“There's no use waiting now. Believe me.”
Por qué es buena
A blunt kindness: stop waiting, it will not change anything.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
There's no use waiting now; the decision is made.
00:00 / 03:24
00:00 / 03:24
Selling the Musical Candy Box, Explained
The Shop Around the Corner · 1940
Capítulo 5 de 19 · 3'24"
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.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:21–1:19
Matuschek Asks a Woman What She Thinks
58s - 1:56–2:55
❝ Monólogo · 19 frases The Clerk Turns an Annoying Song into a Sale
58s
Selling the Musical Candy Box, explained
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.
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.
Key lines & what they mean
- “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.
Theme
- Money — Every line comes back to price, cost, and margin, from the $2.85 cost to the box reduced to $5.50.
- Satire — The 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.
Qué aprendes en este capítulo
Puntos de enseñanza
Repasa justo después de verMi nivel1/4
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
Puntos de lengua
Toca una tarjeta para saltar a ese momentoFrases de oro
Una gran frase en sí misma: por qué y cómo usarla“There's no denying that we all have a weakness for candy.”
Por qué es buena
A sales line that sounds like a shared truth: we all have a soft spot.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
There's no denying that we all have a weakness for a good sale.
“Before we know it, we've gained a couple of pounds.”
Por qué es buena
How quietly consequences arrive: before we notice, the weight is already there.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
Before we know it, the weekend is over.
“There's the woman's point of view.”
Por qué es buena
A shorthand for a whole way of seeing: that is the woman's point of view.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
Well, there's the engineer's point of view.
Monólogo
Un personaje sostiene la escena: practícalo entero❝ The candy-control pitch
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. - Really? - Yes, madam. 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. I suppose so. For instance, madam, have you any idea how many pieces of candy you eat a day? No, I never gave it a thought. That's just it. We pick up a piece of candy absent-mindedly, then we take another piece. Before we know it, we've gained a couple of pounds. And that's when our troubles begin. Massages, electric cabinets. Oh, don't I know it. Now, this little box makes you candy-conscious. That's what "Matuschek and Company" designed it for. Every time you open it, this little tinkling song is a message to you. "Too much candy, now be careful."
He agrees with her, inflates the pounds, then sells the tinkle as a message.
Siguiente · 06knock on woodLa escena: Kralik Reveals His Pen PalIdeas clave
Lo que te llevas- 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
Preguntas frecuentes
La pregunta, luego la fraseWhy 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.