What has happened to honest salesmanship? Could it be that all a person cares about is getting ahead or capturing just one more sale to achieve a hefty commission?

I sold advertising for the Newspaper Agency Corporation for six years in the early 90s. It was inside sales and involved handling incoming calls, cold calling, re-solicitation and up-selling of line and display ads in the classified section. I had a base wage of $6 an hour plus commission as a full-time employee. If I didn’t make my goal each month, I didn’t get a commission.

If anyone understands the financial strains and pressures that go with accomplishing a sales goal to get paid — I do. Not making my goal meant no tuition money for college, which from time to time meant I took a semester off. It also forced me to do some strict financial planning so I didn’t rely on the commission entirely since I was out on my own as a struggling college student and the last thing I was going to do was run home to mommy.

I sold Mary Kay cosmetics on the side to pad my budget when my commission didn’t come in. I put half of my monthly commission checks I did earn in savings, which were two to three times larger than my base pay. I had the usual expenses of rent, utilities, car payment, insurance and a credit card bill. I made do, and was able to go on some fun trips with my friends, too.

My previous experience as a salesperson is why I can’t understand the way I was treated on a recent visit to a video game store in the Providence Center in Cedar City. I’m still livid.

The day before Father’s Day I took my children to pick out a new video game for their father. My husband loves to play them to release stress and it’s a pastime he shares with my kids on occasion.

I’d met this particular salesman on several occasions in other capacities and knew he was friendly and well mannered. I asked him for assistance by telling him the type of games my husband enjoys playing on our X-box while my children began busily sorting through the used Nintendo cartridges.

The salesman handed me what I thought would be the perfect video game for my husband because it was similar to "Civilization," which my husband had mastered. My kids found two used games that were inexpensive — $2.99 and $12.99 — so I added those to my purchase of a new $40 game.

The return policy explained to me by the salesman sounded more than reasonable. If within seven days I was dissatisfied for any reason, I could return the games and do a straight exchange or receive a full refund. He even offered me a membership, but I declined.

Father’s Day came and my husband appreciated the new watch, shoes, and yes, the new video game. For the next two days he played around with it and basically got bored. It turned out to be too much like, "Civilization," and as I mentioned, he’d mastered that. Also, one of the used games didn’t work at all and needed to be returned.

I gave my husband the receipt that also had the return policy printed on it so he could return it. About 30 minutes after he’d made the trek to return the unwanted game, he came home with an exchanged used game but the new game I’d bought him in hand saying the salesman told him the return policy for new games only permitted a $9 store credit.

I thought for sure there had been some mistake. I asked my husband for the receipt to read over it again and he said the salesman had kept it during the exchange for the broken used game. I decided to call the store and go over what I had been told only three days earlier. The salesman that helped me got on the phone and immediately was defensive, which sent me into an outrage.

He said I did buy used games and he’d correctly explained to me the used game return policy. I agreed with him there, but reminded him that I also bought a new game that he’d even helped pick out for me, yet neglected to tell me about the differing policy in regards to returning it, and thus, I wanted — and felt I rightfully deserved — a full refund.

He begged to differ and we went the rounds yelling at each other like juveniles, not accomplishing anything. I asked to speak with the manager and, of course, the manager wouldn’t be in until the next day.

By the next day, I was emotionally spent and not willing to set foot into that store ever again. I felt deceived, manipulated and outright lied to. You can bet I will tell everyone I know about it, too.

I don’t know if the salespeople get commissions or not in that video game store but if they do, I sure hope it was worth it to the salesman.

I pity him. The almighty dollar was more important to him than doing the right thing, or even acknowledging that he’d made a mistake, which was probably innocent from simply forgetting to relay the new game return policy.

You know an apology would’ve sufficed even if that meant I wouldn’t have gotten my money back, which I didn’t any way. Now, that store will never get my business again and I will steer people away from it every chance I get.