A Year in Pictures of Working

Job #6: Cutco

I spent about a month in college trying to sell Cutco knives. I was trained in a make-shift office with a few generic inspirational posters on the walls. It was the kind of office that could have been dismantled and disappear in an hour's time, like a traveling circus.

To this day I still remember a lot of the sales catchphrases I was required to memorize. "The patented 'Double-D' blade cuts with a back and forth motion, not with pressure." "A lot of knives only have partial tangs, Cutco knives have full tangs." "I'm sure you've probably heard of Craftsman tools and their 'Lifetime Guarantee.' What could be better than a 'Lifetime Guarantee'? How about a 'Forever Guarantee'?"

The knives themselves were incredibly sharp and kind of frightening. During our training we had to break up into pairs and practice cutting things with the knives. My practice partner, a sad, lumpy man with thick thick glasses, slipped and cut a long deep gash into his hand. Our Cutco Team Leader immediately whisked him out of the room.

"Well, it's a good thing he cut himself with a Cutco knife," the Team Leader said. "At least we know it's a clean cut."

# posted by Arnie : 4:42 PM