BestBuy employee comments on DIY screens

Re: Maybe OT, BestBuy employee comments on DIY screens

tcarcio said:

Most of the salesman at those type of stores are hired off the street and givin a quickie sales course and then put out on the floor to do what, that's right, sell their products. They will tell you anything if it will make you buy from them. It is mostly just alot of hype to seperate you from your money. Most informed people know that but I really feel sorry for all the people who get snookered by this type of salesman.:no:

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I agree 1000%!

If Best Buy started selling screen paint that was nothing more than white paint, you betcha they then would say that was pretty terrific stuff (for probably at least $100 a quart!). Those stores don't want to hear anything 'DIY' or about places like MonoPrice or RiteAV. They will tell you Monster cable is the way to go and laugh when you say lamp cord works just as good.

What I like to do is play a big dumb at first. Actually I really don't play dumb, I just don't say much- I just ask some generic questions. If the guy is shooting straight with you, it's usually easy to tell, but when you get the ones that are a bit smug or start saying things that aren't true... well that's when the quiet guy routine usually ends and when I start asking tough questions... or say something like 'Really? I thought Contrast Ratio meant this...' or 'Why is it I can buy a 50' HDMI cable for the same price you are selling a 6' cable?' When they say something like 'Well ours are better... I go all digital on them and start talking about the difference between digital and analog and signal degradation... Usually they say they have another customer to help... or on the really good days I get asked to leave the store!

I've only been asked to leave a couple of stores only a few times, like when I rather loudly asked a rude salesman why the exact same set they were selling was $300 cheaper at Sam's Club... or as I mentioned I start praising MonoPrice and RiteAV and customers start asking for the website and then start asking me questions!

Not all the guys working the big box stores are bad, but yeah, some of them wouldn't know an HT projector from an overhead projector if one fell on their head!

My favorite one was when a BB employee told me that Bluray was better than HD DVD because 1 BD has 50GB discs, and 2 he said HD DVD was nothing more than upconverted DVD and was even in the same format as SDVD. Or that Bluray is 1080p and HD DVD isn't... things like that always get me going.

If you really want to see their heads spin, when you're in the projector room start asking questions about gain vs viewing cone... fL ratings, the difference between video optimized Lumens and max lumens... and then throw in the killer... ask them what temperature the screen is and what the neutral rating is!

Sometimes I can amuse myself quite well at BB or CC! I have long hair and look like I walked off the set of Braveheart so they tend to think I'm not too bright!

Re: Maybe OT, BestBuy employee comments on DIY screens

Claymore! LOL. Great one. I was thinking mine instead of sword when I first read it, not having noted the kilt comment above.

It is hard not to set mines for the poor guys at these stores. Sometimes I go in just to check out some product that we don't sell that I think I might be interested in, and ask a few questions. When they come back with "I don't knows" I just let it be. When they come back with nonsense or outright misinformation I just can't help myself. Ask a few more questions to let them did the hole deeper, then bam!, the mine goes off and I give them a short education in electronics or just get a good laugh if I am in a less charitable mood. It is particularly viscious if other customers are present, but I have a hard time letting them mislead people.