Stuff heard at a ski shop's service desk....

[snwbrdr]

So, I was at the local ski shop picking up a board I had them do a base grind (sharpen and wax) after I did some Ptex candle repairs...

while waiting in line....

A customer in front of me wanted his new board hot waxed. So... the person behind the counter said, it doesn't need wax, too much wax is bad and the board will stick to the snow (instead of glide)

Subsequently, the person convinced him to do a quick machine wax (the heated roller wax) for $8. So when I explained toi him, what it entailed, he was bummed... but at the same time, he would like to have it done ASAP, instead of waiting a few days.

Back to the board I picked up... now I know why they say that... the shop scrapes, but doesn't brush the wax out from the structure (you can still see the scraper lines in the wax). So I added another 2 layers of all-temp wax, and brushed out the structure with my brass brush, then my nylon rotobrush on my cordless drill.

So, what outlandish things have you heard them say to customers or to yourself?

 

[Philpug]

I have a storied history of not mincing words with customers.

We had a guy come in for a ski wax recently at a shop. He had some very early K2 Axis skis with Marker M900 or somehting bindings. I look at the skis ... look at him ... look at his wife ... and look at the rock on her finger and said, "I think you meant to say, I need new skis ..." is wife hit him and said "I told you, you needed new skis!!!" He begrudgingly said OK. I then replied "Before we get started, please do not tell me your boots are as old as the skis ...wait wait... (I look at the wife) ...they are aren't they. She just nodded. I said before we even consider skis, we need to get boots first. He started to say how much he liked them, I just said STOPSTOPSTOP... We are getting new boots too. His wife said she had errends to run and handed me the credit card and said make him buy whatever he needs.

I will let @Tricia tell you the bosses version.

 

[scott43]

When I was young and worked in a shop, we had a customer who was very wealthy. Think private island wealthy. He would add up the tax etc and never ever tip or provide a kind word. His wife otoh would come in, say she needed two bikes for her kids, drop $3k and have us put them in the back seat of her leather upholstered BMW 7 series. No blanket or anything.

We had a customer who objected to a five dollar extra charge because of a serious issue he failed to disclose when he brought his bike in. My boss threw his bike into traffic.

Another customer didn't want to pay $10 instead of $7 for his wheel true. It had a few issues and was a problem. So my boss smashed his wheel against the ground flat spotting it nicely and said "back to original condition. Have a nice day.."

So many great disasters...

 

[Johnny V.]

OK, keep 'em coming!

 

[Tricia]

I have a storied history of not mincing words with customers.

We had a guy come in for a ski wax recently at a shop. He had some very early K2 Axis skis with Marker M900 or somehting bindings. I look at the skis ... look at him ... look at his wife ... and look at the rock on her finger and said, "I think you meant to say, I need new skis ..." is wife hit him and said "I told you, you needed new skis!!!" He begrudgingly said OK. I then replied "Before we get started, please do not tell me your boots are as old as the skis ...wait wait... (I look at the wife) ...they are aren't they. She just nodded. I said before we even consider skis, we need to get boots first. He started to say how much he liked them, I just said STOPSTOPSTOP... We are getting new boots too. His wife said she had errends to run and handed me the credit card and said make him buy whatever he needs.

I will let @Tricia tell you the bosses version.

There is more to this story.
The couple walks into the shop and he asks Phil how long to get his skis waxed because he was planning on skiing the next day.
@Philpug took one look at the skis and said: "You want some new skis to go with that wax?"

The rest of it went pretty much like Phil said, with the exception of the one thing that piqued our boss's interest.
The guy started hemming and hawing about what he may like in a new ski and said, "Maybe I should demo a few pair before buying."
Phil said: "You're not qualified to demo skis. You are coming off a ski that was worn out long ago. Anything you get on is going to feel so different you have no idea what you're looking for. Trust me."

All our boss heard was "You're not qualified to demo skis." from a window just above where Phil was talking to the customer. He ran down stairs to save the sale from Phil's tactics only to find Phil at the register with the guy, new boots(with custom footbeds) new Kästle's, and bindings.
The boss couldn't believe it.

All of this goes to show, if you know how to read the room you can get away with saying a lot.

 

[MikeW Philly]

There is more to this story.
The couple walks into the shop and he asks Phil how long to get his skis waxed because he was planning on skiing the next day.
@Philpug took one look at the skis and said: "You want some new skis to go with that wax?"

The rest of it went pretty much like Phil said, with the exception of the one thing that piqued our boss's interest.
The guy started hemming and hawing about what he may like in a new ski and said, "Maybe I should demo a few pair before buying."
Phil said: "You're not qualified to demo skis. You are coming of a ski that was worn out long ago. Anything you get on is going to feel so different you have no idea what you're looking for. Trust me."

All our boss heard was "You're not qualified to demo skis." from a window just above where Phil was talking to the customer. He ran down stairs to save the sale from Phil's tactics only to find Phil at the register with the guy, new boots(with custom footbeds) new Kästle's, and bindings.
The boss couldn't believe it.

All of this goes to show, if you know how to read the room you can get away with saying a lot.

Challenger selling at its finest.

 

[Philpug]

When I was still back east. I was in the boot room and this guy arrives with a boot, model from before I was at that shop but I was pretty sure we didn't sell it. He swore we did ... I wasn't about to make a problem (at that point) so I ask him what was going on, I wasn't helping anyone else at that point so I started working on the boot. I have it all apart and he is telling me what I need to do (since he bought the bout at this shop ) .. while we are doing this someone comes in and starts looking at skis so I start multi task as he starts asking me questions about the skis, the other guy butts in and says "You don't want to buy skis here, you want to go online to buy them..." Both myself and the ski customer are dumb founded, the guy doubles down and says "Yeah, ski shops are a rip off, go online". I politely look at the boot customer and say "we're done here" and hand his boots that are all in parts back to to him. He says, "these are apart and you didn't do anything." I just quietly said "I guess you will have to get them fit online. "

 

[newboots]

[I work at the shop. Fortunately, nobody is recording the jacka** stuff that I have probably said.]

Our beautiful, young cashier, who has great dreams of becoming a snowboarder since she took this job, was asked by a customer if the new XC skis would need a tune. "Oh no," Miss Gorgeous said. "The most we'd do is probably wax them."

 

[newboots]

[See disclaimer above]

Our 16-year-old, would-be shop rat who has proclaimed it his life's mission to work at this store, interrupts me selling helmets. The customer has asked how they are priced and I have begun to answer. "They're all about the same," says Young Genius.

I shoo him off and later give him what-for.

 

[newboots]

[See disclaimer above.]

Our primary ski salesman has been selling everybody a pair, despite the sad collection of leftovers on the wall. I have seen him declare 140 cm skis "perfect" for an advanced intermediate who is 5'7". He put a kid with extremely narrow feet into a high volume boot because we no longer had a boot in her actual size. The Young Genius comes over and tries to sell skis when everyone is too busy to stop him. I come upon him saying, "I would definitely recommend this" despite not learning anything about the skier's ability or preference, and apparently choosing skis almost at random. That kid could sell me anything; his lies are utterly convincing.

 

[cantunamunch]

That kid could sell me anything; his lies are utterly convincing.

still?

 

[Tricia]

interrupts me selling helmets.

Ugh, I hate when that happens.
I'm a big believer in respecting the sales associates and not interupting, even if I feel like they're doing something wrong.
The only exception is if its a safety issue.

This recently happened to me. I had a customer in looking for a resort ski to compliment his backcountry ski.
I interviewed him about his likes, dislikes, what he was currently skiing, what boot he'd be using, etc.
I narrowed it down to two skis with one being a strong contender.

When I left to go pull the binding for the ski a co-worker approached the customer to tell him that I lead him astray and he needed to get the ski that he skis because its the best ever. This is a co-worker who tends to sell product to validate his own purchases.

Of course, I spent another 1/2 hr talking the customer off the ledge and back into the ski that I'm confident will fit his needs.
Later our boss asked me what took me so long with the customer and I told him the story. He took the co-worker aside and told him to NEVER interupt me in a sale. I overheard him say, "What you can do is eaves drop on Tricia and learn something."

 

[LuliTheYounger]

Not the service desk, but we had a customer come in the other day looking for a specific set of XC skis. We showed him some similar options, and he asked why not the first model he'd mentioned, and we said oh we don't have those in stock right now, you know, with the shortages and the holidays etc. (Frankly the style he wanted is old and probably discontinued, but we weren't sure and didn't want to dash his hopes right there.) His reply was "WELL the supply chain is NOT real." He stormed out before we could figure out how he thinks skis end up in the building in the first place.

 

[newboots]

still?

Fortunately, I'm not buying anything he sells! Fun kid, very polite, but one wonders about the lying. I've listened to him lie to his mom; she doesn't buy it either. He is so enjoyable, confident, and smooth that I worry about psychopathy.

 

[cantunamunch]

He stormed out before we could figure out how he thinks skis end up in the building in the first place.

That *almost* smells like a fancy SHABE tactic.

 

[tch]

My favorite is when I was getting some insoles made in Steamboat Springs. A woman next to me was buying boots -- black boots with purple accents and lettering it so happened Her friend was roaming the shop while she was getting fit and found a pair of black and purple skis on the rack. "These would go perfect with those boots!" she proclaimed and brought them over for inspection. The boot buyer decided to buy them on the spot, not knowing the width, characteristics, or type of ski.... SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY WOULD MATCH HER BOOTS!

Salesman didn't even try; he just rang up the package and ushered them out.

 

[newboots]

SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY WOULD MATCH HER BOOTS!

During a sidewalk sale we had a grandpa buying an entire set of gear for granddaughter, a teen. He wanted to buy her a nice pair of S/Force Fever (royal blue and notice-me orange sidewalls etc.) from under the tent (last year's demos). She refused. He said, "These cost $100 less than anything inside here." She: "I won't ski on them. I hate the color" (while trying on boots). He, "I can't understand it. I'm buying all your stuff." She: "I'm calling my dad."

Grandpa grabbed the nearest pair of non-sale skis, a pretty black pair of Clouds (9?) with shiny dots, and said, "How about these?" She grudgingly agreed, and he bought the pair he grabbed off the wall, with no thought to size, ski type, or anything except her approval of the color.

Unbelievable.
- She passes up gift skis with that snotty attitude?
- He still buys her skis despite that behavior?

 

[Tricia]

Salesman didn't even try; he just rang up the package and ushered them out.

There are times when customer asks for something and you simply give it to them.
Mind you, I spend most of my time trying to set people up for success but once in a while....ya know.

 

[Philpug]

Matching? Honestly, guys are the worst. As soon as I see a guy grab a boot and bring it over to the ski wall, I know he will be a problem.

 

[dbostedo]

Has any ski brand or shop offered custom colors/paint/wraps for skis so that they match boots?