Chapter 1 - zarian's

“And that’s pretty much all you need to know,” Lee smiled, having just shown Roxanne how to work the till. “You’re all set to go.”

“Thanks,” Roxanne nodded, feeling reassured. This first day had been a complete whirlwind of information, but now she finally felt like she was getting on top of things. Lee had been a good teacher and it helped that Roxanne could remember him from high school; even though he had been three years above her. She remembered the frustration of her then boyfriend, being unable to beat the track record that he had set. It was certainly a tale that helped to break the ice that day.

Roxanne looked around the store. For a ‘big and tall’ clothes outlet, Zarian designer wear seemed pretty exclusive. She could work a week and still not be able to afford one of their premium shirts. “I’ve never even heard of this brand!” she mumbled, still perplexed at how much everything cost.

“Well, a petite female is hardly this brand’s target demographic!” Lee laughed, looking at nineteen year old Roxanne’s toned body. “But the big guys who come in here seem to love the stuff; more money than sense, most of them.”

The door opened and in strolled a very large, hefty looking man. “Shit! He’s massive!” Roxanne whispered to Lee in shock.

Lee rolled his eyes. “Get used to it, buddy. You work for Zarian’s now. Come and watch how I do things.”

Roxanne stood back and observed. Customer service was the most important thing, according to Lee, but surely this was a little over the top? Lee was practically flirting with the giant man who had just arrived, with little pats on the guy’s belly and constant remarks about how great he was looking. He measured the man’s huge waist and smiled, delighting in telling him that he was even larger than the last time he had been in here.

“I can’t believe that guy just spent twelve hundred bucks in here, like it was nothing!” Roxanne remarked as the large man left the store, calculating the commission Lee had just earned himself.

“Yeah, and he’ll be too fat for it all in a few months,” Lee chuckled, pointing to the screen showing the customer’s details: a steady increase in his measurements over time. It was standard Zarian policy, designed to tailor the shopping experience for their best customers. “Three years ago, that guy had twenty fewer inches around his waist.”

“No kidding!” Roxanne laughed. “What a pig!”

“Don’t say that to the customers!” Lee chuckled.

“Oh, as if I would!” Roxanne retorted. “I’m not THAT stupid!”

“No, I don’t mean that. It’s some of the guys who come in here. They’d really get off on being called a pig.” He nodded at Roxanne who was giving him a confused, sceptical look. “I’m serious!” he laughed. “There are two types of guys who come in here: the genuinely obese guys, and then the other ones… the ones who have done it on purpose.”

“On purpose?” Roxanne asked, still confused.

“Oh yeah,” Lee nodded, pointing back to the screen. “He was one of them. Twenty extra inches around his waist in three years? That’s no accident, believe me! His face always lights up whenever I tell him he’s looking bigger. That’s how I get him to buy so much.”

Roxanne nodded, thinking over the strategy. “So those types of guys are the ones to target?” she asked.

“They’re like putty in your hand if you do it right,” Lee smiled. “Trust me, you’ll see. There are loads of guys like that who come in here; and they’re all absolutely loaded!”