My first job was as a merchandiser. You know, that job where you go to stores that you don’t actually work in and move a bunch of product around so that that store can sell more product, which means that, in turn, the company you work for can sell the store an even larger amount of product. I did that through the summers of my final year of high school into the summers of my years at university, and I still do this day. I do not understand why stores don’t stock their own shelves.
But, I guess, major brands that thrive off brand recognition stand the most to gain by having their product front and center, well-presented in the line of sight. So, the sales to be gained by having a well-presented product easily offset some worker’s measly paycheck. One brand probably started doing it and captured more market share, which prompted competitors to do the same, and led to the development of a complex system where numerous individuals from all the various companies drive around to different stores, arranging shelves and the product on them even though they don’t actually work in those stores.
And let me tell you, people really cannot comprehend that just because you might be working and be currently in a store, doesn’t mean you work in that store. They’ll approach you and expect you to solve their immediate problems, a number of which aren’t even related to the store in the first place. It’s astonishing, really, that even when you explain it to them, they can’t wrap their head around it.
Usually, though, it’s not the people working for the store who are making this mistake, making this story all the stranger.
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