November
16, 2013
I am a
sole-patroller, which means that I can play Vanna White (sans the skimpy dress)
to demo wines for Barefoot in liquor stores. Tonight was my very first time so
when I was greeted by the manager, Brian, with “Demos never go well here, most
people just pass-by, ignoring the display table,” I was discouraged and then
determined to prove him wrong. Arriving ten minutes prior to my allotted time,
I set up with enthusiasm and efficiency. Within the hour, I was checking my watch every
five minutes and wondering how the heck I was going to stand for two more hours
with a Cheshire
grin on my face and a bottle of wine in my hand.
I
fronted and faced all of the bottles and cartons in the store, managing to keep
track of the new arrivals, due to the ringing bell as they entered the
cavernous liquor warehouse. Some, startled and anxious to avoid my gaze,
skirted around me or avoided my aisle altogether. Then there were the wide-eyed
gulpers who asked to sample all three varieties of wine and left with a case of
beer or plastic bottle of Whisky. My wine pourer stingily measures out 1 oz so
they can’t get too plastered and ruin my show.
I served
78 cups and gave away three of our nifty barefoot ice cube trays and pressed a
few coupons in clients hands. Tough to know just how many bottles sold or how
many people hid the bottles on another shelf after I pressed it into their
hands. I would say most people enjoyed the exchange so I am pleased. Who doesn’t
like a free sample? Well, come to think of it, there were a few of those. I
crossed them right off my Secret Santa list.
Although
I was seeking some sort of acknowledgement of my hard work, none came my way as
I “checked-out” at the register, paying for my three bottles and bag of ice.
The gentlemen insisted I have a good weekend as they poured the remaining wine
out of the bottles and dumped my watery ice into the sink.
Next Wednesday
is another three hour shift at a new location. I will be better prepared, with different
selections and a new attitude. Watch for
me on Jeopardy, I am the one in the green shirt with a barefoot on it.
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