Julian and I went on a shopping trip to Pentagon City. While in Linen-N-Things there was a salesperson explaining to a customer why there were more comforters in the back, and why those weren't for sale.
Sorry, my manager told me that we're not supposed to sell those. We've got a sale coming up, and we want to make sure we've got plenty for when people come in with the ad.
Now, I understand that this is a short-term investment in the potency of advertising. If they start a trend of selling out of an item before the ad runs or before the sale starts, people will come to discount their ads, thinking "well, I made a trip out there last time and they didn't have any, why should I go out for this?" But in practice, this is a really dumb way to operate a business. The manager has instructed employees to turn down sales at a higher price because they want to have enough to sell at a lower price. Plus, this woman who wanted to buy a comforter is inconvenienced and annoyed, when all she wanted to do was give them money. If this is what it takes to succeed in corporate America, I think I'm sittin' pretty.
