Honest question Dave - what sort of training do your retail staff get? I find it really variable in the Wellington store, consistently better in Lower Hutt.NZRS-Dave wrote: ↑Fri Aug 13, 2021 12:23 pm That sucks, Slowy.
I wasn't meaning to infer that the lack of service was in some way related to you. Apologies.
Having grumpy customer is great training but so frustrated as for many customers - there are other options - people can purchase elsewhere and overseas so we do need to work harder to keep the customers we have.
Rockshop Albany - High End Guitars taken ...
Moderators: Slowy, Capt. Black
-
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 20761
- meble-kuchenne.warszawa.pl
- Joined: Wed Sep 07, 2005 12:08 pm
- Location: Wellington, NZ
- Has liked: 640 times
- Been liked: 808 times
Re: Rockshop Albany - High End Guitars taken ...
Aquila Rosso wrote:I don't a mind an iced tea rimjob one little bit
Molly wrote:Trousers are no substitute for talent
druz wrote:I present to you, the whogivesafuckocaster
- Slowy
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 22903
- Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2009 4:13 pm
- Location: Orcland
- Has liked: 1021 times
- Been liked: 2505 times
Re: Rockshop Albany - High End Guitars taken ...
No apologies necessary Dave and it had nothing to do with your operation.NZRS-Dave wrote: ↑Fri Aug 13, 2021 12:23 pm That sucks, Slowy.
I wasn't meaning to infer that the lack of service was in some way related to you. Apologies.
Having grumpy customer is great training but so frustrated as for many customers - there are other options - people can purchase elsewhere and overseas so we do need to work harder to keep the customers we have.
I regret the whole thing. I'm sure he's a good guy but sometimes folks just get off on the wrong foot. And because it's such a mission getting there, we're unlikely ever to resolve it.
Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase. This is as true of humans as it is of gas molecules in a sealed flask. The human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system, but what kind of existence is possible for those who so survive.
- Molly
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 24984
- Joined: Sat Dec 21, 2013 12:17 pm
- Has liked: 2495 times
- Been liked: 2804 times
Re: Rockshop Albany - High End Guitars taken ...
That's me. Can't get from one end of the day to the other without rubbing up against someone (too easy, JB). I think I'm just incredibly intolerant of everyone and everything. I'd say I'm working on it but I'm really not.
- Slowy
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 22903
- Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2009 4:13 pm
- Location: Orcland
- Has liked: 1021 times
- Been liked: 2505 times
Re: Rockshop Albany - High End Guitars taken ...
Referring to another discussion: Harlan Ellison. Described as, "The only known organism whose natural habitat is hot water."
There's a mentor for you!
Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase. This is as true of humans as it is of gas molecules in a sealed flask. The human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system, but what kind of existence is possible for those who so survive.
- NZRS-Dave
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 2592
- Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:32 pm
- Has liked: 4 times
- Been liked: 52 times
Re: Rockshop Albany - High End Guitars taken ...
Oh - that's a big topic.
You might think that we get training on every product we sell so that we can be experts - but in reality it doesn't work that way.
Some brands provide trainers who travel about the stores and dispense training - but not all brands. And they don't train you on all the products they do. There is an impetus on staff to 'know their area' and there's no better incentive to learn something than having to tell a customer "I don't know".
Most of the time you know the basics of how something works and so you only need to know what makes it different from another product. For example I couldn't tell you which guitars have an alder body and which have ash - but I know that alder is lighter and boomier than ash. But I also know that pickups / electronics / price of guitar can have just as much influence as the wood type. I'd expect a $2000 ash guitar to sound better than a $500 alder guitar.
We also expect the 'older' staff (time served / experience oriented) to school up the 'younger' staff.
Most staff meetings (usually once a week) will have a staff member demonstrate a piece of gear in the interests of expanding everyone's knowledge.
Sometimes we do a pizza night and I have done a lighting session (rant) for when asked. Hated it. I got really nervous.
The other things is that we aren't experts anymore - the internet allows most people to be more knowledgeable about things when they walk in the door. Or knowledgeable about that specific product.
My favourite question of today - in reference to the muffs on a set of headphones - 'are they vegan'. They weren't.
Yup - that's me and my pal Steve or little stevie vai as I like to call him. In Auckland airport when I was 26. I'm not 26 anymore.
- robthemac
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 8709
- Joined: Sun Apr 28, 2019 3:47 pm
- Has liked: 1112 times
- Been liked: 1432 times
Re: Rockshop Albany - High End Guitars taken ...
To be fair, it's kinda becoming a standard option on high-end headphones these days.
- Molly
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 24984
- Joined: Sat Dec 21, 2013 12:17 pm
- Has liked: 2495 times
- Been liked: 2804 times
Re: Rockshop Albany - High End Guitars taken ...
Answer: "No, but that guitar you're playing required the destruction of a Brazilian rain forest and the trawling of a sea bed for the nice inlays".
-
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 20761
- Joined: Wed Sep 07, 2005 12:08 pm
- Location: Wellington, NZ
- Has liked: 640 times
- Been liked: 808 times
Re: Rockshop Albany - High End Guitars taken ...
Thanks Dave. Not surprised to hear it mainly focuses on product, and that it's getting harder to stay on top of things. Nothing more generic like "we always greet a customer within X minutes of them walking in", like some other retail places?NZRS-Dave wrote: ↑Fri Aug 13, 2021 1:58 pmOh - that's a big topic.
You might think that we get training on every product we sell so that we can be experts - but in reality it doesn't work that way.
Some brands provide trainers who travel about the stores and dispense training - but not all brands. And they don't train you on all the products they do. There is an impetus on staff to 'know their area' and there's no better incentive to learn something than having to tell a customer "I don't know".
Most of the time you know the basics of how something works and so you only need to know what makes it different from another product. For example I couldn't tell you which guitars have an alder body and which have ash - but I know that alder is lighter and boomier than ash. But I also know that pickups / electronics / price of guitar can have just as much influence as the wood type. I'd expect a $2000 ash guitar to sound better than a $500 alder guitar.
We also expect the 'older' staff (time served / experience oriented) to school up the 'younger' staff.
Most staff meetings (usually once a week) will have a staff member demonstrate a piece of gear in the interests of expanding everyone's knowledge.
Sometimes we do a pizza night and I have done a lighting session (rant) for when asked. Hated it. I got really nervous.
The other things is that we aren't experts anymore - the internet allows most people to be more knowledgeable about things when they walk in the door. Or knowledgeable about that specific product.
My favourite question of today - in reference to the muffs on a set of headphones - 'are they vegan'. They weren't.
Aquila Rosso wrote:I don't a mind an iced tea rimjob one little bit
Molly wrote:Trousers are no substitute for talent
druz wrote:I present to you, the whogivesafuckocaster
- Molly
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 24984
- Joined: Sat Dec 21, 2013 12:17 pm
- Has liked: 2495 times
- Been liked: 2804 times
Re: Rockshop Albany - High End Guitars taken ...
The thing that irks me with a lot of retailers is when they trot out the line: "No. We don't have it in stock but we can order it in..." I usually reply: "Yes. So can I."
- NZRS-Dave
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 2592
- Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:32 pm
- Has liked: 4 times
- Been liked: 52 times
Re: Rockshop Albany - High End Guitars taken ...
*stabs Molly*
Of course we should have everything.
*stabs Molly again just in case*
Don't make me SEARCH customer="Molly" on you.
Yup - that's me and my pal Steve or little stevie vai as I like to call him. In Auckland airport when I was 26. I'm not 26 anymore.
- NZRS-Dave
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 2592
- Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:32 pm
- Has liked: 4 times
- Been liked: 52 times
Re: Rockshop Albany - High End Guitars taken ...
Oh right. Yes.
-We always have someone at the counter to greet people. And for store security.
-We try to check in on 'just browsing' customers.
-We try to get the phone in three rings.
-We try to make sure we open a few minutes before our opening time. And we generally shut late if we have to.
-We don't allow offensive material on the in house music. And we try to keep the metal to a minimum as that can be hit n miss on some people.
-We shouldn't eat / drink behind the counter / in the store - but even I do that one.
Yup - that's me and my pal Steve or little stevie vai as I like to call him. In Auckland airport when I was 26. I'm not 26 anymore.
-
- Vintage Post Junkie
- Posts: 1359
- Joined: Fri Apr 27, 2018 3:14 pm
- Location: Wellywood
- Has liked: 18 times
- Been liked: 265 times
Re: Rockshop Albany - High End Guitars taken ...
Have found that Hutt City has got better stocking stuff since Diana took over, haven't bought much more than strings from them though.
Town is a different experience, but then they do serve a different demographic. I dont think i even got spoken to when I was in the Palmy store a few weeks ago...
- Bg
- Site Admin
- Posts: 43348
- Joined: Fri Sep 05, 2003 12:13 am
- Location: Auckland
- Has liked: 2269 times
- Been liked: 3924 times
Re: Rockshop Albany - High End Guitars taken ...
My favourite answer to that would be - fuck off, you're barred.
So, is that low alcohol or no alcohol at all? mmmm, no alcohol, do you want to try it? Noooooooooo.