6:33 am, October 13, 2014
I ONCE worked at a dealership where the sales manager wasn’t exactly the most popular member of the team. It wasn’t that we couldn’t bear to be in the same room as him, just that his manner made him grate a bit with a few of us.
One of his regular tricks would be to make a beeline for any attractive female customer that came into our dealership. He had a particular penchant for blondes (but he’s not alone in that, I suppose).
A few years ago there was a certain such customer who visited the showroom very frequently without, it seemed to us, having any intention of actually buying anything.
Now, if this had been a 16-stone bloke with BO and a beer gut, he would have been given short shrift as a time-waster but this punter was the exact opposite, so naturally she was indulged and treated like royalty.
Anyway, seedy sales guy occupied an office with a glass wall that looked out on the dealership – but had complained about the lack of privacy. Blinds were investigated but as we’re looking back to the credit crunch/scrappage days here, they were considered too expensive. So as a second-bestoption,some shelving and cupboards were moved from another part of the business, placed alongside the glass wall,and a certain degree of seclusion was established.
Shortly after this, our sales manager’s lady friend dropped in for a visit. They were chatting on the forecourt, as was usual, and we knew they would be heading into his office at some point. It was a quiet Tuesday morning and a few of us were in the mood to play a prank. Quick as a flash, and utilising some old gentlemen’s literature that had been given to someone as a dodgy ‘secret Santa’ gift, we pulled the cupboards back and decorated the glass with some of the torn-out pages.
All pics were stuck on the showroom side but facing into the office. (He always kept the door locked when not inside it so we couldn’t get in ourselves.)
Anyway, as predicted, the two of them wandered in from the forecourt, went into his lair… and then we heard laughter! She’d seen the funny side – as had our sales manager!
To be fair, he seemed a lot more human after that.
