Dude. It's not about how young you are, your level of knowledge, or anything else about you. In retail, whether you're selling cigars, auto parts, baby strollers or home improvement products, you're going to meet a lot of dumb-asses who know everything. Enjoy your gig, take them for what they are, and get a chuckle out of it. You know what you know, and at the end of the day you get to talk smack about some moron who thinks that Rocky Patel is the be-all, end-all of the cigar world. I was talking online with a very dear friend of mine stationed overseas a couple years ago, and he told me he was just sparking a cigar. I asked him which cigar, and he told me "Rocky Patel, baby!" I asked him which one and of course he didn't know, and he said "it's a big light colored one". I sent him a fiver of Tats and he hasn't been the same since. He still knows very little about cigars, but we're still good friends and he bounces purchase ideas off of me every now and then. You can only educate those who wish to be educated. One of the most knowledgeable B/M staff I ever met was about a 25 year old female. She knew what to ask, she smoked, and she never steered me wrong. Bottom line, if you deal with someone who has at least a bit of knowledge themselves, they'll recognize your knowledge. If they already "know everything", you ain't gonna impart any wisdom on them but you can sell them some really great Quorums.
Age bias when it comes to B&M dealings?
- Thread starter glfgd82
- Start date
I'm in the exact same scenario you are man, I'm in my early 20's and I had to earn the respect from a lot of the regulars at our shop...but as far as people that come in I don't really give them an option to size me up. Anyone who talks to me for any amount of time realizes that I know what I'm talking about, and that cigars are a passion for me and not just a job. Keep smoking man and don't let these guys get you down, sounds like the guys that you were dealing with aren't worth the grief.
Most of the guys who work at the cigar lounge where I hang out are fairly young and I don't hear about them getting too much trouble. They just rant about people being imbeciles. Worst comes to worst do what I did when I worked retail back in college, strain to remain civil while they are there and as soon as they leave sneer and call them an idiot.
danthebugman
BoM Nov '10
This ^ :thumbsup:. I work at a Veterinary Clinic and it still blows my mind the people that come in or call looking for advice, but then would rather believe their neighbor or friend's uncles' nephew over you. Only I have to wait to get off work to smoke cigars :laugh:. If the knowledge base is there and you're friendly enough you'll win over many of them, but not all. As long as they're enjoying their Perderma Lot 46's, more power to 'em. I probably under-utilize the shop staff at most places I visit. The reason is mostly because locally the staff doesn't seem to know much about cigars. I've been in the humidor on more than a few occasions where someone has asked a question about a particular cigar and the staff just shrug their shoulders. We're talking easy stuff like where's this one from.
In my time working with people, I've actually found that this type of mentality is counter productive. No matter how good you might think you are about conveying niceness if in your head you're thinking how much of an idiot the person is, one of two things is going to happen. Either the person is going to pick up on it and you'll not be able to gain their respect or you'll not really put forth the best advice. Either way you stand a pretty good chance of never getting them to try a product or service. It took me a little while to realize this and I've gotten better with it and as I've gotten better I've noticed my success rate with people I'd classify as "difficult" has gone up.
Dan
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javajunkie
BoM July '12
actually, it is more theatre. know your audience. sometimes they respond to the show, you play off each other, and you get something great. sometimes you play to a brick wall, and make the best of it. and sometimes you get hecklers, and try to roll with it with finess and grace. and if you throw shit back at them, the show is over, unfortunately.
predjudice is usually ascribed to its biggest and nastiest aspects, but it exists in all levels: pre judgement, assumptions placed as a filter over a situation. act classy, stand by your shit, but know that some people hear, but will never listen.
That is so true. I worked in retail when I was quite young, and I became an extremely good actor because of it. Keeping a smile on your face when you don't feel like, or knowing when to frown and put something down with somebody is a huge part of customer service. Being able to size somebody up in a moment goes much further than even knowledge does, I'm sad to say. People who give consistently good customer service in big box retail environments are better actors than you will ever come across on the big screen. 99% of people don't like to hear that, but it's true. I never "hated" anybody I dealt with, I knew I would most likely never see them again and if I did, it would be for a few minutes once every blue moon. I had customers on the morning of black friday try to punch me, plow over me, scream the worst things you could dream up at me, etc. and I still kept a smile on my face, and more times than not the left with a smile on their face too. (Even the one that took a swing, ended up selling him a $600 camera, rofl)
The environment I worked in was completely different than the B&M that you work in, but some of the same ideas come into play. Don't take a single thing any customer says personal, they would say the same thing no matter who was in your shoes. Like you said, just shrug it off, know you're getting paid money to talk to them, and move on from there.
Lots of good advice here. Ill add a short comment that will hopefully provide some perspective.
When it comes to people like those you described, how they act, the comments they make and their willingness to be open minded is a reflection on them and who they are. It has very little to do with you.
Just be yourself, guide those who are willing to be guided and point the rp guy to the rp section in the humi.
I worked in restaurants for years when I was in school. It broke my heart to see the guy order up the bone in new york....... well done. But hey, it was his steak and his waste , not mine. I just offered up a glass of wine to go with.
When it comes to people like those you described, how they act, the comments they make and their willingness to be open minded is a reflection on them and who they are. It has very little to do with you.
Just be yourself, guide those who are willing to be guided and point the rp guy to the rp section in the humi.
I worked in restaurants for years when I was in school. It broke my heart to see the guy order up the bone in new york....... well done. But hey, it was his steak and his waste , not mine. I just offered up a glass of wine to go with.
There are those older guys that always see anyone under their age as dumb kids...no matter how much you know they will never believe you. Then you will meet some young teens that think they know everything about life and don't want to hear your opinion.
Some people are just jackasses bottom-line, just smile and nod because even if you do talk they're going to hear what they want. Ignorant people are simply not worth the stress.
Some people are just jackasses bottom-line, just smile and nod because even if you do talk they're going to hear what they want. Ignorant people are simply not worth the stress.
StogieNinja
Derek | BoM June 2014
Is that the girl at Tinderbox over on Hosmer?
Cigary43
Just Another Ashhole
Craig gave some sage advice. Customers come in all shapes sizes and mental acuity and when you work in retail it's just part of the job. Being young has nothing to do with knowledge but the older generation ( myself included ) tend to think in terms of experience in any given field and that usually reduces it to age. With cigars the people who start in this hobby tend to want to talk with somebody they rationalize as having wisdom...so there goes the age thing. All you can do is give them the best service you can and if they take it...wonderful...if not there is always somebody behind them to make a sell.
Lots of posts in this one, and I didn't read them all.
I was you this time last year. Only like Sin I worked in a shop where customers were not always right. I had a customer get their panties in a wad about asking for ID on a credit card purchase. Asshole called me "son" and then said "sorry sometimes I can be an asshole". Him calling me son pissed me off a bit since I had already been around the world in the military before my ass landed back in the states for college. I then responded "well your ability to be an asshole is apparent to me, I was just trying to make sure the person using your credit card was you". Then he got really pissed off. I let the owners know and they said "aah fuck him he's an asshole anyhow". Besides the fact when he was flipping out he dropped a receipt from another store all while claiming long time loyalty to the shop I worked at. I had worked there two years at that point and never saw his dumb ass.
I never really had a problem with people not taking my advice. My best advice is to not let it bother you, and when a customer pulls shit like "ooh perdomo lot 46s are ultra limited", I'd correct them, and say "well if you don't believe me that's fine, but you are incorrect". I've crushed many customers wrongly informed fantasies over 2.5 years of working in a B&M when I was in college.
I was you this time last year. Only like Sin I worked in a shop where customers were not always right. I had a customer get their panties in a wad about asking for ID on a credit card purchase. Asshole called me "son" and then said "sorry sometimes I can be an asshole". Him calling me son pissed me off a bit since I had already been around the world in the military before my ass landed back in the states for college. I then responded "well your ability to be an asshole is apparent to me, I was just trying to make sure the person using your credit card was you". Then he got really pissed off. I let the owners know and they said "aah fuck him he's an asshole anyhow". Besides the fact when he was flipping out he dropped a receipt from another store all while claiming long time loyalty to the shop I worked at. I had worked there two years at that point and never saw his dumb ass.
I never really had a problem with people not taking my advice. My best advice is to not let it bother you, and when a customer pulls shit like "ooh perdomo lot 46s are ultra limited", I'd correct them, and say "well if you don't believe me that's fine, but you are incorrect". I've crushed many customers wrongly informed fantasies over 2.5 years of working in a B&M when I was in college.
hdroadglide
BoM x 2, BoY 2011
It's like anything that involves subjective taste. Ones own opinion is supreme. I am also put off by employees who are cigar "salesman" whose goal is to push the latest general or altadis product
I'm dealing with one case now where I refused to give a customer something he wants (and with very good reasons too - but I can't go into them here), and now he's threatening me with "I know people and I will talk to them!". Thankfully my bosses are backing me and say I am doing the right thing.
No, it was a girl that worked at Smokey Joe's in Fife. She's not there any more.
ciggy
"TommyBoy"
I fail to understand how age has anything to do with smoking a cigar. If your into the hobby, there's no rule on age. Some people are just born arsholes!
Wish I lived where part time jobs like this existed. Our B&M's are family owned and ran. No outside help required or requested.
As true as it can get!
I did sales for many years when I was younger...even in my teens. If a customer was like this I'd be patient, listen, then work around it telling them what they want to hear while getting MY point across. I'd actually beat out the older salesman in sales because of this.
Sounds less like ageism and more like jackass-ism...that guy is a jackass, man.