Do Dealership Salespeople Prioritize Walk-Ins Over Customers With an Appointment?

When two customers show up at the exact same time—one with an appointment and one who just walked in—which one gets priority?

A car salesman recently offered a revealing look at how dealerships actually handle this common dilemma.

Salesman Navigates Competing Customers at Same Time

In a viral video, car salesman Greg (@greggotcars) documents a scenario that plays out at dealerships everywhere: juggling multiple customers simultaneously.

"Alright, guys. I got a little situation here. I got two customers at the same time," Greg says. "One was an appointment and the other one just showed up literally at the same exact time."

The scheduled customer had an appointment to see a Toyota Tundra, while the walk-in was interested in a Porsche Cayenne. Greg's approach was to serve both customers, bouncing between them as needed.

"Let's see what we can do," he says in the video before greeting the first customer.

Greg unlocked the Cayenne for the walk-in customer, Mike, who hadn't called ahead. After getting Mike started looking at the vehicle, Greg returned to his scheduled appointment customer, Rich, who was checking out the Tundra.

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"Here you go, man. Two customers at the same time. Let's see how this works out," Greg says.

However, the appointment didn't go as expected. When Greg asked about payment preference, Rich revealed he'd been shopping on Facebook Marketplace and was looking for a significantly lower price than the dealership's asking price of $20,000.

"What price do you need to be at?" Greg asks in the video.

"16," Rich responds.

"Yeah. Too far. I can't. That's like $4k difference," Greg says, explaining he couldn't discount the truck by $4,000 when there was strong interest in the vehicle at its current price.

The appointment customer left without buying. Meanwhile, the walk-in customer appeared much more engaged and asked to take a test drive.

"Guys, the guy who came on an appointment just lowballed me by 4,000," Greg says to the camera after the scheduled customer left. "And the guy who just came without an appointment looks like he's way more serious."

Greg's takeaway challenges a common assumption about walk-in customers.

"So you can't really judge walk-ins like that," he says in the video. "Sometimes walk-ins are the most serious customers. They walk in and they buy it right there."

In his caption, Greg explains the situation further: "You would think the appointment would be the more serious buyer, and that's usually the case, but you really never know in this business."

The video ends with Greg taking the walk-in customer on a test drive, though it doesn't show whether Mike ultimately purchased the Cayenne.

Gallery: Porsche Cayenne Electric (Technical Workshop)

Is It Better to Walk-In or Make an Appointment?

The debate over appointments versus walk-ins extends beyond car dealerships, affecting many service-based businesses.

The choice between these two approaches significantly impacts both operations and customer experience, explained Qminder, a customer queue management company.

Walk-ins offer flexibility for customers but create challenges for businesses like unpredictable wait times, potential overcrowding, and difficulty allocating staff efficiently. According to a PwC study, 32% of customers would stop visiting a business after a single poor experience, underscoring how critical wait time management can be.

Appointment scheduling, on the other hand, provides structure and predictability. However, the company acknowledges that appointments aren't always flexible enough for real life because people are late, things take longer than expected, or customers don't show up at all.

"The reality is, both have their drawbacks and advantages, and the best outcome is usually found when using them together," the article states.

A hybrid model allows appointments to provide structure while walk-ins fill gaps when cancellations occur.

For car dealerships specifically, Brickell Honda strongly recommends that customers make appointments.

"It's a smart idea to make an appointment with a staff member before you go to the dealership," the company advises. "Although walk-ins are usually welcome, it's helpful to have already talked with a staff member about your particular needs."

According to Brickell Honda, appointments offer several advantages: customers can explain which cars they're interested in test driving ahead of time, salespeople can inform them of additional models that might fit their needs, and staff can have specific vehicles ready when customers arrive. This preparation saves time and creates a more efficient buying experience.

What Selling Style Do People Prefer?

As of this writing, nearly 150 people have commented on the video, which has racked up over 905,000 views in the day since the New Jersey-based salesman posted it. Many weighed on Greg’s selling style.

“Actually giving the customer space to soak in the vehicle without hovering, then checking back is a great thing,” said one.

Greg replied, “No one can make a decision properly while [a] salesman is hovering over them. Also, I had a bunch of other cars delivered so I figured to give him his space so I can get some stuff done at the same time.”

“Imagine fumbling both sales at the same time,” another said.

“I actually love this. Starts it, walks away, gives me time to check it out with no one bothering me and then tells me if I have questions find him. I love it,” a third countered.

A fourth person agreed, “I like how u don’t put pressure on your customers.”

Motor1 reached out to Greg for comment via Instagram and TikTok direct message. We’ll update this if he responds.