Bernie Marcus used to warn salesclerks that he would bite off the finger of the next one he caught pointing a customer toward where to find something. (The clerk is supposed to walk you there and chat you up about your project along the way.) Marcus would have a mouthful of digits if he had followed this reporter over the last few weeks.

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But if his occupancy is more than 40%, he's going to schedule a desk clerk: his time would be better spent doing some sales calls or a property improvement project.

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