Putting The Drive To The Web In Reverse

When I go into actual physical locations to talk to sales people about their products, they keep sending me away and tell me to go to their website.

I mean, here I am, in their store (and in one case dealership) and rather than making a sale, they give me a card with a url, send me OUT THEIR DOOR and tell me to go home, get on my computer to go and get information that they apparently don't have to give me on the spot. You know information that might make the sale. They are sales people after all.

Back in the day it used to be all about having the Advertising drive to the Web in order to get them interested enough to eventually go to the stores. I had heard the phrase "get bums in seats" so many times from my automotive clients that I wanted a 'i get it - you want bums in seats’ tattooed on my forehead.

But now, advertising gets me the Web, I do my research, I go to the stores and then what happens? They drive me back to the Web.

I just don't get it. Am I missing something here?