What I don't like is going to a car dealership to look at them when I'm not in the market for one, but I'll do it anyway.
Why?
I've already told you: I like cars.
I like looking at them, I like seeing what new features the car companies continuously come up with, and I like imagining myself behind the wheel of one. Unfortunately, I don't care to deal with the salespeople. They're nice, don't get me wrong, but I don't like to waste their time.
When they come up to me, I'm quick to tell them I'm just looking, but I'm sure they hear that from everybody who goes in there to buy a car. No one wants to seem too eager to part with their money, I suppose. If the dealership is busy, they'll usually leave me alone. If it's not, then they don't.
Leave me alone, that is.
When I am in the market for a car, I'll usually go just before closing time or when there's some big sporting event going on. I do this, because I've found the salespeople more willing to negotiate in my favor when they're anxious to 1) leave for the day, or 2) get back to the big game. If you're there just before they close, they won't close until they've sold you a car. Do you think they want to be there until past midnight?
Not on your life.
I don't want to be there that late, but I'll do it to save money.
This past Super Bowl, my grandson and I went to an Audi dealership, but we were just looking. Usually, when it's a sporting event, the female salespeople, what few of them there are, will be the ones who will approach me first, their male counterparts generally watching the game in the lounge. I know that sounds sexist and stereotypical, but that's the way it is, and that's exactly what happened. A very nice saleslady walked out of the building and greeted us both.
"We're just looking," I told her.
"I don't mind," she said, giving my grandson a friendly smile.
Have I told you?
My grandson's a good-looking kid. He takes after me. The only difference being, his eyes are blue, whereas mine are brown. And, boy, is that kid sharp. He's always listening, even when he's pretending not to, so I always have to be careful about what I say, because he's not so careful about what he says.
I took him with me to the Audi dealership because children are a great way to disentangle yourself from an aggressive salesperson. Kids get restless after a short time, so when you say you've got to go, what else can the salesperson do but let you go?
But my grandson was being especially good, looking at all those brand new cars with me. The lady who was helping us was also being especially good. Helpful, but not too pushy. When I had a question, she was there with an answer, but otherwise she left us alone.
"Oh, this comes with a dual-zone auto climate control," I noticed.
I was looking at an A3.
"Yes," she said, "and it comes standard. The leather seats come standard, too."
I like standard features. It doesn't mean I'm not paying for them. It just means they're already included in the sticker price of the vehicle.
She pointed out a few other features.
"The panoramic sunroof comes standard, and so does the rearview camera."
"Nice," I said, and continued checking the car out.
She used this opportunity to engage with my grandson.
"My," she said, "aren't you a handsome, young man."
"Thank you," I said.
"Thank you," my grandson also said.
The saleslady was right, whichever one of us she was referring to.
"And so polite," she said. "Where did you get those beautiful blue eyes?"
"They came standard," he told her.
Raising My Father
RaisingMyFather.BlogSpot.com
JimDuchene.BlogSpot.com American Chimpanzee
@JimDuchene
No comments:
Post a Comment