Did they help Joanne's team? I can't recall them doing much because the team didn't have many tourists in the afternoon. Seems a nice way to make money. Charge a healthy commission and make money from not doing much. Also, that woman from the company, I didn't like her much. But was funny seeing her and Stuart arguing.

Woman
"Can you please go away?"

Stuart
"I didn't know you owned the pavement."

Sell about £800 of tickets

They didn't have to do anything because they were guaranteed 20% of whatever the team earned. However they clearly did sell seats on the buses, except the 3pm one which they said was badly timed.

On the usual 35% commission, they would have earned nothing if they hadn't sold a ticket.

It seems to be what brought in most of the business.

Hence why Stuart and Liz were there.

But that woman had a snooty attitude! Stuart really winded her up. Good one, Stu!

Winded, no that's not the right word. Oh never mind.

It didn't come across as any old ticket agency. Wasn't it an official tourist information point? Thats the type of place a tourist will seek out when they want to know the best places to visit. They would have been foolish to turn down the offer, it was easy money. All they needed to do was put up a few signs and push that tour bus.

We knew what you meant

It was the Visitor's Centre at Regent Street. http://www.visitlondon.com/travel/detail/593028

They would be listed in all travel books and guides. So, winning the deal here won them the task.

Funny how Lord Sugar twisted it to make it look like the 20% idea was brilliant (after the team had won). I doubt he would have said that if that cost the team the task!

Well that can't be said, as they don't give enough facts.

They don't tell you how much of their sales came direct or via the agency, and they don't say whether they received a higher proportion of sales due to the 20% deal compared to normal ticket sales.

Really The Apprentice is low on facts, and more about 'the story'.

This is the flaw in the task. This one negotiation decided it. Very hard for the team that didn't get the agency to win. The task was billed as operating a tour, yet the tour itself was completely irrelevant.

Visitor's Centre at Regent Street:

"Sorry, we don't do 3 o'clock trips. We're having an extended lunch break!"

.

When Chris and Stuart were having a bit of a hoo haa, wasn't that at Trafalgar Square where they'd both decided to sell their tours? If so, and they hadn't a licence to do so, the teams were committing at least 3 offences under the Trafalgar Square bye laws selling to tourists on the Square.

That's because Sugar judges things at face value. Chris made a huge mistake, yet it fluked them a win. Sugar credits him with shrewdness as a result.

It's implied that the agency sold a lot when they had to cancel the 3pm tour because the agency didn't sell any.

It's standard Apprentice though. I would prefer a longer episode but that would make it at least 1 hr. 30 mins. long. Apparently, Auntie Beeb thinks we don't have that much of an attention span.

With all respect to Diorelli, the frontage of the travel store looked very much to me like the London Visitor Centre of the Original London Sightseeing Tour Co. in Cockspur St.

Thus the team's tour buses would also be competing against the tour buses of the travel store's, thus they've set up a deal with one of their competitors to promote their tours instead ?
But in all fairness, the Original London Sightseeing Tour did supply the team's two buses to use for the day.

I never got the sense of what they actually did either.
They charged 35% for their service, but I never quite saw what that service entailed.

Must have been something we didn't see off-screen.

Agree. If a team got the agency deal they would have to screw up in a major way to lose this task.

I'm sure the producers would have sorted out licensing for the day.

They will have done which is why in most tasks there are particular pitches organised for the teams. They will need both licences to trade and to film.

That's why I loved her.

I think people dont just buy tickets for bus tours off anyone. However well dressed up he is he can run away with their money never to be seen again. That is why the tourist centre sells tickets, you know who you are dealing with.
I would have set up a booth in the square and only sold the tickets from there. With one of the team shepherding the people there.
It would look more official and draw more people.

It could be the same company, just a different branch? I truly don't know. But I'm a 100% that the location is Regent Street. Joanna's team were pitching at Trafalgar Square with the tourists hopping on the bus at Embankment. It makes sense as they are within walking distance of each other.

Oh and how awesome is that agency woman. Practically chasing Stuart out with a broom LOL.

They must have realised how hard the selling was. They knew the other team had an agency deal. Its not like the agency had a sole deal with them. They were different tours and you could even go on both. So I would have gone back to the agency and tried to sort at least something out.
Even when they were chased away from the door they could have gone a bit up the road. Stuart on one side and Liz on the other. If they could set up a table would be even better with posters all round.

Nope its definitely the Visitor Centre on Cockspur Street, I've bought London tour tickets & show tickets from there before.