While in the store the other day I was pleased to see one of our regulars come in to buy some flies. He was complimenting us on our Hatch Charts and said he had recommended them and our fly selection to his friends. He then went on to say he has not yet had a lot of success on the water this year and wondered if his experience was typical. Because the fishing of late has been pretty good I was puzzled. Our conversation turned from the flies he was using to where it is he has been fishing. He mentioned a few popular spots and said that his greatest frustration was in hearing stories of good fishing at these locations but not experiencing it himself. Wanting to help but not insinuate that the problem might be with his ability, I asked a few more questions like when does he fish and where specifically has he gone. Well, wonder of wonders and God bless ‘em, he then went on to say that he hasn’t really had a lesson and typically fly fishes water only near where he parks his car…
Now, there are occasions while working in retail that you have to keep reminding yourself the customer is always right. You also have to remember that those men who fly fish and have little to no success in actually catching fish feel like they have some sort of affliction that, in the grand scheme of all things male, is right up there with erectile disfunction. They really take it that personally ! Accordingly, it’s not a good thing from any perspective to laugh out loud or be seen as stifling a chuckle. It certainly doesn’t lead to good customer relations…
So when confronted with situations like this we resort to one of two things. First we ask, “Have you ever considered hiring a guide ?” If they say no and don’t take the hint that the problem is likely with their ability rather than the fishing conditions, we lead them to our fly display, hold up the worst f’n pattern we have in the store, look them straight in the eye and say, “Use this one – it’s as good as sex…”
Loading ...