Tchiowa

Hmmm. You're saying you went to a "new car dealer" and it had a doorbell and a guy was living over a garage? Was this in the 1920s?

Kagehitokiri

"garage" seems to be a non-US term, there were multiple people using word in this thread

nmh1204

Garage, in English, has several meanings, but in the context of buying a car, is odd. A garage is usually where vehicles are fixed etc.

darthbimmer

Interesting thread. I recognize that as a white male I am the victim of suspicion less than people who do not look like me. That's not to say I'm always handed Gucci on a silver platter, of course. Two observations:

In my teens and early 20s I suffered considerable suspicion because of age. Anytime the exchange of money was involved in any way -- including things as simple as asking for table service at a inexpensive restaurant -- I was often treated with the suspicion that I couldn't or wouldn't pay for it. That was always irritating to me because I started working jobs at age 12 to keep spending money -- my own spending money, not what wealthy parents (mine were working class) gave me -- in my pocket. Thankfully discrimination against youth is a problem nearly all of us grow out of.

Another type of vendors "sizing up" their prospective clients that everyone discusses is based on clothing. Dress better and they'll treat you better, the common wisdom goes. Clothing has been becoming drastically less important over the past several decades, though. Fifty-plus years ago the norm was to dress up every time you went out in public. In that context, wearing crude or threadbare clothes said something about what you could afford. But today it's common for even mature and well heeled people to dress shabbily. For example, it used to be that ripped jeans, sneakers, and a t-shirt was appropriate attire for a 12 year old boy or a layabout. Nowadays in places like Silicon Valley (where I live) you'll see a significant fraction of middle age men with six-figure jobs dressing that way. In that context any car dealer, jeweler, real estate agent, etc. who equates shabby clothing with "can't afford expensive things" is going to lose significant business.

Kagehitokiri

as mentioned here >
http://www.hintsandthings.co.uk/library/WORDS2.htm
https://www.google.com/search?q=garage+uk+service+car

location: england
tartempion - location: thailand

and repairs are also done at dealers, and >
https://www.google.com/search?q=dealer+garage+uk >
http://www.southherefordgarages.co.uk/
Cambridge Garage http://www.volvocarshavant.co.uk/
http://www.helstongarages.co.uk/
Bagot Road Garage http://www.bagotroad.com/
Bourne Road Garage http://www.crayford-mazda.co.uk/

bentley dealer in london >
https://www.google.com/maps/@51.5099...ww!2e0!6m1!1e1

relangford

When we lived in Houston, my office was across from The Galleria. Sometimes my wife would come to visit for lunch and then do a little window shopping (with some purchases). One day, we went into a boutique (I was slightly behind her). The clerks almost ran over to her (I assume thinking she was a wealthy Asian) until they saw me and slowed down. I asked why and, surprisingly, was told that Chinese and Japanese tourists are common and make very large purchases where as locals don't.

Another time, I met the CEO/Chairman/owner of the company I was working for at his private plane. On the way to the plant, he said he needed a snack. We stopped at a convenience store (in the rather poor neighborhood) where he picked up a few items before he realized he didn't have any cash. The clerk refused to accept a check or credit card, so I paid for him. They didn't realize they had a multi-billionaire (listed in Forbes 100) in their shop.

satman40

Many a small business person have sleep at their place of business, trying to get it started, only to hire people, who are far more interested in putting in their time than serving a client.

I know how everyone feels and it has happened to me, their is a difference between a sales person, and a salesman., a prospect, and a suspect.

Even today, I hesitate to spend on myself, and often ask do I really need that.

I would never buy from anyone I do not like, or trust.

As businesses become larger they loose control of details, I Wish it were not true.

It has happen to me,

Loren Pechtel

Yeah, tourists are likely to spend more than locals most anywhere. I get this all the time in Shanghai--merchants trying to interest me in extremely broken English despite the fact that I'm obviously with a Chinese woman.

Annalisa12

In Australia too many of the shoppers in Gucci, Dior or Vuitton are Asian buyers.

When I was overseas I sometimes feel that as an Aussie we are deemed not big spenders. We don't covet watches as a symbol of our success or every lady doesn't have a designer bag. I was in Dior with my husband and wanted a watch. Like others, I am hesitant at agreeing to spend money even though I have it. I ummed and ahhed over a diamond dior watch whilst sales staff lounged around not really interested in me. They had let me just look around. When I queried with my husband if I should buy the watch he said "buy whatever you want I don't care". The sales staff heard it and it was like "man every station"... bored husband giving wife anything she wants. Every display case was opened and we were offered a ton of things to try on. How different from when we went in.

CarolynUK

indeed - Here in Kent - I put my car in one half of the double garage at my home, and get general repairs and maintenance done at the Old Station Garage across the road from me, and I go to the garage on the main road to buy my petrol/ diesel!

Round where I live, most new car cars are sold via the various dealerships located on an industrial/ retail park about 8 miles away, however, quite a few of the local garages do sell cars off their forecourts.

GUWonder

This indeed would be a rather well understood use of the term for those conversing/conversant more in the British versions of English than the American versions of English. Some used and new car sellers -- including some high-end and classic car sellers/resellers -- indeed do sell cars from "the garage".

Amelorn

I have encountered this, to an extent. In Hong Kong, boutique/mall* staff are generally pretty good at trying to sell me (white, male, single, 25) their wares. However, Macau and Singapore were a different story - no interest whatsoever

*Variously at Lane Crawford/Harbour City, Sogo, Ralph Lauren, Burberry, and Jack Wills boutiques.

tartempion

So you are a world traveller and don't know that in Europe you can buy a car at the garage?

Most of the dealers there do car maintenance and repairs and have their home often next to or above the "garage" annexe showroom.

The dealer "garage" in question no longer exists, but do a google map and street view at garage Guns bvba, Wolfshagen 91, 3040 Huldenberg, Belgium, also a Citroen dealer, same brand of car I wanted to buy;

http://goo.gl/8SkNta

And I invite you to google image "Citroen garage brussels"
This historical building was built by André Citroen himself in 1933-1934.
Known by 1 million "brusseleers" as the Citroen garage.
What do you know about Brussels???

And if you can read dutch http://www.brusselnieuws.be/nl/nieuw...lijft-beroeren

Kagehitokiri

re asian market, prior to latest economic crisis >
http://books.google.com/books?id=U2O...ercent&f=false page 74 >

silver-tls

There was also an episode where one of the agents was watching prospective buyers come in from off the street. He was looking out for their cars and would say 'They're driving a Ford Mustang. Classic tourists just coming to look at this Beverly Hills home. Not the buyers.'

When we bought our home a few years ago, we went in without a buyers agent. We tried to ask the listing agent some questions and were given one or two word answers and beyond dismissive (we were in running gear). We got a disclosures package that said her exlusive listing agreement was ending in 2 weeks. We waited 2 weeks and lo and behold, a month later another agent relisted the property and we bought it.

Didn't get to do the 'Big Mistake' bit but it was a high five figure commission (2.5%) that she lost out on by not treating everyone who walked through the door equally.