part of what i like about the local shop experience is just that kind of interaction. now, my local guys want to sell their product, yes. they're businessmen. but they are also PASSIONATE about the product they sell. listening to the stories while hanging out and smoking what i just purchased is when the salesmanship ends and the real fun begins, imo.
my local guys know what i like. i generally buy 1-3 cigars when i go in, and they know my situation, so they don't put on the gloss and try to sell me a full box, a humidor or whatnot. more often than not, they're ducking to the back room to retrieve some freebie they'd been saving for my next visit -- they're just that kind of folk, god bless 'em. they know they're not going to get rich off of me, so the salespitches (which i do find genuine with other customers, too, btw) get set aside for tall tales, funny anecdotes, bawdy jokes and the like. it's like a good old-fashioned barber shop... but with lots of billowing smoke and comfortable leather chairs. lol
i've rarely found salespeople to be passionate about their product, though, but exceptions do exist -- auto parts stores and hardware stores. the folks i've met in those shops, too, seem to be passionate about their work. they love cars, or they love building and fixing stuff, and it's almost like a fun outing when you head out to a local hardware or parts store and encounter a salesman who takes the time to answer your questions and seems to care about what you're working on, etc. -- it's even more enjoyable when you're treated to a "i gotta tell you about the time i..." story about cars and projects past. enjoyable, entertaining and educational are such visits.
you won't find that at home depot or some parts chain any more than you'll be treated to a barber's wit and good ol' boy b.s.-ing around at a Supercuts. but find a store where the owner is a human, not a corporation, and you'll often be treated like a fellow human being, not a zip-coded customer.
this is a great example of that kind of treatment. kind of makes me want to go down to old bill's hardware store and look at hammers... and hear bill's latest tale of misadventure in home improvement. :)
thanks for this, 0pat!
