How to Deal with a Gratuitous Gloater
Discussion
How do you respond to a gratuitous gloater? There seems to be a few of them around, like the guy who pulled up in his Pontiac in the car park I was replacing a windscreen for a customer. His car sounded awesome. He saw me glance at the car and said hello as he got out. I made a comment about how many miles his car didn't do, and his opening salvo was the capacity of the (modified) engine which was very quickly followed by a long-winded story about how much he'd paid not only for the car, but how much profit he made on another one he'd bought and sold before it. I guessed he might have lived alone. Tell me about the capabilities of the car, but I'm not really interested in how much you paid for it; it wasn't the topic of conversation!
Some time ago I went to a trade product launch and bumped into a few people I know. The usual pleasantries were exchanged but one of them, when loosely asked how things were, replied with quite a detailed summary on their monthly takings for that financial year. A simple 'business is good', 'surviving' or even a, 'you wouldn't believe it' would have sufficed. There's a part of me that sometimes wants to reply with, 'is that all?' to the 'we turned over x last month' but I would rather just look for the quickest escape from that conversation and swerve that person altogether.
A chap a few doors along the road from me recently took delivery of a new Q8. He was out the front one day as I walked to the station. I complimented the car on its colour and the response rapidly turned into, 'it was only five hundred and eighty a month'. Scrolling through What's New this morning I was reminded of this when I saw a comment along the lines of, 'they offered me the APP deal but I went for HP because even my cash accounts are making more than that'. Very powerfully-built-company-director-esque!
Then there are those who want to take any opportunity they can to brag about their salary, or how much bonus they've accrued.
It's mildly amusing at times and I sometimes hear Peter Serafinowicz's voice as the Intimidating Estate Agent in my head, "Did I arks you?".
How do you respond? Do you bait them, compete with them or try and chop them down?
Some time ago I went to a trade product launch and bumped into a few people I know. The usual pleasantries were exchanged but one of them, when loosely asked how things were, replied with quite a detailed summary on their monthly takings for that financial year. A simple 'business is good', 'surviving' or even a, 'you wouldn't believe it' would have sufficed. There's a part of me that sometimes wants to reply with, 'is that all?' to the 'we turned over x last month' but I would rather just look for the quickest escape from that conversation and swerve that person altogether.
A chap a few doors along the road from me recently took delivery of a new Q8. He was out the front one day as I walked to the station. I complimented the car on its colour and the response rapidly turned into, 'it was only five hundred and eighty a month'. Scrolling through What's New this morning I was reminded of this when I saw a comment along the lines of, 'they offered me the APP deal but I went for HP because even my cash accounts are making more than that'. Very powerfully-built-company-director-esque!
Then there are those who want to take any opportunity they can to brag about their salary, or how much bonus they've accrued.
It's mildly amusing at times and I sometimes hear Peter Serafinowicz's voice as the Intimidating Estate Agent in my head, "Did I arks you?".
How do you respond? Do you bait them, compete with them or try and chop them down?
Glassman said:
How do you respond to a gratuitous gloater? There seems to be a few of them around, like the guy who pulled up in his Pontiac in the car park I was replacing a windscreen for a customer. His car sounded awesome. He saw me glance at the car and said hello as he got out. I made a comment about how many miles his car didn't do,
Physician heal thyself.Wills2 said:
Glassman said:
How do you respond to a gratuitous gloater? There seems to be a few of them around, like the guy who pulled up in his Pontiac in the car park I was replacing a windscreen for a customer. His car sounded awesome. He saw me glance at the car and said hello as he got out. I made a comment about how many miles his car didn't do,
Physician heal thyself.
Glassman said:
Wills2 said:
Glassman said:
How do you respond to a gratuitous gloater? There seems to be a few of them around, like the guy who pulled up in his Pontiac in the car park I was replacing a windscreen for a customer. His car sounded awesome. He saw me glance at the car and said hello as he got out. I made a comment about how many miles his car didn't do,
Physician heal thyself.Countdown said:
Glassman said:
Wills2 said:
Glassman said:
How do you respond to a gratuitous gloater? There seems to be a few of them around, like the guy who pulled up in his Pontiac in the car park I was replacing a windscreen for a customer. His car sounded awesome. He saw me glance at the car and said hello as he got out. I made a comment about how many miles his car didn't do,
Physician heal thyself.I'd guess he was very familiar with both the fuel consumption and people commenting on it; perhaps his response was how he deals with people making the same comment he hears every time he gets out of his car.
But, on the original question, I don't feign interest if I'm not interested.
But, on the original question, I don't feign interest if I'm not interested.
Sounds like clumsy attempts at small talk, does anyone talk to you about anything other than money or are those just the ones you focus on? A little chip on your shoulder perhaps? If I'm not interested I might just smile and nod, then get on with whatever I'm doing, no need to be rude.
I come across this from time to time its insecurity essentially. I had a customer who was at great pains to tell me about his 40k gold Rolex and how he was a property developer blah blah...then he had to arrange time off with his boss? How does that work then? Lived in an ex council semi which by the way there's nothing wrong with but why the need for the fake Rolex story? The Rolex flashers I've noticed generally are declining actually I often used to get people come in telling about their holiday home and flashing their rootbeer or Pepsi. Usually followed up with not being able to meet the asking price on a 20k car. The serious guys I think these days don't wear watches and are too busy for small talk about assets they may or may not have.
Gassing Station | The Lounge | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff