Tell your amusing trying on watch stories.

[Vin2015]

I wasn't a registered user when this happened, so I had forgotten to write about until another thread just reminded me about the incident.

So when the watches went for sale and you could make an appointment to try a watch on, I made one for the soonest appointment.

I walk in and tell the guy what I'm there for and have to wait around 10 minutes till it was my time and there was a free salesperson. I get this nice girl who ask me what I'm interested in and I tell her the Sport SG.

She takes me over to the counter and proceeds to pull out a watch and lays the presentation mat out in front of us. Now for those of you who weren't there the first few days, as usual it was a madhouse, Standing Room Only in that store, tons of people trying on watches, crowded tables, people staring over your should, basically it was packed to the gills.

Anyways, as many who tried on watches will tell you, there were treating the watches as if they were more precious than all the puppies in the world. I take off my watch and lay it on the mat, I guess it's important to the story but my daily wearer watch is a Panerai 194, a big 47mm wide 2500 meter rated dive watch that was only made in 1000 pieces in 2004, and cost more than a watch edition.

So I lay my watch down on the mat and she puts the puny, featherweight aluminum watch on me, and I play with it for a few seconds, she ask if I would like to try a SS, I say why not, so she takes my watch off the mat and tosses it to the bare wooden table and gently places the SG watch on the mat, as if my tuna can looking timepiece had dirtied the sanctity of those virginal watches. I laugh and look at my Wife and she just laughed at me and walked to check out the new Macbook.

I just thought it was funny how all the salespeople that day I was in there, were acting like those watches were the finest things in the world.

 

[5105973]

I admire the sense of humor and good grace with which you and your wife chose to view the situation. That's real class and you can't buy that.

My try-on was normal and pleasant. The store was not crowded and a very relaxed and sensible young man helped me with my try-on. It was like chatting with a friend.

 

[Vin2015]

I admire the sense of humor and good grace with which you and your wife chose to view the situation. That's real class and you can't buy that.

My try-on was normal and pleasant. The store was not crowded and a very relaxed and sensible young man helped me with my try-on. It was like chatting with a friend.

I appreciate the nice comments, but in all honesty my watch has the look of a daily wear of almost 10 years. I only take it off to sleep and shower, not that I'm afraid of water damage(lol), but to actually make sure I get my wrist nice and clean.

So I'm sure she meant no harm an thought this big ole beat up chunk of metal wouldn't mind tasting bare wood.

 

[mcdj]

Good on you for being able to laugh it off. I would not have been able to let it go.

Reading your story gave me the same nasty taste in my mouth I get when I see some self involved milennial walking down the street, staring at their phone, bump into someone else without saying excuse me. Or when I spend the umpteenth Sunday night listening to my neighbor's thumping techno music through the walls and breathing their second hand bong hits wafting into my apartment at 2am.

People just seem to be getting more and more rudely obnoxious and oblivious every single day on this planet.

 

[Bryan Bowler]

That's a great story! Thanks for taking the time to share it with us. And a class act on your behalf too.

I noticed similar behavior by th Apple employees too. I understand they are trying to market it as jewelry, but I thought to myself "Man, it's just a $400 watch..."

 

[karpeltunnel10]

Mine isn't amusing for me, but I assume it was for others. It's about a 45 minute drive from my house to my nearest Apple Store and my two year old decided that I couldn't leave the house without him coming too. Well, by the time that we got there he had fallen asleep. So here I am trying on the watches with my sleeping two year old in my arms and his diaper must have moved when I situated him so that it wasn't as tight as it should have been and he peed. All over the front of my shirt and down my jeans. Luckily, it was right as I was about finished with my try-on appointment and was able to quickly make it back to the car.

 

[H3rman]

My try-on was normal and pleasant. The store was not crowded and a very relaxed and sensible young man helped me with my try-on. It was like chatting with a friend.

This was the same as my experience, nothing fancy, just a guy there showing me the watches, explained he had no space black SS and not only that, only the 38mm SS Link, so was a bit disappointed, but he was good. He actually took the link off the 38mm watch and put it onto a 42mm SS unit so I could get a feel for how the SS Link might look, I just had to imagine it in Space Black. Obviously the 38mm band wouldn't "lock" into place with the 42mm unit, but it did help me get a better feel and I appreciated him trying to help and do what he could with the limited watches he had available. He also let me resize it, which I heard a few places wouldnt let you do.

Shop was near empty though, was 9am on Saturday, they had just opened.

 

[BvizioN]

so she takes my watch off the mat and tosses it to the bare wooden table .

That's absolutely shocking

My experience was quite nice. I was wearing a watch also when I wen't there, which I toke it off my wrist and did place it in my pocket, so I didn't really had the need for a "special place" for my own watch in the mat they use for their own collection, nor did I expect the sales person to be mindblown by my watch.

I did try on most of the watches, on three different occasions. I already had made my decision and had placed the order, I was juts curious.

 

[dannyyankou]

I wouldn't have been laughing if they tossed my watch across the table.

 

[jonfarr]

I went in for a try on last week, my first and only one. I told her I was there to see the 38 and 42 to see the difference and then to see some other bands. I took off my watch, not the most expensive one in the world but still a little more than a 42mm Sport costs. I set it on the mat as she was about to put the 38mm Milanese loop on me and then stopped and told me I needed to put my watch in my pocket before we could proceed.

She went on to say after that that it was for my protection that none will steal the watch, from right in front of us as it lay right next to a 2nd apple watch she had lying out...:roll eyes:

So that was funny, and I put my watch in my pocket, and she attempted to put the 38 loop on me and couldn't even get it over my hand. I said that obviously the 38 wouldn't work for me as it was too small. She quickly said that wasn't true and that the Milanese loop came in multiple sizes bands for the 38mm watch... I just said, oh ok, and asked to try on the 42.

I shouldn't be surprised that she was clueless about that band but it is shocking that the employees aren't on top of all thew products Apple sells. They really don't have that much when you compare to other electronics stores and what not. Especially if your focus as the employee was to do watch try ons...

 

[Apollonian]

Tell your amusing trying on watch stories.

This was the same as my experience, nothing fancy, just a guy there showing me the watches, explained he had no space black SS and not only that, only the 38mm SS Link, so was a bit disappointed, but he was good. He actually took the link off the 38mm watch and put it onto a 42mm SS unit so I could get a feel for how the SS Link might look, I just had to imagine it in Space Black. Obviously the 38mm band wouldn't "lock" into place with the 42mm unit, but it did help me get a better feel and I appreciated him trying to help and do what he could with the limited watches he had available. He also let me resize it, which I heard a few places wouldnt let you do.



Shop was near empty though, was 9am on Saturday, they had just opened.

They wouldn't let me resize the standard link which made it hard to really get a good feel for the fit, seemed kind of pointless. I agree with the OP that they were treating the watches like rare, timeless works of art that we were blessed to touch. I did two try on sessions and during one the employee insisted on putting the watches on my wrist and latching them, like he was afraid I would break them by touching them. It just made the whole thing more awkward.

 

[Vin2015]

They wouldn't let me resize the standard link which made it hard to really get a good feel for the fit, seemed kind of pointless. I agree with the OP that they were treating the watches like rare, timeless works of art that we were blessed to touch. I did two try on sessions and during one the employee insisted on putting the watches on my wrist and latching them, like he was afraid I would break them by touching them. It just made the whole thing more awkward.

That is what made it so awkward, I'm a 43 year old man, who grew up wearing timepieces, everything from a Casio calculator in the early 80s' to Swatch(around 85) then nice Swiss watches, as I'm sure many in my age range have.

Yet I was not allowed to or trusted to actually put the watch on myself and was being "schooled" on the high end aspects of these $400 timepieces, by a kid who had zero horological sense.

That part was kind of off putting, not the salespersons fault, she was just doing her job, but a very strange tactic on Apples part.

 

[Smartdrive]

I just think there is nothing amusing about not being able to buy and take it home what you just tried on.

 

[Apple-of-my-eye]

When I went in, I told him I had already preordered the 38 mm Milanese, but wanted to try on to make sure it was the right choice.

He made me hold my wrist over the mat the entire time I had the watch on, and it was such an awful angle, and then he had put the Milanese loop on EXTREMELY tight (it was pinching my skin). He warned me about putting it on a certain way so you don't get the magnetic part snapping down onto your fingers. When I tried to loosen up the watch, he told me it needed to be tight for the sensors.

I then tried on the sport, and due to my small wrist size, the strap looked enormous on me, so I knew sport wasn't the way to go. Wish I had tried on the classic buckle and modern buckle, but it was just such an awkward experience I just wanted to be done with it.

I now have my 38 Milanese, and glad I didn't switch... .it's extremely comfortable, I don't have it on so tight, and it works fine with the sensors.... and I haven't had any issues with the magnetic clasp snapping down onto my fingers!

 

[Sean Dempsey]

I went in and tried on a watch. I asked if I could try a red leather band with a stainless, and they said it was only for the edition! :eyeroll:

 

[iwayne]

The employees have zero clue about real watches. I walked in wearing a Breitling SuperOcean, not the most expensive watch but clearly a timepiece worth a hell of a lot more than most watches they carry. I gently put it down on the pad and she says to me can you put that watch in your pocket. I laughed and said there's NO WAY I'm shoving a Breitling in my pocket. She then says, what's a Breitling? SMH. I seriously began to lecture her on how if Apple is going to sell watches they better train their employees on what timepieces actually are.

 

[5105973]

I appreciate the nice comments, but in all honesty my watch has the look of a daily wear of almost 10 years. I only take it off to sleep and shower, not that I'm afraid of water damage(lol), but to actually make sure I get my wrist nice and clean.

So I'm sure she meant no harm an thought this big ole beat up chunk of metal wouldn't mind tasting bare wood.

I was in various customer service positions at a bank for 4 years. I gave the same respect and deference to a customer dressed almost in rags as I did those in the best suits. If I had to handle their possessions for placement into or removal from safe deposit boxes, I treated everything with respect even if it was something that looked inconsequential to me. For all I knew, it was something handed down from a beloved relative.

It's good of you to be so generous in your assessment of the person who assisted you. But had I been her manager and witnessed that, I would have had a little talk with her and given her some remedial training with a couple of practice runs using something of hers to stand in for the customer's watch. I wouldn't be snotty about it, but I would be a proper mentor.

There must be a really good manager at my local Apple Store. The staff there are pros.

 

[AbeFrohman]

I gently put it down on the pad and she says to me can you put that watch in your pocket. I laughed and said there's NO WAY I'm shoving a Breitling in my pocket.

They may be trained to ask you not to put your watch on the display pad for fear of theft/loss/damage.

You mean your watch couldn't live in your cloth pocket for a few moments?

 

[0007776]

She went on to say after that that it was for my protection that none will steal the watch, from right in front of us as it lay right next to a 2nd apple watch she had lying out...:roll eyes:

The apple watches are insured, a customer's watch isn't, so that can make a bit of sense.

 

[jonfarr]

The apple watches are insured, a customer's watch isn't, so that can make a bit of sense.

yeah it can but it was quite awkward putting it in my pocket. Hindsight, I should have just put it on my right wrist. I think the theme of all these comments is that the retail staff probably needs to be trained a little bit better in Jewelry sales if thats the approach they want to go. They have $1000+ computers and what not out for display for any kid to touch and they are treating these $400 watches like they are $40,000.

 

[Vin2015]

yeah it can but it was quite awkward putting it in my pocket. Hindsight, I should have just put it on my right wrist. I think the theme of all these comments is that the retail staff probably needs to be trained a little bit better in Jewelry sales if thats the approach they want to go. They have $1000+ computers and what not out for display for any kid to touch and they are treating these $400 watches like they are $40,000.

I didn't even think of it like that, but you are so right. They let anyone drool over their iPads/pods/mac, but all of a sudden a $350 watch is treated like royalty.

Like has been said by other in this thread, if they want to do the high end jewelry aspect, then the SAs need some training in that aspect.

 

[iwayne]

They may be trained to ask you not to put your watch on the display pad for fear of theft/loss/damage.

You mean your watch couldn't live in your cloth pocket for a few moments?

Would you shove an apple watch in your pocket? What about a watch that cost over 10x/20x that amount?

Apple needs to learn some respect for an industry they are now entering, especially when they are entering the bottom of it, even with a $17k watch, they;re at the bottom.

 

[greytmom]

My try-on was very pleasant. Apple dude let me do the handling and so on, and we had a little crowd of ooohers and ahhhers around us the whole time.

 

[deadandalive]

My watch appointment was pretty pleasant.

Staff member was really nice and personable. He kept trying to put the watch on me himself but he explained that it is a little weird to get it on in the beginning but that you get used to it and it gets easier. But he was giving me the option of doing it myself if I wanted to, so it was ok. And he was really nice about it.

No complaints.

 

[solarguy17]

The guy helping me at Keystone was extremely awkward about the whole thing. I wouldn't have had a problem with him put the watch on me, but he made it so weird.

I felt like it was clear he wanted nothing to do with touching a guy's hand. I could care less, because this was a professional situation (like haircuts), but his attitude made me feel uncomfortable by extension.
Then I mentioned that felt like the 42 was uncomfortable and made my wrist fell like it as hard to bend. So I tried on the 38, he asked me how it felt. I told him, much better. He just said "well the 42 looks better so clearly you will want that size".

The whole thing was weird.


I have a feeling it's because management is trying to get tech employees to emulate fashion employees. And it's not working. What they need todo is pull a focus group of retail employees and ask them to redevelop the try on program.

I didn't even get to try and put the sport band on because the guy insisted on do it himself.