Confessions Of a Car Dealership Receptionist
When a salesman goes too far
When I was nineteen I came home for the summer from University to four whole months of “freedom.”
I knew that I would be expected to get a job for these months if I wanted to continue to reside with my parents. I also knew there was no way I could spend the next four months not working, I needed to keep busy.
I interviewed and accepted a position at a local car dealership. I was excited to spend a summer out of my previous summer's Mcdonald's uniform and to pay off the bar tabs I had very maturely put on my credit card that past semester.
I showed up for work and enjoyed it. I was a little awkward with the phone answering, but the position let me make new friends, wear what I pleased with no visor, and text my best friends in between phone calls. I also didn’t need to have a very long shower to remove the fry grease post-shift. I could even go straight out with friends after an eight-hour-long day! (Oh my god, how times have changed).
For nineteen years old, I was having a good time with a summer job.
The entire sales staff at the time consisted of men. They were kind, some over the top, and some the “stereotypical” salesman that you would assume. Honestly, though, they all were kind adults who you could see were just trying to make a living.
One though, stuck out for me in a way that will forever haunt me. If not only because of the way I didn’t act in response.
He was in his mid-forties, married, and with children. He was harmless enough it seemed with the other salesman, if not perhaps a little extra obnoxious.
One of the first encounters we had included him complimenting my pants. He let me know that a girl with, “my figure should make sure to wear pants like that more often.” The comment left me confused — was I meant to be flattered or disturbed?
The remainder of the summer consisted of him coming up to my desk when he was on shift and proceeding to push the boundaries. Or rather, lay on top of the boundary and diminish it all together.
“Have you ever had a facial?”
“How’s your box doing today?” As I was counting out the cash register box.
At one point, he walked up to me and held out his phone. The photo he was shoving in my face was a naked photo of his wife.
“What do you think?” He asked. I turned bright red and walked off to the bathroom.
I remember one day, he walked up to me and threw a cup of water at me while I was seated and answering the phone. I jumped up, alarmed, and I wasn’t sure if I was meant to laugh or cry. I know I wanted to do the latter.
“Practice for the next time you have a golden shower” he laughed and walked away.
This is shameful and embarrassing to type out.
What type of woman nowadays would let this happen to her? At the time, I was even more shy, insecure and honestly just wanted to get paid. The female supervisor at the dealership who I dealt with at the time had already told me that my dresses were too short (they passed the hand test!)
I had a strong sense that she didn’t like me.
So I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe this was my fault.
At one point during the summer, a man from the service department approached my desk and let me know that this was not okay. That the entire staff was aware of what was happening, and nothing was being done. He told me that if I wanted, he would go see the head manager and make sure that the salesman was never allowed to approach my desk again.
I nodded so quickly I thought my head was going to fall off. “Please! yes, I don’t want to be a bother but that would really help a lot”
Ugh, “a bother.”
This entire situation makes me angry at a number of people in the situation. However, mainly at ME for not standing up for myself. For being confused as to whether or not I should be flattered by this attention (fucks sakes) or report it for being completely inappropriate (ding ding).
At the end of the summer, I left without saying goodbye to most people. I was embarrassed for myself and for them.
Because guess what? He never stopped coming up to my desk, and I never did hear from that manager that was aware.
This kind of stuff stays with you. Especially, when you know that you didn’t respond properly.
Because I never did anything.
