Author Topic: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer  (Read 11767 times)

Offline vinodh

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Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« on: August 11, 2020, 11:23:50 AM »
Guys, there's something I want to get off my chest.

EVERY watch retailer I have been to recently has been an unpleasant experience.   

When I walk into your ground floor store at a mall, I want to browse freely. I love Citizen/Seiko/Casio. The minute I walk-in though, the salesguy will jump up from watching youtube videos at his desk and tail me -- standing inches from my ass and staring at my face. Where is the fun in that?? And when I leave, they sigh a big sigh of relief. It's almost like they don't want any business because, you know, they will have to do some work. And this happens to me ALL the time. I honestly don't know what the deal is.

The only cool people I have met in the watch game have been grey market dealers at upper floor publika, sunway giza, starling mall and a shoplot in subang jaya. Everyone else, seriously, I don't know what to say -- lose the tired uncles smoking on plastic chairs outside your shop waiting for customers with a sea of two tone inside, the jaded aunties who are just passing time with no product knowledge -"you want or not???"" and if feel yourself unhappy with people coming to your store because you think, they are wasting your time -- consider having "by appointment only" for new customers and you can allow them to browse at leisure and try things on. Then you can focus more attention on marketing instead of selling.

This is the 2020s after all and not 1970. How things are now are different than how they used to be.
« Last Edit: August 11, 2020, 11:42:55 AM by vinodh »

Offline G.MAC

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #1 on: August 11, 2020, 06:11:54 PM »
Agree with you. However, do not be disheartened. Just go about looking at the pieces you are interested in. The salespeople can sigh, moan, groan or make whatever noise they want. For me, I have gone from caring about what salespeople think or do when attending to me to merely looking at how much discount they can give as I am confident that I can purchase what I am looking at. I have long consider the "AD experience" to not mean much. They can be overbearing and as unwelcoming as they want with me but when push comes to shove and i want to make a purchase, they better be able to give a good deal or I will take my business elsewhere. A good price is way better than top notch service. Being courteous or smiling at me only to not give discounts when i am buying is not worth it in my books. I don't want to pay for service so just give me a good price and i will walk off a winner.
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Offline vinodh

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #2 on: August 11, 2020, 07:25:26 PM »
G.Mac, you are absolutely right. That's the best way to look at it. Why should I really care about the retail experience: I should just focus on getting the best price on these fungible Rolex models that are still under warranty. The world, after all, is filled with badly run businesses and lackadaisical managers/employees.

Wow, thanks for setting me straight -- you 'da man.

Offline dpkong

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #3 on: August 11, 2020, 07:38:58 PM »

Maybe you look like someone who's got a sledgehammer stashed in your pants and will take a few watches away with it?

 :Laughing_on_floor:


But seriously, most ADs now have young, eager salespeople who aren't well trained and do not know how to be close enough to answer your questions yet far enough so that they don't look like potential snatch thieves or pickpockets.

The only grey dealers I have visited are at Berjaya Times Square and they won't even open the door to let me in ... and those that do would give me the look that I should leave ASAP ....

 :thumbsdown:

Offline dualcarb

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #4 on: August 11, 2020, 08:52:31 PM »
These guys are hired at very low pay to sell watches that they have no interest in. To them...it is just a job. They sell, they get the same salary, they don’t sell, they also get the same salary. They are NOT WIS and they don’t have to have product knowledge. So as bro G.Mac has mentioned, I only want my discount. The only people that usually knows their stuff are owners of small shops that sell watches that they themselves sourced to sell. And I am talking about JDM watches that they bring in from Japan etc. Forget about walking into boutiques that sell Rolex or Panerai etc...I no longer care about sales people knowing or not knowing their product. So long as I know what I want to buy, that the shop that I walk into has it...and at a discount that I am happy with.


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Offline Cocas

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #5 on: August 12, 2020, 04:11:00 AM »
The sales personnel in watch shop are judging people by looking at what watch the customer wearing, well, if the customer not wearing any good watch then they try searching for any traits that indicate the customer is wealthy or not.

 :thumbsup: the salesman follows you so close, you must be very rich man. :Dancing_banana:

Offline acurusaragon

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #6 on: August 12, 2020, 11:40:57 AM »
Off topic a bit .... went to a Mercedes sales exhibition before the MCO and was intended to do the GLC  for my wife ..... the salesman/person/boy just look at me with no interest and never approach me  ...... maybe you need to dressed up and look $$$$$ to be treated with interest in this crazy world !!! ...... Ok ... sorry .... back to this topic !

Offline dpkong

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #7 on: August 12, 2020, 11:54:12 AM »
Off topic a bit .... went to a Mercedes sales exhibition before the MCO and was intended to do the GLC  for my wife ..... the salesman/person/boy just look at me with no interest and never approach me  ...... maybe you need to dressed up and look $$$$$ to be treated with interest in this crazy world !!! ...... Ok ... sorry .... back to this topic !

It is all down to poor or no training.

Or the trainer they hired focus too much on appearance and assumptions.

Offline aramis

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #8 on: August 12, 2020, 06:34:21 PM »
Same when property sales person or credit card promoters in shopping see me, almost always they don't even give me a second look.... Maybe I always wear slippers with tshirt and shorts only... Lol

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Offline r3kahsttub

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #9 on: August 13, 2020, 01:07:32 PM »
I generally don't care about how I'm treated at watch retailers, although I do remember the time I went in to collect a watch and was told by another SA that "no such watch arrived". Had to ask my SA to come in (from another store) for my pickup. I'm almost always in tshirt, shorts and slippers.

Offline vinodh

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #10 on: August 13, 2020, 06:49:13 PM »
The only thing is that if you don't browse widely in person, you miss out on a lot of cool stuff. Like, for me, the DaytonaC in person is just okay -- I thought it would be magnificent based on the pictures, but (personally) I thought it was so-so in the flesh. TT Daytona looked much better when I saw it in person -- when somebody else is wearing it, it just looked so fresh and elegant. Similarly, the newer Airking looks much better in person than in pictures. 

But there is also a downside -- when you see the 16710 in person, it will haunt your dreams for the next few months  ;)

Also alot of lower priced Seiko/Citizen are damned good value for the money -- you will never realize until you hold them in your hand. Especially those enamel dialed ones.

Offline dpkong

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #11 on: August 13, 2020, 07:47:25 PM »
The only thing is that if you don't browse widely in person, you miss out on a lot of cool stuff. Like, for me, the DaytonaC in person is just okay -- I thought it would be magnificent based on the pictures, but (personally) I thought it was so-so in the flesh. TT Daytona looked much better when I saw it in person -- when somebody else is wearing it, it just looked so fresh and elegant. Similarly, the newer Airking looks much better in person than in pictures. 

But there is also a downside -- when you see the 16710 in person, it will haunt your dreams for the next few months  ;)

Also alot of lower priced Seiko/Citizen are damned good value for the money -- you will never realize until you hold them in your hand. Especially those enamel dialed ones.

This is why we used to organize GTG back then so we can see a variety of watches and hear about their owners opinions

Offline dualcarb

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #12 on: August 13, 2020, 08:06:52 PM »
The only thing is that if you don't browse widely in person, you miss out on a lot of cool stuff. Like, for me, the DaytonaC in person is just okay -- I thought it would be magnificent based on the pictures, but (personally) I thought it was so-so in the flesh. TT Daytona looked much better when I saw it in person -- when somebody else is wearing it, it just looked so fresh and elegant. Similarly, the newer Airking looks much better in person than in pictures. 

But there is also a downside -- when you see the 16710 in person, it will haunt your dreams for the next few months  ;)

Also alot of lower priced Seiko/Citizen are damned good value for the money -- you will never realize until you hold them in your hand. Especially those enamel dialed ones.

This is why we used to organize GTG back then so we can see a variety of watches and hear about their owners opinions
Yeah...I agree...a get together is a place where you meet like minded ppl and get to talk watch, have a beer and try out really cool watches and see if there are some that would suit your wrist. There are so many “grails” out there that I wanted, till I tried them on my wrist. Then I find out that my wrist is weird and I can’t carry the watch that I like...

In any event...here are some of the pics of my last two get together...

I miss meeting up with these folks...no thanks to Covid







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Offline dpkong

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #13 on: August 13, 2020, 08:12:59 PM »

That looks like a ROLEX only gathering..

Offline dualcarb

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #14 on: August 14, 2020, 07:37:50 AM »

That looks like a ROLEX only gathering..
There were quite a few PP, AP and Tudors...I was not close enough to them to warrant a pic.


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Offline avabobatea

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #15 on: August 14, 2020, 09:51:32 AM »
i think the demand is so good they basically don't have to 'sell' you the watch. More like we beg them to sell to us. Unless they know you or Tan Sri or Dato or somebody lor

Offline dualcarb

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #16 on: August 14, 2020, 10:02:15 AM »
i think the demand is so good they basically don't have to 'sell' you the watch. More like we beg them to sell to us. Unless they know you or Tan Sri or Dato or somebody lor
For Rolex, Tudor (some models) and PP(5711) only la...the other “not so hot” brands...they will be begging you to buy. Other brands are priced stratospherically to the point where average Joes like us can’t afford anymore. I remember a time when Rolex was priced where normal ppl can go buy when we plan and save accordingly. These days...overinflated

Offline aramis

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #17 on: August 14, 2020, 10:59:05 AM »
Gtg sounds good. Hope I can attend one soon..


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Offline rnsm1979

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #18 on: August 14, 2020, 11:21:39 AM »
i think the demand is so good they basically don't have to 'sell' you the watch. More like we beg them to sell to us. Unless they know you or Tan Sri or Dato or somebody lor
For Rolex, Tudor (some models) and PP(5711) only la...the other “not so hot” brands...they will be begging you to buy. Other brands are priced stratospherically to the point where average Joes like us can’t afford anymore. I remember a time when Rolex was priced where normal ppl can go buy when we plan and save accordingly. These days...overinflated


hi bro, this is so damn true
but i believe those sales person are not poorly trained, but they are just desperate to earn their commission during this bad period of time

Offline bedazzle44

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #19 on: August 14, 2020, 11:26:36 AM »
Sometimes, we're aren't really sure if they couldn't keep up the pace of the new model release as I do see they knowledge not update to date. I do experienced they're quite confidence on their knowledge until I showed them my phone they were wrong on that.

Offline vinodh

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #20 on: August 14, 2020, 11:28:06 AM »
Fuyoh, thanks for the GTG pictures. That GMT and that 2-tone maserati dial daytona are going to be the death of me.

Offline dpkong

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #21 on: August 14, 2020, 05:55:10 PM »
Fuyoh, thanks for the GTG pictures. That GMT and that 2-tone maserati dial daytona are going to be the death of me.

I think that Daytona is a white gold racing dial model ...



There were quite a few PP, AP and Tudors...I was not close enough to them to warrant a pic.

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The idea of a GTG is to mingle with the crowd and get to know people you don't already know ... so if people just stay in their own group of friends, then the idea of a MWF GTG is lost.


Gtg sounds good. Hope I can attend one soon..


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The last big one was a long, long time ago and since then less people got interested and now with the new normal of living with the COVID-19 pandemic, I really doubt we will have any more of those large gatherings of people we don't really know. Too many risks and a hassle to organise.


Offline G.MAC

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #22 on: August 14, 2020, 06:35:53 PM »
A room full of strangers, expensive watches and risk maybe one reason why people stick to groups in a GTG. Whilst you will never get to know people if you don't mix around, sometimes you are also worried to trust others. Myself included. It is a chicken and egg situation. Attended a few GTG before and realized that the aim for some attendees  isn't about the watches but their own personal agenda and benefit instead. In my case, it was a few cases of hard-selling and refusal to take a negative answer. Sure saps all the fun from the gathering when you have to be tolerant and polite in that situation.
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Offline Vinlee88

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #23 on: September 22, 2020, 07:10:13 PM »
Sad to hear, but this the market trend is. Doesnt matter is a watch boutique or others branded boutique. Just be yourself and get what you want. End of the day is your satisfaction  :thumbsup:

Offline bulletnos

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Re: Poorly trained salespeople at EVERY watch retailer
« Reply #24 on: September 22, 2020, 08:40:05 PM »
I find one of the worst ones are Patek boutiques...really look down on you and scoff at you when you ask anything...

One of the best is still the Jaeger boutique...especially Pavilion. Though I haven't pulled the trigger on any JLC's yet... :P