It never fails to frustrate me how high pressure every situation regarding a purchase has become. Even trying to do research for the future has become impossible. Every salesperson you make contact with expects you to put down money on one of their products or services immediately. And most companies ensure you have to talk to a salesperson to get any relevant information.

I was pleasantly surprised when we went to the Dallas Home Show and found a vendor who didn’t pressure us to immediately put down money on a hot tub when we said we were researching and were a year out from buying anything, at least. We simply wanted to know more about hot tubs, as I had never purchased one and had no idea what to expect.

It’s baffling that vendors seem to think customers can make informed decisions when they have no idea what prices are reasonable for an item or service or even have a clear idea of what they want. But, of course, it’s in the best interest of the company if customers don’t research and never question their prices, options, or service. It’s also better for the company if customers simply purchase immediately. That puts money into the business right away.

When we were planning our vow renewal I sent an inquiry to a photographer. We liked their services and prices and had every intention of booking them. But they relentlessly pressured us to put down money immediately, when our event date was more than two years away. After another email and phone call after I told them very clearly I would contact them when we were ready to book, I responded to their email writing that since they were seemingly so inundated with offers for bookings so far in the future, they should definitely pursue them and we would find another company to hire when the time came.

I very much understand the photographer was probably following a marketing sales funnel to its exact specifications. However, do they realize a sign of a scam is someone drawing exact time limits and using a sense of urgency to get someone to part with their money?

Companies act like you should only contact them when you are ready to book them and pay in full, even when you don’t know how much money something is supposed to cost. Or if you want to use their company over another one. Or if you even want what they offer because another option could work better for your situation.

I worked retail for years, and while I never worked on commission, I always thought of my job as informing people of their options. If someone came into a store I was working at, I could tell them everything I knew about whatever it was they were interested in. I could show them what we had, what we could order, and so on. But I never pressured anyone into making a purchase. If someone seemed uninterested or uncomfortable with what I was showing them, I took that as a sign to back off not double down.

It didn’t matter to me if someone made a purchase or didn’t. Even if I spent a good deal of time with them, I thought it was way more valuable that they had a good experience and knew everything they needed to know to do what was right for them. Even if they didn’t buy something themselves, they might in the future. They might tell a friend or family member to come to my store because they are looking for something we offer. I couldn’t imagine putting someone through a high pressure situation and then expecting them to want to ever deal with the company again.

The world has definitely changed since then, however. It’s gotten to the point where I dread talking to salespeople. I try to Google for prices and what are common ranges for whatever I’m looking for. But often Google will be so general it might give a range like $500-$10,000. Which tells me nothing.

It’s frustrating, in the end. Not just for me, obviously. Because at this point in my life, I know better than to slap down a credit card because a salesperson says it’s the last one left. And apparently salespeople have gotten used to customers doing just that.