Let me take care of this, Mr. Matuschek.The Shop Around the Corner · 1940 — Chapter 5 of 19 · 3'24" · B1
Selling the Musical Candy Box, Explained: have a weakness for
The box plays a tune every time you lift the lid, and the shop has to sell it. One customer calls the song unbearable; the clerk agrees, then turns it into a habit warning. "There's no denying that we all have a weakness for candy," he says, and the box is sold.
What happens
Matuschek and Company is marketing a candy box that plays a tune when opened. The boss asks a job applicant, Miss Novak, what she thinks; she calls it romantic. Then a lady customer complains about the same song, and a salesman talks her into buying the box anyway.
Listen for
smoke candyhave a weakness forno use waitingpoint of view
00:00 / 03:24Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
have a weakness for
to have a special fondness for something
店员对犹豫的太太说，谁也不能否认我们多少都有点爱吃糖，一下就把对方拉进了自己的话里。
I have a weakness for dark chocolate.
Also in this scene
- smoke candy
a deliberate swap of verbs and objects for comic effect
- no use waiting
it is pointless to keep waiting
- point of view
a way of considering a matter
Everything marked in this scene
41 notes across 71 lines
it is pointless to keep waiting
There's no use waiting now. Believe me.liaison
There's no use waiting now. Believe me.If there's an opening, you'll be the first one.Uh, just a moment.Tell me, would you buy a box like this?Oh, Mr. Matuschek, I couldn't buy anything at the moment.weak form
Oh, Mr. Matuschek, I couldn't buy anything at the moment.No, no, no, no. I-I-I-I want your opinion.negative imperative
'Now, don't let me influence you.'What's romantic about it?It-it-it makes me think of moonlight and..make someone do something
It-it-it makes me think of moonlight and..liaison
It-it-it makes me think of moonlight and..There's the woman's point of view.How much are you selling it for?That's a bargain! That's a real bargain!tag question for agreement
Good morning, madam. It's a lovely box, isn't it?Yes, madam, a candy box and I should say, a very unusual one.May I open it for you?It's a very popular classic.Oh, no, that would never do.Where do people get ideas like that?Can you imagine, every time you take a piece of candy you have to listen to that song?No, I couldn't buy a thing like that.I know just what you mean, madam.And yet, do you know that some of our customers like it for the very thing you object to.We've sold quite a few especially to ladies.There's no denying that we all have a weakness for candy.And when I say weakness I don't mean to say anything against candy. Oh, no.I only mean that uh, sometimes we are inclined to overdo it a little.For instance, madam, have you any idea how many pieces of candy you eat a day?No, I never gave it a thought.Before we know it, we've gained a couple of pounds.before as a time conjunction
Before we know it, we've gained a couple of pounds.And that's when our troubles begin.Oh, don't I know it.Every time you open it, this little tinkling song is a message to you.$5.50, reduced from $6.95.Well, what do you say now?'Your honest opinion, that's all I want!'Selling the Musical Candy Box, explained
What's really going on
The scene is a lesson in selling, and its method is agreement. When the customer says the tune is too silly, the clerk does not argue: "I know just what you mean, madam," and only then mentions that other customers like it for that very reason. The pitch works by letting her keep her taste while he reframes the flaw as a feature. His line "There's no denying that we all have a weakness for candy" moves the objection from the box to human nature, where no one can disagree. The little tune becomes a diet reminder, and the price, reduced from $6.95 to $5.50, sounds like a favor. Earlier, the same box was called romantic by Miss Novak, so the film quietly pairs the shop's two ways of seeing it: romance and salesmanship are the same object.
Theme
MoneyEvery line comes back to price, cost, and margin, from the $2.85 cost to the box reduced to $5.50.
SatireThe clerk sells a box that nags you about your weight by calling it a helpful reminder, so the joke is on how sales talk dresses up a gimmick.
What you'll learn
- Use at the moment for a temporary situation
- Use overdo it to say something went too far
- Hear a real bargain as enthusiastic sales talk
- Agree first, then reframe an objection
Listen for
- waiting now — liaison
- at the moment — weak form
- think of — liaison
There's no use waiting now. Believe me.A blunt way of telling a job seeker to stop hoping: nothing is going to open up. It sounds kind, but it closes the door.
There's no denying that we all have a weakness for candy.The salesman's key move: he turns the customer's objection into a shared human weakness, so agreeing with him means agreeing to buy.
Before we know it, we've gained a couple of pounds.A soft warning used as a selling point: eat a little candy absent-mindedly and the weight adds up, which is exactly what the little box is meant to remind you of.
There's the woman's point of view.Matuschek's verdict after a woman calls the box romantic: men see a price, women see moonlight, and the shop should sell to both.
Questions about this scene
Why does Miss Novak call the candy box romantic?
She is asked for an honest opinion, not a sales figure, and she answers from feeling rather than price. Her reply prompts the boss to note that this is the woman's point of view.
Why does the customer change her mind about the music box?
The salesman never argues. He agrees that the tune is odd, then says other customers like it for that very reason, and recasts the music as a reminder not to overeat. She is persuaded without being told she is wrong.
Is the salesman being honest about the box?
He is polishing the truth rather than inventing it. The song really does play each time the box opens, and people really do overdo candy; he simply chooses to present the annoyance as a kindness.
What is the point of the "smoke candy" joke?
A co-worker mocks the gimmick by swapping verbs and objects: people who like to smoke candy and listen to cigarettes. It parodies any sales pitch that claims a strange feature is what everybody secretly wants.
The Shop Around the Corner · 19 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 6knock on woodKralik Reveals His Pen Pal
Chapter 1make something out of nothingMorning Gossip at Matuschek's
Chapter 2earn one's daily breadThe Anonymous Letter From Box 237
Chapter 3make up your mindMatuschek's Singing Cigarette Box
Chapter 4go through the whole routineA Job Seeker's Sales Pitch
Watching · Chapter 5have a weakness forSelling the Musical Candy Box
Chapter 6knock on woodKralik Reveals His Pen Pal
Chapter 7pick on someoneMatuschek Turns on Kralik
Chapter 8call it a dayKlara Asks Kralik for a Night Off
Chapter 9of one's own accordMatuschek Fires Kralik
Chapter 10mind your own businessMatuschek Learns of the Affair
Chapter 11had enough bad news for todayKralik's Blind Date Is Miss Novak
Chapter 12instead of a heart, a handbagKralik and Novak Meet at the Cafe
Chapter 13kept in strictest confidenceMatuschek Confesses His Jealousy
Chapter 14a yes manKralik Fires Vadas
Chapter 15not in the same planetKralik Visits a Sick Klara
Chapter 16ruin ChristmasThe Staff Choose Christmas Gifts
Chapter 17from the bottom of my heartMatuschek Returns on Christmas Eve
Chapter 18your whole life ahead of youMatuschek Invites a Lonely Boy Home
Chapter 19swept me off my feetKlara Confesses to KralikChapter 5 of 19 · about 63 min to go