Retail Musings: Honour (or a lack thereof) Among Thieves
When you work in sales, irrespective of whether it’s field sales, telesales, or retail sales, there is a certain unwritten code of conduct. Salespeople are hungry and greedy, this might as well be a requirement of sales roles, and it makes sense, but what you do not do is steal orders from other people.
This is a message that I would like certain people with my current employer to grasp. They appear to have no sense of morality, and no regard for the rules of engagement. They are not exactly in a position where they are desperate for customers, so why do they feel the need to steal orders from other stores? And let’s be clear, since we work in a commission-based line of work, each theft of an order is theft of money from a salesperson’s pocket. Stealing isn’t exactly honourable, and it should be against company policy as well. Perhaps it is, though I am not at all certain my employer is interested in that.
The trouble is, the store that is doing the thieving is a store that performs extremely well on sales. They are under no need to steal orders and customers, yet they do so anyway. This tells me it is not being managed in an honourable way. There is no respect, no effort to forge a reasonable relationship with neighbouring stores. Small wonder then, as to why none of the local stores will provide them with assistance.
My own recent personal experience with the manager of this store is part of the reason why I am looking to move on. My employers are too content to accept the antics of this store, and they aren’t willing to consider the human impact of letting thieves get away with it. It is a sorry state of affairs, and I can only hope that sooner or later, consequences come to bear. I am not optimistic on that score.
