Yep... The kids think they discovered computers, and us old guys need to be taught a lesson.
My response to them is: "You're standing on the shoulders of giants, and I, young man, am one of those giants."
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omg 512 GB is going to take forever to fill in one go around
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My response to them is: "You're standing on the shoulders of giants, and I, young man, am one of those giants."
Had to laugh at your last line - I'm a retired S/W Systems Engineer and started at it 46 years ago. Off the top of my head, I counted up about 25 different operating systems I've worked with, not counting their variants.
I was at the Apple Store yesterday, and saw some of that condescension towards older folks when two women were waiting to be sold an iPad. I started talking to them after the Apple person left (I recommended that they wait until Tuesday - the one lady was a Real Estate Inspector, and said, "typically, I don't have WiFi coverage" - an easy clue that she needed an iPad with cell coverage. The young lady said to that rather confidently, "Oh, there's WiFi everywhere."
)Anyway, I recommended to them that she gets the one in the middle of the road (256GB iPad Pro with cellular) and she can use iCloud backup on her current iPad to get her photos and such over to the new one. Why an iPad Pro? She needs to mark up pictures, so the Pencil would help her with that, especially with iOS 11.
What really got me was the store clerk, who was steering her towards a standard Ipad with 32GB. As they were leaving, I said to the customer, "I know that $900 is a lot to spend, but that will get you what you need."
She replied, "I know. But spending $500 on something that doesn't do what I need is even worse."
I wouldn't call it condescension - more like personal opinion bleeding into what the customer really needs. It doesn't make it any less excusable, but it does reflect purer, less malicious motivations.
Alternatively it could also be to fill some sales quota... but I find it difficult to believe Apple employees have sales quotas. We would need an ex-Apple Store employee to chime in.
That behavior confuses me. The Apple Stores I've been to, the staff have usually tried to upsell you on upgrades you may not need.I was at the Apple Store yesterday, and saw some of that condescension towards older folks when two women were waiting to be sold an iPad. I started talking to them after the Apple person left (I recommended that they wait until Tuesday - the one lady was a Real Estate Inspector, and said, "typically, I don't have WiFi coverage" - an easy clue that she needed an iPad with cell coverage. The young lady said to that rather confidently, "Oh, there's WiFi everywhere."
Anyway, I recommended to them that she gets the one in the middle of the road (256GB iPad Pro with cellular) and she can use iCloud backup on her current iPad to get her photos and such over to the new one. Why an iPad Pro? She needs to mark up pictures, so the Pencil would help her with that, especially with iOS 11.
What really got me was the store clerk, who was steering her towards a standard Ipad with 32GB. As they were leaving, I said to the customer, "I know that $900 is a lot to spend, but that will get you what you need."
She replied, "I know. But spending $500 on something that doesn't do what I need is even worse."
When a customer specifically asks to buy a more expensive, higher end model, you just assume they know what they're gonna use it for. Why the heck would you steer them towards a cheaper, less profitable model?
Works both ways...if they sell you the entry model now, you may have to come back in buy the mid-tier (or higher) later.
Old adage which my father told me years ago...avoid buying the entry model of anything. It's usually not going to be the right model for you if you use it frequently. Companies usually compromise on something when it comes to the base model.
I was too... It wasn't a passing thing. I was playing with the 9.7in one across from her, while my daughter was engrossed in some haircutting app on hers in the store. It was a 5 minute conversation, where the saleswoman was actively undercutting what she was trying to tell her to get. Her friend was watching, a bit concerned at what she was being sold.
I was there for the whole conversation, and it was concerning to me, and that is why I stepped in after the saleswoman left, and offered my opinions to her in a respectful way to both people, the customer and the saleswoman.
Seems your conflating. I frequent Apple Stores weekly and I have my experiences completely differ from your point. I have Never had an Apple employee "Up sell" me. There is a distinct difference between up-sell and suggest. Your experiences may vary, but up selling is trying to persuade you of why the consumer should consider the latest hardware or accessories.
A suggestion would be when the employee assists the consumer is considering between various purchases and can't decide based off what they either have little knowledge on or what would be suit their needs/preferences.
I'm not being dismissive of your view, as As Apple employees seem to fairly responsive to what someone needs Over wants. (Which is soley based on what one is willing to spend as well.)
Same here. At most they ask me if I need help configuring my new purchase.
A.
You're conflating aggressive/pushy sales tactics with upselling.
When a McDonald's employee asks if I want to supersize my drinks and fries, that's upselling.
When an Apple employee suggests the latest model, or going up on capacity or getting LTE and explaining the advantages, that's also upselling. When they ask if you want to get any accessories for your newly purchased device, that's cross-selling. However, yes, my experience is Apple employees use a low/no pressure approach when they make suggestions. Indeed, the informative, laid-back, low pressure approach is probably the most effective tactic for upselling/cross-selling.
Yes, you just have to plant the suggestion in the buyer's mind, then let the buyer rationalize the purchase from there.