts with a nil conversion rate. You have to be discriminating--and the busier you are, the more freedom you may have to actively send the message to people to not waste your time playing around.

Go for it, I certainly don't want to waste your time. I can get it for half elsewhere, where I don't pay your rent.

 

[zumbido]

I accept your point about barriers, but you make too many assumptions to make it wortwhile to discuss anything.

And, I feel exactly the same in reverse, so there it is. 🙂

 

[zumbido]

Go for it, I certainly don't want to waste your time. I can get it for half elsewhere.

You won't be wasting my time. I don't go anywhere near that sort of business any more, because people make it not remotely worth it if a person has any better option. There's a reason clerks, these days, tend to be lowest-common-denominator and low-pay: people make sure very few people with competence, knowledge, self-respect, and options want to do those jobs.

 

[Ranchu]

You won't be wasting my time. I don't go anywhere near that sort of business any more, because people make it not remotely worth it if a person has any better option. There's a reason clerks, these days, tend to be lowest-common-denominator and low-pay: people make sure very few people with competence, knowledge, self-respect, and options want to do those jobs.

Like I said, ego conflicts. And not my problem.

 

[Roger Hicks]

There are always customers you don't need. When they've been unpleasant enough, for long enough (and 'enough' varies widely), you tell them that you don't need them. Half they time they'll understand (sooner or later), and come back. The other half the time, you never see them again. Good.

But decide too often that "this is a customer I don't need," and sooner or later, you'll have no customers. The trick lies in getting the balance right.

And yes, I've worked in a camera store too. And software development.

Cheers,

R.

 

[jky]

...well this has been an interesting thread...

I've had clerks tell me that "back/front focus is a myth" while implying that I didn't know how to use a camera.... non-verbal & paraverbal communication indicated as such.
I've had a clerk at another shop tell me that "...I don't think this is the exact one you have 'cuz this is too expensive..." when inquiring about the F3hp (15 yrs ago) while only wearing my ripped up shorts, flip-flops and a nice baby-blue Ocean Pacific shirt.

Thank goodness the local shop I've been frequenting the past 10 yrs here in Calgary have been nothing but fantastic!

 

[Hjortsberg]

I just love the title of this thread. Who hasn't thought that. In every camera store I've ever been in the staff has mostly exhibited a rude 'know-it-all' attitude. It used to be that way in coffee shops (in the pre-Starbucks era) and record stores.

every camera store? man, that's sad.

Everybody has bad days. I accept that. Me, included. I just try to go thru life treating others the way I would like to be treated.

Why so many "rude 'know-it-all' attitude(s)" in your travels, you think? Mostly folks are pretty cool with me. The camera store thing didn't bother me much, just kinda surprised me a little so I made a passing post on an internet forum. Really, no big deal. Didn't bother me enough to complain to a manager or the like.

 

[zumbido]

every camera store? man, that's sad

Very. The staff at the two I frequent look like people you'd expect to have a bad hipster attitude, but they're all totally pleasant human beings as it turns out. I know more than they do about some of their stuff, they know more than me about most of it. It's always a good experience.

Record stores, on the other hand, we have two good ones and two really bad ones.

 

[retro]

was at the camera store picking up some film I had developed (my 3rd roll with my M3)

Had the M3 around my neck and was waiting for the film to be brought out.

Politely asked the guys behind the counter about the digital Leica's . Was told about the M9, about another that cost about 2 grand and the Leica point and shoot one. The guy made a big deal about saying how Panasonic makes the point and shoot one for Leica. Then he said something like the Leica that cost 2 grand was made by Leica and was almost the same as the point and shoot one but cost a lot more. my film arrived and I said thanks and left. While walking away I heard one of them say:

Leica. For the photographer that wants to pay a lot for a name.

Then they all laughed.

That's grossly unprofessional behavior on their part.

I would call the store and talk to the owner/manager and let
him/her know what kind of jerks are "working" there.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I don't know what to make of this thread. I worked in camera shops in the 1970s, working my way through college. I've bought at camera shops "a lot". If I want to see an item, I ask. If I want a price, I ask. I ask to see it if I like the price then quoted. If I like what I see, I buy it. I know more about cameras than most of the people working behind the counters. I've had salesclerks ask me to explain things to them. I had one clerk ask me to come back the next day to meet another customer that had inherited an old camera and explain it to them.

Working behind a counter, I had a customer ask me to explain how a zoom lens worked "before he was going to buy it". I had just finished a course in Optics. I explained how zoom lenses worked, how the cams worked, how focus compensation worked, he bought it.

 

[RayPA]

every camera store? man, that's sad.

Everybody has bad days. I accept that. Me, included. I just try to go thru life treating others the way I would like to be treated.

Why so many "rude 'know-it-all' attitude(s)" in your travels, you think? Mostly folks are pretty cool with me. The camera store thing didn't bother me much, just kinda surprised me a little so I made a passing post on an internet forum. Really, no big deal. Didn't bother me enough to complain to a manager or the like.

interesting reply. 🙂

I would never allow a rude salesperson to impact the quality of my day, and these days one can barely find a photo/camera store. The ones that remain still have their staff and their attitude (so what?). For the most part, record stores are a thing of the past, and when you can find one, they are very grateful for the business. And the new independent coffee shops are much nicer since the days when Starbucks moved in and ate their bacon.

Most of the rude know-it-all behavior I encounter on my "travels" these days I find out here on the 'net.







/

 

[Neare]

I think at the end of the day that there is an attitude that is attached to the photographic community. Record stores don't have it because it's all cool with everyone loving music - however, when you're dealing with cameras, everyone is thinking "my skills are better, my camera is better & my lens is bigger". Photographers have attitudes to other photographers, ego's come with the profession.

 

[jan normandale]

Is this thread is getting weird?

 

[Hjortsberg]

I think at the end of the day that there is an attitude that is attached to the photographic community. Record stores don't have it because it's all cool with everyone loving music - however, when you're dealing with cameras, everyone is thinking "my skills are better, my camera is better & my lens is bigger". Photographers have attitudes to other photographers, ego's come with the profession.

Ding....ding...ding.... We have a winner.

 

[Hjortsberg]

interesting reply. 🙂

I would never allow a rude salesperson to impact the quality of my day, and these days one can barely find a photo/camera store. The ones that remain still have their staff and their attitude (so what?). For the most part, record stores are a thing of the past, and when you can find one, they are very grateful for the business. And the new independent coffee shops are much nicer since the days when Starbucks moved in and ate their bacon.

Most of the rude know-it-all behavior I encounter on my "travels" these days I find out here on the 'net.







/

Why have the attitude to begin with? (not you personally, a hypothetical question to your "so what "comment.) Just treat others the way you would like to be treated. easy nursery school stuff.

 

[calebk]

Wow that's nasty. I've spent a fair share of my time working behind the counter in a camera shop and the bottom line of it, and any service sector jobs for that matter, is to always be polite and respectful. I would've turned around and called him out on the basis of sheer disrespect and ignorance...



(because there's no panasonic equivalent for your M3 -_- )

I actually don't know what it stands for exactly, but it's a method of processing photos that result in very fake, ugly, and tasteless images...

I'm sorry, I do HDR when I shoot digital and I thought your comment was really stereotypical. HDR stands for high dynamic range, and it's supposed to give you a dynamic range closer to what the human eye can see.

That being said, a lot of people don't realize the objective of the exercise and go out to make images that look surreal and even narrower in latitude than with a single exposure, which just serves to defeat the purpose of calling it HDR anyway.