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The original was posted on /r/talesfromretail by /u/Darkviney on 2023-11-06 07:10:33.

I was reading through this subreddit the nicer stories reminded me of some experiences I had back in college. I was working for just above minimum wage at a little tourist attraction my college ran. I was the only person willing to work in the gift shop, which was in a little outdoor trailer. It was honestly the easiest work so I have no clue why no one else wanted to be in there, but I digress.

Not much about the group in this first story stuck with me, but I do remember the older lady (maybe in her 50’s or 60’s) who is the main person of this story. She walks in with some other people in her group and looks around, looking more and more indecisive as she looks at our collections of rocks, toys, and souvenir items. She comes up to the register and picks up a souvenir magnet, then asks what I would recommend for her to get for the rest of the family, consisting of a few adults and a slightly larger number of children. By this time, I had been the sole stocker of this gift shop for 6 months and knew our stock and where it was like the back of my hand. I had also picked up how to be an amazing salesperson at some point, so I start recommending several toys for the kids, books and postcards for the adults, and a few collectibles for everyone. The lady thanks me and starts picking up probably 10 paper plane mystery bags, 2-3 snake plushies, a handful of collectible rocks, maybe 15 postcards, and a few other items. The rest of her group also brings up anywhere from 1-3 items per person, and the total ended up being over $100. One of the group members remarked that they thought they were only spending $50, and the main lady said something about getting things for the whole family, sending postcards to her friends, and supporting the attraction. She paid for everything and even added some souvenir bags onto the purchase when I asked if she would like plastic bags or to pay a little extra for the souvenir bags. The group thanked me and left, and the whole situation just made me feel good about my ability to sell way more than someone originally intended to buy.

The second story involves a set of parents and their children, a little girl and a little boy. The little boy loved the bouncy rubber balls we were selling and asked his dad for one, while the girl was looking at some plush snakes but seeming a little disappointed in the options. I decided to point out the 5’ 6" plush snakes on the top shelf. The girl looked at the giant fuzzy snakes, then turned to her dad with the most excited look I had ever seen. The dad looked at me with an exasperated smile and asked “Why did you have to point those out?” as the little boy also started looking excited about the snakes. The family bought the snakes and the children immediately put them around their necks like scarves and bounced happily out of the shop. Another triumph for my salesmanship.

This last story is not about how good I was at upselling. On a very slow day, an elderly man walked in and bought a few things. He paid in cash and the change ended up being a few cents over $5. As I started to hand him the change, he put up his hand and said “You need it more than I do,” then smiled. We were allowed to accept tips as long as the customer told us to keep the change, but most people would only have received change under $1 when they said this. That kind old man let me have $5. I almost cried as I thanked him. I know $5 isn’t a lot, but I was a broke college student at the time.