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You need to have some clothes on that represent you well, because all humans judge books by their cover initially. But, once you start talking, a good dealer should know if you are worth dealing with.
We know from reading the press reports that folks who shop on the Internet are wearing their bathrobes
It's a sad fact in our hobby that if you don't look like you own Microsoft you don't get serviceor worse, you get put off as trash. I walked into our state's only true high-end with $4 grand for an amp I had picked out to purchase, but was wearing sweats instead of one of my suits. I was completely ignored for another customer wearing an '80s-ish yuppie outfit BSing about buying a Graham arm. When it came time to put up or shut up, he quickly left. So did I.
I USUALLY look like I can't afford much, and so often I get ignored, or even treated rudely. When it happens, I go to another store. And . . . when all the stores in a radius of 40 miles or so are gone, I use mail-order. (This works for everything except the high-end stuff, which you can't get by mail-order if there is a local distributor, in which case I just bite the bullet and purchase it from a store.) It has happened in every place I have lived except a few stores in the SF Bay area. Guess they're used to it.
Why bother looking like you have a lot of money. Having money is not about how you look. It is about paying cash for everything you buy. Homes, cars, 150K+ tystems!!! That is having money. Nothing else really makes a difference. Only poor people finance.
If you have built a relationship with a dealer over a number of years then you don't have to worry about it. It shouldn't be about what you wear. The customer needs to work to build the relationship just as hard as the store you are working with.
I'm tempted to say I wear sound-absorbing (cotton or wool) as opposed to non-reflective (vinyl or leather) clothing, but I'll just say I try not to look like a slob. Would you want someone less than spiffy-clean touching your knobs and dials?
Jeans and tennis shoes are my normal attire, even when I'm closing six-figure deals. Hell, I don't even own a tie. If you hear something you'd like to own, then just look 'em straight in the eyes and say "I ain't payin' yer asking price."
I wear pillows strapped all over my body to help absorb early relections. Sound-absorptive clothing is the easiest tweak one can do. Also of note: I use a metallic/reflective belt that sounds best with two dimes and a buffalo nickel. Peter Belt helped influence this last tweak. I also Super-glue three Tiptoes to each shoe with AudioQuest Sorbothane insoles. I have mahogany cups around my ears. Of course, I wear these clothes only after hours, between 10pm and 5am, when the electricity doesn't interfere with the equinox.
This question is so unimportant ! I wear what is comfortable for the time of year. If the showroom is cold, I put on a sweater, if they are using some high powered tube equipment, I might even I have to pull that sweater and shirt off !! The key to enjoying your music is to be comfortable with whatever you decide to wear, more importantly, sit in the center of the music in a good comfortable chair, a footstool is always a plus. I could not imagine anyone showing up at an audio listening room in a coat and tie unless they just came from work, or had some other agenda on their mind. That tie will restrict blood flow to those tiny eardrum capillaries thereby altering the sonic picture. One must be very careful of blood flow restrictions when critical listening is in progress !
This is an excellent way to see if the store is in it for the bucks or not. Tried two stores in Walnut Creek, CA. One (Stereo Unlimited), despite my spending minimal bucks, did their best for me and made the sale. The other kept me waiting, and then, after having told me on the phone they had a particular item in stock, were mysteriously sold out when it became clear I wasn't a big spender. I've even forgotten who they were to not reccomend them!
I go comfortable, with no thought to how "rich" I look. If I don't get treated with respect because I'm wearing jeans and boots, I figure they don't want my business. I spent more than $20k in one shop because another shop wouldn't spend time with me.
?. Is this Stereophile's web site? Come on guys. What the hell does this have to do with audio or am i on fashon site. Lately the questions are not approprate for an audiophile site. You pushed it with the home theater stuff. There are many sites devoted to this subject. Lets get back to our roots!!!!!!! STEREO STEREO STEREO and MUSIC MUSIC MUSIC