[Exile on Spencer St]

What a tail, RR! Have they secretly nationalised Stanley without telling anyone? That palaver was as bad as trying to get a phone installed in the 'good old days' of the GPO.

Something is clearly wrong when staff working for a business have to call on the MD to sell something that's on sale. If that happened in a shop, there'd be only one person to blame, and it wouldn't be the shop assistant.
Have the staff been given no incentive/encouragement to sell, or told not to sell a particular item? Have they been taken on and given no training? Even if the assistant was being deliberately being obstructive, it means his/her boss has appointed, and retains, someone who is killing the business.
As I've said before, I've only ever found the folk in the shop/office more than helpful so I'm surprised and disappointed to read about your ordeal.