Quote Originally Posted by Owlie View Post
This. I work for a large chain bike shop. It is amazing how many people (including apparently experienced cyclists, who ride far more than I do) don't know what size tubes they need. I had someone (who rode a metric century the previous weekend) ask if a certain tube (with the size range printed on the box) would fit his tires. It's safer for her to assume that you don't know. (I'm not entirely sure how she didn't get "road bike tire, 23", though.)
And quite possibly, she *was* all about being helpful to a customer. What I meant in the post, though, was that she was talking to me like I was a child (this I know well... I'm a mother ). I can't relate the tone of voice she had, but it actually was very patronizing.

I'm not being hard on myself. It really was a poorly-phrased question. No way for her to know if I had ever been on a bike or not. She could, though, have spoken a little differently and that's what I was talking about. She shouldn't be patronizing to any customer. She was not being *helpful* in my opinion. Yes, I should not have let it kill my confidence. That's my own insecurity. I buy plenty of things with technology/concept being "new" to me (e.g. my recently acquired e-reader) but where the salespeople are friendly and helpful, not patronizing. It makes me want to do more business with them. This place... not so much. They do give off a vibe and it's not all just me, I know.