[mr stroke]

Does anyone else run into this problem? I went to Magnolia to buy a new receiver and I asked the sales person what receiver I would need to get "true hd" out of my Toshiba HD DVD player and he looked at me with a blank look and said " oh I think you need hdmi 1.3 for that"

He had no clue what "lossless audio" even was and had never heard of DD+ or True HD before??I was really hoping to get some great advice on which receiver and speaker set up to buy(I am a complete audio noob), but no one in the entire store knew anything

Great thing I found this web site, because otherwise I would have been screwed

 

[wiffleball]

They should know what's going on. But in most things, the people that are really into it as a hobby will know more than most of the people getting paid. It's not their life, it's their job. I was lucky when I went to Magnolia in Tacoma the salesman was really knowledgable.

 

[dthree]

Seem's like it's still best buy, magnolia or not.

 

[davidpa]

Once Magnolia ceased to exist, and became a subsidary of BB, Im sure pay went down, and employees looked for employment elsewhere, not only that, Im sure many of the knowledgeable employees looked for work at stores where they knew their knowledge would actually be appreciated, and understood, ie mom and pop dealers.

But, what you said is true, my wife for Christmas went to get a pronto remote, and knew more about the functions than the salesperson did, and what questions to ask as far as what the remote could control, what it would learn (macros etc) and how well it would integrate with my system, needless to say she ended up not getting it because it wouldnt work with my setup (good thing anyways, I didnt want to redo everything anyways, and ditch my perfectly fine mosaic) My point being that if my WIFE knew more than the salesperson there, they've completely lost it! Now this is not to offend the few of you more knowledgeabe guys that may work there, but for the most part, its a bunch of kids thinking they've found a new career.

 

[rbrb]

The situation is what it is because people do in fact go to stores like Best Buy to purchase their electronics. Why did you not go to a mom and pop shop instead? People are generally more knowledgeable.

 

[mr stroke]



Quote:
Originally Posted by rbrb /forum/post/0


The situation is what it is because people do in fact go to stores like Best Buy to purchase their electronics. Why did you not go to a mom and pop shop instead? People are generally more knowledgeable.

I would but not many in the area, and the Magnolia here is a seperate store its "Magnolia Hi Fi" and from they tell me its a more higher end store than the Magnolia in BB stores?? But who the hell knows, they are probaly the same

 

[tweeterex]



Quote:
They should know what's going on. But in most things, the people that are really into it as a hobby will know more than most of the people getting paid. It's not their life, it's their job. I was lucky when I went to Magnolia in Tacoma the salesman was really knowledgable.

Well first off, as some have pointed out, Magnolia (even many of the ones NOT in BB), isn't what it was, and they weren't the best anyway. Secondly, consider everything one must keep up with, whereas the consumer can just focus on a handful of questions/products. I remember someone once saying that a week after a doctor had given him a diagnosis, he was amazed at how little the doctor knew about the disease and new treatment options (the patient focused like a laser beam on what was critical to him).

 

[imws]

Why even go into a store asking a question like that? Before I step into a store I pretty much know what I want.


Are there any receivers out there that support TrueHD? If there are none and I believe there are none then I think the question was unfair.

 

[MichaelJHuman]

It does surprise me that salespeople don't take effort to learn a little more and/or the store they work for takes time for instruction.


One of the things that would distinguish a store front from an online retailer is sales assistance.


It bothers me how bad some of the salespeople at Ultimate electronics have been given their specialization in AV electronics. If you are there to buy a big screen TV, they are all over you. I was there to buy a universal changer and they knew nothing about the products they sold (when they got around to asking me if I needed help.)

 

[rynberg]

Quit shopping at chain stores and go to an independent dealer. Sure, you have to wade through some salesman that will try to get you to buy a $200 power cord to go with your purchase, but at least a higher percentage of them actually know how the equipment works.

 

[MichaelJHuman]

The high end dealer here seemed snooty to me whenever I went there. I think they thought I was just wasting their time when I said I was seriously looking at Yamaha and they were a Denon dealer. I also said I was waiting for a check before making any decisions.


The high end dealer in La Crosse, WI where I used to live was great, though. I should ask John in Denver where he buys from.

 

[dakar80124]

Most audio store I've been in has some knowledgeable guys in it but even so it's usually very limited. I was in a very high end store and the guy I talked to knew a lot about high end 2 channel audio, but he didn't know squat about HDMI or 7.1 systems. Most of them are salesman first, audiophile second (if at all).

 

[ak3883]

I went into a Magnolia to see if they would match the great price I got on the 987. I chatted with the guy for a bit first, I knew a lot more than he did. He told me in 2009 that all TV channels will be 1080P... ummm no. I asked if he worked for Best Buy, he said they all worked for Best Buy, not Magnolia.

 

[rbrb]

You just have to keep in mind that people that work in places like Walmart oops I mean Best Buy are not salesman. Most of Walmart's oops I mean Best Buy's adds that I have seen on TV state that their people are not on commission. They are not sales people they are clerks. They don't get paid enough to have to know anything. What does the guy working at Target know?

 

[Bing]

I can understand the salesman's lack of knowledge. Like another has said, it's a job first and foremost to them. Imagine spending 8 hours on your feet, explaining the same crap over and over to Joe and Jane.....the last thing I wanna do is come home and spend another 3 hours at AVS.


My expectations are low at chain stores.

 

[Drew84]



Quote:
Originally Posted by Bing /forum/post/0


I can understand the salesman's lack of knowledge. Like another has said, it's a job first and foremost to them. Imagine spending 8 hours on your feet, explaining the same crap over and over to Joe and Jane.....the last thing I wanna do is come home and spend another 3 hours at AVS.


My expectations are low at chain stores.

I work at a chain store, and here i am, at 12:15 am on AVS.... though i will admit, im one of the few that also have a passion for what i sell.

 

[Ralarcon]

May I congratulate you Drew, I hope you get far in your business. You deserve it.


Cheers

 

[EnzoPolotso]

It's not really the lack of knowledge that bothers me, it's the attitude. I go to Best Buy a lot since there is one nearby and I buy a lot of dvds, so I occasionally wander into the Magnolia section. It's not the salesperson who says "I don't know about that thing you just said", it's the ones that obviously don't know anything and try to convince you they're right. I watched a Magnolia salesperson tell a customer that progressive scan was for "quicker fast forwarding" when a customer asked. When I asked him about it, he asked me to leave.

 

[oldschool4life]

That's why I'm generally loyal to my salesguy at Tweeter...


...he's honest by saying "I don't know about this product" or "I'm glad to accept your money but you don't need this".

 

[xps]

I have to say after spending my time on c-net learning about HDTV and then going to CC and BB looking at the different modalities and asking questions (AMEX in hand mind you).

Just from reading c-net and not even this forum those sales folks could answer question A fairly accuratly - Question B on the other hand 20-30% fact - 70-80% B.S. (not even good BS mind you) and Question C (no way - no how) - left me feeling very alone...

TV is one thing but audio is another - I purchased both the TV and the recevier on the internet. Since then luckily I was able to purchase a DVD player and a couple Niles amps from Tweeter along with cables ipod dock for the VSX ect. And I'm glad because those guys at Tweeter SAVED MY BUT!!. - And Pioneer customer service? _ Better than the Magnolia folks but only becase they have a written flow chart in front of them - no inate knowledge there either!