Please Don’t Upsell Me on Your Extended Warranty

A two and a half pound kettle weight. The picture above is what I purchased today at a sporting goods store that shall remain nameless. I found the weight and proceeded to the cashier to pay my $2 when the cashier suddenly asks me, “Sir, may I suggest you purchase our extended warranty for this product?” I was not sure if I heard correctly: an extended warranty for a two and a half pound kettle weight? I know the cashier has to follow procedure by suggesting to customers the extended warranty that also happens to be a large source of  revenue for many stores,  but the last time I checked, the weight I was about to purchase had no moving parts, did not need a power cord or batteries, and should last normal wear and tear (I don’t think I will be throwing this from my sixth floor window or using the weight for skeet shooting any time soon). It seemed absurd to me to even offer this warranty but the cashier kept trying to convince me that the extended warranty through the store would be a wise purchase.

It seems that the upsell on each purchase in every store you walk into these days is so ingrained into sales associates to squeeze out every last penny for more purchases that great customer service is a second thought. Later in the day as we went to a sandwich shop and was offered a bag of chips (for free) I thought the upsell was still being applied, but no, the sandwich shop was doing great customer service.