Which auto brand dealerships utilize the salesmen/women with

Standards change over time.

My father worked on the floor in a grocery store from the 1950's up until 1990 or so. For the first 25 or 30 years he was required to wear a white shirt and tie to pack out the aisles, chase after shopping carts in the parking lot, sweep and mop the floor, shovel snow, etc. As one of the managers told me it was the kind of job where you dress like an executive but work like a slave.

I worked for a few years doing the same in the 1970's, I was a rebel refusing to wear a tie. The only reason I got away with it was because I only worked in the summers at minimum wage but did the same work as the career guys who made double or more. That was when you could do this sort of thing to pay your own way through state college. Like I said, things change over time.
 
Yeah, unfortunately smaller brands are more susceptible to this since they are more likely to be owned by a local "big shot" or, if owned by a group, are on the back burner.

Mazda has great and even pretty popular cars on the road, and I don't even know how given the garbage dealer network.

Santa Monica Mazda was great. A rare experience.

Guy was non intrusive when looking, and there when I wanted him to be.

Cut straightforward deal within 10 minutes of dialog, and drove away in a new car an hour later.
 
I think dealerships are changing. The greasy hair checkerboard suit used to be a common thing. Lately from what I experienced at two Mazda dealerships were people dressed normally in either windbreakers or sweaters with Mazda logos on them depending on weather and their job. I had a woman service advisor as well.
 
Mazda! I applied for a sales job, and a person that follows up with customers after the salesperson. The guy looked like a young Paul Castellano or John Gotti. He had the vest, slicked back hair, and a toothpick in his mouth. Think 30's Italian mobster slang. He asked me "Hey can you start tomorrow?" "Nah that don't work for me." Weirdest guy I've met working for a dealership.
We bought our '97 MPV from a Mazda dealer in '01. I was dealing with pleasant enough young fellow when we first looked at it, but when we went back, Weasel Boy the Closer took over.

He was a 30-something fellow with the young mafioso-in-training look - the oily slicked-back hair, the mesh shirt open too far so as to expose the lush chest hair, and the pagan fertility symbol or whatever it was on a gold chain around his neck.

The sales manager was equally unpleasant to deal with, and "accidentally" wrote in the asking rather than negotiated price.

But, it turned out to be a good vehicle that stayed in the family for 17 years.
 
Went to a big volume dealer and tried to find the Jeep I wanted before any “King Cobra” spotted me … here comes the golf cart. Talked to him. Turned out I jumped in his golf cart and we went way around the main buildings … up a ramp and wow … here is a bunch more units including the one in my driveway …
Same here, was looking at two white Buick Regal GS's they had on the lot. Young guy comes out in the golf cart and we start talking, tells me to get on and we drive around to the back lot, wow, looked like a WalMart parking lot with all new GMC's, Chevys and Buicks. Takes us to two Regals covered in dust, wife saw the Black Cherry GS and said that one is mine, drove off an hour later in our new Regal. ;)
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Is this a thing in the States? Thankfully, I haven't seen that here yet.
It is at larger dealers. My parents originally owned my Ranger and bought it at a mega truck center Ford dealer, at the time called Crossroads Ford, in Raleigh, NC. The truck showroom and lot were larger than the car showroom and lot, and after test driving an identical truck that ended up being already sold, the salesman and a lot porter took the golf cart out into acres of trucks to find the unsold one. It's still the largest dealer I've been to, and I've never seen so many new Ford trucks in one place, not to mention the ones inside the showroom. I can't put an accurate number on how many were inside, but probably 20+...I just remember rows of new trucks inside.

It was not a sleazy experience, this place was just moving massive numbers of Ford trucks, all the salesman did was ask for a good customer service survey in exchange for a mug and some cookies, but he was a nice guy and there weren't any games. They didn't need games, it was 2002 and they had a boatload of trucks with rebates from Ford. They probably did need the golf cart.
 
Going into the local Chevrolet dealership, they give all humans a bad rep. Those are the sleaziest people I've ever seen, not just at a dealership, but overall.
 
Sales guy at the dealer I bought my Ram from was pleasant, as was the finance guy. No pushing the upsells, just “we offer these add ons, these are the prices. You interested? No? Perfect!” or any other sliminess though he didn’t quite understand why I wanted to “downgrade” from heated leather seats and a big touch screen radio to cloth seats and no touch screen.

Sales guy at the Nissan dealer we bought our Caliber from though… slicked oily back hair, chain smoked, the “fancy” suit… yeah. Never went back there.
 
Sales guy at the dealer I bought my Ram from was pleasant, as was the finance guy. No pushing the upsells, just “we offer these add ons, these are the prices. You interested? No? Perfect!” or any other sliminess though he didn’t quite understand why I wanted to “downgrade” from heated leather seats and a big touch screen radio to cloth seats and no touch screen.

Sales guy at the Nissan dealer we bought our Caliber from though… slicked oily back hair, chain smoked, the “fancy” suit… yeah. Never went back there.
Heated leather seats are nice. Very warm in the winter. Wasn't a priority when buying the car, but once you have it, you wonder why you never got it before. A friend of mine who I give a ride to occasionally always turns it on, even in the summer.
 
The sales staff at the multi-brand dealerships around me are a total mix of young and older people. Men and women. You do run into an old school dude here and there, but I haven't in probably over 20yrs now, but did deal with one at a family owned Honda dealership about 10yrs ago with my brother-in-law.

I've never seen the above mentioned golf cart thing. As expansive as 'dealer row' is in my area, there isn't enough room at each individual dealer for one. Overflow vehicles are stored in lots, with many being miles away from the dealership.

You could browse most lots all day long in view of the front windows of the dealership and not have someone approach you. You have to ask at the front desk for someone or make an appointment most of the time.
 
There’s a “high end” used car dealer near me that wears suits and does the slicked back hair thing. Older gentlemen who run the place but even their children, who work there, have slicked back hair. Although they don’t wear suits....yet
 
If I ever wanted to know where to buy drugs, prostitutes, gambling, bum cigarettes', etc..... I would just head to the sales floor of most car dealerships.

Selling cars is a tough business and it often seems to attract salespeople with many vices....... Not always- but often.
 
Around here it’s not the Manufacturer/ Brand , it’s the auto group that owns several dealers ( Chrysler , Hyundai, etc ). Not just about hair gel, it’s the hairstyles. The “meet the staff ( latest and greatest )“ section on their website.

To be fair, it’s not an easy business. The staff turnover in sales and even with service managers is surprisingly high , at least where I live.

I find it a turn off dealing with places that have high staff turnover, or more than the others.

I might be crazy but I drive 100 miles round trip to the honda dealer I use because they have far less turn over , nicer staff ( other dealers in the area they could work for ) and it’s not owned by an auto group. I can complain to the owner if I am not happy and he listens ( plus he flies on my airline and supports us ).

Coffee and donuts aren’t as good as any MB dealership though. BYOC/BYOD.
 
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My nearest Mazda dealer was sleazy- treating new Mazdaspeed 3s like they were Enzos. The Cincinnati Mazda dealer I eventually bought from was great.
 
In the late '70s I stopped at a Datsun dealer that I heard had a used 240Z. Turns out it had sold and the plaid attired salesman asked me what other cars I was interested in. I said something like a TR6 or Alfa Spider. His reply? "We have a nice Pinto!"

And I still remember looking to buy my first new car back in 1982. I stopped by the local Lincoln-Mercury dealer to check out the new and hot(for the time)Capri 5.0 HO V8. That sixtyish salesmen informed me that due to the Capri's poor gas mileage not many people would want one- so they weren't ordering any.
Moron...
 
In the late '70s I stopped at a Datsun dealer that I heard had a used 240Z. Turns out it had sold and the plaid attired salesman asked me what other cars I was interested in. I said something like a TR6 or Alfa Spider. His reply? "We have a nice Pinto!"

And I still remember looking to buy my first new car back in 1982. I stopped by the local Lincoln-Mercury dealer to check out the new and hot(for the time)Capri 5.0 HO V8. That sixtyish salesmen informed me that due to the Capri's poor gas mileage not many people would want one- so they weren't ordering any.
Moron...
Oh yeah, I remember those muscle cars. I remember when the Mustang had 225hp or the SHO with 220hp. But now you get everyday drivers that have 250-300hp and blow those old cars away.
 
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