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Originally Posted by cdn2wheeler  Is that really the case, though? I'm not exactly sure it is.
I spent some years working in the photographic industry, selling professional camera and related equipment. It was extremely common for clients to come to me & my people to get their questions answered, then to scamper off to the local bargain basement camera shop and purchase the gear there because it was a bit less expensive.
Pi$$ed me off too.
From what I've seen and experienced, loyalty, whether it's from employees to businesses, or from businesses to employees, or from customers to businesses, has gone the way of the dodo. |
I was just about to agree with you (and pi$$ you off in equal measure), but then I realised that there was a "but" to my story
My husband and I have just bought new cameras. We went into the camera shop down the road to have a look at them and ask questions, found out the price, then went back home and saw we could get them on Amazon for about GBP100 cheaper - quite a significant difference. So on the face of it, it would seem that all we care about is price.
The "but" is the issue of loyalty... we are actually quite loyal to Amazon. I know many people complain that Amazon takes business away from small retailers. We are loyal to them though not solely because of their prices but mainly because they provide possibly the best customer service I have ever experienced. Ever! In contrast, the staff in the camera shop we went into ignored us for ten minutes while having their own conversation....
In retrospect, I have paid more for items in places where I've felt acknowledged, respected and cared for. The ultimate though is when you find a place where this attitude comes packaged together with prices that are fair (note, not necessarily cheap, but fair to both company and customer).