How Specialized Are You?

[zigcat]

I want to know how many out there work for a place so specialized in what it does/offers, that when a sucky customer threatens to never do business with you again, you're like: "Good luck with finding another place that has what we have."

MOVE THIS POST IF NEED BE!

[nomorecarts]

my store's huge, but they could get most of what we have elsewhere, they'd just have to make several stops. if our customers threaten to leave they have plenty of other options, but they cool off and still come back

[Boozy]

I sell wine, which you can obviously get at other stores. But there are a few vintages that our winery sells only through our chain. I've had my share of customers who refuse to believe that and decide to "shop around" for that particular vintage, only to return to buy it a few weeks later. Depending on the scale of production, sometimes we've sold out. That's always satisfying.

There are also certain price controls for wine here in Ontario (it's complicated), which means that even if you could find that particular wine somewhere else, it would be the exact same price as ours, right down to the penny. So it's utterly pointless.

[edible_hat]

The last time our car wash prices went up, some customers said things like "I'm never coming here again, I'll go to [one of three competing car washes] where it's cheaper!" All three came back within a day of saying those famous last words, having discovered that despite the price rise we're still cheaper.

We can be the cheapest in the area because we're the only one big enough for interstate truckers - truckers can come to us or go to the other side of town. Our two truck-sized bays are in use around 18 hours a day, often with one or two more trucks waiting. The longest queue I've seen was four waiting the day after the main highway was closed so all interstate truckers had to take the dirt roads.

[RichS]

Ink cartridges. We're usually within $2 either way of the price being sold at other stores, with the exception of some cartridges we're not able to sell (Dell).

Yet, we'll get people that see our prices, and say that they'll get it cheaper at *store*. Now, the nearest stores that sell cartridges are approximately 25 miles from where we're located, so go ahead and burn ~$10.00 in gas to save $2.00.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

Try being the only computer store in a rather podunk area and we covered three counties. The only way we existed was due to the large factories in the area and all of the small towns that serviced them.

Had the wonderful feeling of uber-pwnage when I had someone say that our prices were outrageous (national standard for labor was $10/hour higher than ours were) and that they were going to our competition. I even gave them the website of the other store. Which was 100 miles away at the other end of the other county we served.

Damn near pissed myself laughing after he left my store three days later when he couldn't find any competition to take his business to.

I love it.

M

[earl colby pottinger]

Hacking computers

I am a true hacker. Not one of those wannabes who think hacking involves breaking into systems.

I design hardware and software (sometimes together) to solve problems that you can't find solutions for, for love or money.

When the computer store I use to work for first openned, I would make custom cables for tying the video output of the computer to oddball monitors, VCRs and other equipment. I would modify original equipment to do things that the manufacturer never planned to be possible. And figure out how to make hardware that was never made to work together - work. We also went out of our way to compile our own public domain collection and/or keep copies of major collection like TPUG and FredFish.

The services either costed money in the case of hardware, or were only available to our paying customers during store hours - using store equipment to copy - during store hours for the software.

The software was available for weekend loans if a 100% refundable deposit was given. Also local computer clubs had copies and we had no problem point you to a meeting.

The amount of whining from people who were not on our database of customers was amazing!

[earl colby pottinger]

Smart Boss

I would like to point out that my boss was very smart here.

Normally, he would tell people that a piece of hardware was not available to non-store customers, have them return the original to who they bought it from and throw in the custom hardware for free if they bought their computer from us instead.

Guess what? They did, in droves! We made so many sales that way. The other local stores just did not have good enough techs to design and build the stuff, even when it was something simple.

More important, when dealing with people who controlled bulk purchases (GM, Government, Education and other large organizations) if their equipment was too old to return for a complete refund, he offered them the mods making it clear he was doing them a favour that he did not do in general. Stroking the ego like that is a great way to get in on the ground floor of future bulk sales.

[crazylegs]

How specialised am I?

Next time you're being mugged 'phone a hippy, see what response you get.