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Blogs by Paul Cuenco
My Job at Costco 2/8/2012 7:21:11 PM
In my daily grind, far from this art I call Writing; I earn my living selling appointments to people who are considering changing or updating their gutters. The gutters we sell are high-end, having the ability to capture the debris flowing through it and being stronger than your strongest gutter. I cannot even tell you how much you would pay for it but naturally, even those who can afford it balks at changing their gutters once they learned how much they are going to pay. I encounter people who would react angrily because they cannot afford the gutters. Sometimes, they would react demurely by saying that they will save to afford the gutters. And still others will just dismiss it saying that they needed the gutters, now, and that they opted for the less expensive one.
One thing I can say about Leaf Guard, it has a high approval rating. Far more present-day clients wanted to acknowledge that they have Leaf Guard on their roofs as they pass by my station. Those who complain about it is that meager 1% or less, or more so, those who do not have Leaf Guard. That was why I work for the company. The product is absolutely superb and there are no apologies to give.
But, as I market the product at Costco, I hear a whole set of comments as they pass by with their carts in tow. The most prevalent one of them is, “It does not rain in Oregon.” In the beginning, this comment was funny. That was when everything to me was bright and blue; and everything was new. But good heavens, I have been with the company now for eight months. That comment becomes so old. Rain can inundate Oregon and to say that “it does not rain in Oregon” is an anomaly.
One time, I asked a husband if he needed gutters. He was walking down the fairway while his wife was pushing the cart. With nonchalance he said that his wife will clean the gutters. I really don’t know if that happens. But it is funny that he mentions that to me. It he does clean the gutters, and god forbid he has an accident, his wife will definitely clean the gutters. And likewise, the wife says that gutters are their husbands department; or the kids or the grandkids. They don’t have Leaf Guard but they are each other’s Leaf Guard.
And others would be quite straight forward by answering that they cut down their trees, their trees are not taller than their homes, they don’t own their homes, they live in a condominium complex and the HOA takes care of that; all are valid reasons why they don’t have Leaf Guard. All they say is, “thanks for asking.” But the jokesters that gets me are those give me that wry smile and that’s all without saying yes or no. Or, those who would say, “oh yeah” and then just walks passed by me without stopping or uttering another word.
Some of the comments are indeed funny but there is only so much you can take and there are few jokes that keep repeating itself. So after a while, these funny jokes become tired. I try my hardest to react positively or even laugh at their tired jokes but nowadays, I just smile at them. And as for those who has a wry smile or those who don’t utter anything, I just leave them alone. Better leave them alone than create a ruckus.
One memorable comment I heard (and this was never repeated) was about the value of our gutters. “Good heavens, if I just put Leaf Guard on my roof, people might think that I am wealthy.”
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