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radroad: Your post so offensive. Sorry us low life scum don't fit your narrow definition of skilled! Being a salesperson is not easy if you are doing a good job and know how to sell and how to be honest. My job is not just ringing out a sale at a register it is finding the right bike for my customer and taking them through a journey to find it and sometimes it can be quick and easy and that is great and sometimes it can take a lot of time. It is also knowing your product well and other products within the industry both new and old. Plus you have to deal with transactions that haven't gone right for one reason or another or customers who are just difficult for the sake of being difficult and try to turn them around and make them happy or find a tactful way to get them out without a scene. There is a big difference between a cashier and a true salesperson. I have customers who have followed me from several shops (or different locations) because they like what I do and respect me and we have developed a great relationship. I have one guy who went way out of his way to come visit me and have me work on his bike and get him the parts needed.
This is a great post -good for you!
Best regards and Happy Holidays
I went into a suit store near me to get a suit for a friends wedding, the salesperson there was extremely honest and really nice and said basically "hey we don't really have anything that will meet your needs here, here are some other shops that will" and I liked him so much I ended up buying a dress shirt which I wouldn't have done with a crappy salesperson. Doing the job and doing it well and connecting with your customers and having them connect with you and being completely honest without being a jerk or being just a negative downer is something I pride myself on and was happy to find there.
Also being a bike mechanic is not easy either, yes small things can be easy but diagnosing problems on a bike is sometimes a difficult task and with modern bikes and especially e-bikes it is a highly skilled job. However yes all those mechanics are also low life scum because they work on "toys". If you have ever been with a mechanic who has done it a long time and worked on many different bikes from many different eras you will appreciate their knowledge and skills much more.
Sure I am not someone who sits at a desk and punches things into a computer (though sometimes working on warranty claims and cleaning up work tickets feels like that) and yes I did not go to college (by choice) but I love what I do and am always trying to improve myself and my trade. So in the future please do not attack me and my fellow workers who work hard at this. What might just be a hobby for you is a life for me and a life I am very happy to have undertaken and is one I don't appreciate being attacked over. At my job I get to be around the things I love, most of these "skilled" folks don't and while they might make a bit more money than I, I get more joy from my job and generally get more time to do what I love.