Free Samples

We regularly give free samples of products to try to get people to try our brands. Policy says 1~2 per customer. If the person's a regular and I think they really might switch, I'll give 3~4. But we have this one guy who comes in once a week and demands 12+ of whatever we have at the time. There's an employee or two who gives in to him, thus when someone doesn't give in he gets nasty.

On several occasions I've told him it's against policy and I'm not risking my job just so he can have more free stuff. It really isn't risking my job, but it sounds better like that. The thing is, if I give him a dozen samples each time he comes in, then we'll run out and other customers, WHO MIGHT ACTUALLY BUY THE PRODUCT, won't be able to try any.

Today he got a new employee, pulled his nastiness with her, and used his "I'm not shopping here anymore" line. I witnessed the whole thing, from a distance, and she handled it BEAUTIFULLY. She didn't give in, yet maintained a professional demeanor and smiled pleasantly as she wished him a good day. I assured her that, unfortunately, he WILL be back, and that she handled it well. I also told her that she is to continue following our policies regarding how many samples to give to each customer, despite how rude the guy is. The purpose of the samples program is to convert people to our product, not to supplement one specific customer's budget. It's not our fault that he doesn't make enough money or spends too much on other things.