Some friends of ours just bought an existing wine shop to act as their second location for their budding wine retail empire, and she may be taking a position there, but like so many people not sure what to do or how to get there, she has since gone back to school for a masters degree.
Wish her well, Dusty. She will find her niche.
I do nothing if not supporting her.
I worked as a wine & booze buyer for a local, independent gourmet shop for ten years. The sales reps were usually of two varieties : used car salesmen or true lovers of the product.
Used car salesmen were actually former car salesmen (or future ones, as I would later find). The distribution companies wanted volume and maximum SKU’s/shelf space. No matter what. Dirty tricks, lies, shipments of unsolicited goods (promptly denied and sent back to the warehouse). They bribed you with bottles of wine and dinners (really nice ones, sometimes). They were out to f–k you, any means necessary.
The true lovers were kind, patient, wanted to teach the staff, and knew that there was more than one way to push products. I tried to make sure that every employee had a chance to taste new stuff, good or bad. I wanted to have a selection of various wines for all palates. The true lovers understood that, and tried to pitch along those lines.
I understand that this is a tough job, on premise or off. The reps were at the beck and call of their bosses 24/7. The distribution companies eventually dropped commissions entirely, and enforced quotas mercilessly. I can see why many reps drank too much or used drugs. It’s a hard job being on your top game all the time. You have to eat pool with a smile every day. Just my opinion…