So I was in a knife store today.....

Q

Quijebo

Joined
Mar 19, 2000
Messages
205
I was at a local knife store today, and boy was I shocked. The guy that worked there was a moron...

I was wondering if they had an LCC is stock so that I could actually see one.

So I walk in and get the usual
- 'Can I help you?' ..
I say
- 'You wouldn't happen to have the new Microtech LCC in stock would you?' ..
and he says
- 'No, we dont usually carry Microtech but we can order one for you'
Then he really stuns me by saying ..
- 'Have you seen the new Microtech Lightfoot yet, thats what you should get instead'

I tried sooooo hard not to outright laugh in his face. Then I went on to explain to him that the LCC is the Lightfoot Compact Combat...and he just sort of has this blank expression on his face, i am still curious as to whether he understood the acronym or not...and I even asked about the DA, he had NO IDEA what that was, but when i said its a bolster release switchblade he kinda freaked out and said..
- 'we cant sell switchblades, they are illegal in Ca.'

Again i tried not to laugh, but actually did as i said,
- 'how hard do you think they are to get?' and sorta left it at that.

Anyway, to make a long story short, they don't carry it, but one of the employes who works there during the week has one...so i just might stop by again...

And as I was walking out the store, i was surprised as to how little some knife store employes really know...
 
This same "problem" comes up all the time. There are a good number of knifenuts who work in cutlery stores...I just have yet to find them.
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Nearly every cutlery store I've gone into in the Seattle area has disapointed me. Sometimes I feel as though I'M the one trying to be the sales person!

One knifestore I've been in is in Honolulu, PowerEdge...the owner Peter Do is usually there. He even carries a limited number of handmade customs including two Elishewitz which he was nice enough to let me handle (even though he knew I wasn't going to buy it).
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~Mitch

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My Hobby Page
 
One thing you must remember is -- It is truly very hard to find good employees in this great economy we now have. I know because I own a business and have a very hard time finding people. The person you talked to probly had some good traits as well. Its a shame but as an employer we hire the lesser of two evils.
I agree its very frustrating to go into any store that specializes in something and find that the person helping you knows nothing. It just about makes my blood boil untill I think of what my customers must say sometimes. The owner is most likely very good at what he does. Don't judge a book by its cover. Its scares me to think where our society is headed.

John

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http://www.toptexknives.com/yeackley.htm My contribution to the world of knife fanatics.

"Evolution of a Maker"
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumList?u=216199
 
Just last week I spotted an BM 730 in a locked display case at the local sporting goods store. Find young sales person.

"Want to see BM 730," says me.

"No such knife," says he as he looks through knife stock behind counter.

"Right in display case," says me and we walk to the case.

"Can't sell that one it's our last one," says he.

"This would be the knife you said two minutes ago didn't exist," says me.

"I can't sell it, it's our last one," he insists.

"Want to see," says me.

"Can't," says he. "Case locked."

"Bye-bye," says me.
 
A lot of stores only pay the minimum wage and that gathers those that will work for that! But I've found through the internet and from Ashokan the Freeport Knife store in Freeport Maine and Herb and Nick are two guys, young guys, that work there and have an immense passion for knives and both are upcoming knife makers themselves, so their are places that have good people that know there stuff! If you call there tell them that G2 sent you, they will help you out! And if you get Nick, ask him how that Japanese Tanto in O1 is coming along, he brought it with him at Ashokan this year and it is a very nice blade....
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G2

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"The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions!"
Take the time to read your Bible Now, don't be left behind...

G2 LeatherWorks

[This message has been edited by Gary W. Graley (edited 09-30-2000).]
 
You are probably going to stores in shopping malls. The labor pool at a shopping mall is very dynamic. The clerks don't work so much for any specific store as much as they "work at the mall." A typical mall worker may start at the icecream store for X dollars an hour. Then, the manager at the sunglasses place offers him ten cents a hour more and so he changes. Why not? It's not like he has to change his life that much. All the stores in the mall keep the same hours. He can keep his same appartment and make the same drive. Maybe he'll park a little bit further down the lot. Anyway, after ten minutes of buzzword training and instruction on which lines have the highest profit margin, he's selling sunglasses. Then, after a few months, the manager of the shoe store may offer fifteen cents an hour more, so, after ten minutes of buzzword training and instruction on which lines have the highest profit margin, he's selling shoes. (Never, never buy shoes at a mall. The clerk typically has no idea how to fit you or what shoes are appropriate for your feet and your planned activities.) A few months later, this same clerk is making twenty cents an hour more brewing fancy coffee drinks. But, he just heard that he knife shop has an opening. It sounds less hectic and the constant smell of coffee is making him sick. He knows that the fact that he knows nothing about knives is irrelevant. He knew nothing about icecream, nothing about sunglasses, nothing about shoes, and nothing about coffee drinks when he started at those places and did just fine. He can do knives too. He already knows the most important skill for the job: how to run the customer's credit card through the verifier terminal. So, after ten minutes of buzzword training and instruction in which lines have the highest profit margin, he's a knife expert, says so right on his name tag! The manager of the knife store knows that it's a waste of time to try to train him any more throughly, to try to do any "employee development", because he'll be lucky to retain this guy for six months. Besides, six months ago, the manager of the knife store was, himself, the assistant manager of the Radio Shack across the hall.



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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
I walked into a Chesapeake Knife and Tool store in the Mall last weekend, just to see what they had. There was a very limited range of production knives, and two clerks. An older guy who never said a word and a 20 year old who seemed kind of geeky and had this habit of flipping knives open and closed rather compulsively. I guess it was supposed to impress me, or intimidate me. Not sure which. It didn't work.

I asked if they had any custom knives. He brightened up (ohhh.....big dollar sale) and took me over to see the Chris Reeve and William Henry stuff. A decorated small sebenza (retail $395) was priced very reasonably for $525. When I told him that this was a Factory knife, he started to argue about it. I told him that he should read Blade magazine and check out who won the best Production knife award recently. I also informed him about the nature of the Chris Reeve operation and that according the the rules of the Knife Makers Guild, a knife made by more than one person was not a 'custom' knife. I also told him what I thought of their price. Turned out they didn't have Any 'custom' knives in stock.

Then he showed me a knife with an AUS8 blade, and when I told him this was a relatively poor steel, he blanched. We compared blade steels for a while. I think he might have learned something, but maybe not. When I showed him my Spyderco Centofante, he asked to see it. He liked it, but said 'we don't carry that model'.

Somewhere in our conversation, he said 'it sounds like you know more about doing my job than I do'. I said something about that probably being true. I invited him to come over to BladeForums, but he said he had no time for such things.

So basically, I think these stores are set-up to rip off the poorly educated consumer. The employees don't know Anything, the prices are way too high, and anyone who has a clue will walk out of the store and go buy the knife they like on the internet.

It's really too bad, because it is kind of nice to be able to walk into a knife store and see and handle the knives you are interested in buying. I know some retail outfits are very good. But I would guess that most of these mall type stores have a hard time making money, charge too much, and hire idiots to run the charge cards. I'm sure their are a lot of relatively sophisicated knife buyes walking into these stores; it's unfortunate that they have almost no hope of getting any of our money.

Paracelsus
 
What I think is even worse is that a lot of the knife salesmen dont even care about learning about the knives. They just sit their aounting the days 'till their next paycheck. If I worked in a knife shop (or any kind of shop) I'd at least make an effort to learn about the product I was selling.

I was at a Chesapeake K and T a few weeks back and although the lady behind the counter didn't know a whole lot she was at least interested in learning more. We probably discussed knives for a good 2 hours.
 
Merlo's Cutlery is notorious for the above mentioned problems. I would be very much surprised if they knew what Microtech was, much less know anything about Microtech's new model. I had a fair experience at a stand-alone Chesapeake Knife and Tool--they had a few Microtechs, some Chris Reeves, and a very early number BM 940 that I was interested in, only problem was that they wouldn't let me handle any of them! Some new law, I suppose, which stays in effect despite the fact that my parent was standing next to me. Anyway, the sales clerk seemed to be unusually knife knowlegeable, but he had been corrupted by trying to BS non-knife-knowledgeable customers for so long. He ended up telling me that AUS8 is a supersteel that I can't get anywhere else except in this limited model, etc. In conclusion, Dennis Wright Knives and Sporting Goods in La Mesa, CA is awesome! I give it my highest recommendation.

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"I'm out there Jerry, and I'm lovin' every minute of it!"--Kramer
 
Well, maybe Chesapeake Knife and Tool will be better staffed in the future as I intend to submit a job application soon. I admit they have outrageous prices and probably don't care at all how much I know about knives but hey, I need the money. I've always wanted to have a job doing something with knives so I've got my fingers crossed.
 
These are some great stories. Let me share mine.
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Ok, so I'm at my local outdoor shop, which is Casanova's. I'm looking at knives and the clerk starts up a conversation about BM knives of the month. Then after a while, he asks me what is my next purchase, and I tell him a BM42 balisong. Then, he goes off telling me they are illegal in Wisconsin and how he wished he could sell them. Next he comes off saying that the Food and Drug administration does random searches at peoples house. Obviously he is insinuating that they will search my house. First off, they are not illegal in Wisconsin as I just got mine the other day. Secondly, How can he come off saying that a gov't administration does random searches when they're bored? Umm, ever heard about must having a reasonable cause to search someones personal property? Obviously not.
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Finally, I storm out of the store in anger.

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Dave

Some of my knives - http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=950012&a=7073911
 
Well malls are not great place for knives, but there are exceptions. A knife shop here in california, located inside the Buena Park mall, has an excellent staff. They carry everything legal under the sun in California, and quite a selection of customs. I mean they got Sebenzas, Lees, Elishewitz, many many more. And all the people there actually know knives. I think it is a family own business of some sort because everyone there actually cared about what they were doing. The last shift worker, which i believe is the owner, was probably the most enthusiastic non-male person i have known that loves knife. Great place,a gem in the rough but great.
 
Know what you're all sayin'!

We don't have "knife" stores in Zoo Jersey.
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I mean ~ a "real knife store!" There area a few "Army/Navy" type stores and a few "gun shops" that carry low end knives. Please keep in mind ~ this is Zoo Jersey ~ the land where you have to have a SS Stormtrooper (NJ State Police) permit to just go into a gun shop and handle a weapon!

There are a few across the border (in Pennsylvania).... No customs.
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BM, Spyderco, CRK&T, SOG, etc..... Which by the way, are considered "customs." And the prices are extremely high! Months ago I spent over 2 hours with a store clerk explaining and showing her what a custom was.
Now, everytime I walk by the store she yells at me....."Hey Mr. CustomKnifeGuy!" Jezzzz........

I'm with Paracelsus....."these stores are set-up to rip off the poorly educated consumer, the employees don't know anything and the prices are way too high!"

HELP ! ! ! !


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GigOne
"Livin' Life - Full Throttle"
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"Happiness is a belt-fed weapon & a Walter Brend Model 2!"
 
Walked into the locaL "knife store". In the display cases were Boker, Camillus, Ontario,Schrade, United, chinese knock-offs, and a few others. Asked the salesman if they had any CRK&T or Spyderco. HE said, "are they new? I never heard of them." Thank God for the internet!

Paul
 
GigOne wrote:

I'm with Paracelsus....."these stores are set-up to rip off the poorly educated consumer, the employees don't know anything and the prices are way too high!"
Click to expand...

Isn't it a shame when a customer knows more about a knife than the salesperson does? While on vacation in Canada several years ago I visited a local knife shop. that day the owner was away and a friend of his was minding the store. I had struck up a conversation with him about a BM 970 Emerson after noticing one in the display case. This gentleman is a knife collector, preferring multi-blade pocketknives to tacticals (not that there is anything wrong with that
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) A few minutes later the phone rang and, ironically, the caller started asking the guy some questions about the BM Emersons. Since he knew nothing of Benchmades, guess who he put on the phone to provide the caller with the answers?
wink.gif



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AKTI Member # A000005
NC Knife Knuts Member
Living life "on the edge"

In memory of James K. Mattis
 
These are great stories!
It's too bad I don't know a whole lot about folders
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I wish I could say I was more knife-knowledgeable than a knife store clerk (I'm sure as "heck" more balisong knowledgeable, no one knows crap about them here in CO, just a few teenagers). I need to get a couple more Blade magazines and spend a few more hours a day here so I can learn and learn and learn and lea....

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Cameron
"It takes a killer...to stop a killer"
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A few of my balisongs
My Photopoint album

[This message has been edited by BalisongMan (edited 10-01-2000).]
 
I don't go into "knife" stores very often. A local gun shop, operated by the owner, his wife, son, etc., carries Spyderco, Cold Steel, Benchmade, CRKT, and MOD (they're outside city limits and carry autos, too).
I go in every week or so, and shoot the bull (mostly about guns, knives, and all the laws we think are BS) when they aren't busy. They have great prices, are very friendly, and actually use several of the knives they sell. They will order one for you if you ask. Big difference from other stores.
They have a great selection of firearms, too.
If you're ever in B'ham, AL, check out Southeastern Guns in Centerpoint. The owner's name is Mike Davenport. These are some of the finest people in the business, and I am proud to know them.
They have a great selection of guns, too.
 
So I have allot of years working in retail, and I can say that there were several products I did'nt know much about. For instance the woman's underwear section when I worked at a clothing store. I never have and never will venture to educate myself in that area, I just don't think I have the expetise as to what it is like to be a woman. Nor did I feel that is what I was hired to do, but never the less I was dumb fouded when asked a question about such things. If you put me in a gun shop though you'd be there for days listening about guns from me. But you know what there were no openings at the gun dealer and I still had to make a living. So I feel it's kind of harsh to judge these employee's as though there idiot's when in reality it is thier employer's job to educate them. If I had owned any bussiness I'd work those extra hours untill I got an employee that I felt would be the best that I could get. I know it can be irratating, but don't forget most of us were flipping burgers at one time in our lives just to make a living.
 
I went to the Chesapeake K&T in the Towson Mall last night near Goucher college and Towson U. Got to see MT's up close and personal for the first time and I didnt get cut! I loved the LCC. Incredible blade, $190, almost bought it, but didnt have the $$ for it. I also handled MT Vector, Kestrel, Socom and the LCC, Benchmade Osborne, Model 42 Butterfly, S&W Swat (Very thin liner lock) couple COld Steel (SRK, Recon Tanto, Scimitar) WH(black micarta handle, 3" warncliff blade with black micarta or G10 handles, a Few ken Onion, including a speedsafe..man that was sweet! Oh yeah, a $600 large sebenza that had like start or soemthing engraved in the handle. I would have rather had the LCC than the Benza! Handled a few more that i couldnt remember. I was there for bout 40 min. The saleslady there was a little amused, i think. I kept going back to the MT LCC. She was young, but liked the WH with the carbon fiber. She knew a pretty good amount about the blades and stuff. My friend looked at some of the cheap big bowies and other CS stuff. Overall, a good experience. The funniest thing is i had to go to meet a group of people we were with and when we were leaving, we passed the knife store. The salesperson saw me and started laughing and talking to the other clerk. Is that a good thing?? But I wanted that LCC!
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I've only been to one store where the people actually knew stuff about knives. And that place was the Knife Gallery, located in Brea, California. SharpEdge on the forums, works there!
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The prices were fair for a mall store (retail or below).

Then there were other stores, I remember one was called Advanced Cutlery in Puente Hills or something I believe. The salesman was very nice and friendly, but he knew nothing about knives and didn't mind letting people know that he knew nothing. "I just work here, I don't really know anything about the knives" ... anyways, after a while, he had a few customers and the salesman eventually just pointed to me and said for them to talk to me.

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Chang the Asian Janitorial Apparatus
 
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