When I was at the ANA Worlds Fair of Money last week, our family had a great time. However, there was something really disappointing after talking to my kids. When they were with me or looking around and partaking in the treasure hunt, some dealers blew them off and wanted little to do with them. My feeling is that if they won't throw a few grand at them then why should they be around? My kids are well behaved and generally curious about coin collecting. I don't expect dealers to throw out the red carpet or spend a lot of time, but a little attention and friendliness would be nice. The youth is the future to our hobby and we need to give them some attention and respect.
I hear you sir, but you must remember its very expensive to attend that convention. I would have less tolerance of dealers not being more open to children at a smaller show, but ANA shows are huge, expensive, and dealers really need to hustle to pay for the trip. I would like to think at a cheaper show they would be better. I know at small local shows around here dealers are very nice to my 4 year old when he looks at coins. I took him to FUN but did not bother any dealers there with my children since I didn't expect them to have time for them at such a venue. He stayed with his mother while his dad shopped.
I will say this - if dealers were a little bit attentive and friendly to my kids and just show decent customer service, I would certainly lean toward purchasing products from them.
It's not just kids who can get ignored by dealers. Some dealers just treat everyone that way. Maybe they just go to these shows for the tax write-off! Who knows? Chris
Dealers need to quit treating your customers like you are at Walmart. There is little excuse for that.
I've been going to coin shows since I was about five years old and have a hard time remembering any dealer that wasn't more than accommodating. Of course there were a few, but that's when I just went to the next table. I purposely carried around some purchases in my hand so that the dealer knew that I wasn't just wasting their time. I still deal with a few of those dealers that I met almost thirty five years ago.
I'm scared of not being taken seriously since I don't have a white beard and a cowboy hat. It sucks being young!
Some dealers just want your money. They want nothing else to do with you. Don't take it personal. Get to know a local coin dealer and things will be a lot different.
Very true. I sometimes think they are just worn out after a long day and I'll try them at a later time. Some have no hope of being nice to customers. The smart ones take time for the kids and hope dad will pull out his wallet.
Eh, some are guys sick of who they consider amateurs. One of my all time favorite dealers was rude and short until I proved I was a serious collector. Then he loved teaching me things. Some dealers are not good dealing with the same dumb questions over and over. Of course, some others simply are just jerks, like any aspect of life. However, I would bet many we small fish consider jerks are dealers who simply do not have time for retail collectors at these shows. They hAve only a few days to move hundreds of thousands or millions of merchandise, not talk to a $50 collector. Harlan Berk is a fantastic man to talk to at his shop in Chicago when he has time, but can come across as rude in a huge show to a collector asking about a $50 coin.
Thanks for the information and the feedback. A lot of these dealers need to realize that their golden egg may not be around if you do not get youth into them hobby. Blowing them off and giving them no attention, no matter what show it is, is not going to help the hobby. Doing this at an ANA show is not good for their business in the long term.
Having been in a business for over 50 years that is very customer oriented I will tell you this..... One never knows whom stands in front of you! Over the years I've have learned if you take care of your customers everything else will fall in line. You look at an individual who stands in front of you, truly not knowing whom they are.....but should that truly matter? Simple answer YES! I can assure you that you can't judge a book by its cover or can you judge a customer as to what they can and cannot afford . Yes I do understand the cost of setting up at a huge show like the World Fair Of Money. But why chance bad reputation , and word of mouth condemnation? What is even more entertaining to me is that a lot of people do judge a book by its cover. Seeing what they believe a high roller more times that enough turn out to be nothing other than a very good B S er. The customers who fly under the radar are the one's you need to pay close attention . And when it come to children well that is a nerve you don't want to pluck be they good or bad.
Ive been to several coin shows when i was younger. I always had cash cause i didnt have a bank account yet, i mean i would usually save about 400-500 bucks. Most of the time i was ignored until i asked to see something. Even when i had that cash in my hand for them to see. Now, if you're rude to me then i get rude back and i wont do business. I own my own business and my customers always come first. Even the ones that may not spend the most money with me, you still gotta treat them right. And from a sales standpoint, talk to the little ones first cause as dimedude said, the parents would be more inclined to do business with you.
