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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Outrageous sexism alert.

244 replies

derxa · 16/11/2016 18:29

I was at an agricultural trade fair/show today (AgriScot). I went to look at quad bikes because ours is knackered. i asked the salesman about one of them. He said, 'Do you want it for a toy?' What would be the perfect MN response?

OP posts:
ego147 · 18/11/2016 18:20

However, if he did do that to everyone who approached his stall at an agricultural show, he is astoundingly incompetent

This.

Right i get that, but we don't know what he said to other people

See above

Either he's sexist assuming that women at an agricultural trade show can't be 'real farmers' or he's incompetent.

JustAnotherSadOldNumber · 18/11/2016 18:22

Either he's sexist assuming that women at an agricultural trade show can't be 'real farmers' or he's incompetent.

YES!

ego147 · 18/11/2016 18:26

Either he's sexist assuming that women at an agricultural trade show can't be 'real farmers' or he's incompetent

or both of course Grin

JustAnotherSadOldNumber · 18/11/2016 18:28

or both

surely being sexist would imply he's incompetent.

TaraCarter · 18/11/2016 18:31

Right i get that, but we don't know what he said to other people.

So you're going with "really shit at his job"? Because that's the only option left. You have to believe that a company salesman who is trusted to represent the company at events and presumably makes some sales (unsuccessful salespeople don't keep the job!) has an invariable patter that he uses on every customer, regardless of appearance or wider context?

This is a pretty unusual salesman. Hang around discreetly in a Vodaphone shop and you'll hear the staff changing their approach from customer to customer, because they need their commission!

The other option is that he's been at least somewhat okay at his job so far. This time he made a snap judgement (as usual?) that women didn't do heavy quad-bike-scale work on farms and it didn't pay off.

JustAnotherSadOldNumber · 18/11/2016 18:33

So you're going with "really shit at his job"? Because that's the only option left.

Making sexist judgments wouldn't be good for his job either would it.

Whatever way you look at it he's not a good salesman.

JustAnotherSadOldNumber · 18/11/2016 18:34

Either he's "really shit at his job" and sexist
Or "really shit at his job" and not.

ego147 · 18/11/2016 18:34

You'd have thought by now that sales people would have taken on board the fact that you shouldn't make assumptions about people based on sex. It can backfire really quickly.

TaraCarter · 18/11/2016 18:47

No. Practically speaking, sexism that means he patronises women farmers is going to disadvantage his economic success far less than if he patronises all his customers. Even if 50% of his potential customers were women, fucking off 50% of your target market is a lot better than fucking off 100%. And well, I suspect that part of the reason stereotypes like this persist is because women farmers are a minority, so he's not even sending 50% of his customers off rolling their eyes.

In short, if he's sexist, he will be "a bit shit at his job", because he can make sales to the gentlemen, at least until word gets around that he can't tell that Derxa is a farmer. Grin. Then some of his potential customers might lose confidence in him and want to buy from someone less clueless.

If he accidentally insults all the farmers looking for a new quad bike, he will be "really shit at his job".

JustAnotherSadOldNumber · 18/11/2016 18:49

TaraCarter
Thank you, Now I'm starting to get it.

TaraCarter · 18/11/2016 19:05

Thank you for saying that! It makes my procrastinating mumsnetting feel worthwhile. Grin

derxa · 18/11/2016 19:18

Tara Well argued. I just looked at the sales brochure (Honda). The pictures all show farmers doing agricultural work on a farm. And there are at least two women featured. None are racing round on a wee track or playing.

OP posts:
TaraCarter · 18/11/2016 19:27

Evidently someone (probably several someones) in the sales pamphlet bit of sales at Honda knows their target market!

derxa · 18/11/2016 19:43

at least until word gets around that he can't tell that Derxa is a farmer Yes I'm that important Grin

OP posts:
TaraCarter · 18/11/2016 20:10

Well, get networking then! Make friends and influence people. I believe in you!

derxa · 18/11/2016 20:36

I'm on my way!!!

OP posts:
sashh · 19/11/2016 06:28

Lot's of people buy them the mess around on.

Did you miss the bit about this being the farmer's equivalent of a trade fair?

My answer would be "Well I want to run over a sexist pig's penis, so toy it is"

ClaireFraser · 29/11/2016 12:32

Yes Derxa I've been to AgriScot and I'm completely behind you on this!

The amount of fucking mansplaining happening on this thread is unreal, thankfully there is also a decent number of posters who have completely got your drift.

For those of you that haven't seemed to listen to a word the OP is saying, AgriScot is NOT like the kind of agricultural shows you're thinking of (in the summer, turn up in your pretty dress and pretend wellies, buy lots of local sausages and bunting and wander in and out of marquees full of crafts, and then have your picnic watching the dressage). It's a technical trade fair, it's only of interest to those in the industry and really not the kind of thing you turn up to for a 'nice day out' if you're not a farmer, because chances are you'd be bored witless! Yes it's a bit of social thing for farmers, after all, any time off the farm is a social thing and you'll inevitably bump into other farmers you know, but it's primarily for comparing kit, asking technical questions and really getting into the nitty gritty of things.

It's the equivalent of, say, a tree surgeon turning up to a chainsaw trade fair; all the ins and outs and finer details of the best chainsaws etc, interesting/relevant to the tree surgeon, but not really of any use/interest to Joe Public who lives in the countryside and has a few big trees in his garden.

OP, hope you've managed to sort your quad bike out! As an aside to the JD Gator suggested earlier on, have you looked at the Kawasaki Mule? I've not used one myself but I've heard good things.

derxa · 29/11/2016 12:48

Thanks Claire You understand. I've not bought a bike yet.

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