The Competition Is Fierce

(I work as a vendor stocking shelves at stores with my company’s product. I’m not employed by the stores I work in but frequently get asked where things are by the stores’ customers. An older lady enters the soda aisle were I am stocking my company’s product, in my company uniform, with logos very visible.)

Customer: “Do you have any good deals on [Competitor’s product]?”

Me: “I work for [Company], not [Store] or [Competitor], so I’m not sure what they have on sale.”

(The customer proceeds to the correct area for the product she asked for and finds the shelf empty of the product she wants, so she returns to me.)

Customer: “Do you have any more [Competitor’s product]?”

Me: “Since I don’t work for [Competitor], I’m not sure, but a [Store] employee should be in the next aisle over; they could check for you.”

(The customer just stands there between me and my product, so I decide it will be easier to just go see if there is any in the back. I don’t find any, but the vendor for the competitor is checking in his truck, so I grab a bottle from him and return to the customer.)

Me: “Here you go, ma’am.”

(She takes the product and walks about five feet away before turning back to me.)

Customer: “Oh, I think I prefer [Another Competitor]; do you have any of that, instead?”

Me: “Well, that’s a [Yet Another Competitor]’s product, not mine, but they’re just up the aisle, as well.”

(The customer then tried to shove the first competitors’ product I had taken my time to get her onto my already-filled shelf, knocking my product to the floor and breaking it, and walked away without even an apology. Total time spent cleaning up and assisting this customer: about twenty minutes. Total sales for my company: $0.)