Unfiltered Story #297558

I’m visiting an engineering show for my work, I’m tasked with talking to a few companies about their products , we managed to fond some great new suppliers at the last one. So we’ll worth the visit.

A group of teenage lads are ahead of me, they move stall to stall picking up all the freebies they can get.
Clearly the way they ignore the sales guys and don’t take any of the leaflets or paperwork, they don’t have any interest in the company itself. They just want to fill their pockets.

They stop at a stand I need to visit and I overhear the follow.

Lad 1: hey, can i have one of them?

Sales guy: the branded coffee cup?

Lad 1: yeah.

Sales guy: do you have a legitimate interest in the company or our products?

Lad 1: pff no.

(One of the other lads elbows him.)

Lad 1: I mean maybe. Yeah.

Sales guy: great, why dont we have a chat, we can start by taking your conpany name?

Lad 2: (pushing past his mates, clearly not listening to the conversation) can we have a coffee cup?

Sales guy: I’m sorry they are for actual potential customers.

(There is a lot of complaining and low level swearing from the group as they move away.)

Sales guy: sorry about that , how can I help?

Me: I was interested in hearing how your product “ABC” compares with the competitor product “XYZ”.

Sales guy: happy to help, please take a seat.

(We ended up having a great chat about everything their conpany has to offer and I identify some possible great savings. I make a bit of a point of not accepting any of the free pens or key chains he offers , but as I leave he asks if I wanted a coffee to go he brings it out in one if their (nicer ceramic branded cups) I even managed to walk passed the lads from earlier and I was sur I heard them whine about it.)