<p>bookreader, unlike Tupperware sales, the Cutco sales people are out-of-work college students. Do you think 18 year olds would really buy expensive steak knives? Tupperware is usually sold as part of a social gathering. Cutco knives is a one-on-one sale.</p>
<p>I bought cutco knives too (out of pity). These knives aren’t nearly as favored as a swiss brand I own. And those knives were about $10 each.</p>
<p>In our neighborhood it is a retired college professor who sells Cutco. His pitch is so slow and painful you buy items because you feel bad for him and want him to stop. He’s making it around town very nicely and his “schtick” works well both for sales and referrals. I must admit though, I do love the knives I bought!</p>
<p>We have only been solicited by current college students, fortunately. I would find it unbearable to be approached by a retired college prof. Oh well, I guess whatever works. People who do have Cutco generally have been pleased with the quality, tho they all have grumbled about the overpriced charges for what you get. Supposedly, you don’t have to sharpen their knives but I bought a “turner” not a knife, so don’t have personal experience.</p>
<p>Sigh…I have an appt for a demo with a friend’s son next week. Another friend says he gets paid $18 for the demo. I am thinking of offering him $25 to skip it :-).</p>
<p>I hardly cook…what would I do with a $47 paring knife???</p>
<p>I was in Costco a few months ago, and there was a knife company there selling the most AMAZING culinary knives I’ve ever held in my hands. I wish I could remember the name of them. You could tell they were extremely well crafted, and though they weren’t cheap, I felt they would have been well worth the prices being quoted to me. I think the most expensive set (and the largest) was about $500 bucks. I’ve looked at knives in Williams Sonoma, and these knives seemed better than the very finest I saw there. They told me that those prices were “Costco special” prices, available only for the time they would be demo-ing in the store ( I think about a week to ten days). It was available to buy the same knives through them on the web, but they would cost about a third more. I wasn’t in the market to buy knives that day, and boy did it bum me out because, I’ve often thought of those knives since that day. If they ever return to Costco, I think I’ll try to finagle my finances to buy a set. They too, are guaranteed for life, with free replacements, no questions asked. I can’t imagine that Cutco knives could be any better than the ones I handled that day. </p>
<p>I never felt pressured to buy, and I never had to give them a list of names to contact. I hate home product sales, and pyramid schemes. I avoid them like the plague, no matter how good the product is they’re selling.</p>
<p>I have a serrated-edge knife that I bought at a discount store for a dollar for my first apartment in 1972. It still cuts just fine and I still use it. Now that was a bargain.</p>
<p>I LOVE buying from Costco because I KNOW I can return or exchange, no Qs asked if I am unhappy. They generally do a good job of vetting the products & vendors to get high quality & good prices. I refuse to give out names of others to ANYONE unless I am positive the person is looking for whatever. If that is the case, I get the name of the salesperson & pass it on to the person I know, NOT the other way around. I hate pyramids–the folks on the top get rich & the rest subsidize it.</p>
<p>I still have a ton of stuff I bought nearly 30 years ago when I 1st got my own apartment, including serated knives, pots & pans, dishes, stainless steel and other things; they all work just fine. I do still use my serated knives–they may have been a bit more than $1 but under $10 & I also consider all of them bargains. Farverware & Revere Ware cheerfully replaced the pots as they break or are damaged.</p>
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<p>A friend just called to say she gave my name to ones of my son’s former classmates who is selling Cutco this summer. UGH! I already have a great set of Henkel knives. No interest or need in acquiring any more. I’m attempted to just pay him to skip the demo and there’s NO way I’m giving out names to him. Should I just say no to the demo? I want to help this kid but I don’t like sitting through a sales pitch for something I’m not interested in and really am not willing to give him names.</p>
<p>I am honest to a fault and encourage them to “practice” on folks who have a chance of actually purchasing any of their products, explaining that I am NOT in the market and will NOT provide any names or contact info. I may make a donation toward them to keep them from bothering me–$20 or $25 would be generous and free them up to use their skills on others. I see no reason to let them practice on me. </p>
<p>I will listen to the pitch of those selling Girl Scout cookies or things for Boys Scouts or Cub Scouts, but that’s about it these days. Their stuff has somewhat inflated prices but no pyramid scheme.</p>
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Yes - just say no. Your guilt and desire to help the kid, possibly even including just giving him money without receiving a product, demonstrates why for many of these kids this isn’t a ‘real’ business experience and is exploitative when the selling occurs in this way. </p>
<p>Maybe if you say no to the demo, and don’t just hand him money for nothing or to make him go away either, he’ll get the picture quickly and move on to something else more appropriate.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t be happy with the ‘friend’ who gave him your name but she/he probably felt pressured to as well.</p>
<p>^she did but apologized profusely. She knew I knew this young man. I think I’m going to say no because it would be a waste of his (and my) time.</p>
<p>When our son was being solicited for an ‘opportunity’ by a company named Vector, I looked them up online. Some of the reviews were not flattering. The letter he received said, “The starting pay is excellent - and the best part is you don’t need any experience. We’ll train you and teach you everything you need to succeed. But we must hear from you within the next 5 days if you are interested.”. Thankfully, he wasn’t interested.</p>
<p>One time I called Cutco.</p>
<p>Someone picked up the phone and started cursing at me!</p>
<p>I said…“Um…is this Cutco?”</p>
<p><very long=“” silence=“”></very></p>
<p>Finally:</p>
<p>“Yes. Can I help you?”</p>
<p>I didn’t buy any.</p>
<p>A friend of my D’s did the pitch to me and I thought he did a great job. I didn’t feel pressured to buy at all. There were no calls to a manager and everything was set out very clearly. The first thing he did was ask me to pick out the knives from my kitchen that I liked best and the “pitch” involved showing me how much better the Cutco knives were. They truly were heads and tails better than anything I had, but I didn’t have great knives. I ended up buying 3 because I really liked the style (the pearl colored handles) and balance and I really needed a knife that didn’t damage a ripe tomato before slicing it. It was actually a pleasant experience and he did a great job - showing lots of poise and professionalism. </p>
<p>For those who feel they must do a session or think you already have the quality knives you need, go through with it just to compare the knives and see. If the knives you have are better then obviously you wouldn’t buy new ones.</p>
<p>It’s great that you had such a positive experience. The two pitches I heard were verbatim the same. Both were delivered very professionally and both times, people did buy (out of obligation and/or pity). Though their product is decent, it is greatly over-priced in my estimation. I do have many excellent knives that work well for us.</p>
<p>Around here thankfully no kids on cutco pitches but every other adult is selling Isagenics (spelling?) The only thing worse than someone’s adult “kid” selling you knives is an adult pitching you on your health and what you should and shouldn’t consume. </p>
<p>I have a rule, I don’t buy anything from friends, and I don’t sell my friends anything. No tupperware, no Pampered Chef, no pyramid anything. I do like the Cabi clothes but refuse to have a party or go to a party. I buy direct from the local “consultant.”</p>
<p>I decided to give a friend of my D’s a try with this, and told him that I wasn’t going to buy anything, but then his knives cut through rope and leather like they were butter and my Henkel knives could barely get through them. I wish I had sharpened my knives before he came, so I could accurately compare. I’m tempted to buy some, but did not do it right then.</p>
<p>IMHO, they’re good knives. I’ve had two for around nine years and they’re good knives.</p>
<p>LOL SDonCC. That’s what would happen to me. I’d buy the darn things and feel stupid afterwards even if they WERE good knives. I’m such a sucker, especially if we’re talking about teens doing the selling. I even bought a Mr. Sticky at Sears after a demonstration done by a cute 19 year old boy who reminded me of my son.</p>