Having worked in the Restaurant industry for close to eight years, I’ve dealt with my fare share of salesmen. In fact, several of my good friends are sales-people. I know how difficult sales can be, schlepping all over town trying to sell juice to a bunch of ego-centric buyers. This is not a rant about those salesmen who are out there grinding it; trying to make an honest living. This post is about the new wave of salesmen that work for corporate monsters, selling products they assume everyone NEEDS.

I recently called a rep from Anheuser-Busch to ask about some empty kegs that need to be picked up. While on the phone, the rep was very disgruntled to hear of the decisions I’d made regarding the tap handle placements. He promptly informed me that he had been promised the entire tap line (meaning I was supposed to buy beer from only him as a means of filling my keg system) and proceeded to give me the hard sell me on his products without coming up for air. Upon trying to get a word in to discuss the fact that my mind was already made up, he said, “Excuse me, I’m talking.”

Oh, guess I didn’t realize it wasn’t a conversation we were having, but a list of demands I was being given and it wasn’t my time to speak.

He continued to hammer away at me and began talking about an old bill. I thought it would be appropriate to, again, let him know that I was sitting on about 20 empty kegs from their company, which would decrease the total sum of what was owed significantly. When I spoke up, he immediately raised his voice and said, “I am not finished talking.”

Ok then! Towards the end of his apparent lesson in how I was to run my newly acquired beer program, I finally piped up without recoil and reiterated to him that I had already put in the full tap line with other products, but in the spirit of being fare, I would meet with him the next day to get a current portfolio and discuss the possibility of working with him in the future.

HE DID NOT SHOW UP! Really?!?!? As if his aggressive attitude on the phone wasn’t enough to nudge me in the direction of never buying a single thing from him or his company again, this stunt put the nail in the coffin.

When there are so many people out of work and willing to do whatever it takes to land a job, it makes me sad that a guy like this has such a great job. And what’s worse, is that he feels so entitled that he doesn’t even bother with customer service. Apparently, he doesn’t realize that Budweiser is a choice, NOT a necessity.

Sorry buddy--not this time. I’ve got much better options, not to mention, much nicer people to deal with. Oh, and don’t talk to me like some sucker who doesn’t know any better than to get strong-armed by a bully!