THE Haggler once knew a guy who worked as a salesman at a mattress chain in the Washington area. Every week, the chain ran a full-page ad in The Washington Post, advertising deep discounts on one make and model of mattress. And the rule among sales staff could not be simpler: if you sold any customers that discounted mattress, you were fired.

That’s right. Sell the mattress in the ad, and you’re gone.

How David Mamet is that?

This story came to mind recently, after the Haggler heard from several Staples employees who described some of the pressure they face from management when it comes to sales. But before we hear from the employees, let’s yield the floor to a customer who describes what this pressure looks like from the consumer side. Below is a condensed and edited excerpt from a Web site called my3cents.com, written by someone identified as JA2009. He is trying to buy an Acer computer for $449, as advertised by Staples in a newspaper.

Disaster ensues.

“Upon my arrival, I found an associate who informed me that the laptops were in stock. However, before he would get me one, he proceeded to try to sell me his ‘protection plan.’

“Now, for a number of reasons, including my own knowledge of computers, as well as ready access to free computer repair services, I declined this. The sales associate indicated that it was O.K., and then walked away to, I assumed, get my computer.