Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Today At Best Buy - Idiots Half Off

So I pop into Best Buy - never been in one of their stores before, usually I buy my stuff from the retail leg of the pro store where I usually shop (Sid, etc - yes, I mean Advance).

So I'm looking for something pretty easy - a subwoofer cable, and yes, I'll call it that to make sure not to confuse the Bose jockey that's trying to help me find it. One sub cable, 25' please, the Audio Research peg is empty where the 25's should be. We take a trip around the store (apparently cables are an impulse purchase, so there must be 4 different displays of them!) and during our leisurely stroll, the sales goon I'll refer to hereafter as Thing1 decides to test his vocal cords and ask

"You setting up a kickin' home theatre? 5-point-1? 7-point-1?"

Observation #1: Thing1 can't even get the nonclemature for Ex-dot-1 correct.

'Uh, yeah... Axiom mostly, with a Hsu sub'
"Oh cool, yeah, those rock" (that's got to be a conditioned response - until a year before I bought, I'd never heard of Axiom, so I tested his knowledge with one of the only other things I can double-speak with conviction)
'Yeah... real high-end setup : Heckler & Koch receiver - the MP5.1, DVD player is a Walther with Steyr CD player... I haven't gone to a multi-format player yet'
"Aww... wicked, bet it really rocks" (or rawks, maybe r0x0rz, not quit sure how to stereotype this pustule)

Observation #2: Thing1 does not know the difference between an electronics manufacturer and a gun manufacturer.

So we figure out that there are no 25' non-boutique cables in the store. No problem. Then he makes the biggest mistake he can - offers up a blister packed Monster(tm) brand cable - Lisa would later say based on my facial expression, it looked like the proposed transaction was $39.99 in Canadian funds, plus PST and GST in exchange for a rotted fetus. I suggested I didn't want a Monster(tm) brand cable, and he asked "Why? Have you had a bad experience with the brand?"

At this point, I would love to tell you that I launched into an elegant soliloquay on the cable fable, marketing and product placement. I didn't... with him waggling that, that... thing under my nose, it was even glaring up at me with that shimmering, silvery three letter word... THX... the most I could do is stumble out a "Gah... hummaslumma... Noel Lee..." and a string of expletives - some in languages I didn't speak until that moment. I did suggest that Noel's maaaagical copper wasn't up to the marketing hype and left.

Bren R.

Fun fact: Here in the US of A, 7 point 1 is the correct nomenclature.

Your subs are only 0.1 of a speaker?

Dot is used here (I thought everywhere) to signify that it's another group of speakers, not a fraction of a speaker.

Bren R.

Bren, must be a prairie thing. Here in SW Ontario, it is 7-point-1 as well. Must be our proximity to the "Marican" or "Hugh Ess" border.

Horrible story Bren.
The Best Buy salesppl can be a hit and miss. I went into BB a couple of weeks ago looking for a dvi cable and the lad who helped me out recognized the "Axiom" jacket i was wearing and correctly identified it as a speaker company. In fact he was apparently looking at Axiom speakers himself and ended up going with Paradigm b/c of the lack of Axiom auditioning possibilities. Of course i told him about the forums if he was interested in knowing more and as well, i left him my card if he wanted to hear them at some point.
Afterwards we chatted about the dvi cable i was looking for and he reminded me about the various formats (e.g DVI-I, DVI-A, DVI-D) which went with different items (something that skipped my mind) and drew a diagram of the differences so we could sort out what cable i needed.
Following that conversation we started talking about dvd players and some of the onboard DACs and video chips. He was aware of the original Panasonic lineup which had the famous Faroujda chips that were often sought after.
Rather an informed young lad, somewhere around the age of 23-25 i would say. I was extremely impressed compared to any dealings with Future Shop which only seem to have brainless wonders pushing any product possible. It sure makes a difference when you shop in a store that is not run on the commissions method. I've never had anyone push me on Monster products at Best Buy let alone push me on anything.
Next time try talking to a different person. Maybe you lucked out and got an overzealous new employee. I'm shocked you didn't set him straight on your test of his knowledge with the gun vs. audio brand comment. I have a feeling he would have become rather quiet after that.

I have a couple of stories about Advance that are rather negative. I'm sure each store has its share of boneheads.

I don't think ANY of these stores offer good training to the salespeople.... so whether you get someone who knows their stuff or is just passing time is likely dependant upon how much they knew before wortking there.

I don't get annoyed at ignorance (unless they've never heard of SACD or DVD-A Dammit!!! ) but rather only get annoyed when they're ignorant but trying to ACT like an expert. There's no excuse for them taking that role without doing the homework first to make sure they're truly helping people.

Mark hit the nail on the head! I worked at a BB for a month and on the first day I knew more than my manager did. The only thing I did for the job was read the spec sheets for the recievers we offered (Sony, Yamaha, Pioneer, KLH). So yeah, Bren got an idiot for a salesperson and Chess got the me of the group. It was funny, I went into a BB not to long ago and was perusing the speaker area and the sales kid was trying to talk this older couple into a Bose 5.1 surround setup made of 4 201's and the Bose center. I casually recommended the Athena's "If I were going to purchase speakers at a mass market store" and told the couple that I used to own Bose speakers and that while they're not bad speakers, you can get ALOT more performance from a brand such as Athena. We talked for a little bit about what I owned and what research I had done along with my bro already owning a pair of Athena's and the old man seemed to be happy that he was getting the most speaker for his penny. I pretty much made the sale for the saleskid and all he could say was "ya, I hear the Canadian's make pretty good speakers."

In Montreal, whether we're speaking English, French, Italian, Dutch, Spanish, Arab or Chinese Mandarin (and maybe other languages), we say 5 point 1 or 7 point 1.

I've actually never heard someone say 5 dot 1 or 7 dot 1.

but yet, generally people in stores are very dumb on the topic.

I once was at FutureShop (now owned by best buy), and I was looking at their big screen tv's because they were on sale. The guy was trying to pitch me a huge TV that also had 'pure digital sound' built into it. I asked him what that meant and he said 'it's higher quality'. When I told him I had a home theatre, he said 'you can use those speakers and the one in the TV, it will be louder'.
I didn't buy the TV. I just shook my head.

I thought the .1 referred to the fact that the channel only contains a fraction of the sound spectrum as opposed to a full range, hence "point-1". Although, I'd think "point-zero-one" would be more accurate.

Wow Bren, you must really be proud of yourself...setting up a guy who probably makes $9/hour and works for a store that only wants to sell particular brands because that's the deal the bigwigs behind the fancy desks come up with. What did you expect from a guy working that kind of job, really?

Frankly and no offense (of course), you come off as a complete jerk with an inferiority complex.

I walked into a best buy over my christmas vacation in california and this guy snagged us in to check out his "awesome" bose 5.1 setup. They were playing finding nemo, And of course had the speakers setup in the bose display, you know the kind. what you might call nearfield listening.

Well as he cranked it up i just kinda laughed and i told him right out "that sounds horrendus!" and he just smiled with a funny look on his face like he was soo surprised i wasnt impressed. And i sure wasnt, especially considering the 3 thousand dollar price tag.

If anyone reading this works at best buy, heres a tip. Dont even talk to me unless i ask you for something. ok!

Today at Axiom: "How I learned to be an Audio Snob to compensate for my small weeny".

so what if they guy likes Bose and you know of a better product? in case you missed it, HIS JOB IS TO SELL BOSE, JBL, etc. you guys act like its a sin for someone to earn a living.

In the words of Marlin from 'Finding Nemo'..

"Happy feeling gone!!"

bigjohn

Chee Riff, that was kinda harsh. But you do gotta point. These kids make $7-$8 an hour and get no real product training. I had conducted much research as well as read numurous audio magazines and spoken with my local audio dealer (who is a former president of the Arizona Audiophile Society) several times. Most of these "sales associates" are just doing a job for extra money. What do you really expect?

Oh, don't get me started on these sales guys! I was at an Ultimate Electronics store looking for a budget 5point 1 receiver for my dad for Christmas. While I was auditioning, the guy says "clearly the Pioneer sounds better than the Sony", but I was suspicious of the huge sound difference. So I went over to both of the receivers and the Sony was on some DSP setting and "loudness" was activated on the Pioneer and their volumes were way different. The guy didn't even bother checking these things beforehand. Then I asked something VERY simple..."does the Pioneer have a coaxial digital input?" Without checking, he said that most of the cheaper receivers only come with optical. I asked if he could check for me, so he walked over to the receiver and looked in the back and said, "no". Then he left the room for awhile while I was making a decision, so I decided to double check the receiver myself and lo and behold, there was a coaxial digital input! When he came back, I confronted him and he acted surprised then asked me to point it out to him. He said that he didn't look in the right spot because they aren't normally located there. Whatever! What a lazy chauvenistic POS sales guy, I though! To even work at this place, these guys are supposedly required to attend classes. I don't know what they teach these guys, but they are no better than the guys at BB, except they have to wear a nice shirt and tie.

Maybe people are correct that these kids don't know what's going on with the products they sell and that could be their employer's fault. Then again if you are employed selling audio products then you should probably be interested enough in the products that you could take some time out to learn for yourself instead of misrepresenting products that you know nothing about. just my $.02

Regardless of wages........BAD SERVICE PISSES ME OFF!!!!!
If your gonna take a job no matter how much you make, you should try to do it well, PERIOD.

EDIT#1:Well said Lorenzo.
EDIT#2: I shouldnt have to expect bad service ANYWHERE I spend MY money.

After some short research - it appears Tom Holman of TMH Corp. coined the term as "five dot one."

Alan? What do you say?

Bren R.

im a "point" guy, but when i am talking HT with someone, i know what they mean.

bigjohn

I would rather talk to a kid at a BB than to some of the Audio sale people at a high end place.It is my experiance the kids at BB or CC will listen and learn something if you are tactful about it and not talk down to them.I was in a shop yesterday where the sales guy was trying to explain how big of a difference having batteries on the interconnects were."We A B,ed the cables and the difference was night and day" so he says.Now here is someone you would expect to know the truth about the cables so either he does believe it to be so or he is doing the same thing as the young folks at the BB and CC does...................he is selling the product that he carries.I see one big difference here,the kids at BB and CC probably don't know any better but I would certainly believe the grown man at the high end joint is smart enough to know better but is just blowing smoke up my behind.

Well, thank you Riffman for taking the time to personally insult two people and bring penis size into the equation. What's next? Shall we arm wrestle? Go out back and try to knock each others' last 6 teeth out? Will you see me after school by the flagpole?

Back to the topic at hand - electronics box stores and computer stores seem to be two places where it is perfectly acceptable for an employer not to train an employee about product, other than to "push the Yamaha" or "Monster(tm)'s giving us 10% kickbacks." Register jockeys aren't even expected to learn anything in their time at the job, either.

I wouldn't buy a car from a car dealership where I asked "So, this MX-5... what's the engine displacement and can I see a torque curve?" 'uh, it's fast, it has Zoom-Zoom!' as he points at the window cling decal with just those words on it.

To compare, I walk into an actual electronics store and get the answers I need, and no one tries to "pull one over on me" on what they know and don't know. "Axiom? Never heard of them - who are they?" would have been the right answer. Being insulted by being lied to about someone's knowledge - that's unconscionable.

Bren R.

Bren, yeah, you get back to the topic at hand: "people at Best Buy who are "idiots" because they don't know as much about audio as I do, for example, 5 dot 1 vs 7 point 1" and similarly, when I go there, I expect the guy to kiss my ass over a low dollar cable purchase and piss on Monster all despite the fact that it may cost him his job."

That's your problem if you feel insulted. I calls 'em like I see 'em. And you sound like a jerk to me. OF COURSE, you may not *be* one but you sure do *sound* like one. As far as I can tell from what you posted, you have no idea whether the guy had heard of Axiom's. And yeah regarding the "penis" hyperbole, I suggest you look deep inside at why you felt the need to trick a low level employee, come on a messageboard to brag about it, and call the guy an idiot.

Regarding your gun trickery, all he said was he bets it rocks. That's far from lying. But, I guess in your case, its okay to do the kind of thing you did over a possible purchase of some cheap cables from a kid who makes a pittance and is just doing what he's told to do. Fine. I'm here to say that attitude is crappy.

I'm positive you fashion yourself to be a clever guy, so I ask you, what did you expect? You didn't think that with Monster plastered all over the place as you say it was, they weren't going to push it? Do you think that with the products Best Buy sells that they actually *need* to have the knowledge that you speak of? Really? Do you ever think that a kid who works in the store and has to deal with know it all audio freaks might actually feel intimidated, hence, the tendecy to just go along with what you throw at him?

I like it when Bren posts. Nobody else ever seems to find a way to use "pustule" in the correct context.

I don't feel obliged to idly suffer either bad service or a lack of integrity in sacrifice to perpetuating "market forces". If people treat me honestly, authentically and respectfully, I will reciprocate. If people treat me like a potential sale instead of a person, I'll go elsewhere.

Enjoyable read. Thanks, Bren.

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similarly, when I go there, I expect the guy to kiss my ass over a low dollar cable purchase and piss on Monster all despite the fact that it may cost him his job."

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Kiss my ass? Never expected that. All I asked for was for him to find me a product that they were sold out of in the one place I looked. Do they have more stock in the back or on a different display? Probably - a single pegboard hook would only hold maybe 3 or 4 packages, and from the time I spent in shipping and receiving - things are cased into dozens. As for a low-dollar cable purchase - they go to great lengths to tout how their sales staff are not commissioned. And I don't know where you got the "piss all over Monster" bit from - I didn't ask him to fall to his knees and denounce Monster and kiss my Belkin ring.

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That's your problem if you feel insulted. I calls 'em like I see 'em. And you sound like a jerk to me.

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While we're making assumptions, I'm assuming you used to be a register jockey at some point and are now the self-appointed patron saint of them?

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And yeah regarding the "penis" hyperbole, I suggest you look deep inside at why you felt the need to trick a low level employee, come on a messageboard to brag about it, and call the guy an idiot.

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He decided to talk above his head, I called his bluff. I mean, if you like dealing with people that can't keep up with you when you're trying to make a purchase, and that becomes a way you can get into a long, wheedley conversation about gear - so be it. For me, I'd rather have a guy admit that he's not familiar with the product and help me where he can. Take the 15' AR cable package, go to the back and see if he can find the same in 25'.

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Do you think that with the products Best Buy sells that they actually *need* to have the knowledge that you speak of?

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Then don't BS me. If you push speaker selection buttons and take product numbers to the back and compare them to boxes back there until you find the right product and have nothing but a basic knowledge of what you're selling - just do what you do. Don't try to cross that line into being my "guide into the wonderful world of home theatre"... that's like John Accountant trying to lead a Sherpa up a mountain.

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Do you ever think that a kid who works in the store and has to deal with know it all audio freaks might actually feel intimidated, hence, the tendecy to just go along with what you throw at him?

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He felt the need to ask, and to gain some "cred" in my eyes by talking out his caboose. I didn't walk in bragging about my "totally arse-rippin' kickin' sub, man, woooo-hoooo!" I asked for a cable. I didn't throw anything at him, he wrenched the ball out of my hands and beat himself over the head with it. That's not a beanball.

Bren R.

BrenR walks out of door at BB

BB employee to other BB employee

"Whoa that dude was harsh man"
other BB employee replies
"totally bogus man"
First BB employee
"Dude"
Second BB employee
"Dude"
First BB employee
"Dude"
Second BB employee
"Dude"
First BB employee
"Dude"
Second BB employee
"Dude"
BB employees exchange high five
etc, etc, etc.

I have never heard anyone say 7 dot 1 before. Always 7 point 1.

I have been to a couple "high end" stores here in Houston and they were pretty snooty. As if it is necessary to spend $10,000 to get a good set of speakers. I would rather buy a pair of speakers at Best Buy than deal with pushy or snooty salesman. I am so tired of the hard sell coming from every angle all day. People knocking on my door that want to sell some crap, people calling on the phone all the time, in the mail, spam, it is is never ending. Thats one reason I looked on the internet, no need to talk to pushy and/or ignorant salesman pushing overpriced crap. I knew those guys at CircuitCity were way overprice for what they were selling. The only way I would buy speakers there is if they were on a super clearance sale. I learned more about Home Theater here on these boards just by reading than most of the sales associates I have ever talked to. If I worked BestBuy I would learn all I could. Not that I am anything close to an expert, but I have a good general idea about receivers, speakers, DVD players, etc. thanks to this board and some of the sites that review equipment. Seems like if your job is to sell something you should at least have some idea of what it is and does.

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I have been to a couple "high end" stores here in Houston and they were pretty snooty. (...) I am so tired of the hard sell coming from every angle all day. (...) Seems like if your job is to sell something you should at least have some idea of what it is and does.

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Can I get a hallelujah?

Couldn't have said it any better.

Bren R.

You think they are confused now, wait until they start having to push 10 "point" 2.

Jalapeno!

WhatFurrer

In thinking about this "dot" and "point" issue, here is something I came about -

When referencing metric sizing of automobile engines, I say " it has a 5point7 litre engine....", written 5.7
When referencing TCP/IP addresses, I say "10dot10dot15dot150" written 10.10.10.150
When referencing audio channels, I say "5dot1" written 5.1

Is it not interesting to hear our impressions of the typically young sales force? We - at least I do - expect them to think with greater knowledge, experience and maturity than their years. The simple fact is most of the teenage sales force acts their age. Asking/expecting them to be more professional and mature is not realistic, at least in my mind....twisted as it may be.

Also, it can be somewhat interesting how we view each others personallities!!

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Jalapeno

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speaking of which... i went to the vegetable section of the piggly-wiggly the other night just lookin for some simple jalapenos. up pops this little whipper-snapper, in his clean white apron and his spiffy produce name-tag. "what can i help you find sir".. as if i couldnt find it.. "well, timmy..., i am looking for your peppers.. jalapenos specifically". "right back over here they are", as he hustles past the cantalopes and bananas. takes a right at the mangos, and shoots right past the seedless grapes. "you makin a killer pot of chili", he asks as we walk. now every man worth his weight in terds knows that you NEVER ask a man about his chili, its just bad etiquette, but i decide to play along.. "naw, i am building a life-size statue of george w bush in jalapenos, but i need a few extra to finish up the boots". he stops and smiles, "that sounds cool man, let me check that out when you are done".. and as we stop at the pepper section, he looks and points and says, "well, here ya go". i stand, in awe.. speechless, unable to form a thought or sentence. for in front of me, is the ugliest looking rack of habaneros peppers i have ever seen. wrinkly, flat, their normal bright orange faded to a dull brown. what in damn-nation is going on here!! dont that boy know the difference between a jalapeno and a habanero? what has the produce section come to? would he know the difference between romaine and iceberg? i doubt it. no thank you young man, i can find 'em on my own.. and next time i am going to krogers!!



bigjohn

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dont that boy know the difference between a jalapeno and a habanero?

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If he ever tried some he certainly would.Them darn habaneros are way to hot for me

I say we should drop both "dot" and "point". Victor Borge was on to something with his Phonetic Punctuation System.

tom,

You can count me among the BrenR fan-club, as well. Articulate, educated, experienced, opinionated, and among the top 5 people I'd like to buy a beer. Definitely not one of those milquetoast-Canadians you see on TV.

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When referencing metric sizing of automobile engines, I say " it has a 5point7 litre engine....", written 5.7

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As do I... it's a decimal point. The 350cid engine roughly translates to 5 litres plus 7/10th of a litre.

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When referencing TCP/IP addresses, I say "10dot10dot15dot150" written 10.10.10.150

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I usually leave the dots out. Just "one nine two... one six eight... sixty-nine *heheh heheheheheh heheh* I do use the term "dot" when explaining to an inexperienced user how to enter an IP address.

Bren R.

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You can count me among the BrenR fan-club, as well. Articulate, educated, experienced, opinionated, and among the top 5 people I'd like to buy a beer. Definitely not one of those milquetoast-Canadians you see on TV.

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Oh, hell... all this love, think I'm going into sugar shock! But articulate? I don't know, does being able to use the F-bomb as any part of speech apply?

I'll take the beer though.
Bren R.

And which milque-toast Canadians would you be referring to?
Celine Dion maybe?

OK, I've read and re-read this thread several times. Bren, If I am correct, the main point you are trying to make is that a Walther won't be able to play music or contribute to an HT set-up. Is that the gist of it?

Good heavens, Ray. You've missed it entirely. There are, as usual, three main points. To whit -

1. Bren is running for Canadian PM
2. Bigjohn is a budding sculptor
3. BB doesn’t carry 25’ jalapenos

Try to keep up, willya?

I admit that I purchase quite a bit of stuff from BestBuy -- I like the selection. I'd just be happy if they stopped trying to sell me a freakin' extended service plan on everything I buy. Recently I bought a $25 digital answering maching. The conversation at the checkout when something like this...

Clerk: "Would you like to purchase an extended warranty plan for only $8?"

Me: "No thanks"

Clerk: "Really?!? What are you going to do if this one breaks?"

Me: "Buy a new one."

Sorry to hijact the thread, but since we're all on a rant here about BestBuy, I thought I'd jump in.

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1. Bren is running for Canadian PM

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Nah, not a chance - I can't toady and lie.

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2. Bigjohn is a budding sculptor

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Dictionary.com lists a bud as "A small, rounded organic part" - I don't think BigJohn has a budding ANYTHING.

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3. BB doesn’t carry 25’ jalapenos

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Only 25' habeneros, and they're THX certified.

Bren R.

It's so refreshing to read a thread like this...........and not be the one people are barking at. I do see both points but at the end of the day, if you don't like Best Buy and similar places, stay out of the them and the problem is solved. Best Buy if your reading this, would a little training kill ya? On occasion I will go into Best Buy but Future Shop is another story. Advance on the other hand left town a long time ago but I have been in the one in Winnipeg (Portage - not sure if there is another one) on more then one occasion and to be honest, I didn't think it was any better then Best Buy.

......................and finally, it's "Point" not dot!

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I don't think BigJohn has a budding ANYTHING

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true that!!

just trying to inject some humor in what was becoming a dark thread. i can see both sides of the coin, but i just hate fights. unless its chicks, then i say, "GET IT ON!!"

bigjohn

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Bren, If I am correct, the main point you are trying to make is that a Walther won't be able to play music or contribute to an HT set-up.

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i'm not too sure about that...if i had a P99 .40 i would have had a lot better experience with my p.o.s. Philips htib!!

My sentiments exactly! I avoid stores like Future Shop and Best Buy at all costs!

now that's no entirely fair to Best Buy. I DO buy my computer games and some DVDs there! Never audio equipment or god-forbid cables !

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It's so refreshing to read a thread like this...........and not be the one people are barking at. I do see both points but at the end of the day

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dont you mean i see both dots.

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dont you mean i see both dots.

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no man, "points"

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dont you mean i see both dots.

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Points.......................5..........point 1..........6 point 1 and so on and so on and so on!

Hmm, I see your dot.

actually im a point man myself. i never heard anyone say dot in reference to audio. i do say 169 dot 168 etc when talking ip address. i think if i went into bestbuy and the kid said 5 dot 1 i would laugh to myself saying dot where did he get that from.
Jake

Actually, to defend Bren a bit (not that he needs it) my understanding is that in professional circles, "dot" is used fairly often (so who knows...maybe that's what it was intended to be) but certainly 90% of what's widely used is "point one".

Several people I know that work in audio professionally use "dot" and I don't consider either one right or wrong. Certainly, I wouldn't expect a BB employee to use the professional terminology/lingo anyway.

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Actually, to defend Bren a bit (not that he needs it)

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You're *twitch* right *grimace*... I don't... *pets the rocket launcher and kisses a grenade*

Bren R.

Speaking of Audio snob shops. Dont ever go to a hifi store located near the hotels by the airport in SFO. Its a small shop with some real high end and some midend stuff. Id never go in there again. nuff said. I forget the name of the place but i remember its in burligame or something like that.

There's another bad one in San Francisco just off of Van Ness.

Let's just get this out of the way: for every good high end audio store, there are three bad ones.

I have a best buy extended warranty story...and I'll make it short:

I bring an XBox up to the register:

Employee: That all today?
Me: Yup
Employee: Do you know about our extended warranty service?
Me: Yes, and I'm not interested
Employee: You should be, I broke two of those in the last two years!
Me: Well, I'm taking it apart when I get home. So that would make the warranty pretty silly don't you think?
<Long Silence>
Employee: OK. Have a good day sir!

awesome. I take it you enjoy producing <long silences> in other people's speech patterns...?

ringmir
I enjoyed that. Thanks.
Lets go shopping together sometime.

Or when they try to become a magazine salesman as your checking out...."oh sir, can I interest you in a years subscription to sport illustrated" to which I usually reply "no, but I'll take a year of swank or hustler" <long silence> "one moment sir, and I can check with my manager to see if those are available" (obviously this teenage punk has no idea he is about to make an ass out of himself) As I watch his manager laugh, and then he returns with his tail between his legs, I say "good day, eh"

brenr, what's so bad about being a "register jockey" (as your assumption implies)? please elaborate.

Seriously, I think we're done here.

for real, i thought this thread had died?

bigjohn

Maybe I am entering this thread late and have been bypassed by the opportunity to express anything relevant, but I wanted to say something anyways. I agree with Bren in a way, dishonesty is a poor sales tactic and should be exploited if possible. However, I think than rather then pitching a bunch of bunkum he was just trying to make a connection with you based on similar interests. He knew you weren't there for advice on home theater components and wasn't trying to give you any. He was obviously interested for reasons other than monetary, and got in over his head quickly.
So he wasn't humble enough to admit it(we all know you have NEVER agreed to avoid embarrassment) and tell you he wasn't as 'audiophile' as you. I have done the same thing on several occaisons pertaining to various topics. Not becuase I felt I 'had to talk out of my a$$' but because I wanted to make the other person feel as if we were relating, and give the conversation validity. I know I would be insulted if some guy came on a Dell message board and vaunted about the time he was talking to an 'idiot' who didn't know the difference between a computer processer equipped with Hyper Threading as opposed to an AMD based chip without it. Intelligence is not determined by an indivuals knowledge of one or more subjects, it is determined by the aptitude for obtaining and comprehending knowledge. So, this person is not an 'idiot' because he didn't know the professional term of the number of channels in a home theater system or hasn't heard about a niche' speaker company of whom Best Buy has no affiliation with. Instead, you are an elitist and separatist who uses the guise of speaker knowledge to exert artificial superiority over those who you embody as past or present threats to your personal identity; or lack thereof. Insecurity is simple to identify when presented so discernibly, a facile denial will only corroborate my denunciation.

This thread is DEAD!
Fred

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Instead, you are an elitist and separatist who uses the guise of speaker knowledge to exert artificial superiority over those who you embody as past or present threats to your personal identity; or lack thereof. Insecurity is simple to identify when presented so discernibly, a facile denial will only corroborate my denunciation.

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This psychoanalytical deduction is so cliche, it's laughable.

Is there really anything wrong with a customer not being interested in bonding with a store employee? Is there really anything wrong with said customer being annoyed with the employee who is trying to make a superficial connection with him? Is there really anything wrong with sharing the story with others -- many of whom appreciated it and did not choose to chastize the storyteller for his reaction?

I suppose sharing a story on a public forum does tacitly invice criticism, but the extent to which people have chosen to share their criticism frankly astounds me. There are many different personalities in the world. Some people choose to bend over backwards to avoid stepping on other people's toes. Other people are comfortable enough in their own skin not to be second-guessing their actions and opinions and how they affect others every waking minute of the day.

Personally, I'm glad both kinds of people exist.

There is enough good in the worst of us and enough bad in the best of us that it hardly behooves any of us to talk about the rest of us.

So long as you understand that such a post may warrant criticism, then you're okay. I think the point of the post was useful but the manner in which he presented it was very distasteful.

distasteful to you. You have every right to that opinion, but I believe the manner in which Bren presented it was, simply, Bren's manner, and I love him for it -- in a guy's guy sort of way.

I'm not one to usually beat a dead horse but seeing as how I got a stick in my hand...

As a sarcastic individual myself, I can appreciate his typed banter. There are certain times you don't exercise such criticism and sarcasm. Or if you do, you do it in a less bullying manner. Having worked at BB (although it was only for two weeks) and now having my bro and his best friend work at the local BB I understand the type of training these young workers usually get. I've done my damndest to teach my bro and his friend about audio/video and they probably only know about 1/10th of what I know. Even still, they have both heard of Axiom! My point is all you really get are product sheets and are told to sell Monster cables.

I understand that these kids should take it upon themselves to do a little research on their respective fields but kids nowadays are lazy (except for me of course). Fact is, you can't EXPECT the same type of knowledge from a kid who is just working after school and on weekends to know anything other than what his (also underqualified) boss tells him. I have no problem with Bren, he is a very smart guy who seems to have alot of knowledge and exposure to things that I have the slightest idea about. That still doesn't give him the right to belittle an unknowledged and probably intimidated kid.

That is all.

The funny thing here is, I didn't berate the kid. I could have. I didn't. Instead I had my own private fun... you have to make your own fun in life. I could have thrown on my Spock ears and gotten into a big, long drawn out conversation with him, bragged about my r1Pp1n' s3tUp. But, I didn't... all I wanted was a cable. I got a laugh, but not a cable.

By the way, in the end, I just got tired of Noel Lee's absolute stranglehold on the electronics store market, bought a couple of F-connector to RCA adapters and used 75ohm low loss RG59. Done and done. I may have to tape it to the baseboard until it "learns" how to sit flat, but $6 later, the sub is moved, Monster didn't get my money and all is right with the world.

Some people don't like my sarcasm or wit. That's cool, I don't like lobster... I won't eat your ocean cockroaches, you don't have to laugh in the same spots I do.

Bren R.

I feel like this is a relay race, now. If you'll kindly pass the dead horse beating stick, I'll run the next leg.... thank you.

Ha ha! I've got the stick! I've got the stick! You can't catch me!!! --- trip --- SNAP!

Oh, damn. I broke the stick.

The important thing is you didn't buy Monster.

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Oh, damn. I broke the stick.

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I bent my wookiee.

Bren R.

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I bent my wookiee.

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You're gonna want to get that checked out right away.

...or the $40 extended warranty on the cell phone you got free.

ouchie!

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ocean cockroaches

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OK.. to this point i still thought you were an all-right guy, that just happens to know a lot about stereo crap, and isnt afraid to let everyone know about it..

then, ya had to go off and start talking bad about lobsters... and shrimp? what do you think about them? they are just mini-lobsters. or a craw-dad? cray-fish as they are sometimes called. or mud-bugs? these are good eats!!

may your backside be lashed 20 times with a Monster multi-twist micro fiber subwoofer interconnector.

bigjohn

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I bent my wookiee.

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Hillarious!

I'm still partial to:
"I won, I won!"
"No Ralph. You're failing english."
"Me fail English? That's unpossible."

Cliches are born of truth on a massive scale, so saying my 'psychoanalytical diagnosis was so cliche it was laughable' really isn't an insult at all. Perhaps I am wrong about BrenR, he didn't do anything particularly mean to the kid afterall, but this type of thing is something that has happened around and to me my whole life. I, coining my own phrase, 'embodied Bren' as someone I know of who treats people like crap in the same 'I know something that you don't' manner. So, I was wrong, and I apologize, though I doubt my post had little effect on Bren. Having your own private fun was not the dishonorable thing in my opinion, it was the way he was portrayed in your post describing him that brought back bad memories. Please forget what I said, for it was as much about someone you reminded me of as it was about you. By the way, as someone PM'ed me to say, my tagline is not supposed to be pompous, it's supposed to be funny. And maybe to excuse my typical use of words no one has ever heard of (like I said, I'm a novelist) Have a nice day.

-GuyintheTV

I like your tagline!

Or at least I did once I looked everything up!

Now we're all getting along. Rodney King would be so proud...