Pool Stores

[laurandavid09]

I see so much anger towards pool store employees. Why is it that the majority of people on here tend to agree that pool store employees have no clue as to what they are talking about. I assume they stay in business due to the fact people just believe what they say.

Also is there anyone on here that works in a pool store and can tell us why they give wrong advice it seems like all the time. Any responses I typically read here when someone says pool store, the answer is usually they are wrong.

This is something that just got me thinking.

Correct me if I am wrong though.

 

[spishex]

I worked in or for stores for almost 8 years. There are a lot of reasons for the bad advice.

The biggest is that they get their education from the companies that they buy chemicals from, and those companies sell a lot of unnecessary stuff. Manufacturers also filter that education through marketing and legal departments before it ever gets to the pool store. It's not that the information is wrong, but it is skewed toward selling high-margin items.

Another issue is staff turnover. Most stores are seasonal, so you end up with a lot of employees (in-store and service) that just started that year. They simply don't know enough to do more than dip a strip, put it in a scanner, and then read you a printout and ring you up.

All that being said, most people in the industry are great individuals and really want to see their customers happy and enjoying their pools. Believe me, it's a lot more enjoyable working behind the counter when people have clear water. Sometimes we tend to shoot the messenger on here, but I too was one of 'them' just few years ago so I have to stand up for them!

 

[dschlic1]

Not all pool store are created equal. There are some very good ones out there, you just need to find them. Like most everything else in life, there are good, bad and the indifferent.

For example, I have found that a chain in Florida called Pinch-A-Penny is generally quite good. They use the same testing methods and reagents as used in the TF100 test kits. And if you have perfect water, then they give you a discount coupon for your next purchase.

Many of the responders on this forum have been burnt by pool store, so have a disposition opposed to them.

 

[spishex]

Not all pool store are created equal. There are some very good ones out there, you just need to find them. Like most everything else in life, there are good, bad and the indifferent.

For example, I have found that a chain in Florida called Pinch-A-Penny is generally quite good. They use the same testing methods and reagents as used in the TF100 test kits. And if you have perfect water, then they give you a discount coupon for your next purchase.

Many of the responders on this forum have been burnt by pool store, so have a disposition opposed to them.

Absolutely true. Unfortunately most of my experience was with a Bioguard dealer... :?

 

[waste]

I gotta agree with Tim - it's usually ignorance, not malice nor avarice, that has the pool stores and their employees, giving advice/ recommendations that are contrary to what we advocate here.

As Spishex said, it's usually diluted info from the chemical sellers!! As has been said, some pool stores really care more for your pool than their bottom line and will give excellent advice/ service, unfortunately it's not the norm

I'm not allowed to be in the store associated with my company's business when customers are there, because I tend to tell them the truth

 

[PoolGuyNJ]

Amen waste. Before I started my own company, I worked for an outfit that also had retail operations. My fellow techs and I had the same issue.

Scott
PoolGuyNJ

 

[anonapersona]

If you get your education from the pool chemical advertisements, that is what you will tell people. "Use this -- it gives you silky smooth water that won't sting your eyes and clarifies the water and lets you run your filter 45% less time, only $25 a quart, use weekly."

 

[Iridia]

Another issue is staff turnover. Most stores are seasonal, so you end up with a lot of employees (in-store and service) that just started that year. They simply don't know enough to do more than dip a strip, put it in a scanner, and then read you a printout and ring you up.

x1000

I was recently promoted to store manager at a major pool supply chain. We went through one of the worst summers this season in terms of staffing. My old manager was a bleeding heart and hired a young father who kept asking "Does acid make pH go up?" for weeks after his initial hire. Because it turned out the employee was lawsuit-happy the district manager didn't want to fire him before thoroughly documenting all behavioral issues first, so we were stuck with a knuckle-dragging idiot for the majority of the pool season. (Now I'm the manager...if you don't know your junk, I don't care how many of your progeny you need to support, you ain't gettin' hired)

Another rough part of the corporate-owned beast is sales. Sales, sales, sales. If you don't meet your sales budget, you can kiss your job with health, dental, optical, and 401k goodbye. So even if you do know your pool chemistry through-and-through and not just the gobbledygook suppliers feed you, you still have to push items on customers in order to meet quotas to appease the corporate gods. Pushing these extra products makes some of us appear uninformed, but only because we have to sell to make ends meet.

 

[polyvue]

Pushing these extra products makes some of us appear uninformed, but only because we have to sell to make ends meet.

Thanks for writing about the other side of this equation, Iridia. Glad to have some sane voices here from the retail industry in charge of product... your customers will at the very least get sound advice. Welcome to the forum