Would you rather deal with a person or a machine?

[MediumTex]

I was reading a story about Best Buy's challenges and it mentioned the problem of people using Best Buy as a "showroom" and then buying the product somewhere online.

As I read this it hit a nerve.  I thought to myself about how much I enjoy dealing with a skilled and helpful salesperson, and yet how quickly I become annoyed when someone pressures me or is ignorant about the product they are selling.  The problem, of course, is that there are very few people in the former category and TONS in the latter category.

I like Red Box because I don't have to deal with the Blockbuster idiots anymore.

I like my bank's ATM because it frees me from dealing with the idiots who work at the bank.

I like ordering online because I can do my own research without relying on someone in a store who knows less about a product than I do.

I really think that the problem here is not price-driven online purchases.  Rather, I think it is people who are sick of dealing with incompetent and pushy people in certain retail environments.

As evidence of my theory, I look at the Apple store, which lures in plenty of people, even though these people can buy many of the the same products online or from a big-box store, often at slightly lower prices.

When I find a place that provides good service and a pleasant experience, I enjoy going there, and I don't mind paying a little more at all.

I think that Best Buy is underestimating the incompetence of its own management.

[craigr]

When I worked at a computer store we gave very good and helpful advice to tons of people (we were a small shop). But you can always tell that some of them were just pumping you for information to later order the stuff online for less. Eventually that store was pushed out of business. It couldn't compete with online retailers like Dell and discount parts stores. I feel most people were much better off getting local advice, but once these computers became consumer disposable commodity items the edge went definitely towards mail order.

Overall I prefer dealing with ATMs, etc. However if I go to a retail store seeking advice I will purchase there acknowledging that the overhead I pay for in the price also allowed me to make a better decision than I could have gotten online. Sometimes you just have to physically handle something to get an idea if it's good for you.

I think the advantage of Apple for retailers is they are very strict on pricing. I was under the impression that Apple would remove a dealer from stocking their products if they undercut on established pricing. In this way, dealing with an Apple retailer or online has no real advantage except that you can customize an Apple if you order direct (bigger hard drive, RAM, etc.). The local retailers (and even online retailers) can't do that with their on-hand stock.

[dualstow]

A few months ago there was an article in the New Yorker or the NYT about people walking into Bergdorf Goodman, ignoring the skilled salespeople, and getting prices & other info from their phones via the Bergdorf website. Bergdorf and other stores responded by putting iPads in the store.

I felt sorry for the salespeople in the article but it depends on what one is buying, in my opinion.
Tex, you listed some good examples for which a salesperson or cashier just isn't necessary: ATMs and video rental.
In the 80s, I hated ordering clothes by phone from catalogs. It was almost more trouble than dealing with people face-to-face at the mall. Now it's a pleasure to order online and not half to talk to anyone if I want a book.

I've also read about the demise of bookstores in which you get to know the vendors and they recommend things for you -- the excellent writer Will Self can be seen talking about it on youtube in his scary Internet lecture series -- but as charming as that sounds, I know what I want. Or, my friends recommend something. Then, I buy it on Amazon.

A strange hybrid of this is the "live chat" customer service on some vendor websites. Sometimes I really do need a person and not a machine, but having our machines between us is a comfort for some reason. (And no, I'm not antisocial.  ;) ) Maybe it's because I can take my time answering their questions, and even look things up as I type.

Craig's example of a small computer shop is the kind of place where I do want to talk to people, because my friends don't know enough about that to help me, and I have walked in without knowing precisely what I want. Same goes for fountain pens. And adopting pets.

One day, we'll be printing things on our 3-D printers at home, and will primarily leave the house to take a walk in the park while some kids fills up our google-driven cars with groceries.

[Storm]

Gone are the days of the qualified salesman.  Unfortunately we killed them with our excessive Internet shopping where we can find an expert in any forum dealing with the subject matter at hand...

I do think they may still exist in some high end retailers like Ferrari dealerships or perhaps audiophile showrooms that want to charge $200 a foot for gold plated speaker cables...

[MachineGhost]

One day, we'll be printing things on our 3-D printers at home, and will primarily leave the house to take a walk in the park while some kids fills up our google-driven cars with groceries.

+1

[hoost]

I think as others have said a lot of it depends on the salesman.  I recently bought a couple of suits; I had been looking around online for what I wanted for a while.  I decided to stop by the store to see it in person, and the salesman who helped me was excellent.  I ended up buying from him that day; I bought that day mostly because they had a good sale going on.  But I would've returned to buy from him later if I hadn't bought that day; and in the future, I'll probably buy from him again. 

I think for me it all depends on how much the price difference is, and how good the salesperson is.  For instance, I just bought a watch recently; I had already priced them out before I went to the stores.  The best price I could find in the store was $100 more than the amazon price.  It's rare that I find a sales person who is worth the $100 difference; and even if I did, I'd be better off handing the person a $100 bill and then buying online, because they're certainly not going to make $100 on the transaction.