SALES PITCH: Mal Ledwidge was one of the best salesmen in Griffith but decided to call it a day after more than 50 years in the business. Picture: Anthony Stipo
FROM high heels to high-definition, there's not much that Mal Ledwidge hasn't sold to the people of Griffith.
But after more than 50 years in the retail game, Mr Ledwidge has made his final transaction, taking with him a wealth of experience and some very fond memories.
"I reckon I probably would have sold something to nearly everyone in Griffith," he said.
"When I was working at the shoe store I had people say to me they remember me selling them shoes as a kid and now I was selling them shoes for their kids."
Mr Ledwidge worked for Brooks Shoe Store for nearly 15 years before an unusual talent allowed him to set up shop on his own.
"I had this knack for picking the most popular ladies' shoes," he said.
"I was the buyer and I used to go down to Melbourne and there'd be 300 different types of shoes to pick from and every time I'd pick the top 10 - unknown to me, the bloke I went with had a bet going that I'd pick them too."
But his luck eventually ran out, and after buying a huge shipment of heels that had just gone out of fashion, he decided to get out of the shoe business.
So, after a stint at the Co-op, he landed a job at Chandler's Electrical.
"The best days of my career were in Chandler's. I had the best staff and selling electrical goods was very interesting," he said.
"I remember when plasma TVs first came out in the 80s and I sold one to a guy for $20,000 - it was my biggest sale ever."
Mr Ledwidge, who retired when The Good Guys shut down, said customer service was the most important skill in his job, but it was a dying art.
"If I go into a store now and someone says to me 'you right there' I walk straight out," he said.
"Service now is abysmal. People think retail is a dirty word, but we're all salesmen one way or another we're either selling our time or abilities and younger people don't realise how much of a career retail can be."
