Service Lesson

A young woman knocked on my door. She said she's a student. She could be. She's selling household products like Saran, foil, lunch bags, garbage bags and the like. Only she wants $23 per item, four times more expensive than if you bought the same item from a supermarket. I told her I didn't want to pay that much for the items.

She said, "But you are supporting students."
I said, "I would support them if they sold me something useful at a good price. This is a ridiculous markup."
"But students need your support."
"And I would be happy to support them in other real ways. I'm sorry, I can't afford to, nor do I want to pay those prices for these same items I can buy for so much cheaper at a supermarket."

The young woman looked disappointed. Naturally. But she walked away without saying thank you. She just rolled her eyes.

So what's with that? Do the organizers really think they can sell anything at a huge markup if thay attach "student" to the sale? And do they not teach their sales reps manners? When you don't make a sale, you should still thank your prospect for their time, not roll your eyes at them. At this point, even if I felt generous and wanted to part with my money, I'm certainly not going to give it to this woman or this type of organization.