What's Your Experience With Cutlery Store Employees?

I just love going ionto my local shop opening up a knife then handing it back and watching the person try to figure out how to close a linerlock. I wish people would at least take a little time and learn about the things they sell

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I'm a Schizophrenic and so am I
 
Hi Belstain

You talking about MERLO'S ?
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[This message has been edited by Kwaiken56 (edited 08-10-2000).]
 
Two days ago I went into a Merlo's at the local mall. I had hopes of seeing a Microtech socum Elite. I'd just won one here on the forums (thanks again Mike), and thought I'd like to see what I'd won.
My wife and I wandered in and the salesman (late twenties) asked if I needed anything. I awnsered "no thanks, just browsing through" and he went back to his paperwork. We were the only people in the store.
"let me know if you need to see anything." He said.
I said " Do you have any Microtech's?"
His reply...."Nope. Never heard of them."

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~~TOM~~
 
I've had the same experience with Merlo's. I once went into the store to get Tuff Cloth. Neither of the people working there had any idea what Tuff Cloth was or where I could get it. Needless to say, the store did not carry it, or any other knife care products.

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"I'm out there Jerry, and I'm lovin' every minute of it!"--Kramer
 
The knife store that I go to has B.S.'ing workers, they tried to say that ATS-34 is NOT brittle at all, it is the BEST stell on the market today and that they don't know where I heard that from. What gives??


shankman
 
they're just trying to intimidate you into a sale. if they can make you think you're wrong, you might start to think they're knowledgeable.

i've met no end of idiots in knife shops. one in my area, chesapeake knife and tool, has a few guys that know their stuff, but most are so full of bull they might as well be selling vacuum cleaners door-to-door.

aleX.

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"open it up and stick it in..."
 
Corrado Cutley on Clark in downtown Chicago has a very knowledgeable salesperson, and a decent selection. I buy the occasional sharpener or item on special, but mostly I just check in to chat knives (I can't say that I'm eager to pay full retail for something I can get marginally used for 1/3 the price on the forums). I try not to take up too much of his time, or distract him from other customers. And I turned him on to the forums!

Northwest(ern?) Cutlery, however, somewhere West of the Loop (800 W. Lake?) is another story entirely. Those guys don't know as much about their stock as Corrado, but wow! What a lotta stock they have! I can't help myself, I have to paw some of the items - but again, making sure never to distract from other customers. And some of the clerks are perfectly happy playing with the stock, and just chatting, when no one else is around. So I don't feel TOO guilty . . .
 
I have had mixed experiences as well. I work in a Mall, so I spend down time at the local Chesapeake Knife and Tool shop. The manager's are very knowledgable about the items in the store, but have limited knowledge about items they are soon to carry, or not yet available. The net is great for "breaking news" items that the cutlery stores just don't hear about.

I personally can't wait until the holiday help is hired so I can go in and be amused by shear cluelessness...

"Would ya like some fries with that ..."
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John A Franklin
 
Here in Sweden it usually very disappointing.
Knifeshops aren't, usually it's a hunting shop that has some knives for sale.

The one that's nearest to me is 45 kilometers away and they have got one clerk that is knowledgeble, of around 5...usually when you ask to see something you'll have to point it out, impossible to say, that Spyderco to the left, "-ehhh, which one it that?? "-the one with a hole in the blade" say some doesn't it.

And on top of that, we pay nearly twice the price of what you guys pay, we got A LOT of tax here
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Did i mention that i VERY seldom buy knives in Sweden.
I LOVE internet and these kniferelated forums, my knifecollection has grown a lot thanx to it
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Be well!/Jonas aka 2Sharp

"May all your detonations be expected"

The coolest bar in the world: http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Camp/8373/index.html
My knives!
 
jfrank3600

That's a great spin I'll plug into the holiday season. Anything to keep from gettin' P_ssed ! Thanks man.
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My only local store is in a mall.

I went in there the other day and saw a drastically reduced selection of stock. I asked about it and was told "we sell the Cold Steel only, because they are, without a doubt, the best knives out" My jaw must still have been hanging open, because i had it explained to me further "All the other brands hate cold steel because they make better knives."

I turned and left, and i'm not going back until they change that policy.

James

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The beast we are, lest the beast we become.
 
I can't agree more w/ Richard. Next time you go to a knife shop, don't ever say stuff like "Oh, i can get that $50 bucks cheaper on the internet, do you guys match prices?", and also do us a favor, if you r not completely sure you going to buy a knife today, SAY IT. It's abosulutly annoying after you show the customer 98427984 knives, and all you get is craps like "i'll come back, i promise." 10 out of 10 who say "they'll come back" never did, that just piss me off. People always complains about lack of services these days, but all i c is ppl never appreciates services.

The real knowledged salesman doesn't work at a knife store for the money. Oh yeah, Chang, it was fun meeting you, although u bug the heck out of all of us
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Shankman, tha's just sales technique by saying ATS-34 is the best steel out there. You have to understand the majority of ppl who comes to the knife store are not knife knuts, they are averge users, and for averge uses, ATS-34 isn't a bad steel at all.
 
Originally posted by SharpEdge:
don't ever say stuff like "Oh, i can get that $50 bucks cheaper on the internet, do you guys match prices?"
Click to expand...

Why not? It could be phrased a little more politely, but the only way to find out if prices are negotiable is to ask. When I visited Chesapeake Knife and Tool in Baltimore, the answer was, "Yes. We will match up to 25% off retail."

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Dave

Let no one ever from henceforth say one word in any way countenancing war. It is dangerous even to speak of how here and there the individual may gain some hardship of soul by it. For war is hell, and those who institute it are criminals. Siegfried Loraine Sassoon
 
Dennis Wright, proprietor of Wright Knife & Sporting Goods in San Diego, is very knowledgeable and a pleasure to talk to...also has a great selection and great service.

As to the mall stores, it's very iffy. At Cutler's Cupboard there are often pretty knowledgeable salespeople. At Remington Arms they are usually not. BTW, I've made purchases multiple times at almost all the stores (except Merlo's, and I know at least one of their San Diego outlets recently closed). It's been replaced by a small shop, King of Knives (in La Jolla-UTC). I haven't purchased there, though.

I've also made knife purchases at discount stores like Target or Wal-mart (don't laugh; they often sell Victorinox SAK's or Leathermans for very cheap). Also sporting goods stores, where understandably most employees know next to nothing about knives...I don't really care, so long as price is discounted and I can check several of a model by hand.
Jim
 
Kwaiken56
Yeah i was talking about Merlos. the only employee they had that knew anything was the old manager and he said that he hated knives

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I'm a Schizophrenic and so am I
 
I have rarely purchased from a cutlery store for the simple fact that most don't carry what I want. There are a few in the LA area that do have a good stock of customs, such as Rettings in Woodland Hills and Plaza Cutlery in Costa Mesa. At these two places, the service people are pretty much in the know, especially at Rettings. Some of the small or mainstreams shops I've been have employed some people that had little or no knowledge about their products, but that didn't turn me off. I feel as a consumer/user, it is my job to be well informed and updated, which is why I enjoy reading the posts and Faqs on this forum. Also, because I don't have money to burn, if I'm going to purchase a custom or some high dollar item, I will get all the info about the piece myself first.
 
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