I just returned from a car shop where I took the car for a test drive. This is my second time shopping this location in the past 90 days, and, while I didn't get the same salesman, I got one I'd interacted briefly with in the previous shop. I think he recognized me and thought I was ready to commit.

When we went for the test drive, he suggested we swing through a coffee shop drive-thru, and he bought me, and himself, a coffee. This is the first time this has happened to me, and for some reason, I feel guilty.

For those who've had many of these shops, and had this happen... Is this a business expense for him? Does the dealer reimburse them for favors to customers, or did that come out of his own pocket?

If he did pay for it himself, how can I pay it back without being too obvious? I love that he'd do that for customers, but feel guilty because I wasn't a real customer.

I don't like the car shops as much, when I learned most car salesman work only on commission. If they don't sell a car, they don't eat (so to speak)....I think he paid for your coffee out of his pocket. Correct me if I am wrong but I believe "commission only" for car salesman, is in most cases.

Don't worry about he cost of the coffee. That's nothing compared to the value of the time he spent not talking to a real buyer.

I was a fully commisioned sales rep for 25 years in a former life. Chances are your car salesman was not re-embursed for the coffee but it is a legitimate business expense.

My opinion is that you should not feel guilty or sorry that you took some of his valuable time. Competant commisioned salesmen make excellent money and are aware that the majority of presentations do not result in at once sales. A salesman has to have thick skin and be able to accept rejection as part of the business. A car salesman is like a baseball player - if they hit 300 they are doing well.

I do not do a lot of car shops, in fact I have done only two - months ago. I am now in the market for a new car and one brand I have no interest in - has nothing to do with the salesman but the brand. However, I am interested in the second brand. When I am ready to make a decision I will go back to this dealer and seek out the salesman who helped me. I may or may not decide to buy the car he showed me. In this case I originally went there to mystery shop and a year later may purchase. Was I wasting his time? Perhaps.

Finally, as a mystery shopper I have not felt guilty after any shop I have done. I feel I am there to complete a job and in so doing improve the sales person, the business or the industry I am shopping. If I felt guilt or sorrow I would seek something else to do.

I had almost those same thoughts today as I headed to an auto dealership. (Okay, it helped that i knew they were salaried.)

I too worked in commissioned sales for over six years and loved everything about it, although I found the every-month-is-a-new-month reality a bit stressful.

(heart)

Keep in mind that his boss "hired" you to do that shop. The better he performs his duties, the more he will make, so if he gets to practice his selling skills on you and his boss can give him good feedback on how to improve because of your shop, then the cup of coffee was worth it.

I've done a lot of car shops for several different companies. I really was in the market for a new car so that was a bonus. Dealers/salespeople I liked got me "real" contact information. Those that did not, got my "fake" email I set up to give out on mystery shops that I don't really want to see . Since some car shops you have to report on contact after the shop, you do have to check that fake account. I was "this" close to buying a car (at a future visit) from one dealer until they would not give me pricing at the end of the shop.....so I bought the car from a dealer 2 hours away that was fantastic. I've gotten emails and phone calls from the salesperson, sales manager, finance manager and owner of that dealership and I've told them all the same thing, no one would give me pricing on the 2 vehicles I wanted to buy--yes 2 cars.....their loss and I've purchased cars elsewhere, sorry. This is why I mystery shop car dealerships .

Sounds like a sweet sales rep! Makes you feel bad when you're taking em for a ride only to report about them later. This story makes me happy that the dealerships have their own coffee machines here. I would be feeling incredibly guilty and possibly flattered if a sales rep bought me coffee.

Maybe it would help you to feel better by paying it forward and do something nice for a random person.

One of the local car dealers has the fancy one cup brewers with multiple selections, snacks, pastries, cold drinks and lunchtime sandwiches for anyone getting service, parts or looking at cars. Now that's the way to run an airline (old commercial)

Every car salesperson eventually gets their time "wasted" by a mystery shopper. It's part of their deal. Give 'em a well written and objective report, and let it be the affirmation, or constructive criticism, or nudge towards a new career that it's meant to provide.
Hopefully when the DM or sales manager sees the coffee ploy, the salesperson will get some well deserved kudos (and maybe a gift card to the coffee shop.)

I do car shops a lot. I had a salesman buy me a soda once. When I saw him dig for money in his desk I told him not to worry about it but he insisted. I don't think they mind. I have seen great dealerships and horrible ones. I have seen great salesman and women and horrible ones.

After my first car shop I swore I wouldn't do any in the future. It took too long and I felt bad for taking an hour of the person's time. However, I am now car shopping for real. Although I will buy used, a shop came up for a car I was interested in so I did the shop. I had been to several car lots in the past weeks looking at cars and was IRRITATED at many salesmen's attitude toward a woman buying a car. I cannot believe the comments and attitude I got. That was in the back of my mind as I did the new car shop. That salesman did a great job and if I was going to buy a new car, I would go back there. I did make a comment in the final section that allowed "subjective" comments about his positive attitude toward a single woman buying a car on her own. I am on the fence on if I would do more car shops in the future. They are a lot of work for the money.

I would have simply turned it down. "Thanks, but no thanks, I'm not thirsty" or "I just had a huge soda with lunch."

If you really feel guilty, get a $5 gift card for the coffee shop he treated you to and mail it to him anonymously.

The dealership is really close to the coffee shop. He suggested stopping on the way back. I'd arrived with a cup of coffee from there, but left it because I didn't want to bring it in the car I was test driving.

I have giftcards for the coffee place and had one out. I thought we were paying separately, since we placed the order in two separate orders. But he leaned over me and handed her his card and told her to use it for both. It happened so fast I couldn't refuse it or object.

dspeakes Wrote:
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> I would have simply turned it down. "Thanks, but
> no thanks, I'm not thirsty" or "I just had a huge
> soda with lunch."
>
> If you really feel guilty, get a $5 gift card for
> the coffee shop he treated you to and mail it to
> him anonymously.

Want to make it up to the sales person? Provide accurate and honest reporting so the next sale will come easier.

It just somehow seems wrong to bring cups of coffee into a brand new car on a test drive. What if one got spilled? I'm a little surprised that the employee would even suggest such a thing. Surely they had a coffeemaker at the dealership. I guess I'm looking at it from the standpoint of, regardless of who paid, it was inappropriate to stop at a drive thru while on a shop in a new car, no matter whose idea it was. But I can see that if he said, "Hey, pull in here so I can grab a cup of coffee," it would be awkward for you to refuse.

Hate it when these people do something they shouldn't and puts a shopper on the spot. Kind of like that "Mr Toad's Wild Ride" that BMW salesman took James Bond on last year. If they'd just do their jobs without ad libbing, it would make our job a whole lot easier. I have a feeling it will not be looked on with favor for him to have stopped for coffee while on a test drive because of the risk of spilling.

Next time you do a FF shop, bring him lunch!

dspeakes, we were about four blocks from the dealership on our way back, stopped at the light, where the coffee drive-thru is located on the corner. He said "Hey, let's stop in and grab another coffee. I'm sure yours is probably cold by now." (the one I'd left back at the dealership) I said "No, that's fine, if you guys have a microwave I can just warm it up." and he said "It's not the same as a fresh cup. C'mon, I'll get one too."

I did feel a little put on the spot, like I couldn't very well say "No, Mr. Salesman, I won't stop." I just didn't feel like a normal customer would refuse, so I made the turn and we entered the drive-thru.

When I took the car for the test-drive and "realized" I had my coffee with me, I said I'd leave it, and he told me to bring it anyway. I did turn that down, stating I didn't want to bring my coffee into the car I was test-driving on these roads (kinda bumpy, lots of potholes)

Your instincts were spot on; he never should have encouraged, let alone insisted, that you get coffee on a test drive. I am really surprised he would do such a thing and I doubt his manager would have approved. So I wouldn't feel any guilt about him buying. He created a tough situation for you, even though he meant well. He was just trying to replace your cold cup of coffee.

Next time don't go to a car shop with coffee! LOL (That's easy for me to say; I don't drink the stuff.) And if it helps you stiffen your resolve, I'm a normal person, and I would have refused. I had drinks and cookies and fresh-baked bread pushed on me during a shop today and I turned it down until I was walking out the door, when I accepted a cookie to go. I don't consume during a shop, no matter how determined they push.

It just occurred to me the best reason to never accept anything from someone you're shopping -- it affects your objectivity. You feel indebted to him for buying you a coffee and you don't want to say anything negative in the report. Turning him down would have made it easier for you to report "just the facts" because now you have a minor conflict of interest.

Any favoritism I might have had towards him for buying me a coffee was neutralized by the fact that he leaned over me to pay.

Luckily I was able to leave the entire thing out of my report, as my test drive narrative only called for reporting any personalized selling points he made about the car as I was driving it.

BBird0701 Wrote:
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> Any favoritism I might have had towards him for
> buying me a coffee was neutralized by the fact
> that he leaned over me to pay.

I noticed that in your earlier post, and it made me cringe a little. I am big on personal space and when it's invaded, it can be quite uncomfortable.

Makes me think of the time I did a Smart Car test drive shop and boy, talk about cozy...I kept reaching for the stickshift to switch gears and accidentally grabbing the poor salesman's knee instead. I kept apologizing and giggling like a 12 year old when it happened; luckily he had a sense of humor. Sure glad that wasn't a video shop. :{