Up Selling, Cross Selling items

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Anybody had problems with active selling, upselling or cross selling

Anyway just a little background, i work in a medium sized retail store mostly household goods and general items. Two years ago i started there, i did work experience there then got a part time job for my hard work. They have a policy called SAS (Sale at Sale) were every week they have new items you have to sell to customers when your on the till. So for example if you came to the till to buy your items I would be required to try get you to buy a perfume or any items that are on offer that week for example "would you like to have a smell of (perfumes name) its a saving of £20 this week, £15 for a 100ml bottle) or any other phrase similar to that.

At first this completely freaked me out,to me it was so scary, I'm surprised i even managed to do it, a lot of the time i would fumble my words (i still do occasionally) but it gave me more confidence, i was never good at selling but i was asking.

The main problem is the company keep track of how many units you sell (a unit being one of the items that are on SAS that week) theirs graphs that are printed off, put on the walls etc. The company is hugely strict over it, putting immense pressure on management and so passed on to us. All shifts for non management are 4 hours long and minimum wage its got to the point now that from the second you come in to the moment you leave all you will hear about is SAS (we've done really bad on sas today so you need to do well, how many units have you sold etc constantly on your back). They have started counseling now if your below the company average there's (371 stores, mine being the 3rd biggest most are tiny stores unlike ours). They call it Green, Amber and red, Red being below the average. For every week your red you get a counseling session, you get 3 reds (not in a row just three) you get a disciplinary, 9 reds = 3 disciplinary s and your sacked. I just got my 4th red

It just stresses me out so much now i dont know what to do, i dont like pressuring people to buy items that arent even a good deal (9/10 times the items on sas are the same price throughout the year). I only do 16 hours a week i've been looking for a full time for a long time over the last few weeks with me stressing out over this ive even decided to look for part time jobs. I could just quit but i need the little money this job brings. Its gotten to the point were i honestly dont want work for another company that has a similar policy. Upselling and cross selling maybe as there related to the item there already buying not just an item the company decides you need to sell for there profit.

Like i know this Sunday im going to be on the till for 2 hours, if i sell nothing then that's a guaranteed red and all the good items that sold really well will be out of stock by then.

Luckily im not on the till that often or i dont know what i would do. 16 hours a week is 4 shifts, i do all 3 delivery which is great no hassle, im in charge and the key-holder so its a lot easier, i dont get paid a penny over minimum wage for being in charge though I've enjoyed doing it so i can put it on my CV etc

Anyway that's my experience with it, any one had anything similar?

I hate upselling. It runs completely against my purchasing method.

Locate the item, determine the cost, budget the money, go to the store, purchase the item, go home. Simple.

I have raised my voice against a salesperson, and told them emphatically that I do not appreciate the upsell, and that if they have to push a product at the point-of-sale, then there must be something wrong with the product.

Is it defective? Counterfeit? Discontinued? Obtained by less-than-legal means? Manufactured by forced laborers working in sweatshop conditions for a mere pittance?

When I come in to buy one item, I don't want to listen to someone yammer on about the marvels of a piece of crap that I would never have even considered purchasing in the first place.

Yes, I am "that guy" - the customer that is waiting for the clerk to ring up the purchase so that I can get out of there.

And maybe never come back.

Those pop up ads are an attempt to upsell online. An ad blocker does wonders for my peace of mind in that respect; but I still need to examine the item in person before making the actual purchase.

Now, if only ad blockers worked on salesclerks ...

I tried sales but after a week I was put in the backoffice in a completely different job (system administrator) and at a company selling insurance it is the most boring job ever to be system administrator because almost nothing happens.

You don't avoid social interaction when you are put in an office with five other people. It was hell.

IF you are required to sell things at your job, there's only one thing to do about it.

Find out about the item(s), find something you like about it, and tell customers. Think of it like an unlikeable person. There's always SOMETHING redeemable, if you look for it. Even if the store is upmarking that item and it's a POS, there are poor people somewhere who need that item to sell so they can keep manufacturing it, shipping it, etc.

There's a guy at the knife store, possible aspie, who sells my aspie husband collectible knives. This guy takes an obvious pleasure in telling you about knives, getting them out, watching them go off to a good home. It really makes you want to buy things from him. I'm not saying you have to go to that degree, but it makes the whole selling/buying experience more enjoyable when the salesperson has something good to say about the item.