Hello fellow adults! Anybody else feel like almost every time you have to talk to someone to buy a thing, you're being swindled? If so how do you keep yourself from being taken advantage of?

See title.

I constantly feel like any interaction with a sales person is just a big con. Whether it's a car, insurance, an apartment, internet, or a specialty item that I'm interested in but not an expert on. I always feel completely lost and uncomfortable and like no matter what decision I make I'm making the wrong one.

HidingCat,

I've spent a fair number of time in computer and photography shops, and also been in the retail side for the latter. Here're my tips for retail stuff!

  1. Always know what you're looking to get. Do your own research first. If you need to rely on the sales person to make a recommendation, you've already lost. There's always a community of enthusiasts to rely on. Find them.

  2. Always do a price check with various reputable sources first. That way you have a rough idea of the price range.

  3. If add-ons of any kind are being recommended, say no and research first. Don't fall to pressure tactics to get them. If the salesperson is geniunely being helpful with the add-ons, they'll be happy to let you come back another day to get it. If they're saying you have to act now, it's a high-pressure tactic to sell higher-margin products to pad their bottom line.

  4. If a similar but alternative product is being hawked at you, again, do research first then come back. There's always a motive behind that. Sometimes it's just a need to clear stock of an otherwise decent product, but usually it's because the profit margin is higher, there're sales targets to hit etc.

livus,
livus avatar

I agree with this advice. In my mind, the sales person is there to ring up the sale of the product I have chosen. Not to advise me on what to choose.

greatwhitebuffalo41,
@greatwhitebuffalo41@slrpnk.net avatar

This is great advice. If you walk in somewhere with no real idea what you want and no research to back it up, you’re subject to the bull shit the sales person might tell you. They could also be 100% totally honest as well but, you have no way of knowing that. Do you research.

HidingCat,

Yes, even when I dabbled in customer-side of retail, there's alway some pressure to sell the more profitable stuff, even when I wanted to help the customer. Many places will have even less scruples.

quaddo,

First if all, you're not wrong. Depending on the financial risk in play, the anxiety and trust get tossed into a tizzy.

When I say financial risk, if I'm buying a car, we all already know that that's a whole racket. Buying a house, even bigger $$$$ involved. Buying a staple commodity, like a loaf of bread? Meh, it's no biggie.

One big factor in play is our emotional side.

I'll make a suggestion here. Feel free to ignore.

There's a book by Dr Robert Cialdini on persuasion. From what I recall, he got into learning how humans react to certain things, because he felt that he himself was duped into doing/buying things that he later realized he wished he hadn't done/bought. He wanted to better understand the process so that he could be more aware and less vulnerable to the grift. He ended up going into psychology and... well, specializing in the subject.

One sec, there's a website that gives a nice intro to this:

https://www.influenceatwork.com/7-principles-of-persuasion/

conciselyverbose, (edited )

Influence by Cialdini is really good and reasonably deep. Presuasion (also him) is more accessible and focused a lot more specifically on manipulative sales tactics.

If you read both of those and still want more, Nudge by Richard Thaler is pretty good as well.

Edit: one extra that's not about in person manipulation, but how you're manipulated before the interaction by branding: Brandwashed by Martin Lindstrom.

deeoh,
deeoh avatar

You just persuaded me to go look at that site, so I guess it works.

rodbiren,

I mean, you have the right attitude. I also feel like everything these days is a scam. It used to be that someone was just trying to get a fair shake for the value of their labor. Buy a refrigerator you get a quality, supported, and long term product worth the money. Now, it feels like I am getting something specifically designed to squeeze as much money from me as possible.

My two cents on ways to avoid the swindle.

  • Abandon brand loyalty of any kind. A good brand will become a hollowed out shell only focused on profit
  • Buy tech that is relatively new. The first few years of a new production product are usually the best engineered. The best VHS tapes were made when the tech was new. Same thing for new laptop designs, or M.2 Ssd, etc. Later in tech cycle they cheapen everything to make more profit and design in failure to keep you buying.
  • Assume money and greed is the reason for company behavior above all else. That will properly contextualize and answer most questions you have for why things are the way they are.
CaptainPatent,

Consumer Reports is also a great source for good info on product reliability.

If you're making a large purchase like a car or if you have a handful of smaller purchases to make, a month or a year subscription is a drop in the bucket.

As of the last time I purchased a car, it seems to be the one holdout that realizes if you sell out to ads and corporate interests, you undermine your own reputation.

Skuldug,

Right like I was searching around reviews for emergency generators and I see apopular mechanics site. A magazine I used to enjoy when I was younger, I thought I might find some insight. It had zero real breakdown of products it was straight ad push for amazon. It seemed to just be their product descriptions copy and pasted.

!deleted107246,

deleted_by_author

    •
    HidingCat,

    Yes, first production runs can have issues, so go for the second or third!

    nii236,

    I find negative reviews are a lot more scathing and off putting too, mostly because those who have a bad product are much louder about it

    raiun,

    You’ve already taken the first step by being self-aware when dealing with salespeople. I commend you for recognizing this, as it’s disheartening to see many people in the US unaware of it and consequently spending more money than necessary. I share your sentiment that everything seems like a con these days, particularly when it involves big companies. It’s crucial to conduct thorough research before making purchases exceeding $200+.

    Tigbitties,
    Tigbitties avatar

    I don't buy anything new. Reviews are more accurate after they've been around for a few years and marketing bots are on to something else.

    ScrewTheHole,

    I bought a truck earlier this year from a dealership. I went to four places with an idea of my needs. A couple of them were so high pressure and loaded with shit, man. Unfortunately the best truck for me was at one of the scummy places so they got my money. I love the truck, it's perfect. But I hate that they think their tactics worked and wish I could've made it clear I was trying to avoid dealing with them, and only went back because the product was good. NOT because they were some super sales force

    Hexagonalshit,

    For apartments I try to stick with smaller landlords that have just one or two properties. They tend to place more value on keeping the place occupied so they're less likely to raise your rent.

    When your lease is up have a backup plan for where you'll go if you can't come to agreeable terms

    The downside is putting up with a lot of poor building maintenance/ diy solutions. I don't want to say slumlord. But basically... cheaper rent is worth it though because it's my largest expense by far

    rastilin,

    I have a few things that help me when making these decisions.

    1. There might not be brand loyalty, but there is store loyalty. I know a few places around that have sold me good stuff in the past and I usually check there first. A brick and mortar store, even if you buy from them online, has an interest in not thrashing their reputation by selling you junk. Eg, I tried several electric shavers, but the one I currently use is one of the only ones a local big-name store had. The 'best reviewed' one I found by searching online sucked.
    2. No internet connected anything.
    3. Old technology is usually more reliable. I got an infra-red electric stovetop with knobs instead of paying extra for an induction one and I don't regret it. It was the only one they had because apparently no one wants knobs instead of touch sensitive buttons, but it still works perfectly years on and I'm still fairly happy with it. You never want to be first in line for anything.

    Subscriptions to "Consumer Reports" or "Choice" magazines are always helpful, and their reviews are very reliable, but you won't always be able to find the stuff they're recommending.

    zlatiah,
    zlatiah avatar

    ... no, but that could just be me being weird and broke (literally not having enough to buy something dissuades a lot of purchasing behvior). Also... mentally if there is a salesperson involved (who does not have my best interest, obviously) I'd automatically mark the thing as inferior unless proven otherwise

    I dunno... if I am too easily swindled maybe grab a nerdy, logical friend to help out or sth? Seems like everyone else on the thread already mentioned how to do proper research on different subject matters so

    readbeanicecream,
    readbeanicecream avatar

    @Ski Yes! I am in the middle of car shopping at the moment and it is atrocious. Every salesperson comes off as if they work for Dewy, Cheetum, & Howe! It basically makes me say to hell with it an put off the purchase.

    Not only do they come off as swindlers, but also as if they are doing me a favor by just talking to me. The whole process just sucks.

    gripworks,

    Upvote for a CarTalk reference, nice.

    tetris11,
    • Skinflint
    • Idealo
    • Various reddit reviews
    • Reading the 1 star Amazon reviews
    raiun,

    You already got the first step down, be proud of yourself that you are self aware when a sales person is selling you something. In the US it makes me sad seeing so many people not realize this and end up spending way more money than needed. I agree with you everything feels like a con anymore especially from big companies. Research, research, research before buying anything above $200+

    redcalcium,

    One thing that I found helpful is you shouldn’t be afraid to say no and walk away. Not to say you should be a dick though, just remember that you have the option to refuse the deal. Also, if you’re like me and feel bad about wasting people time when you decide to say no after lengthy negotiation, you can send the other party non-monetary thank you gift later to ease your conscience.

    snooggums,
    snooggums avatar

    The time spent figuring out the deal is part of the cost, so unless you came in planning on being unreasonable about the price from the beginning then you didn't waste their time.

    Demimanos,

    I feel the same way. It’s the same online. There is always some kind of coupon or offer you have to find in order to get the real price for something. I try to research as much as possible before buying anything big and use platforms that compare prices or tell you how much the same item used to cost. That somewhat helps, but my sly sister always gets another discount on top.

    AttackBunny,

    Personally, I prefer to make my decision before I go to the sales person. I do all the cross checking, feature research, etc before I leave home. Everything is on the internet. It’s not like we don’t have info at our fingertips constantly. Then when I’m there, I don’t have to waste time (this is a big one to me) talking and being upsold.

    tree_frog_and_rain,

    This.

    I do my research before I am anywhere near a salesperson.

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