No Place in the Sun Read Free

push them harder; they are difference between profit and loss on a lot of items.’
    Milton never discussed Andrew’s commission at the meetings, and this month it was clear that he wasn’t going to mention Robert’s zero sales any further. He shuffled the papers in the file and drew out the list of appliances that had been de-listed, replaced by new models. It was essential that these were moved quickly before the public realised that they were obsolete, and the extra commission made sure that the salesmen focussed on this old stock. He passed around this list of dead stock to all the team.
    Tom studied the list carefully. There were some good ones in it this month, brand leaders that would be easy to sell. He was already doing a mental tour of the store, taking in all the items that he would be trying to offload before Walter found customers for them.
    The list seemed longer than usual this month, but then he realised that there were a lot of computers on it. Still, that was Robert’s department, no point in thinking too much about those.
    It was Robert who spotted the problem first, and he spoke out in astonishment.
    ‘I don’t understand; are we de-listing all the computers in the store?’ he asked incredulously.
    ‘Got it in one, my boy.’ The old man tidied up his papers to signal the end of the meeting.
    Robert was red faced.
    ‘But what are we doing with.....’ his voice trailed off as he realised that he had just been publicly sacked and humiliated. He got up and left the canteen quickly, leaving a stunned silence in his wake.
    Milton was preparing to leave. ‘Ok, team, let’s get stuck in and take the fight to the Brits. This is a tough business, lads; we’re fighting for survival.’
    Tom dropped a couple of coins into the vending machine, but nothing happened. He thumped it angrily and swore. Walter stepped up beside him and caressed the reject button; the cup rattled into the holder and the coffee trickled down, filling the room with its rich aroma.
    Walter spoke quietly. ‘Keep the cool, don’t sweat the small stuff. If the place goes under, we get a few quid and we move somewhere else. That’s life, son, don’t worry about it.’
    Tom shrugged his shoulders; maybe it was time to think about a move. For now though, there was a list of appliances to shift, and the chance of a few extra quid on the guarantee racket. Time to face his public. He stirred the sugar into his coffee and kicked his way through the swing doors, clicking on the lights as he passed the bank of switches. Walter threw the main switch to turn on the rows of television sets on the back wall, and Andrew pressed his thumb on the button that opened the shutters. The store was coming alive, wakening from its Sunday slumber. Milton’s was open for business.

    Tom rapped on the steel door with a coin. It was early, time for a coffee before the store opened, and a chance to read the paper in a bit of comfort. The look on Walter’s face caused him to stop short.
    ‘What’s up?’
    Walter shook his head. ‘Go in and ask Andy. He’s not in his usual sunny form I can tell you.’
    In the small canteen it was clear that all was not well with Andrew. He sat at the end of the table, and he had been crying. His usually cheery face was streaked with tears and he looked older than his thirty years.
    ‘What’s up, Andy?’
    For once, Tom avoided the temptation to give his colleague a ribbing. This looked a lot worse than the usual saga of one of Andrew’s boyfriends moving out and leaving him lost for a few days until he found a replacement. He felt sorry for the poor bugger really, despite being the first to pull his leg on these occasions. Andrew was a harmless enough fellow, living for his clubbing and his flamboyant social life, and he enlivened the tea breaks with his jokes and banter.
    Andrew sniffled noisily. ‘He is marrying a woman! She’s a lot younger than him too, bloody gold-digger.’ He started to sob