Help with Purchasing?

[ReedAshton]

I want to purchase new speaker/home theater setup (including surround sound, tv, blu-ray player, etc.) for my living room, and I'm going to do it through the local electronics store in my town because I prefer to talk to people and get personal help. The store carries TV's all from low-end for college students up to nicer/60" ones. Are there any specific things I should ask to make sure the salesman knows what he's talking about? Are there any specific things in-store that I should be looking/asking for? In general, I also just want to make sure the salesman is really knowledgeable about these things and that the place is a good store. Thanks!

 

[JohnnieB]

Welcome to the forum Reed. Nothing wrong with brick and mortar stores. There is value in personal service, especially when it comes to warranty should the need arise. Is this a chain store ie: best buy, or a personal franchise, mom and pop type store. There are a myriad of questions you could ask, but it will mostly depend on your knowledge to sniff out a sales pitch. You need to have a budget in mind, as well as a fairly detailed idea of exactly what it is you're trying to accomplish with that budget. The best thing you can do is go see what they're offering, in store listening and viewing. Go home, research the equipment you looked at or are considering. The forum is a great source, but you need to give some details. Model numbers, budget, the room size you're putting this system in. Mostly movies or music and games. Most importantly, don't rush into buying anything. Take your time to educate yourself on the possibilities. At the top of this page is a link called "Home Theatre Setup". Check it out.

 

[ReedAshton]

I apologize for not stating this earlier, but here is the main reason for this post. I am a business student at college. I am attempting to help advise a local electronics retailer on how to improve his store, since he needs to compete with Amazon. One of the areas in which my group feels he can improve is his customer relations and sales staff. We are wondering - are there any specific things his sales staff should be good at? Are there any major things they should know about basic theater systems? While doing research is a good idea, my group wants to know that the store's staff is knowledgeable enough about their products that any person doesn't have to do research before entering the store.

My group felt it was better to just ask general questions about a home-theater setup rather than describe our situation. Can you please help? What brands/items/etc. should a good local electronics salesman know? Are there any good questions we can ask to essentially "test out" the store?

 

[shadyJ]

I hate to say it, but, from a business perspective, probably the best stuff to know is what brands have the highest markup. Bose, Monster, etc. A lot of the regulars in here are pretty informed buyers, its hard to casually make a buck off of us. We just aren't the guys whom electronics retailers make a lot of money from. If I were operating a store, I would have some good demo rooms to try to get the best sound from high markup items. High markup stuff isn't necessarily bad from a performance perspective though. Knowing audio jargon is nice but it will go over the heads of 95% of the customers. The other 5% know where the best band-for-the-buck deals are and thus are your least profitable customers. It's difficult to make an honest buck in audio.

 

[JohnnieB]

Thanks Shady, so true. Any salesman worth their salt should be knowledgable in the product. If not, they won't last long. Again, research. I'm positive any professor doesn't test students with question's he doesn't know the answer to. I guess the main thing I look for if i'm buying retail is that the retailer is honest with me. Reed you mentioned customer service. When you walk in are you greeted promptly? Does the sales staff spend time with you even if you don't have mad money to spend? What's the general vibe you get from the staff? Is the owner accessable? Does the store offer installation? Point is the Internet Direct guys have lower prices, for the most part, and you can select from anything all over the world. Tough to compete on those fronts. Better ID companys also have great customer service if you have a problem, some do not. As a retailer I would focus on what the ID companys can't offer. No cost in home trials, installs and building a relationship one on one with the customer.