“True Minnesotan,” Exhibit #23: the (Too?) Helpful Clerk at the Neighborhood Hardware Store
What’s the Opposite of “Upselling?”
Jeff Bezos didn’t grow up in Minneapolis.
Or if he did, he certainly didn’t work at a local hardware store (yes, they still exist in the Twin Cities; amongst other things, it’s where lots of local youth get their first job).
I know that because twice in two weeks now, at two different hardware stores, the (too?) helpful sales clerk has talked me out of buying the thing(s) I came in to buy — but only after telling me about a better, cheaper (or free!) way to accomplish my goal(s).
Better Solution (Literally), or, “Pouring Salt in the Wound”
Like, instead of using chemicals to kill the stump of a volunteer tree growing too close to my house, drill holes in the stump, then put salt in the holes.
Or, instead of replacing a torn bathroom shade (for $25 – $50), buy a plastic handle (cost: $1.49) that matched my shade color, then use that to cover up the tear.
Works for me!
Lost Business? Hardly
Won’t that kind of candor hurt the store’s bottom line? (you ask).
Maybe today, by a (very) small amount.
But, the loyalty it creates pays dividends two ways: 1) it cements me as a long-term, repeat customer (I am); and 2) it makes me willing to pay a premium for superior service (I happily do).
Hear that, Home Depot!?!
P.S.: So, what IS the opposite of “Up-selling?”
Search me.
The best I’ve got are “unselling” and “anti-selling” (or I suppose “downselling,” in the case of finding a much cheaper alternative).
See also, “There’s No Place Like Home: Garrison Keillor’s Homage to the Twin Cities in National Geographic“; “True Minnesotan,” Defined“; and “Winter Humor: Minnesota vs. Tampa Bay (& Elsewhere)”;
And: “True Minnesotan” — Summer Edition“; “After the Harvest, Before Winter*: The Connection Between Oct. 15 and November 3 (at least in Minnesota)”; and “Top Ten” Things I Like About the Twin Cities.”
from RSSMix.com Mix ID 8230700 https://ift.tt/2S2WCct
via IFTTT
Comments
Post a Comment