Dept. store knife salesman story

[Evil D]

I will omit the names of the store to protect the identities of those involved lol.

There's a new sporting goods type place that just opened up near me, and I heard they sold Spyderco knives, so naturally I got super excited and had to run there first chance I got.

As soon as I got there, I got super pumped because they had at least 5 models in stock that I had never seen in person. Seconds later, I realized they were selling them at or over MSRP, and you could hear an echo throughout the store of my heart breaking.

But, if nothing more, this place would serve as a hands on place to try out these knives, so I ventured to the counter and had a little chat with the salesperson. He was helping another lad, and was going on and on about another brand (who shall also remain nameless) and about how assisted opening was the fastest and best way to open a knife save for a full auto. Then the debate happened...

I had already be fondling a Sage 3 that the fellow had shown me, when I started in on how, if you know what you're doing, you can deploy most Spyderco blades as fast or faster than an assisted open knife, especially if there's a safety button involved.

So, the salesperson, who is holding a common assisted open knife, starts on about how there's no way I could open a manual knife as fast. So, I ask if he wants to race (by now there's 4-5 people around us all listening and watching).

So, palms sweaty, as I have zero experience flicking open a Sage, prepare myself for the duel. Out of nowhere, he comes out with a quick "123 GO!" and so I had to react quick.

The clear winner was nigh unmeasurable, but suffice to say I had snapped that Sage blade open at least as quickly as the assisted open blade had, and I did so after a cheap shot start.

You'd have thought I pulled a rabbit out of a hat or something. I had to do it 3-4 times in slow motion to show how it was done. Then we had a discussion about how the AO knife in question was really borderline switchblade, because the "AO button" doesn't actually connect with the blade, and therefore qualifies as a button and not an actual assisted opener, and would likely be pulled from shelves soon. I then explained how nobody would ever legally challenge that Sage as being an automatic, and so I win the legality of it every time. The only argument he could make was about how it took practice and he could never adjust to the thumb hole.

In the end, none of said brand AO knife was sold that day to anyone in witness :D

Well, to be fair, no knives of any brand were sold, since the place is so ridiculously over priced compared to the other retailers in the area and/or the internet.

[demoncase]

Like you say, we all know better.

At a previous place of employ, I walked over to two team mates who were struggling to open a large shipping package. I snicked open my Delica and said "Here- this'll cut through the webbing".
He physically took a step back and said "I thought flickknives were illegal!"
I then had to patiently show that the Delica was just a 'normal' pocket knife and that the hole in the blade means you can get the thing open as fast as an automatic- after 4-6 demonstrations, including in slow motion, I then had to ask nicely for my Delica back
I guess I sold a couple of Spydies that day myself :D

[Evil D]

Yeah, when I left he thanked me for the lesson, and I told him to practice that move because he'll sell a lot of knives with it lol.

[Blerv]

Haha! Great story Dave. Clearly the town wasn't big enough for the two of ya .

[RanCoWeAla]

An assisted opener is the only type of knife that I wouldn't have and I'm glad Spyderco doesn't make any at least that I know of anyway. I hate trying to overide that constant spring tension when you're closing the thing and the posdibility of it opening in your pocket.

[SpyderNut]

Thanks for the great story, Evil. It's always interesting to hear how some salespeople (in all good faith) try to sell something that they really don't have all the facts on. I've even had some salespeople tell me that certain Spyderco models "weren't being made anymore" which I happened to know was bogus. :rolleyes: Ah well. At least you were able to pass along some helpful insight to those folks. :)

[Blue Possum]

Your name wouldn't happen to be Johnny would it ?

Reminds me of the Charlie Daniels song - "Devil went down to Georgia":

The boy said: "My name's Johnny and it might be a sin,
"But I'll take your bet, your gonna regret, 'cos I'm the best that's ever been."

Great story, and well played.

[Kev83]

Score one for the good guys! Haha. Great story!

[chuck_roxas45]

You should have bet him.a knife David... :)

[Evil D]

You should have bet him.a knife David... :)

Yeah the thought crossed my mind later after I left lol.

[1623]

I'm fairly certain I know where you visited and if so, said "sporting goods type place" is planning to open a location just a few miles from my home town.

Though I'm familiar with their pricing elsewhere, I'm still stoked that (like you) I'll have the opportunity to handle models that I otherwise could not, as their are no Spyderco dealers even remotely close by.

[defenestrate]

Pretty cool, David. Well done. I find the Spyderhole to be an excellent quick opener for most models, with different openings working better with different locks and depending on the length/handle:blade weight.

[bdblue]

I have a number of assisted and unassisted knives, and being in Texas I now have a big automatic. My fastest knife to open is probably my Kershaw Blur, and second would be a Para2 or Manix 2.

Part of the fast opening thing is can you do it every time. I have some knives where you have to carefully position your thumb in order to open them, and sometimes you miss. It doesn't matter if you can open it fast once or twice, and miss a few times. You should be able to count on opening it fast every time. I can do that with the Blur and with the Manix 2. With the Manix 2 I put the tip of my thumb/thumbnail into the thumb hole and then flick my thumb out as if I was shooting marbles. The blade opens and opens fast.

[Jazz]

Nice story. If we had forum badges on, salespeople would stand aside as we entered the buildings.

[Donut]

Nice story.

What were you carrying that wasn't the Sage?

I normally tell people what I hear the majority of experts say or the majority of the people on the internet. In this case, the Spyder hole is more reliable and your thumb is less likely to slip.

[DeathBySnooSnoo]

Ha Loved it! Great story...too bad that only suckers will buy there and will likely still go for the AO because they are "cooler".



As a lefty I will use the middle finger of my left hand to occasionally flip open a knife, mostly spydies but a couple with thumb studs, and I have raced friends using thier thumbs...and pretty much always win. I think that the middle finger offers a better leverage for fast opening.

[jabba359]

Final Score

David - 1: Overpriced Department Store - 0