You know you're in trouble when....

[cardimon]

You ask the counterperson at Brookstone if they have the SOG CrossCut or CrossGrip in stock, and they look at you with that blank stare that says, I have no idea what this guy is asking for, but if I don't answer, maybe he'll go away.

I walked into the Brookstone store at the King of Prussia, PA, mall. I saw a SOG CrossCut in a display case. I was going to get one for my brother for his birthday.

The nearest salesperson was doing damage control with an unruly child someone had dragged into the store, so I was on my own.

I went to the counter and posed my question. The person then tracked down every salesperson in the store, and not one of those guys know what a CrossCut or CrossGrip was, let alone what SOG was.

They were so out of touch with what they were selling, they tried to sell me a SOG Pocket Power Plier as a CrossCut. I then, very quietly and politely, told them about pliers-based vs scissors-based mini-multitools, as well as a small bit about SOG itself.

One of them actually said, "Hey, at least we know what this is now."

It really was very sad. And their multitools were overpriced by a good $10.00, to boot!

Craig

 

[Ron Andersen]

Hey Craig,

That's a sad story.

I know that some employees can't know everything they sell, but instilling customer confidence is important. The "blank stare" is very unprofessional. Brookstone is a great dealer of ours and carries the CrossCut, CrossGrip and Pocket PowerPlier (possibly among others). Hopefully you got what you needed regardless of the service.


------------------
Ron Andersen
Consumer Services Manager
SOG Specialty Knives, Inc.

Website: www.sogknives.com
Email: ron@sogknives.com

[This message has been edited by Ron@SOG (edited 03-12-2001).]

 

[cardimon]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Ron@SOG:
Hopefully you got what you needed regardless of the service.
</font>

Well, to be honest, no I did not. They no longer had any CrossCuts in stock, only Pocket Power Pliers.

As usual, I found what I needed on the Web, at The Cutlery Shoppe. They offer the CrossCut for $21.00 and the CrossGrip for $23.10. Those are great prices.

Brookstone has always been a fine place to shop. Their salespeople have always been helpful and knowledgeable. I hope what I encountered was an anomaly.

Craig