This is a submission for the Summer Lovin' 2024 Contest. It's my first entry to a competition and I'd appreciate your vote!
A Bad Rep
"I'm not going to last five minutes here."
Alex was close to tears. Coming to Spain had been supposed to give her a new start, to take her mind off the painful break-up with Darren. It had started promisingly, everyone seemed nice and fun. The weather was amazing, and she was getting a lovely tan.
But she hadn't considered that being a holiday rep might actually require some hard work. Perhaps not hard to some people, but the type of in-your-face selling that they were required to do was completely alien to her.
"I couldn't do it either."
Anne-Louise, who shared the small studio apartment at the back of the hotel with Alex, was sympathetic. "I never realised they actually set targets for the reps to sell those trips. Look, if it's really not for you, I'm sure there's other work over here. You could probably get some shifts at BCM, I can ask for you?"
Alex was grateful for her friend's sympathy. But she was not going to throw in the towel just yet. Whilst this sudden U-turn in her life hadn't been taken for financial reasons, she'd been pleasantly surprised to learn how much money a rep could make, if they sold well.
Moreover, she was enjoying most parts of the job. Alex had been very focussed through school and university, and she had always felt she'd missed out on just letting her hair down and having fun. Despite the other, pressurised side of the job, there was also a lot of fun to be had.
Late nights dancing with beautiful people wasn't something she'd ever craved, but she was loving it. And a rep never paid a penny for a drink. Rent was also absent; accommodation was provided.
So, whilst the money wasn't amazing, the almost complete lack of outgoings meant that she was hoping to return home in the autumn with a significant contribution towards a deposit on her own place. She had no intention of moving back in with her parents, not at twenty-eight.
"No, no. I just need to find a way to convince them. The others can do it."
"OK then. So clearly it's not impossible. Maybe you could ask for some help?"
"To be honest, I know what it is. The other reps, the girls. They are so pretty and so confident. The guys are really happy to just be talking to them. I think that's what I'm missing."
"There you go then! Slap a bit of make-up on, flutter your eyelashes, make them feel special. If it works for them, it'll work for you!"
"Fuck off Lou. Nobody would look at me twice when some of those girls are around."
"Don't put yourself down! You do a good job of hiding it, but you are a beautiful woman!"
Alex squirmed a bit. Confidence was not a strong trait of hers, and a five-year relationship with very little positive reinforcement from a boyfriend who showed little interest in her, preferring his PlayStation unless there was a special reason for them to go out, had left her feeling pretty unattractive.
She'd also had a volatile relationship with a mother who would sometimes take pleasure in telling Alex she was nothing special, and that she'd be lucky to find someone who wanted her. It was a big reason why she'd stuck with Darren for so long. This all meant Alex didn't know how to take a compliment.
"Come on. Who's going to pay me any attention? It's always the boys I'm going to be selling to, they make the guys sell to the girls. A guy isn't going to look at me twice.
"You'd be surprised; everyone goes for different types. But you could definitely..." Anne-Louise hesitated for fear of offending her friend. They'd only known each other for a couple of weeks.
"Go on. It's OK, you can tell me. What could I do?"
"I just mean, you've got a pretty face, but your hair hides it a lot of the time. And you've got such perfect cheekbones, but your make-up could do so much more to accentuate your features. And, sorry, but if I had a body like yours, I'd be making sure it wasn't a secret. Sometimes I feel like you don't want people to know how attractive you are."
"You think?" Alex sometimes wondered if she'd benefit from therapy. She was so unused to hearing kind words from anyone, she struggled to believe it.
"Definitely. If you like, we can have a morning makeover! I've got loads of ideas, and you don't have to start until six today, right?"
This was true. Alex worked seven nights, but today was one of her two late start days.
"That does sound like fun. Makeover morning!" the girls high-fived.
Even just from a mental standpoint, the time with Lou did Alex the world of good. They laughed and joked, and Alex realised she hadn't had girl time like this since she was a teenager. She had seriously missed it.
Alex even found herself confiding in her friend about sex, which was a subject she'd not usually talk about. Lou was a lot more experienced than her, and Alex was shocked to hear of some of the things she'd done. She was embarrassed to recall the dull, lights-out missionary position intercourse she occasionally 'enjoyed' with her ex, and her eyes widened as Anne-Louise made her realise just how inexperienced she was.
But even more than her state of mind, when Lou pulled her hand away which shielded her eyes, and her new look was unveiled in the full-length mirror on the back of the wardrobe door, she audibly gasped.
"Oh my god!" Alex turned this way and that, and Anne-Louise positioned another mirror so that she was able to see a rear view.
"I'd never have dreamed I could look like this!" Her outfit was like nothing she'd have chosen herself. Dark, dowdy and loose was replaced by bright, eye-catching and flattering. It was nothing ground-breaking, just a short skirt and a tight white top which accentuated Alex's not inconsiderable chest. But Alex felt like a new woman.
"Is this really OK? Look, you can see the side of my boobs." Alex turned and lifted her arms to demonstrate.
"Yeah sweetie, that's kind of the point." Lou rolled her eyes.
Alex continued to check herself out. Anne-Louise knew what she was doing. Her make-up job was transformational. Alex couldn't break eye contact with herself, such was the magnetic effect of the eye shadow job Lou had done. And her shoulder-length hair was brushed into a sleek and shiny bob. Her lips glistened and shone, scarlet and extremely kissable.
It couldn't be argued that Alex looked better. But such a drastic change was going to take some getting used to.
"Oh wow. I've never left the house in anything like this. And you really think it will help me get some sales?"
"It's definitely not going to do any harm Alex. But you need to own it. Flutter your eyelashes, have a bit of a flirt."
That was going to be easier said than done. How exactly do you flirt? Anne-Louise googled, and the girls found there was plenty of advice out there. They spent some time watching videos which contained a surprising number of useful tips.
It was a newly emboldened and, on the surface, confident Alex that checked in for her shift that evening. There was a pub crawl later, but the two or three hours before that commenced left a big window open, and Alex meant to use this time to get the guys to sign up to the several trips the company was offering.
There were four trips in total. To purchase individually, the price was sixty Euros each. But if all four were signed for, that came in at a total of two hundred Euros. Fifty Euros from that would go directly to the rep who made the sale, so there was a big incentive to push these to the holidaymakers.
There was lots of scope for flexibility in pricing when selling individual trips too. In truth, for most of the trips the cost to the company was recouped once eight to ten people had signed up. The rest was pure profit. But there was value to ensuring lots of guests subscribed, a busy event was something that was very desirable. So, boosting numbers was a prize in itself. When push came to shove, making sure someone was coming at any price was a much better result than holding out for a full-price sale.
But for the rep, the more money they charged, the more they earned. So there was a real incentive to sell at the highest price they could.
The real prime-time for selling was the twenty-four hours after arrival. That ship had sailed this week, but there were still plenty of opportunities to be had.
"I'm confident. I'm oozing confidence," Alex lied to herself as she forced eye contact with the groups of guys dotted around the reception area. Things moved fast, there were plenty of them still preparing to return to their rooms and start getting ready for their night out, whilst others were starting to meet and gather, all dressed in their 'going out' gear.
She settled on a group of four lads she recognised from water polo yesterday. They seemed nice enough, and she knew that they'd yet to sign up for anything. They wanted to have a think and chat amongst themselves was what she remembered.
"Hi guys!" Alex's forced 'relaxed' face had been practiced to death, but she was quite confident it portrayed what she wanted - a laid-back rep just checking in and making sure everyone was happy and had all the opportunities they needed to have an amazing holiday.
"Oh, hello." Alex immediately homed in on the 'ringleader', as her training had indicated she should. There was always one who would lead the others, so getting him on board should be her number one priority. Once he signed, the others would follow.
"Now then!" she said, again forcing eye contact and inviting the same from the three young men sitting nursing a glass of the local lager, all dressed up in their nice trousers and shirts in preparation for a big night out. "It's only fair I tell you that the four-trip packages are almost gone. I can definitely still get you signed up tonight, but tomorrow will be too late, so it's really your last chance to save that money."
