Over the past few weeks and even months, I’ve spent a fair bit of time at a couple of stores. It’s not that I need a bunch of stuff, it’s just that the customer service and knowledgable people at these places are absolutely fantastic. The first place that I started to hang out as I was purchasing some hardware for the WeeklyTechUpdate.com Podcast is Axe Music in Calgary, Alberta.
BCCHardware bought a few items for the WeeklyTechUpdate.com Podcast including a Behringer XENYX 1204 Mixer, a couple of CAD microphones, Samson USB Microphone and enough cables to make everything work right and connect properly. I made several trips to the store over the past few weeks and dealt with different sales people everytime. I was continuously amazed at the knowledge and helpfulness of the people at the store. Unlike many other audio shops, they were eager to sell us what we needed, not what they made the most commission on. Not only did they know the store, but they new exactly what was required to make quicker, cleaner connections and to get us going in a hurry. Hats off to everyone at the Blackfoot Tr. store.
On a more personal note, the other place that I’ve been hanging out at a bit is Saneal Camera. I recently took a trip down to Livingston, Montana and spent a couple of days in Yellowstone national park. Before I left, I wanted to make sure I had an extra battery for my D90 and a couple of Neutral Density filters for slowing down time to take some interesting pictures. Again, everytime I go into Saneal I speak with one of three people and they know their stuff. From the D90 directly to filters, lenses, and even giving me some tips, they were super helpful – both before and after sales.
In this day and age it’s hard to find people that know what they are doing. Many people that work in retail do so for the paycheck and they don’t know the product at all. In my experience, Saneal Camera and Axe Music have done a great job hiring people that love what they are doing – or are willing to spend the time and money properly training people. This greatly increases my respect for both these companies and the people who work there. I’ll be going back again and again; and no they haven’t paid or sponsored me for this post.
Most “bloggers” continuously rant on one thing or another and I thought it was high time that someone give praise where it’s due. Axe and Saneal certainly deserve a bit of praise in my book.