How aggressive do you expect someone to be when they’re selling holiday cheer? Matt writes that he expected a strong sales pitch from the nursery where he went to price out Christmas trees, but didn’t expect a pushy sales pitch that would make the average used car salesman blush.
He writes:
I had to share an unbelievable Christmas Tree buying experience [at a large regional nursery.] I’ve done business with them before, so I know their sales model involves commissions and price negotiations, which is fine. I don’t mind that. But one of their sales-people clearly went over the top.
I stopped by one of their seasonal Christmas tree lots, which are scattered all around metro [redacted]. I looked at a few trees, inquired about prices with an employee, thanked him, and proceeded to leave with my 12 year old son. At that point, what can only be described as a sociopath salesmen followed me out of the lot all the way to my truck, the entire time asking me if I wanted a tree, don’t worry we can talk about the price, what’s wrong with my trees, most people who come here want to buy a tree, etc. etc. I answered in the negative pretty politely as I continued to walk away until I couldn’t take it any more and then turned around and told him face-to-face to stop following me and I don’t want a tree! I asked him if he was selling trees or used cars and did he seriously expect that I would buy a tree from him at this point (and yes, I was yelling at this point). He did not back down and stayed in my face until I finally had to turn around and get in my vehicle before it escalated even further, at that point he loudly yelled at me in the parking lot “Merry Christmas and thanks for all the Christmas cheer!”
I was so incensed at that point, that I turned around and headed back until the slightly more sensible inner-me took control and made me drive away before it escalated any further. Needless to say, I opted to buy my tree elsewhere and I’ll be having a discussion with their corporate office and am done shopping there. I’ve had used car salesmen follow me out to my car before who were far less aggressive.
Evidently, this tactic must work, but we’ll be curious to hear what the company higher-ups have to say to Eric about this salesman’s stalkerriffic behavior.
Makes me “Pine” for the days you would cut one down yourself! (Sorry!)
The possible sale must have gave the salesman a woody
I feel sorry for the next poor sap that’s his customer.
Wow, what a hatchet job.
Stop needling the poor guy…
He’s lucky he didn’t end up knocked out and shoved in the trunk.
He was definitely barking up the wrong tree.
I think I’ll just leave this thread alone.
Christmas tree!
Sorry, I’m new at this.
What a con man.. By con i mean connifer.
Perhaps he was eager to branch off and start his own company, or just green with envy of the other salesmen.
Quite a sticky predicament he got himself into.
Well here in Oregon, you can cut down your own tree. It sure spruces up the holiday cheer (and your house)!
Yep, only 5 bucks for a tag too!
Wow. Yet another reason why I have the same artificial tree every year.
I usually have the opposite problem, no one wants to help the two girls picking out the tree. It’s like our money is tainted by our girl-cooties. And this is why I got an artificial tree.
Artificial trees for the win. Up in five minutes, no man-help needed
But they lack the biogenic volatile organic compounds that make the house smell so nice…
Not if you get the ones with the elastic band to hang from your rearview mirror! Although it can’t hold many ornaments. Perhaps I should try earrings.
I can wait around our local lumber yard for 30 minutes before someone asks me if I need help, all my wife has to do is take 1 foot out of the truck..lol
It’s because they know THEY’LL be the ones who’ll have to carry the tree to your car and secure the tree to your vehicle because obviously you are very puny girly girls. Seriously, artificial is the way to go.
This isn’t one of those trees where all the needles falls off, is it?
No, that’s them Balsam’s.
No, that’s them balsams.
I’ll thrown in some rope and tie it to your car for you.
You got yourself a deal!
I cannot wait to watch this movie several times on Christmas day.
Wow, I’ve never heard of tree sales like that. At the place we go to every year, they just have rows of trees with tags on them, and you grab one, bring it to that tree net bag thing, and pay. a salesman aggressive enough to follow me to my car would have really freaked me out.
Lucky it wasn’t here in KY. Between the concealed carryers and crazy old farmers with their shotgun racks, that sales guy might not have made it back out of the parking lot
“I’ll be having a discussion with their corporate office ” hahahahahahaha…. That seller was probably working three positions. CEO, CFO, and Sales Director.
Most of these are seasonal business are run by an individual and not some corporate giant where complaining may not get you a “free tree” ( yes, im aware he purchased one already )
Well, considering there are so many of these nurseries around the OP’s area, it might not be a corporate giant, but it certainly is a company. It wouldn’t hurt to let a company know that it has aggressive sales tactics that turn people away from wanting to do business with them.
No, this person was definitely not the owner. (That’s me in the story) This lot is seasonal, but is run by a very large nursery. He may have been responsible for this particular lot, but this nursery probably runs at least a dozen of these Christmas tree lots in the area and they have several permanent locations.
Please give us a rare follow up on what the company had to say.
I hate not getting follow ups…
I’ll post a follow-up on this board.
The bottom line is that this guy represents the sign of the times of business in America; be an aggravating asshole to sell whatever to whomever period. What I also find aggravating is the “interrupting and talking loudly over me on the phone or at a restaurant and all I hear is, “would you like blah, blah, blah instead? No, if I wanted that I would have asked.
This is why I love hitting Europe every year for vacation and it’s so peaceful and nice to interact with folks that just act f’ing human. I won’t even bother vacationing in the States anymore because it’s aggravating to have to fight off these jerks with the constant “up sells” for every place of business. In Europe? they leave you alone.
You and I haven’t been to the same Europe. I met my fair share of aggressive sales tactics in Europe, especially at the markets.
I am staying away from metro [redacted] for my dead tree needs.
Everyone always goes to that place called Redacted… if it’s so bad why do they keep going there?
I think the whole “Christmas Tree” thing is barbaric. You murder an innocent living thing, drag its corpse to your house, toss decorations on the corpse, throw cheap toys under it, and after a few weeks, toss it into a lake late at night.
Wow, you certainly do not seem to be a carefree dude.
I agree. Why murder an innocent tree? This is why this year, I have a Christmas Deer Head.
+1 The antlers make it awesome.
+1 Antlers of Sleighing?
Why stop at the head? You can make a beautiful christmas deer… Even paint the nose red! and you can store it and reuse it year after year!
Please tell us; how does one murder a tree?
by killing it.
How do you sleep at night knowing that plants are in so much pain?
If you can avoid intent (don’t leave a marked map to the forest around, or pictures of trees taken by a private eye) you might get the charges down to manslaughter. Treeslaughter?
Cause its pretty?
Whooooosh!
I can’t believe people aren’t getting that I was joking.
So was I!
Both my brother-in-laws put Christmas lights on their biggest trophy head. 
Christmas Deer Head FTW!
Well, yes.
“Christmas” trees pre-date Christianity. It always makes me laugh to hear Christians say “He’s the reason for the season”. No. Christmas, and most of its traditions, is a pagan celebration known as Yule. Yule itself was probably built on an earlier tradition. This is why some churches, e.g. Jehovah’s Witnesses, don’t celebrate Christmas. It has nothing to do with Christ or the bible.
No one mentioned Christ or the Bible. Not sure why you’re bringing it up.
As for the issue of living Christmas trees, artificial trees were not used until the 19th century, so the history of decorating a tree predates cutting down a tree and then decorating it, but both predate use of an artificial tree.
I am no tree-hugger. They just get in the way of the view.
I personally burn my Christmas tree when its no longer useful.
But how else can we celebrate the magic of Jesus. . . ?
(haha, sorry, I couldn’t resist)
Tossing it into the lake means that you’ve guaranteed yourself a good fishing spot for the next year or two.
My only problem with them is they are sticky…needles everywhere…you have to maintain it, plant it or dispose of it…yeah, too much work.
We have a 6′ artificial tree, but due to wife and I working a lot for the past few months, we ended up buying a little 2′ tree that is pretty much already decorated and took about 5 min to put up.
‘Toss it in a lake late at night’? Wow, I’ve clearly been doing it wrong for years.
This is why the older I get the happier I am that I’m Jewish and don’t have to actively deal with Christmas.
I’m not trying to be miserly, though. I just think the whole season is way too much work now.
But if you have little Jewish babies, you are going to have to fight “Christmas envy” for years and years.
We all manage, somehow. Just throw more chocolate gelt at them.
we don’t need more guilt… our mother’s give us enough.
We have a Hanukkah at work. Just noticed this morning that all the decorations are blue or a star of David
You have a Hanukkah? A Hanukkah what?
That’s like saying “We have a Christmas at work.” Hanukkah is a holiday. You can have a menorah, maybe…
Wow, what kind of loser really takes the time to make a post bitching about how he phrased the fact that they celebrate a certain holiday at work? Go kill yourself.
The corporate office is probably going to fire the salesman for not being tenacious enough, I mean he could have thrown himself in front of the truck, but he just gave up on the sale.
What’s up with the [redacted]? Consumerist doesn’t have a problem calling out Best Buy and Sears by name. What’s so special about this company?
They do redact the locations when talking about Best Buy, etc.
Sounds like the salesman was a member of the American Family Association.
The OP probably overreacted a bit, but pushy tactics are annoying for something that’s supposed to be fun.
I had a pushy Christmas tree salesperson this year too. My partner and I buy our tree from the local school district fundraiser lot that’s worked by the local high schoolers. The high schooler working with us was very enthusiastic about telling us which trees were great, and this one or that one would work great in our living room without us even getting to look at more than 2 trees. It came off cute instead of annoying due to his age, though.
Seriously though, why didn’t he buy a tree?
Well, I’m not blaming the OP, but I don’t think I’ve ever gone comparison shopping for a tree. Unless the lot was bare, or the prices were outrageous, I’d just get a tree from that location most likely. I can imagine a lot of people don’t leave those places without a tree, and perhaps the salesman thought something really was wrong. That doesn’t excuse the saleperson’s actions, but might explain why it started.
I wish they could have worked this into Christmas Vacation – sounds like a Clark thing.
Oddly enough he is probably the top sales person.