Workplace Scenario I used to work as a sales person in a jewelry store. I was a sales associate and I made money off commission. (Zoltners, et al.) I would try to charm customers and maintain a good rapport with my manager, assistant manager and other sales associates. There are several reasons why this was important. The main reason however, was to avoid people gossiping about me and maintain my job for as long as possible. People tend to fire others in these kinds of jobs because they may not work well with others. (Dixon and Adamson)

Workplace Setting

Being a sales associate and co-workers trying to steal sales, so they can get commissions is commonplace. Commissions also mean extra paychecks at the end of the year on top of what was earned from the initial sale. (Seltzer and Ochs) This means the more someone sells, the easier it is for them to make more money. In addition to the extra money, managers place goals each month that sales associates must maintain to remain employed in the company. Depending on how well someone sells, they increase or decrease the goal.

If someone does not sell well, managers begin to reduce the monthly sales goal until there is a point where the sales goal is so low that the sales associate then becomes obsolete within the company. This can happen for several reasons. Aside from the lack of customers being an obvious one, other sales associates will attempt to take a sale or split it. That means less commission for the person and less of a chance to meet monthly goals. (Evans)

This can be quite difficult to circumnavigate because ‘sharks’ exist in sales and they are very aggressive. One must be charming not only with the customer, but with the sales associates. If they see weakness or meanness or aggression, they will at times work together with others or work against the person to see he/she gets fired. Humor is often used to put everyone in a good mood and maintain an assertive stance on sales. (Meyer) Without humor, sales associates will have a difficult time maintaining the peace and attracting loyal and long-term customers.

Workplace Tasks

The first thing...

They sit there at the ‘work section’ and drink their coffee, some eat their breakfast. This is when it is important to socialize. If they do not see someone as ‘friendly’ they may work together to take their sales. This seems catty and unfair, but the world of sales can be ruthless. Here is where I crack a few jokes and talk about some entertainment stories and current events. People love others that make them laugh it seems. The more they smile and laugh, the more I seem ‘friendly’.
At the start of the week there is a meeting where everyone, half an hour before opening, meets and discusses sales goals. At the end of the month, people are given new sales goals dependent on their performance. The managers often talk to problematic sales associates after these meetings. Then, the manager instructs sales associates to clean the store front and take out the jewelry. Jewelry is kept in a safe if they are valued a certain number. The cheaper merchandise stays behind the glass displays.

Glass displays are cleaned with Windex and the floors are swept. When the store is officially opened, sales associates must remain standing always unless attending a customer. The tasks related to customers are sales, repairs, fittings, and cleanings. Customers may ask for a ring to be refitted and the sales associate must submit a repair for the jeweler. This means multi-tasking as a sale has been made, a commission must be noted (either solo commission or split-commission) and a repair order entered.

Repairs can be charged extra or if sales associates convince customers to sign up for a special plan or apply for a store card, they get free repairs. This is another aspect to be a sales associate. The need to get customers to sign up for store credit cards. This counts towards sales goals, but in a different way.

Humor Scenario

Humor can be used for many things and many instances in the workplace. As was described earlier, humor can help people see someone as ‘friendly’ and decrease any potential tension someone may have.…