No Pain, No Gain
Whoa — today’s sales on a regular weekday topped last Saturday’s sales; if things keep going at this pace, I’ll have to start asking for commission :) I had two returnees from yesterday who made substantial purchases, so perhaps that makes up for yesterday’s slow movement. One mother and son team were rather agressive in seeking discounts, particularly on a Toshiba notebook they purchased, but the margins were already film-thin. It’s a bit surprising to have so many customers expecting to be able to barter; I’m not exactly working in some back-alley of Hong Kong. In fact, I would think we were closer to a Best Buy or Circuit City, if anything; do those places allow customers to haggle with the employees? All we end up doing is throwing in a laptop case, or a USB mouse for those who don’t like the trackpad. It’s gotten to the point where customers expect such accessories, which simply diminishes the value of the offer. At any rate, the title is in reference to the fact that I still haven’t taken a mid-afternoon break during my shifts yet — this training is that fun :)
June 19th, 2003 at 3:55 pm
Matt,
I truly feel that you should keep working at your current position. You’re doing the company a lot of good.
Does this mean I get your setup?! (actually, the computers are ours anyways… :) )
June 20th, 2003 at 12:16 am
Matt – haggling /looking for discounts is a game, and increasingly a feature of our ‘deflationary’ environment. i do it all the time in dept. stores right here in nyu yawk city – do think people aren’t gonna do it in akihabara, the bargain capital of electronics merchandising? :-( my suggestion – learn to enjoy the customer interaction!
June 20th, 2003 at 11:38 am
Sounds fun. I hadn’t been aware that the Japanese were so into bargaining with salespeople, but maybe I just wasn’t looking for it at the time. Oh well, that’s not to say it isn’t fun for both sides of the haggle-fest. Good luck with sales.