Super salesmen
We spent a week in the Mexican city of Merida where we were beset on every side by men trying to hand us business cards.
What they wanted was to have us patronize a business that might be located around a corner or up a dingy stairway.
The stores on the main drag had their own way of enticing people but those out of immediate view had to work harder to get noticed.
We usually refused to take the cards but one day we encountered a former Winnipegger and his Bostonian spouse who had benefited from such an encounter. They told us the card offered a discount at a new Best Western Hotel.
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They checked it out and were given a new room with a new bed, good plumbing and hot water for $29 (U.S.) a night.
So the next street shill I encountered, I took his card.
It turned out his store was in the yard goods business.
Since I did not propose to spend a holiday knitting or sewing myself a jumper it was no deal.
These promoters must have thick skins. Being refused or ignored by 19 persons out of 20 would certainly discourage me but they showed more resiliency than a rubber ball.
In Canada, where most customers have to wait on themselves and then hunt down someone to ring up their purchases, salesmanship is a lost art.
Wouldn’t it be nice to find a clerk with the knowledge to explain and discuss the purchase options available?
On the other hand if said clerk is going to pursue me shouting about the tremendous value of this or that, perhaps being ignored has its advantages.
