Gabriel L. B.
I went to check the prices of skateboard parts, and when I showed him a photo of the parts on Shopee, before I could even enter the store and talk about price, the guy said, "Don't talk to me about online prices, because if you wanted to buy online, you wouldn't be here." "You're here because you're not familiar with online parts," suggesting that I could discuss the product in person (I think that's what he meant). I took a deep breath, said nothing, and let the guy show me the store's products. The result: it was no surprise: absurd prices, completely unrealistic. They were like twice the price on Shopee, three times the price on Mercado Livre. I wanted to understand how a business like this is sustained. I wanted to tell this guy that online I have access to thousands of user reviews, advanced searches, brand review content, and content creators who review products. But at this "Mission" store, I didn't even get quality service. I felt pressured and engaged in a completely impartial conversation. The guy's sole objective was to make money. Shoving the product down our throats. The guy was "rushing." It's no use, guys; these brick-and-mortar businesses can't sustain themselves because of that. The store is empty (no one is there), the products are dusty and overpriced. Those products are there out of opportunism, to catch some unsuspecting person who went shopping for clothes and didn't bother to research prices. I wanted to tell the owner of this store: I don't care if your rent is expensive, I don't care about the training required to maintain a physical store. What I want to know is the cost to the consumer. If your product was 1 cent more expensive, I'll choose ML/Shopee. What the customer wants is to pay a fair price. And if the price isn't fair, there's no deal. For me, there's no problem waiting a day or two for ML's free Sedex shipping. Remember what your salesperson said, that "if I wanted to buy online, I wouldn't be there in front of the store"? Well, I left the store, didn't spend a cent, and a second later, I confirmed the purchase of the products online.
