Been a... contentious week at work. My already complex relationship with the competition at my store just got more complicated.

Basic summary, my employer and my competitors are both outside contractors hired to sell phones. I work with prepaid devices and they work with postpaid. Think TracFone vs Verizon Wireless. My company's contract allows me to talk up the sale, but forbids me from completing the sale, at the register or otherwise. My competitors have access to the registers and computer systems to complete the sales. So... I have to rely on them, in many instances, to complete the sale. They get commission on those sales, just like I do, but selling my phones isn't their primary goal.

My problem: On multiple occasions, they've taken advantage of my inability to actually cash the customer out to try and steal my already completed sales. They've also acted as vultures, ready to swoop in when I step away, even when I've completed the sale and am trying to get the customer cashed out. Multiple different reps have tried this across different days.

I'm torn. On the one hand, they're shamelessly trying to take advantage of my reliance on them to complete sales, in order to undermine my business. On the other hand, it's not working. There were six attempts I witnessed in the course of the past work week, but only one succeeded.

My boss is aware of what's going on, but I'm hesitant to get her involved too much, just by the nature of my professional relationship with the competitors and the dynamics. I don't want to completely torpedo my relationship with them over antics that aren't working for them. I also don't want to sit on it until it legitimately becomes an issue.

So much plotting! I feel like I'm in an episode of The Tudors!