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MetterBox21
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Member Since: Jun 2021
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Default Jun 05, 2021 at 07:06 AM
  #1
Hi guys,

I am posting on this forum for the first time hoping to get some advice and some clarity for my situation.

I work in a commission based retail sales job in high traffic shopping mall store. A few years ago I transferred to this store hoping for a chance to work in a busy location where I have chance to utilise my sales skills developed over a long career with my existing company. This store has always had high achievers for the company and as I had already worked in a number of other stores in other locations and achieved high sales results I felt like I was ready to take on the challenge and was ready to achieve the results I know I was capable of.

However the problem was that there was another salesperson in this store who had being transferred there a few months before I had. This particular salesperson...who we will call David (not his real name), was apparently not well liked at this original store and was transferred to my new store because he was achieving excellent sales results. At that time I didn't think too much of it as I have always backed myself to do well in sales no matter the circumstance and worked with many personality types over my career, but there has always been a certain level of respect when it comes to sharing sales.


Now the thing about David is.. he only cares about one thing, that is, to acheive title of the number 1 ranked salesperson in the company for the fiscal calendar year, and he reveled in his role in our store (since it was one of the best stores for our company in the country). He would be absolutely ruthless in his attempt at this goal. He would stand near the front entrance and jump on customers as soon as they walked in, preventing other staff from getting to them, if he saw me walking to serve someone, he would run and block me off so he would get to them first. Failing this, he would yell out at the customer to get their attention first so they would be still served by him. He would constantly serve multiple customers at once, and take multiple phone calls at the same time and make customers wait for him so other staff had no chance of getting any sales. On many occasions he would pretend to know the customer and pretended he had spoken to htme before even if they were already being served by someone else. He acts all charming and personable to everyone but he is a clever manipulator who lies and makes up stories to get a sale.


The entire store adores him due to his charms, management loves him because he achieves phenomenal sales for the store. Because of this David avoids doing any non sales tasks such as cleaning and stock filling (as he will always be busy) and leaves those tasks for me and my other collegues to do. David evens makes customers and staff buy him snacks, drinks and lunch becuase he manipulates them into doing him favours, this is also so that he never has to leave the store and miss any potential sales.


After working for a considerable time in this store I reaslised that I will never acheive the results I was hoping to achieve when I started there. It's tough when 70 percent of the sales goes to one person and the other sales staff have to contend for "scraps", and he often ignores customers looking at smaller ticket items in the store and only serve customers that are looking at high price items. I have spoken to management several times over David's overly aggressive behaviour and they simply don't care as he is now the highest ranked salesperson in the company and I sound like a jealous sore loser crying in the corner.


Day by day I feel like it's affecting my mental state of mind, I feel more useless and undervalued than ever before and it's even affecting my sales as customers are starting to pick up my negativity. When I don't make the sale I become despondant quite quickly which makes me even more negative which then spirals in a vicious loop. Quite a few staff commented how I looked sad all the time and asked why but I don't want to tell them because it will make me sound like petty and jealous. David has been making comments lately that if my attitude continues to decline he believes management will transfer me to a quieter store because I cant handle the pressure (they have done this to other staff previously). I believe this is what he really wants as there will be less competition for him.


I'm really unsure on what to do at this point, I still enjoy working in a store like mine as I like to keep busy but I find it more and more difficult to go to work everyday and face the same thing. My sales have dipped significantly and management are starting to notice. I don't want to be transferred and face a quieter location because it would mean I would face even less sales and and a further drop in earnings.


Sorry for the long read, hope you guys on this forum can maybe help me reach some clarity.
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Default Jun 05, 2021 at 07:49 AM
  #2
I wonder if it would help to expand your options. Right now you are looking at two options.


1. Stay at a busy store with a coworker who unfairly takes 70% of the sales.
2. Transfer to a quiet store where you have fewer sales.

There are other options. You could take your sales skills and work for another company. You could transfer to a different store and make more money than you think. You could ask management to make sure David does his fair share of the stocking and other work and stops hogging all the customers. Maybe you could make a case that the sales would be even better if other people had an opportunity to meet customers. You could look for a job that has nothing to do with sales. Maybe management at this company, to make sure there aren't more Davids? I'm sure there are even more different options you can think of. Sometimes it is hard to see opportunity because we are so focused on one particular negative.
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Default Jun 05, 2021 at 08:46 AM
  #3
So Sorry things aren't going well! Please do not give up! i agree with the wise and wonderful hvert about looking into moving another company if possible? It does seem like you have some experience at least so it may prove useful. i also agree with her that it may be wise to ask management for this guy to help you with cleaning and such. i Hope things will improve soon for everyone. Hopefully you won't get offendend but i also think it may be useful to remember that your value doesn't depend uniquely on how well you do your job. Remember that you can be a unique individual for other reasons as Well. Of course i think it's noble that you want to do Well at your job also. Sending many safe, warm hugs to BOTH you, @MetterBox21, your Family, your Friends and ALL of your Loved Ones! Keep fighting and keep rocking NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, OK?!
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MetterBox21
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Default Jun 05, 2021 at 09:13 AM
  #4
Hi guys,

Thanks for the quick and insightful reply. I have indeed asked David for help when it comes to the menial daily tasks, he never turns ever turns me down, and on some occasions when it's extremely quiet even help me do them, but he will jump on customers the first chance he gets (leaving me to do the bulk of the work whilst he serves), his reasoning is that he still have to look after customers, which no one can argue against. Other tasks such as emptying the bin he will never do, despite being filled to the brim everyday with the rubbish from his snacks and drinks, and he will also promise to do a task, but spend so long actually bothering to do it or forgetting about it that it's just easier to do it yourself at times. Just today I made a comment about doing him being a bit more fair with the workload and sharing a bit more of the sales and his reply was that I was affecting him and the staff around me by my negativity, I felt like he was trying to paint me out as the problem of the department rather than his own greed and selfishness hindering other staff members from getting their fair share. The other staff members in my department have already given up trying to change their circumstances, and just "get by" serving the few remaining customers they can find and being apathetic to their situation.


As far as transferring to a different store or going to a new company..I have already worked at a number of other stores, but also felt I could never reach my full potential in them due to lack of opportunities, right now my store is one of the most profitable stores in the country and I'm still making good money and enjoy the being able to help alot more customers (compared to my previous stores), so I'm reluctant to leave after working so hard to get there and to risk taking one step forward then two steps back.
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