Did a high end invitation only show this weekend. Great setting (
Governors Mansion and Capitol Building grounds) free food for all and
special VIP breakfast for invited participants. Lots of fancy dress and Ky
Derby Hats on the women and all the usual Ky Derby hoopla. The general
public was invited to a buffet breakfast and to see and buy from the vendors
(only 36 vendors invited) I had one family with three little girls come by
and the oldest kid about 10 yr old threw up in front of my booth, causing an
awkward moment. Every thing else went fine, decent sales, nice customers
most on the upper scale of income. Toward the end of the show I had a mother
and daughter come in to the booth, both clean but not "well dressed", kid
wanted every thing in the booth. She finally settled on two items one $6
and one $8. The mother gently let the kid know that she couldn't afford the
$8 toy but could get the $6 toy, if they didn't buy anything else at the
show and skipped some other treat of the day. (This was done quietly while
I was with another customer so I wouldn't know.) What should I have done?
What I did was offer the mother a "slightly damaged" $8 toy for $6 and when
she agreed (much to the little girl"s delight) and I had made the
transaction I knelt beside the little girl (in the mother's sight and
hearing) and slipped the $6 dollar toy in her pocket and told her it was
because she was such a delightful and cute child. I got a hug from the girl
a smile from the mother and a your a sucker look from SWMBO.
Tie in to wood they were wooden toys.
"sweet sawdust" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> I got a hug from the girl a smile from the mother
Best part of the day, huh?
Thank everyone for the answers and kind words. doing something like this
does make a day or show special, and I always have found one person whose
day can be made better by a kind word or act. Some day if any one is
interested I'll share some of the stranger/funnier ones. How ever I am
finding more of the little girls in my story at every show then I have in
the past. Makes me wonder what's going on and If I can keep giving away
items Like I have in the past. I know I will as long as I can afford it.
One last story about a show. It was a slow show, looking crowd not many
buyers. A family comes in and are looking at the toys, playing with them and
asking questions. The Grandfather who spoke with a strange (at least to me)
accent was introduced to me as just having come over to visit his daughter
from Israel. He picked up a $2 item and told me it was two expensive, he
would like to buy it but wouldn't pay such a high price for it. His
daughter turned around from talking with my wife with a look of horror on
her face. I told the grandfather that to take less would be a disgrace to
my labor and for him to pay less would dishoner me. We went on for about
ten minutes accusing each other of trying to rob the other and steal food
from out of our babies mouths etc. Drew a small crowd and had the daughter
and her husband trying to crawl in a hole and hide. In the end he got the
item for $1.90. I sold about $50 or so to the amused onlookers and daughter
and husband hustled the old man away looking like they wanted to die. It
was a fun sale.
"sweet sawdust" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:Zvx%[email protected]...
> Did a high end invitation only show this weekend. Great setting (
> Governors Mansion and Capitol Building grounds) free food for all and
> special VIP breakfast for invited participants. Lots of fancy dress and
> Ky Derby Hats on the women and all the usual Ky Derby hoopla. The
> general public was invited to a buffet breakfast and to see and buy from
> the vendors (only 36 vendors invited) I had one family with three little
> girls come by and the oldest kid about 10 yr old threw up in front of my
> booth, causing an awkward moment. Every thing else went fine, decent
> sales, nice customers most on the upper scale of income. Toward the end of
> the show I had a mother and daughter come in to the booth, both clean but
> not "well dressed", kid wanted every thing in the booth. She finally
> settled on two items one $6 and one $8. The mother gently let the kid
> know that she couldn't afford the $8 toy but could get the $6 toy, if they
> didn't buy anything else at the show and skipped some other treat of the
> day. (This was done quietly while I was with another customer so I
> wouldn't know.) What should I have done?
>
>
> What I did was offer the mother a "slightly damaged" $8 toy for $6 and
> when she agreed (much to the little girl"s delight) and I had made the
> transaction I knelt beside the little girl (in the mother's sight and
> hearing) and slipped the $6 dollar toy in her pocket and told her it was
> because she was such a delightful and cute child. I got a hug from the
> girl a smile from the mother and a your a sucker look from SWMBO.
>
> Tie in to wood they were wooden toys.
>
Mon, May 7, 2007, 11:26pm (EDT-1) [email protected]
(sweet=A0sawdust) doth sayeth:
<snip> He picked up a $2 item <snip>
OK, what I'm wondering is what are you selling at $2, $6, and $8?
And what century was this? You're actually making a profit? I'm
wondering because if I priced anything at $2, I wouldn't even be making
materials cost, let alone anything for labor; and only about $2 for
labor at $8.
JOAT
What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new
humiliations?
- Peter Egan
"J T" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
Mon, May 7, 2007, 11:26pm (EDT-1) [email protected]
(sweet sawdust) doth sayeth:
<snip> He picked up a $2 item <snip>
OK, what I'm wondering is what are you selling at $2, $6, and $8?
And what century was this? You're actually making a profit? I'm
wondering because if I priced anything at $2, I wouldn't even be making
materials cost, let alone anything for labor; and only about $2 for
labor at $8.
Toys. At this show it was 1850. The $2 dollar item was a Gee-Haw whammey
doodle stick. Its a stick with notches and a propeller that you rub with
another stick to make the propeller spin and when you say the magic word the
propeller reverses. I made them by the hundreds and they cost about a buck
each to make including labor and materals. The $6 dollar item is a spinning
disk ( button on a string) also make a few hundred at a time and cost about
a buck and a half to make. Good selling low end items for kids who only
have a few dollars to spend and with a lot of wiggle room when I need it.
The $8 dollar item is the acrobat which costs about $4 to make. These are
my low end items which I use to make booth fees and gas money at shows. For
more info go to sweetsawdust.com and look at toys.
JOAT
What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new
humiliations?
- Peter Egan
Tue, May 8, 2007, 7:03am (EDT-1) [email protected]
(sweet=A0sawdust) doth clarify:
Toys. At this show it was 1850. <snip> whammey doodle <snip> spinning
disk ( button on a string) <snip> acrobat <snip>
Ah, figured just about had to be some type of toy, just couldn't
figure out what kind - most toys must take highly skilled craftsmen to
make, judging by the prices asked most of the time, no matter how simple
they are. Or maybe it's because some people thank that 'handmade' is
another word for 'exensive'. Yeah right.
When I was a kid, none of us ever had any interest in whammy
doodles or acrobats. We used to string large buttons on a string tho.
Get that thing spinning full blast and it'd probably have imbedded
itself in the forehead if the sring had ever broke. We used to see who
could make one buzz the loudest.
How about another sure seller? We used to make our own darts.
Take one clean, shelled, corn cob, stick three chicken feathers in one
end, stick a sharp nail, poin out, in the other end. Our 'dart board'
was usually the side of a corn crib, darts stuck nicely. I know I was
probably in the 6-7 age range making these, so they're safe for small
children. We all knew that if we threw one at someone else, that hit or
not that person would damn well throw a dart back, with all their
strength, instead of just running off crying.
Now that I hink about it, skyhooks used to go over pretty big too.
I turned 66 last Dec. You do the math.
JOAT
What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new
humiliations?
- Peter Egan
On Tue, 8 May 2007 12:43:25 -0400, [email protected] (J T)
wrote:
>I turned 66 last Dec. You do the math.
Ah an early boomer. As opposed to me at late boomer.
Mark
http://home.mchsi.com/~xphome/
Tue, May 8, 2007, 12:21pm (EDT-1) [email protected] (Markem) doth
sayeth:
Ah an early boomer. As opposed to me at late boomer.
And I still boom when I get the opportunity.
JOAT
What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new
humiliations?
- Peter Egan
>I got a hug from the girl
>a smile from the mother
That should tell you right there what you need to know about doing a
good thing, or the right thing.
>and a your a sucker look from SWMBO.
Pretty sad comment there.
I don't give away a lot in my business, but I have to say that with my
now aged, partially disabled parents living on SS, I do have a real
soft spot for the old folks.
My buddies call my efforts "gettin' my ticket punched for the Glory
train".
I do it because I want to.
Robert
On May 7, 11:26 pm, "sweet sawdust" <[email protected]>
wrote:
SNIP
> He picked up a $2 item and told me it was two expensive, >he would like to buy it but wouldn't pay such a high price >for it. His daughter turned around from talking with my >wife with a look of horror on her face. I told the >randfather that to take less would be a disgrace to
> my labor and for him to pay less would dishoner me. We >ent on for about
> ten minutes accusing each other of trying to rob the other >and steal food from out of our babies mouths etc.
SNIP
Wow. Life is too short for that, amigo. I would have told him that
sorry old tightwad to get lost. I have run into that attitude before,
but rarely over ten frikkin' cents. In his mind, or in his country,
haggling may be a tradition. Good for him.
I wouldn't stand there and waste air talking to him, making everyone
around us feel that uncomfortable.
My thoughts are this: if you want to tell me something I am selling is
too expensive, that is certainly your option. Any salesperson is used
to hearing that.
If you want to stand and insult me, my ethics, my work, my business
and talk to me about taking food out of a child's mouth for something
that you >>don't have to buy<<, beware.
I will try to give about double what I get from that exchange.
And for .10? Ten cents?
I would probably throw a two dollar item at him and tell him to shove
it.
But then, that's just me. As always, YMMV.
Robert
On May 8, 12:44 am, Lew Hodgett <[email protected]> wrote:
> [email protected] wrote:
>
> > Wow. Life is too short for that, amigo. I would have told him that
> > sorry old tightwad to get lost.
>
> It's not the money, it's the game that counts.
>
> Money is just how you keep score.
>
> Lew
Hmmm.... guess too many years of self employment leads to a different
place. I enjoy the game and art of selling, but I never lose sight of
the fact (as self employed, I don't sell, I don't eat) that I am there
to pay bills and to profit.
Making that little girl's day was great, and that I like. I will give
something away, but I won't be humiliated, embarassed, or shamed into
it. Especially not 10 cents. I don't think anyone thinks 10 cents is
worth anything anymore. Thinking that he was there to make money (to
which he expressed his concern), why take the time to argue about 10
cents? The guy was there to satisfy his ego by getting anything he
could for free.
I think he would have done better to hold a contest at his booth and
give one or two away to increase his traffic.
Again, that's just me. When I am trying to make a buck, I am not
interested in witty reparte, pithy tit for tat, or any other
linguistic contests that take away from my purpose.
And insults... not acceptable.
As I sell the services for my company, I know pretty much what I
should be charging and getting for certain types of repairs. If I
have one of those folks that loves to haggle, or worse, someone
showing off for the wife, I approach it like this: Intentionally go
in high, and I let the customer "have their way with me".
They beat me down to the price I want.
When we are finished and I have a signed contract, I tell them all
kinds of things like 'hey, if you ever need a job, I hope you call
me!" and "damn.. I don't want to get tangled up with you on the
pricing again... I'll wind up doing it for free!!"
The client is hugely pleased with his business acumen and I have a
signed contract.
Most likely too, (as in the case of my elderly father!) they are happy
because they knocked that construction guy down a peg or two, and are
able to tell their friends at the poker game how they had to "put that
sombitch" in his place. Hopefully, they get a little praise from the
wife too for showing their knowledge fo the art of negotiation.
I usually get a few more points than I normally would from these guys,
and if I do a good job, they don't mind referring me to their
friends. Works for me.
Now to ME, that's the game.
Robert
[email protected] wrote:
>> I got a hug from the girl
>> a smile from the mother
>
> That should tell you right there what you need to know about doing a
> good thing, or the right thing.
>
>> and a your a sucker look from SWMBO.
>
> Pretty sad comment there.
No, no. She knows him well, and knows that he's a sucker; that's
probably one part of why she loves him. She'll be proud of him, like
the rest of us.
(BTW I hope I've worked out gender assignments here; if I haven't then
please forgive me and forget about it: it's not germane to the point I'm
making.)
--
Henry Law Manchester, England
Sun, May 6, 2007, 11:07pm (EDT-1) [email protected]
(sweet=A0sawdust) doth sayth:
Did a high end invitation only show this weekend. Great setting (
Governors Mansion and Capitol Building grounds) free food for all and
special VIP breakfast for invited participants. Lots of fancy dress and
Ky Derby Hats on the women and all the usual Ky Derby hoopla. The
general public was invited to a buffet breakfast <snip>
Why the OT? It's loads more on-topic that a lot o stuff tat people
do't boter to label off-topic.
Ya dun good. But I agree with your wife.
And why were alll the rest of us not invited?
JOAT
What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new
humiliations?
- Peter Egan
[email protected] wrote:
> Hmmm.... guess too many years of self employment leads to a different
> place. I enjoy the game and art of selling, but I never lose sight of
> the fact (as self employed, I don't sell, I don't eat) that I am there
> to pay bills and to profit.
As a self employed manufacturers representative, we are in the same
boat; however, you have to have a little fun along the way.
At least I try to have a little fun along the way.
Lew
"J T" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
Sun, May 6, 2007, 11:07pm (EDT-1) [email protected]
(sweet sawdust) doth sayth:
Did a high end invitation only show this weekend. Great setting (
Governors Mansion and Capitol Building grounds) free food for all and
special VIP breakfast for invited participants. Lots of fancy dress and
Ky Derby Hats on the women and all the usual Ky Derby hoopla. The
general public was invited to a buffet breakfast <snip>
Why the OT? It's loads more on-topic that a lot o stuff tat people
do't boter to label off-topic.
Ya dun good. But I agree with your wife.
And why were alll the rest of us not invited?
I do this show only every two or three years, next time I go I will see to
it that you get an invite, but remember you have to dress up fancy with a
big flowered hat for the Derby. Or at least look like a horse.
JOAT
What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new
humiliations?
- Peter Egan
Mon, May 7, 2007, 11:29pm (EDT-1) [email protected]
(sweet=A0sawdust) doth promise:
I do this show only every two or three years, next time I go I will see
to it that you get an invite, but remember you have to dress up fancy
with a big flowered hat for the Derby. Or at least look like a horse.
OK thanks, I'll skip the horse, and wear the hat. I suppose you'll
expect me to wear pants too. There's alway a catch.
JOAT
What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new
humiliations?
- Peter Egan
"sweet sawdust" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:Zvx%[email protected]...
> Did a high end invitation only show this weekend. Great setting (
> Governors Mansion and Capitol Building grounds) free food for all and
> special VIP breakfast for invited participants. Lots of fancy dress and
> Ky Derby Hats on the women and all the usual Ky Derby hoopla. The
> general public was invited to a buffet breakfast and to see and buy from
> the vendors (only 36 vendors invited) I had one family with three little
> girls come by and the oldest kid about 10 yr old threw up in front of my
> booth, causing an awkward moment. Every thing else went fine, decent
> sales, nice customers most on the upper scale of income. Toward the end of
> the show I had a mother and daughter come in to the booth, both clean but
> not "well dressed", kid wanted every thing in the booth. She finally
> settled on two items one $6 and one $8. The mother gently let the kid
> know that she couldn't afford the $8 toy but could get the $6 toy, if they
> didn't buy anything else at the show and skipped some other treat of the
> day. (This was done quietly while I was with another customer so I
> wouldn't know.) What should I have done?
>
>
> What I did was offer the mother a "slightly damaged" $8 toy for $6 and
> when she agreed (much to the little girl"s delight) and I had made the
> transaction I knelt beside the little girl (in the mother's sight and
> hearing) and slipped the $6 dollar toy in her pocket and told her it was
> because she was such a delightful and cute child. I got a hug from the
> girl a smile from the mother and a your a sucker look from SWMBO.
>
> Tie in to wood they were wooden toys.
Considering the state of the world today, you set a great example for the
mother and child that there still are nice people around. I'd bet the smile
and the hug were the best payment you received that day.
Well done!
Vic
[email protected] wrote:
> Wow. Life is too short for that, amigo. I would have told him that
> sorry old tightwad to get lost.
It's not the money, it's the game that counts.
Money is just how you keep score.
Lew
sweet sawdust wrote:
> Thank everyone for the answers and kind words.
<snip>
> items Like I have in the past. I know I will as long as I can
afford it.
>
> The Grandfather who spoke with a strange (at least to me)
> accent was introduced to me as just having come over to visit his
daughter
> from Israel. He picked up a $2 item and told me it was two
expensive, he
> would like to buy it but wouldn't pay such a high price for it. His
> daughter turned around from talking with my wife with a look of
horror on
> her face. I told the grandfather that to take less would be a
disgrace to
> my labor and for him to pay less would dishoner me.
<snip>
Don't you just love those "first liar doesn't have a chance" scenarios?
Great way to have fun.
Lew
If it had been a busy show I wouldn't have given him the time of day either,
but it was slow I was bored and he was too. No malice was intended on
either side it was a game I had played in Europe and he had played in his
home land. A little fun for booth of us.
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On May 7, 11:26 pm, "sweet sawdust" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> SNIP
>
>> He picked up a $2 item and told me it was two expensive, >he would like
>> to buy it but wouldn't pay such a high price >for it. His daughter
>> turned around from talking with my >wife with a look of horror on her
>> face. I told the >randfather that to take less would be a disgrace to
>> my labor and for him to pay less would dishoner me. We >ent on for about
>> ten minutes accusing each other of trying to rob the other >and steal
>> food from out of our babies mouths etc.
>
> SNIP
>
> Wow. Life is too short for that, amigo. I would have told him that
> sorry old tightwad to get lost. I have run into that attitude before,
> but rarely over ten frikkin' cents. In his mind, or in his country,
> haggling may be a tradition. Good for him.
>
> I wouldn't stand there and waste air talking to him, making everyone
> around us feel that uncomfortable.
>
> My thoughts are this: if you want to tell me something I am selling is
> too expensive, that is certainly your option. Any salesperson is used
> to hearing that.
>
> If you want to stand and insult me, my ethics, my work, my business
> and talk to me about taking food out of a child's mouth for something
> that you >>don't have to buy<<, beware.
>
> I will try to give about double what I get from that exchange.
>
> And for .10? Ten cents?
>
> I would probably throw a two dollar item at him and tell him to shove
> it.
>
> But then, that's just me. As always, YMMV.
>
> Robert
>
sweet sawdust wrote:
> Did a high end invitation only show this weekend.
<snip a tear jerk story>
> I got a hug from the girl
> a smile from the mother and a your a sucker look from SWMBO.
Your CFO complains about giving the store away.
Your VP of Sales complains about losing commissions.
As CEO, you get to make executive decisions that allow you the
opportunity to reap the rewards of knowing you made some body else's
day a little bit brighter.
You enjoy those moments to the fullest, because there is no place for
them in the bank.
That's one of the perks of being the CEO. <G>
Lew
You definitely deserved that hug :¬D
Kate
O|||||||O
"sweet sawdust" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:Zvx%[email protected]...
Did a high end invitation only show this weekend. Great setting (
Governors Mansion and Capitol Building grounds) free food for all and
special VIP breakfast for invited participants. Lots of fancy dress and Ky
Derby Hats on the women and all the usual Ky Derby hoopla. The general
public was invited to a buffet breakfast and to see and buy from the vendors
(only 36 vendors invited) I had one family with three little girls come by
and the oldest kid about 10 yr old threw up in front of my booth, causing an
awkward moment. Every thing else went fine, decent sales, nice customers
most on the upper scale of income. Toward the end of the show I had a mother
and daughter come in to the booth, both clean but not "well dressed", kid
wanted every thing in the booth. She finally settled on two items one $6
and one $8. The mother gently let the kid know that she couldn't afford the
$8 toy but could get the $6 toy, if they didn't buy anything else at the
show and skipped some other treat of the day. (This was done quietly while
I was with another customer so I wouldn't know.) What should I have done?
What I did was offer the mother a "slightly damaged" $8 toy for $6 and when
she agreed (much to the little girl"s delight) and I had made the
transaction I knelt beside the little girl (in the mother's sight and
hearing) and slipped the $6 dollar toy in her pocket and told her it was
because she was such a delightful and cute child. I got a hug from the girl
a smile from the mother and a your a sucker look from SWMBO.
Tie in to wood they were wooden toys.
In article <Zvx%[email protected]>, "sweet sawdust" <[email protected]> wrote:
>Did a high end invitation only show this weekend. Great setting (
>Governors Mansion and Capitol Building grounds) free food for all and
>special VIP breakfast for invited participants. Lots of fancy dress and Ky
>Derby Hats on the women and all the usual Ky Derby hoopla. The general
>public was invited to a buffet breakfast and to see and buy from the vendors
>(only 36 vendors invited) I had one family with three little girls come by
>and the oldest kid about 10 yr old threw up in front of my booth, causing an
>awkward moment. Every thing else went fine, decent sales, nice customers
>most on the upper scale of income. Toward the end of the show I had a mother
>and daughter come in to the booth, both clean but not "well dressed", kid
>wanted every thing in the booth. She finally settled on two items one $6
>and one $8. The mother gently let the kid know that she couldn't afford the
>$8 toy but could get the $6 toy, if they didn't buy anything else at the
>show and skipped some other treat of the day. (This was done quietly while
>I was with another customer so I wouldn't know.) What should I have done?
>
What should you have done? What you did, of course.
>
>What I did was offer the mother a "slightly damaged" $8 toy for $6 and when
>she agreed (much to the little girl"s delight) and I had made the
>transaction I knelt beside the little girl (in the mother's sight and
>hearing) and slipped the $6 dollar toy in her pocket and told her it was
>because she was such a delightful and cute child. I got a hug from the girl
>a smile from the mother and a your a sucker look from SWMBO.
I'm guessing the kid needed the toy more than you needed six bucks. You did
the right thing. Thanks for making the world a little bit better place than it
was the day before. Good job.
--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)
It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.
"Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:L2U%[email protected]...
> sweet sawdust wrote:
> > Thank everyone for the answers and kind words.
>
> <snip>
>
> > items Like I have in the past. I know I will as long as I can
> afford it.
> >
> > The Grandfather who spoke with a strange (at least to me)
> > accent was introduced to me as just having come over to visit his
> daughter
> > from Israel. He picked up a $2 item and told me it was two
> expensive, he
> > would like to buy it but wouldn't pay such a high price for it. His
> > daughter turned around from talking with my wife with a look of
> horror on
> > her face. I told the grandfather that to take less would be a
> disgrace to
> > my labor and for him to pay less would dishoner me.
> <snip>
>
> Don't you just love those "first liar doesn't have a chance" scenarios?
>
> Great way to have fun.
>
> Lew
When you have time.
"sweet sawdust" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:Zvx%[email protected]...
> Did a high end invitation only show this weekend. Great setting (
> Governors Mansion and Capitol Building grounds) free food for all and
> special VIP breakfast for invited participants. Lots of fancy dress and
Ky
> Derby Hats on the women and all the usual Ky Derby hoopla. The general
> public was invited to a buffet breakfast and to see and buy from the
vendors
> (only 36 vendors invited) I had one family with three little girls come
by
> and the oldest kid about 10 yr old threw up in front of my booth, causing
an
> awkward moment. Every thing else went fine, decent sales, nice customers
> most on the upper scale of income. Toward the end of the show I had a
mother
> and daughter come in to the booth, both clean but not "well dressed", kid
> wanted every thing in the booth. She finally settled on two items one $6
> and one $8. The mother gently let the kid know that she couldn't afford
the
> $8 toy but could get the $6 toy, if they didn't buy anything else at the
> show and skipped some other treat of the day. (This was done quietly
while
> I was with another customer so I wouldn't know.) What should I have
done?
>
>
> What I did was offer the mother a "slightly damaged" $8 toy for $6 and
when
> she agreed (much to the little girl"s delight) and I had made the
> transaction I knelt beside the little girl (in the mother's sight and
> hearing) and slipped the $6 dollar toy in her pocket and told her it was
> because she was such a delightful and cute child. I got a hug from the
girl
> a smile from the mother and a your a sucker look from SWMBO.
>
> Tie in to wood they were wooden toys.
>
>
The world needs more "suckers" like you. Fine thing you did there.