Some customers think they know more about your business than you do, and most aren’t afraid to let you know.

Imagine running a fireworks stand, and you have poured your time, research, and passion into learning everything you can about your products.

Then, one day, a customer walks in and tries to dismiss what you carry as “not good enough.” How would you handle the insult? Just let it slide?

Or would you give him a lesson on all the things he doesn’t know?

In the following story, one small business owner encounters this exact scenario at his fireworks stand.

Here’s what happened.

Do you have any questions? [Tales From a Fireworks Tent]

I own and operate my own retail store. It’s actually a seasonal fireworks tent, but not like any fireworks tent you’ve seen before.

It’s 2400 square feet of fireworks heaven, where the party and the insanity climax at midnight on the 4th of July and New Year’s Eve.

I love fireworks. I got into the business because I love fireworks.

I spend my vacation from my real job selling fireworks in a parking lot because I love fireworks (that, and it pays really well). I spend months researching fireworks, attending firework demos, and watching videos of new fireworks.

Please don’t walk into my business and try to talk crap to me.

The conversation didn’t start well.

One of my employees grabbed me and asked me for some help. He had been showing a guy around the tent, and the guy was asking some questions that he couldn’t answer. He was apparently also kind of being rude about it.

I walked up to the guy and introduced myself.

ME: Andy told me you had some questions. Is there anything I can help you with?

GUY: Yeah, I was looking for some good stuff, but you guys don’t carry anything good.

(Note to potential shoppers, if you’re looking to irritate me, this would be the way to do it.)

The customer really thought he knew his stuff.

ME: If you’re talking about legal fireworks, I carry some of the best stuff imported into the US. Is there something specific that you’re looking for?

GUY: I usually shop at [Blank], I just thought I’d stop by to see what you had, but their stuff is definitely better. I wanted to pick up some mortars, but I guess I’ll have to make the trip to the coast.

ME: Really? What mortar pack are you planning on getting?

GUY: I always get [This Brand] mortars. They’re definitely the best you can buy in the US. I’m not surprised that you don’t have them, since you’re just a tent.

Irritated, he couldn’t hold back any longer.

ME: Wow, you have terrible taste in mortars, and those definitely AREN’T the best in the US. As a matter of fact, they’re not good enough for me to carry in my store.

GUY: You have no idea what you’re talking about.

ME: Really? Those Mortars are imported by the Beihai Kylin Fireworks Co, located in the Guangxi province of China. Of course, the fireworks are actually made in one of hundreds of factories located in Liuyang, a province of Hunan. It’s a 1 ¾ inch diameter 48-gram canister shell. Sadly, it only gets about 125 ft of lift out of the tube because they skimped on the lift charge.

GUY: But…

He wasn’t done sharing his knowledge.

ME: The shells are also hand-packed, rather than machine-packed, which probably explains why the breaks aren’t symmetrical. That means it was made at an older factory. That’s probably why they sell them so cheap and will put any label you want on them. Then again, it’s only a 48 gram shell…and not even the best 48 gram shell that Beihai Kylin imports.

ME: If that’s really the type of stuff you’re looking for, I probably won’t have anything you’d like. Thanks for stopping by.

I turned around and walked away from the guy.

He actually did end up shopping for a while and picked up a lot of stuff. Sadly, he didn’t have any other questions for me.

Wow! You should always be able to back up your claims. He certainly proved he knew his stuff!

Let’s check out how the folks over at Reddit feel about know-it-alls.

Here’s a great question.

This person ties it back to an age-old saying.

For this reader, other fireworks are better than mortars.

These are good questions.

That’s one way to handle him.

If you liked that story, check out this post about an oblivious CEO who tells a web developer to “act his wage”… and it results in 30% of the workforce being laid off.