It must vary depending on what city you're in. Here, Best Buy is on my list of places to NEVER enter. Sales staff is NOT knowledgeable unless you're there to buy computer games. I tried to buy a PC and monitor and told the guy writing up the deal that I wanted the box, the monitor and that he could save his breath because I did NOT want a "service plan," "extended warranty," or whatever it was that they called it. I told them that if they started pitching me, I would take my business elsewhere.
The guy couldn't resist. He started in and I said, "Pardon me, but if you say one damn word about a service policy or extended warranty, I'm walking and you have NO DEAL." He waved to someone, and she came over and SHE launched into the pitch.
I walked. I understand that at Best Buy, failure to pitch the warranty is grounds for dismissal - so these guys were damned if they did, damned if they didn't. But I REFUSE to listen to a pitch for any add-on. Even when I go to Sonic, I place my order and then add, "And that is ALL I want tonight." That works at Sonic, but at Burger King, I have to add, "No drinks. I have plenty of Coke at home."
At least they don't try this stunt at the grocery. It's damned tough to sell an add-on at the supermarket checkout.
OTOH, CompUSA has been pretty good here, and their prices on the "box" I was GOING to get at Best Buy turned out to be 100 clams cheaper.
Michael
Hey, you only said HE couldn't make his pitch; you didn't warn him that having anyone else try it would also jinx the deal...
Still, stores should train their staff that limitted upsell pressure is good, but overdoing it is almost always bad. Even if a high-pressure upsell on an extended warranty nets an immediate sale, the customer will not feel good about the store and will be less likely to return.
Same here at Jackson, MI. Went to a Best Buy just 3 weeks ago to buy 6 27" TV's for our resort cabins up north. Browsed around and found what we wanted and attempted to locate a salesperson to assist and inform as to whether they were in stock. After a 10 minute wait...that was enough. As we were walking out, around the front door there are no less that 6 "employees" standing around fumbling their n#^ts. I remarked as I was leaving the store to the situation and one of the 'punks' swung around, in a confrontational manner, and said "are you talking about us"?
Well, you can only imagine my response, which is not suitable for describing on FR.
Fortunate to say...we drove not more than two blocks to a "Circuit City" where we were greeted at the TV department by a saleperson, found the exact same model we had decided on at Best Buy...for $20 less per set no less.
BTW...Best Buy was informed of our 'experience'. No reply to date.