Faux Pas at the LHS? What would you do?

I just recently found HILL COUNTRY HOBBIES here in SAN ANTONIO.He was not known to me before and I guess he hasn,t been on the scene to long(a year or so?) The first impression was ,"Gee,whatta neat shop" My second,upon leaving (after spending some cash and doing a layaway )was , "Hey,I am going to shop here a lot more.The owner took time in his busy day to not only show me where everything was,he knew what he was talking about" That,s rare.Surprisingly ,his shop now gives me three good shops in a hundred mile circle,that I PREFER to shop at !! As a matter of courtesy if someone was buying something  and I didn,t know them ,I would keep the chow hole shut tight. It is not our place to interfere in a sale that,s not being made with our money!! If the clerk doesn,t offer helpful tips ,oh,well,Not my place to do so unless asked!! tankerbuilder

The "advice"  you gave was unsolicited. Now granted, you come into my store, me being chatty, will ask questions especially if you are not a regular. But it does tend to irritate me when a "helpful" customer sees an opportunity to kill a sale, that costs me dollars, and tends to make it look like I am in the business of scalping people that are not savvy.

Totally different situation had you asked what he was using it for and were then were asked what you would use.

When I was in Middle/High School there was a LHS about 4 blocks from school and I usually ended up walking there 3 or more afternoons a week.  I had been a steady customer since I was about 8 and stayed through 3 location changes and since he was more inclined towards the model trains, the scale models ended up as "my" area expertise.  I was a kind of shop assistant off the books.  I got a discount on stuff and first crack at any trade material and I did some stocking for him, went to check the shelves if a customer called or helped search through the listings from the distributors to see if something was available.  It wasn't uncommon for me to field paint or kit questions by the time I was 15.  When MM first came out in Acryl, I was the one who bought the first bottles (he asked what colors I'd be interested in before he ordered the first batch) and I told him what I thought of them, tried different stuff with them, etc.  I still tend to try to help people if they seem confused when I'm in the model aisle at Hobby Lobby. I'll be honest.  I haven't met an employee yet that built kits themselves.  A lot of them are art majors working there for the discount.

I don't think trying to be helpful is ever a bad thing.

If that had been MY shop, there would be an inexpensive tin of thinner on the shelf for just that scenario. Customers always remember a shop employee or owner who looks out for THEIR interests.

Being honest with a customer may cost you a few dollars initially, but those few lost in the beginning will come back to you many times over during your long association with a grateful patron.

So, to the original question posed by 'Phil H', no there is absolutely nothing wrong with what you did. There is nothing wrong with offering helpful advice. If someone choses to ignore it, that's their decision.

My policy is to keep silent unless someone asks for my advice.I feel that it is not my place to offer unsolicited advice although I have had to bite my tongue when the clerk gave the customer faulty advice!

I guess it was just a case of my customer service background kicking in.

This place is literally a "corner store" single hobby shop and not part of a chain. There are no hobby store chanes here in Australia though there is one group of three stores, and I guess toy shop chains which also sell models don't really count.

Manny, in answer to your eartlier question, there wasn't much more to it - he just paid for the other items he'd picked up and left.

If this was a "mom and pop" shop then they really suck at customer service---because this is really the ONLY thing these one-owner operations have left to offer that the chains and mail-order companies don't: good, old-fashioned customer service....if they don't provide that then they needn't cry anymore about how the hobby is being taken over by large corporations and internet sites...

None of the three LHS I frequent would have minded. Theya re all about giving teh customer the best possible service, and they take care of their regular customers. Folks you have never seen before regularly chime in to conversations at the counter. Once I got used to it, it is pretty cool to take part in the ebb and flow of it. usually the owners, who are all initmately involved with the hobby, will do the same thing. One in particualr solicits the help of customers in teh shop if there is a question he does not have and answer for.

I would have done the same thing. If the hobby store didn't like it that is tough as I can shop anywhere I please. 

I'll be honest...When I'm in the LHS I usually mind my own.  Just the way I am...I learn more by observing.

I don't think you should feel bad for what you did.

Advice is a funny thing. I don't know if I would have spoken up in the store. My LHS owner is a good guy and he needs to earn a buck. But I am reminded of an old quote:

Advice is one of those things it is far more blessed to give than to receive.

I have maintained several tropical fish tanks for over thirty years, and the other night I was at my local Wal-mart and I observed a young couple there with a tank loaded in their cart, and a clerk netting fish for them to take home as well. If you are not familiar with this hobby, it's necessary to allow a new tank to become established for several weeks before adding new pets. I so wanted to tell them that their new fish would dead before the evening was out, but I just bit my tongue and kept out of it. I felt a bit guilty for not speaking up but  decided maybe it just wasn't my place.

This isn't to criticize you by any means but I just wanted to relate a personal experience to say that it can be difficult to know if someone would appreciate your help or resent your interfering.

I did have some guy come up to me at the same wal-mart one evening and make a comment about the Coke I was loading in my cart, and how bad it was for my teeth and my health. I thanked him and told him that now that I knew all that, I was going to purchase more!

If this was a "chain" store I'm guessing the clerk (probably a teen working part-time) couldn't have cared less what the guy did or didn't buy; however, if the clerk behind the counter was the owner he might have felt differently...of course, if the clerk was the owner, shame on him for not knowing (or caring) enough about the hobby and his customers  to have asked the same questions you did...

So what was the customer's reaction to your advice???  Did he thank you?  Did he tell you to kiss his @#%$!? Finish the bleeping story already...

I never ever stick my nose in where it's not been invited in situations like that. The customer made up his mind and had decided on a purchase. He didn't ask you or the employee any questions so he wasn't looking for any advice. You made it your buisness to know his buisness and while he may have appreciated and taken your advice you cost the buisness a sale. If it'd had been my store I'd have given you a piece of my mind.
Now if a customer is looking for ideas or advice I'll be glad to lend what I know. He asked for help afterall and if the guy behind the counter don't have an answer I'll offer one.
But it's the job of the salesman to sell things and help customers.

As a customer I usually know what I'm looking for. If not I'll ask for help or ideas. Otherwise I have my mind made up and someone other than the salesman offering unsolicited advice or ideas I take as an insult and rather irritating. The salesman is doing his job while the unwanted advice is sticking it's nose in my buisness.
There have been many times I've been in gunshops for instance, where I've had to listen to a salesman offer ridiculous claims or advice to customers and I've had to bite my tounge to stay quiet. It's not my job or my buisness to offer my own opinions or facts and that's just respecting both the customer and the salesman. The only time I'll open my mouth is if the information could lead to someone getting hurt.

IMHO, your heart was in the right place in wanting to help a fellow out and save him some money. But had it been me on either side of the counter I'd have much more appreciated a show of respect in the form of silence. 

ajlafleche

That still begs the questions...What TYPE of paint was he using? Thinner that's good for cleaning brushes used with enamel paint will not work with brushes used with acrylics.

Al,

I never did find out what paint the guy was using.   Either way, I just couldn't stomach watching someone pay $14.00 for a cupful of tyhinner to wash brushes, when he could get a comparable cleaner at 1/4 the price for 4x as much. And if it's the wrong stuff, he's out less than $4.00 instead of $14.00.

The guys at this shop do know their stuff, but often it's a matter of the customers asking (or not asking) questions.  

Triarius

I'd have done the same thing—but I'd have finished with, " Go spend that money on something fun, like a kit!"

And I'd like to second what Gerald said. When you go to a brick and mortar shop, the extra money you pay for what you buy is really for customer service. My two "local" hobby shops are ~30 and ~40 miles away. But I keep coming back, because they are not only willing to help me spend my  money wisely, they are eager to do so. You can't beat customer service like that, regardless of the size stick you use.

Knowledgable staff and the possibility of older goodies that might have been on the shelf for awhile or kits from oddball manufacturers are the reasons I always try to visit good hobby shops when I know one is in an area I'm visting (I don't have one of my own). If they just have an average selection of the common stuff and employees that give you a blank stare I can do that online, in fact I can usually do better than that online, and save money.

I'd have done the same thing—but I'd have finished with, " Go spend that money on something fun, like a kit!"

And I'd like to second what Gerald said. When you go to a brick and mortar shop, the extra money you pay for what you buy is really for customer service. My two "local" hobby shops are ~30 and ~40 miles away. But I keep coming back, because they are not only willing to help me spend my  money wisely, they are eager to do so. You can't beat customer service like that, regardless of the size stick you use.

You're probably not on their most favorite customer list at the moment, but they also missed an opportunity.

Stepping up to the microphone to address the choir...

One of the things that made my customers return time and time again, when I managed a hardware store was the fact we took the position of helping our customer. If the customer believes you are looking out to help and service their needs they don't hesitate returning.

Every store own has access to such things as their own "private label" or even generic brands of thinners and brush cleaners. There are chemical company reps out there beating the streets to sell and service stores that want to stock them. A store owner could capitalize on the needs of a bargain savvy customer and offer paint thinner in pint, quart and gallon sized cans if he chooses to. In fact, these items are usually very profitable. Again this is an item that the LHS tends to wear blinders and disregard as a possible income stream which might keep their customers returning and their store profitable.

Can you imagine if a LHS only sold the fuel for R/C cars and airplanes in pint cans, and the MegaMart sold it in gallon or larger sizes...how long would they survive? The LHS has to shed the mold and adapt their product mix to meet the needs of the customer or not have returning customers.

Modelers are a frugal lot, a smart shop keeper knows this and will find a way to capitalize on that fact.

Phil_H

 He replied that he wasn't going to thin paint with it, he wanted it for cleaning his brushes. Without even thinking, I said that this thinner was way too expensive a product for just cleaning brushes (it was price-tagged at $13,95) and that Turps would do the job just fine (for about $3.95 per litre). 

That still begs the questions...What TYPE of paint was he using? Thinner that's good for cleaning brushes used with enamel paint will not work with brushes used with acrylics.

I hang around my LHS likeit's Floyd's Barber Shop from The Andy Griffith Show.. I always help out rookies and point out where cheaper stuff is available... Drives the owner nuts, but he ain't thrown me out..