As it says above, whats with this precision parking at dealerships these days.
Very often when visiting various dealerships they are involved in some sort of ritual that quite bemuses me, the precision display routine.
Nothing has been sold, but we have to shuffle the used cars around to make it appear as if new stock is available to drool over, and you really have to witness this routine to see just how seriously they take this, a senior sales executive will be directing his minions as they park the vehicles.
Its the perfection of the display that i find irresistable, perfect slant angle, the senior at bumper level squinting along the line of vehicles judging the fractions of the inch that might upset the fine balance of the line.
When parked, a flag pole that needs to be trapped under the wheel will be placed against the wheel, now the driver will move the car, and after carefully pushing the flag pole inwards the car will be mover again to trap the wheel in perfect position, its wonderful to see.
Of course the cars will be too close together for any purchaser to be able to look around them, but this seems not to matter.
This seemingly only happens at the large chains of dealerships, the more family run and smaller affairs don't take this pride in perfect parking.
Do car buyers here like this wondrous display of perfection or even notice it?
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As a s/h buyer my experience is that dealers move the stock round so that they can start the engine/charge the battery. My first car (Mk 1 Panda) had been a bit of a monument at a local dealers, but they had started it to charge the battery when I passed the dealer and it just sort of called out to me.
The displays that annoy me are the ones where all of the hatchbacks are open in a line, with the boot light bulb taken out to avoid flattening the battery. Does one of the staff have to run down the line slamming boots shut every time it rains?
Edited by AlastairW on 10/09/2008 at 22:21
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There's a dealer round here who leaves all the boot lids and tailgates open. Must be a heck of a rush round when there's a cloudburst.......
"Oh look Doris, that one has an opening boot, we'd better rush in and snap it up before a queue forms."
??????
Edit - beat me to it AW !!
Edited by Humph Backbridge on 10/09/2008 at 22:22
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I used to do that precision parking as part of my living.
Sorry to hear it causes bemusement, but honestly, it makes the pitch look so much tidier than rows of higgledy piggledy cars abandoned at jaunty angles. Once you've decided to straighten them up why not make it perfect? My manager used to get them within about half an inch.
Admittedly there was always still plenty of room to walk around the cars so I don't think it inconvienienced anyone, and obviously if there was a punter walking around we would always attend to them as they might have had cash in their pockets...
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It's all about creating a good impression. If the management allows the cars to be parked carelessly it might suggest that they allow other careless practices.
When Jackie Stewart's racing team vehicles were put in the paddock he used to insist that the vehicles were jacked up and all the wheels rotated until the tyre manufacturer's name was at the top. Some people have high standards, others don't ~ and it shows.
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I know a marketing director who can't pass a shop which sells his firm's products without slipping in and making sure they're all aligned with their labels facing out!
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Don't they leave the tailgates open so the car is dry inside, means it is more difficult to spot the Focus with the badly fitted pollen filter cover because the carpet is dry.
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I refused to buy a car because of the amount of condensation inside the windows early one December day.
The salesman claimed it was from the inside being cleaned !
I asked why other cars in the row had no symptons of the inside being cleaned.
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What's with dealers who put the rear wheels up on ramps?
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Yet another contribution to global warming (if you are paranoid...).
Why don't they just give the stock a turn with a battery booster in rotation - it must use less energy than starting and shunting them around.
It seems ironic to me that the salesmen who fill in their time lining up bumpers because no-one wants to buy at the moment must be some of the same ones who, when things were brighter, totally ignored potential buyers in the showroom because they always had something better to do in the way of phone calls or chats with their colleagues.
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I've noticed a few Ford dealerships in South Wales often have all the tail-gates up when I drive past and, if you pass early enough, you will often see all the windows covered in condensation on the inside.
I assume they have to open the cars up to air them and get rid of the condensation but it is a tad off-putting with regards to Fords as I now assume that all Fords have a problem with condensation?
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>Some people have high standards, others don't ~ and it shows.<
But 'standards' like this are just daft. If it is worth wasting staff time rotating wheels as if for a photoshoot, there may be too many staff, or prices may be inflated. The staff should be selling cars, not messing about.
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The staff should be selling cars, not messing about.
Selling cars presupposes the existence of buyers, who are in short supply these days. Hence the time available for rearranging the deckchairs.
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I notice a certain national chain tend to price their cars ending in £_995 for the first few weeks and then it drops to £_994, then £_991.
Obviously that £4 has me rushing to buy. Especially as the boot opens :-)
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Ah. Brings back memories.
In my youth I qualified as an accountant with a major accountancy firm.
EVERY News Year Eve was spent in some damned freezing yard counting cars and having to distinguish between new cars owned (bought) or on consignment or sold, used cars bought, and staff/customers cars.
We always issued strict instructions the cars could not be moved during the count and they always ignored us and were constantly shuffling them around.
I think its in car salesman's DNA that a car can not stand in one place fir more than 5 minutes.
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In agreement with BBD on this, there was a ford dealer near me recently that had all the cars lined up with the back wheel on a ramp. Why??
Also the dealers that put the stickers across the windscreens, OK "diesel" is fair enough but "Central Locking" or "Electric Windows", well it doesn't really make them stand out does it?
Coming from the Retail side myself, I think it is more than likely because thats the way "we have always done it". And his boss did it that way and so when he is boss he expects it done that way etc
No one there to challenge and ask why?
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I've always assumed that the ramps and the open tailgates were to differentiate the cars as being for sale, rather than just parked by the side of the road. Otherwise nobody would notice them any more than they would notice a car park.
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>Ramps and open tailgates were to differentiate the cars <
Ramps - haven't the faintest. But there seemed to be some point in opening the tailgate to stop the interior reaching 50°C or more, in case a test drive was called for. Until the next heavy shower ...
Edited by Andrew-T on 11/09/2008 at 16:55
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