Has anyone not experienced this?

Oh we all have, the problem for me is that because I work/repair computers all day my family/friends think I know everything about anything that uses electricity.  I was recently asked to help a friend install an alarm system in his house because I quote “...you’re really good with wires”. 

I’ve been dragged to the store to help purchasing everything from a microwave that hooks up to the internet and has a barcode scanner so you just scan the barcode on the food packaging and it sets the “perfect” time for the meal after connecting to an online database.  (it was kinda neat, but grossly overpriced) to helping an uncle buy a generator for his camper.

While getting dragged to the store to help in purchase decisions can be annoying the worst part is when you actually know something about the product explain why or why not they should get it and then they don’t listen to you and get the one with the pretty red finish on it…

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If patience is a virtue and ignorance is bliss you’ll probably get through life pretty happy if you’re stupid and don’t mind waiting around.

I shop alone, if I shop at all
All things being equal, go for cheapest, all things still equal after that, go for branding - one company is unlikely to make 2 different types of exactly the same thing for anything I’d buy

While getting dragged to the store to help in purchase decisions can be annoying the worst part is when you actually know something about the product explain why or why not they should get it and then they don’t listen to you and get the one with the pretty red finish on it…

Had something similar happen to me.  A non-technical friend of my wife’s asked for advice on what computer brand to buy.  At the time, for her situation and to keep it simple, it was anything BUT Packard Bell.  At least when the first “I told you so” moment arrived, she did admit she should have listened to me.

What I hate is when ignorant store sales spout off like they know something about their products, and you’re on the next row wondering how you can make a 200 lb TV falling on them look like an accident. 

I think what you need to do when you have someone asking you for advice is to have some sort of official looking shirt/uniform.  It’s aggravating to get solicited for advice on something you are good at, then have the person look to the guy with the store polo shirt on like he’s the authority on the subject.  People sometimes just don’t get that the guy in the store shirt is trying to make a fucking sale, the more expensive the better.

Ragman- I can contribute, because I work in an electrical store filling shelves + moving stock.

I’m required to wear a uniform that’s basically an unwanted customer magnet - I’m not trained at all to deal with assholescustomers, some get angry with me just for being there or for not being sales and I wish they’d just **** off and die.

I know the following is not the customer’s fault but you should take into account that…
Sales staff are often poorly trained minimum wage workers who are driven hard. In fact they’re expected to train in their own time because of the company’s tightfistedness and expected to turn up for unpaid briefings and late store closures, a daily 30 mins minimum wage abuse.

They cannot afford to admit what they don’t know, because both the customers and management would eat them. Management make themselves out to be the customer’s friend against the evil staff when it comes to complaints, but not for returns, in fact I think there’s been a deliberate PR attempt, and attitude, generally to make the more disposable staff take the blame.

The customer always thinks they’re right

I didn’t mean to imply that all sales staff are ignorant.  There are intelligent sales staff out there, it’s just the ones who don’t have a clue that I hear selling to even more clueless customers.  One that really bugged me was just after dvds came out, and a customer was asking about the -r and -rw capibilities of dvd players.  Customer didn’t know enough to read it off the dvd box, and salesman wasn’t giving accurate info.  There was enough ignorance going on that I didn’t want to interject and get sucked in.

I have been in tech stores and been approached by other customers asking if I worked there.  I need one of those t-shirts that say “I don’t work here”.

I’d also like to get the shirt that says “No, I won’t fix your computer”, but I do make some money at that, so I don’t own one.

I think the problem boils down to the shop’s training policy, ultimately, when it’s decided at head office level, because those at head office don’t see things as the store manager would(particularly as H.O. always anounce their visits). They don’t realise how much more efficiently my job would be done and how fewer frustrated customers there’d be if warehouse didn’t need to wear uniform, because it’s not as if we could help them anyway (other than point them in a direction)

I think I just get irritated with customers generally with the interuptions to what I’m supposed to be doing and hunting for sales people all the time, which is partly that they need more sales people (head office allocated budget permitting) , and partly that I need to tolerate interuption more.

I’ve been asked for help in supermarkets because my uniform colour matches, so I’ve gotta zip up my jacket and look kinda shifty