I work In a phone shop and for those of youth know me,yes I am a major sony fan

Had a customer come in, first question 

Which is better Samsung or iphone? 

I said it depends on what you want to use it for

He said he was an out door person and needed long battery life a good camera, durable as he does kyaking 

I suggested the xperia z5,  better camera, it's water proof! Which would be perfect for kyaking! And has a two day battery life, weeks when put on ultra stamina mode

Nah I'd prefer Samsung or iphone

Basically I showed him the perfect phone for his requirements and he wasn't interested

His question really meant what phone is more "popular "

Sorry just needed to rant

It could be worse:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lUgB9pWDWE

But yeah, the social factor is very important for possibly the majority of people.

Maybe he was distrusting of you, like: this guy is trying to sell me some questionable equipment.

Brand recognition is also a factor. When people see a brand mentioned everywhere they tend to believe it is very popular for a reason.

Should have said the Sony Xperia Z5.

Wow that's pretty bad.

I'd guess you could suggest the Galaxy S5 as that's waterproof but the battery is just meh.

People can be irritating, that would've popped a vein in my head.

xperia z5 would have been a good fit for him.... oh well.

Aren't you like the most annoying employee? He's asking for a Samsung or an iPhone.. Are you getting a bigger commission for pushing Sony phones? Geez I hate that when store workers do that.. :P

No, he asked what was better a Samsung or an iPhone,

being an employee in order to assertain which would be better for him because there is no 'BEST PHONE' the customer describes his needs and he suggested the phone that fitted his needs absolutely perfectly. 

The customer in turn actually doesn't care what phone is perfect for his use and just wanted to be told which to get based on 0 criteria. 

That's what's frustrating.

Maybe the customer likes the looks/design of iPhone and Samsung Phones (as they are very similar). Something are just subjective and not objective. Also maybe they like home buttons as well, I like physical buttons over on screen buttons. I don't see the annoyance with this customer.

One woman at my office went out to buy an iPhone over lunch. Came back with a Samsung. When asked, she said it's because the shop person told her Samsung was more popular.

People with lack of research tend to go with the popular one though. They assume its the best product because it the most sold device.