How knowledgeable are hi fi sales staff overall?

[magiccarpetride]

I've been frequenting various hi fi shops recently, looking for ways to improve my audio chain. Been chatting with the sales staff, asking questions.

What strikes me is the discrepancy I've been hearing from various 'experts'. Often times, what one sales guy claims is being denied by another sales guy (in a different shop, of course).

That made me wonder -- how competent overall are those sales guys? Do they know (are the expected to know) a lot of facts, or are they just expected to bullshit their clientele?

[rigger67]

Maybe they believe it because they stock the products and listen to them every day.

If you worked in the Levi's Store you'd probably think their jeans are better than, say, the ones they sell down the road in Diesel or across the mall in Gap.

I think the most you can hope for is a store that presents products according to what the client tells them they're looking for, their budget, room size, musical tastes, etc and lets the customer decide for themselves.

Then there's the consideration that customers already find themselves attracted to certain brands and go to the dealers that stock them so they're halfway there anyway.

I think the only way to be totally honest is in a used hi-fi store which stocks any and all brands regardless.

[walpurgis]

Why would you suppose dealer sales staff might be 'experts'?

Many of them could have little or no training and may only have been in the job a short while and picked up little real knowledge.

Some dealers use good people, but lets face it, those are probably hard to come by.

I think you are more likely to get well informed opinion here.


You wouldn't believe the crap I've had told to me at dealers. When they realise they are confronted by somebody who actually knows their stuff, they tend to spot another customer who requires immediate assistance and move away .

[magiccarpetride]

Why would you suppose dealer sales staff might be 'experts'?

Many of them could have little or no training and may only have been in the job a short while and picked little real knowledge up.

Some dealers use good people, but lets face it, those are probably hard to come by.

I think you are more likely to get well informed opinion here.

No doubt. But what I cannot get here is the ability to sit down and listen to the recommended components. The only reason I go to the brick-and-mortar stores it to be able to evaluate different configurations side by side. However, if the staff are not knowledgeable, they won't be able to demonstrate the right configuration, so it'll end up being a waste of everyone's time.

[Manicatel]

Like any other sphere, some know more than others. Some good some bad.
Then again, you will get customers who just want to go to a shop to show off how much they know.
A bit like going to a restaurant & telling the chef how you cooked your meal last night!
I know people who work in Hifi stores who go to manufacturers for training & also have visits from reps to update new products.

Then again, all the tech knowledge in the world is no good whatsoever if they can't talk to customers & are rude, with no people skills. It would be easy to baffle a new customer with tech info about streaming, for instance without effective communication skills.

[struth]

A good retailer will give sensible advice, even if he doesnt stock it or doesnt get the sale from it. The swings and roundabouts hopefully will kick in somewhere along the line and he will get his reward.
also a good retailer will stock what he thinks is best. Its unfortunately the case that some just stock and push the stuff they are going to make most cash on. A short term outlook

[Barry]

Last time I was in a Hi Fi shop was at least thirty years ago. It was a large and famous store in London, and I got the distinct impression the staff there were talking a load of bollocks, and seemed only interested in pushing the 'flavour of the month'. I should add that at the time most dealers were influenced by, and under, the hegemony of the Linn-Naim axis.

These days I do feel some sympathy with dealers - they have to invest a fair amount in the stock they hold, only to find that after taking time to demonstrate the kit to an interested customer, the customer says "Thank you" and goes and buys the kit on-line, thus undercutting the dealer and wasting his time.

[walpurgis]

Last time I went in a Richer Sounds shop, there was not one sales assistant who had a clue. That was a while back. Maybe things have improved?

[southall-1998]

Did you work in a Hi-Fi shop in your youth, Geoff?

S.

[walpurgis]

Did you work in a Hi-Fi shop in your youth, Geoff?

S.

Nope!