Had a talk with a shop lifter that made me rethink how I handle customers

Guy came in last Tuesday to return a used bottom bracket he clearly pulled off his own bike, no receipt. I gave him a hard time and he said 'you know, you could just teach me how to check this myself instead of making me feel dumb.' He was right. Now I spend 5 extra minutes showing people basic stuff instead of just fixing it for them. How do you guys balance teaching vs. just getting the job done?

3 comments

3 Comments

brooke76724d ago

Man that's really cool of you to admit he had a point.

cora86324d ago

Why is it so hard for people to just admit when they disagree instead of pretending to be open-minded? I've seen way too many cases where someone says "that's cool of you to admit he had a point" but it just feels like a way to backhandedly agree without actually committing to the argument. In my experience, people use that line when they don't want to fully back the other person's stance but also don't want to look stubborn. It comes off as fake nice, like you're patting someone on the head for being reasonable instead of actually respecting their position. Honestly, if you agree with him then say so directly, don't wrap it in a compliment that sounds like a participation trophy. Your mileage may vary, but I've never seen that phrase used without some hidden agenda behind it.

king.aaron12d agoMost Upvoted

See, I get what you're saying @cora863, but I think you might be reading into it too much. Isn't it possible that someone just genuinely respects the other person's willingness to change their mind without fully endorsing the whole argument? Like, acknowledging a good point doesn't mean you're taking their side, it just means you're not being a brick wall.