The Life of a Salesman

This is just a little story of what we all come across when we have a small business and market our products to the general public.

I packed nuts and dried fruit for many years and went into a pub to try and get them to stock my product. I had quite a bit of success in pubs, as man when he has had a few drinks needs some snack to keep him going. The pub was called The Boar and the pony tailed owner had heard about my product and agreed to stock and sell my nuts in his pub. He did say his son was now running the pub but he would let him know and yes I could bring in my stand of stock. All sounds just grand but life has a way of bringing you down to size.

I delivered the stand full of nuts and dried fruit, which I had packed myself. All seemed fine and when I went back two weeks later, was a bit late so went in just as they opened in the evening, no stand of mine, no nuts or dried fruit anywhere. A lady behind the counter said all the family where away but will be back soon, no she did not know if they had any nuts for sale but would give my card the the landlord.

Next week I made sure I was early, no pony tailed man around but the cleaner took me through to a girl who was having photographs taken of her boxer puppy. After a reasonable wait for her to get the puppy into the right position she asked me to wait outside as  I in was disturbing her puppy. I waited for 30 minutes and then went in again to find the her and another man behind the counter.

'Can I help?' the young man asked.

I explained who I was and asked how my nuts and dried fruit we're going.

'Are you not the guy who was disturbing my puppy?' Girl commented.

' What nuts?' son asked.

 ' I brought a stand in full of nuts and dried fruit, your father took them from me.'

' They will never sell.' girl in her wisdom and went into the back to bring out a stand, half full, the rest looked as though they had been walked on.

That was it, you win some and lose some, life has a way of bringing you down to earth. Little would that young girl think of all the work that went into that stand of 60 packets of nuts and dried fruit. I was putting the stand into my car when the cleaner came along.

'Those yours?'

'Yes.'

'They never put them out on the shelf, just left them in the store room and she just gave some to her puppy until he got sick.'

Enough, life's ugly side over, Merlin has just phoned to say she will be a little late, drinks with the girls at The Boar, boys to feed and wine to drink, till next blog.