In my marketing class, they touched on a growing trend in retail called personal selling. At one time, places like Sears would have people on the floor to accommodate prospects but these days, there are computers that give details on the product. Like everything else, the personal approach is coming back to where everyone in a certain department will not only know the features and benefits of any random item. Additionally, they will be trained to ask the customer questions so that they will either close the sale or build a customer base. Assuming this will cost money and this will be passed on the customer in some form (eg financing or bundle deal), would you patronize a retailer that took this approach?
No, I do my research on the internet so I would be annoyed if people approached me in a store and tried to explain an item to me and sell me on it. I don't need my hand held and don't want personal sales help. I rarely buy items offline anyway unless a store happens to have a better deal on a product I saw online.
I wouldn't mind listening to some smooth-talking salesperson telling me about the features of a products and at the end of the exercise tell them I'm not interested in whatever they were trying to get me buy. I dislike salesmen and never will buy something they try to convince me to buy. It would be much better for them to be around ONLY for people who want questions about a product's features answered. I'd avoid such a store like the plague.
