[keyofnight]

Perhaps I'm the only one who this happens to… but every time I step foot in a well-known (—or large) camera shop, I leave upset. They tell me ridiculous things about the gear they sell, they try their hardest to belittle the gear I already own, and talk to me in a condescending tone when I say I can't afford a $1300 lens. I'm no advocate of "customer service". I know that dealing with irate customers (in retail, food service, customer support) is one of the most difficult things I could do.

Today, my partner and I made a visit to a camera shop here in Seattle—she and I wanted to sell the kit lens that came with the Panasonic GF2 and replace it with something a little better. It took about 10-15 minutes to find someone to help us and 30-40 minutes for the person who handles lens trades to talk to us (one of the guys was on his lunch break, and the other…well…they didn't flag him down until we asked about the first guy a few times).

While waiting for "the lens guy," I asked one of the salesmen to try out a Leica M9 (I've never tried one before, and I've always wanted a rangefinder). He clearly didn't care much for me playing with the M9, and he had a "this guy isn't going to buy anything…so why doesn't he just leave" look on his face. I hate that feeling. I understand they need to sell things, but was I really that much of a nuisance? I tried to make small talk about the camera having an interesting feel to it, I tried to ask him what he thought of the camera. His response: "Eh. It's an old style camera that takes old style lenses." What the hell? Maybe I'm making too much of it.

When I finally got to talk to the guy who handles lens trades, he was nice but condescending. For someone knew everything he knew very little, and he wasn't taking hints. We wanted a lens that has a better minimum focus distance—perhaps a macro lens—and he pulls out a $800 50mm macro lens. I tell him that I wasn't interested in spending that much, and he goes, "Well, to do better than what you have, it costs a lot of coin. You could just hang on to what you've got…it's a good all-purpose lens, and other lenses are just going to be 'specialty lenses'." Was he serious? Any other lens would be a "specialty" lens? To do better than a kit lens, I have to spend $700-1000? Why would he say any of this to us?

He tells us that we could try extender tubes to get a closer focus distance. He told us: "just shoot in manual, and you'll be able to get closer. You just won't have autofocus…it'll be just like your manual Pentax." I made the mistake of telling him that I use a Pentax-A lens on my camera. I think he presumed I use some sort of K-mount, or that I was trying to get "street cred" by mentioning it. Of course, even still, it would not "be just like my manual Pentax." I tried to help him out: "Hey, won't it be difficult to focus? This lens doesn't have a real focus ring on it. How would you adjust the aperture?"—he told me it would be fine. I proceeded to (politely) watch him struggle, and make an ass out of himself: trying to take a close shot without anything more than shutter speed control, spinning the focus ring without results, and looking for an aperture control on the lens. Hrm. I just had to wait politely.

But that's how I have to deal with each of the guys I deal with at camera shops… wait politely, thank them for their time, and move along. I haven't had a good experience yet. They just rub me the wrong way. :/

What about you guys?

[jeffshaddix]

I have yet to meet a good camera salesman, but that's what most of them are - salesmen. It's similar to going to a car dealership. Lots of car salesmen know very little technically about their cars, but for 95% of their customers it doesn't matter. It's often more important for them to have good marketing skills than know the product.

That said, I'm sure there are some great salesmen out there (of both cameras and cars), that take pride in what they sell and really do try to be an expert in their product. I just haven't met them yet.

[Eulogy]

Meh, local guy here was a little distant at first, but once he realized I wasn't just another moron wanting "DSLR Quality", seemed to warm up to me. Even gave me a free Pentax Microfibre!(And his opinion on old Russian lenses)

However, your experience is caused by the ego of them - They sell cameras and lenses to less educated people, so they're used to being more knowledgeable, not on par or even less knowledgeable, so as result, they get defensive. Be more straightforward next time - Ask for a entry level close focusing lens, or ask for his opinion on diopters...basically, just play to his ego, and you might have better results.

[blackcloudbrew]

Well, sorry to hear about that experience. They know me as 'the Pentax guy' at my store and have always been very helpful and friendly. Occasionally, I'll even get a deal or two on a price and if there is some old gear I'm might be interesting in (like the Pentax 6x7 that I now own), I gotten a call about it. Part of this stems from getting to know the sales staff.

[RioRico]

I rarely enter camera shops (what few exist out West) so I'm rarely bothered.

[RobA_Oz]

I have yet to meet a good camera salesman, but that's what they are - salesmen. It's similar to going to a car dealership. They know diddly about their cars if you bother to do some research and ask an informed question, but for 95% of their customers it doesn't matter. It's more important to have good marketing skills than know the product.

That's pretty much a universal truth in my experience, unless you can find someone who has a passion for the topic. I know that's an overworked and commodified word these days, but such people do exist. They mostly seem to exist, however, in the smaller stores that are under most threat from the big retail chains - even the "specialist" camera franchises - and online sellers. If you can find one, then you should support them as much as possible, but they have to still put an acceptable value proposition to you.

I can only quibble with one small matter in what you say: "marketing" is largely about knowing your product and the people who will be likely to buy it, how best to get it to them at an acceptable price, and how to feed market information back into the next iteration of the product. "Selling" skills are what most salespeople in any field have, which is a part of the marketing equation but also stands on its own. "Selling" is all about persuading a customer that what you have is what they want, and when the customer is not well-informed it takes little product knowledge to be successful in that. Sadly, the latter is what we're seeing a lot of now.

[masloff]

- you have pentax, whoah, that`s cool...anyways, we don`t have anything pentax-ish, so you can buy some canikon instead!

meh...

[wizofoz]

Actually I have a great relationship with the two camera stores local to me. I'm on first name basis with all of the staff at one (the smaller) store, and with at least a couple of sales staff at the other. The other day, I was in the larger of the two stores, tyre kickeing, filling in time. I was approached by a young lady who enquired after my buying intentions. (I was peering in the compacts display case to see if they had a Q or Fuji to have a play with). I was holding a brochure I picked off their counter advertising (yes ADVERTISING!) a K-01.

We had a conversation about small form factor camera's and I asked her about the K-01 (baiting her, I was testing her product knowlege) She looked at the flyer as if she had never seen it befoe and then pronounced 'I always recommend that beginners get a Sony camera as thir menu system and layout is better than everybody elses, and besides they MAKE the sensors for Nikon and Canon, so they must have the best camera's' (cue, stupified look on my face) 'Err,' says I, 'I think Canon makes their own sensors, and I think Nikon AND Pentax tweak the sensors to get better performance than Sony does',but she was not buying that.

I would be willing to bet that she is a Sony Shooter who knows little or nothing about other brands. (perhaps I'm being a little harsh, she has probably 'heard' of a D7k or a 7d) It seems to me that these shops have sales staff have 'specialists' who shoot either Nikon or Canon, and you get to talk to one or the other depndent on which marque you are interested in. In fact it was because the saleman in the smaller store was a Pentaxian (since defected to Canon....booo hiss) that he pointed me to the best value/performance equation in the store a (k200d with a Tamron 18-250) that got me hooked on this camera jaunt in the first place.

[neil]

If you know so much why bother going to a store? Sell your kit lens privately and just go buy what you want.

You seem to be looking for reasons to complain...

[magkelly]

I don't have a camera shop per se here. Just the counters at the local big box stores and I seldom ask questions there. I know the guys behind the counter don't know anything much. But I have experienced this in CA. When I was first contemplating a serious camera I went to most of the major stores in the city where I lived to look. What I got was pretty much the same attitude I got when I went car shopping sans a guy. Totally patronizing bullshiz.

I'm used to being treated that way. I'm small. I'm a woman. Most high tech salespeople are guys and they don't take me seriously. I have to really start talking tech before they relax and start treating me like I have half a brain. One guy I told him to his face he was an idiot after he flirted madly with me trying to use sex appeal to sell me a junk camera. He was more interested in hitting on me than he was in listening to me and making a sale. It was unbelievably stupid and I left.

The next store, by and large supposedly the most professional in the area, the sales guys finally got the fact that I was more knowledgeable than the average guy let alone the average woman customer, but still they treated me like an idiot when it came to pricing and selecting a camera, steering me away from the serious camera I wanted towards more "girly" and less professional equipment. They actually totally ignored me at first, assuming I was just browsing or maybe looking for a camera strap for a pocket cam, at first. It took a few pointed questions aimed their way before they actually gave me their time. They were all sitting there chatting, eating, doing paperwork, whatever. I had to pretty much demand they actually talk to me. I bought a couple of things there but not my camera. I finally got some serious help at the third store I went to. But back then it was not easy at all the experience of buying a camera.

There was one store I wish I'd known about there at the time. They did treat their customers very well, including the women as I later found out and I became a regular there. But the lengths to which I had to go to be treated nicely, to get the info I wanted? It was ridiculous. Times have changed a bit and more women are buying serious gear, being taken more seriously I think as a result. I'm glad. Bout time....

[TOUGEFC]

When I do enter camera stores they quickly back down when they realise I know more than they do lol.

[RioRico]

I should mention an exception. Most off-post towns at rural military bases I've seen feature a small owner-clerked camera shop with new and used gear. I got great gear at one such near Ft Riley in the mid-70s. My nearest camera shop at the moment is 30mi / 50km away next to Ft Huachuca [wha-CHOO-kah]. Landmark Photography in Sierra Vista Arizona has paltry stock but the wiry old gap-toothed owner is knowledgeable and has some old Pentax gear.

Prices aren't lowest, but that's business, eh? He also does passport photos. Hay, we're on the Mexican border, at an active base with transient troops and contractors. And an aerostat (tethered blimp) that surveills most of southeast Arizona. Smile, you're on Candid Camera!

[MysteryOnion]

Keyofnight - Sorry to hear you got the "bum" treatment too.

I find that when I go to a "PRO" shop and they figure I won't be dropping $2000, the "bum" treatment starts. They'll ignore me until I go away. And it is even worse if I have a Pentax on me they can see.

[slackercruster]

You guys are lucky...I have not seen a cam salesman or been in a cam shop since the 80's. They are extinct around here.

[Todd Adamson]

If you know so much why bother going to a store? Sell your kit lens privately and just go buy what you want.

You seem to be looking for reasons to complain...

Yes, this. In an age where we have only big box stores that pay employees eight bucks an hour, or independent shops who've been marginialized by big boxes and online sales, and can't afford to pay decent help, once you've read a dSLR manual, or even once you've learned to swap lenses, you know more than anyone you're likeley to encounter in a camera shop, or camera department. Expecting them to know anything isn't even reasonable anymore. Sad, but true.