Opinion wanted

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robert3

Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2008
Messages
58
Location
South Carolina,USA
This is my first thread here and i wanted some opinions.Last weekend i went to a show in Florida to sell my pens. I do this full time. On saturday i noticed a father and his son looking at my pens when his son bumped the table and one of the pens went to the ground.The pen didn't take that well and had a a couple of scratches on the hardware. That can happen and i can fix that at home i thought. Now this what i want your opinion on.
The son appologized right away and before i can say it is alright his father told him to get away and told me then in a somewhat rude tone that i should have carpet in my space.This responce took me by surprise and i had almost forgotton about it when the Jewler 2 spaces down came to me and said she noticed the incident and that the same guy came in to her tent and said to a couple what just had been in my tent, that he is a Pen Turner and if they would rather deal with a local guy and he could make them a better price.
What do you think?

Robert
 
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Welcome to the heartwarming world of shows! Actually, that is a total rarety and I'd forget it. I'm no expert, but have done a few dozen of these things and have met a vast majority of wonderful people. Your stuff will either stand up or fall down on its own merits, and I just wouldn't worry about that one weird isolated incident. That's my way, the path of least resistance.

Or, you could go see Don Corleone and ask for justice for what these punks did to your lovely daughter. Or your lovely pens, whatever. If it's justice you seek, it's justice you'll get. Just remember to bake a cake for his daughter's wedding.

Man, this pain medication is starting to get the best of me...

Dale
 
I had an old woman with alheimers get away from her escort and she picked up a cane (I make canes too) and proceeded to swing it hard into the table & ground...destroyed it..guess who had to eat the $...good guess..me...it's gonna happen..and you'll even get more interesting things going on..enjoy
 
I've had my share of bad thngs happen with customers at shows, but I have had some good things. Besides turned items, LOML and I make a lot of flat work and other craftsy items including signs.

We make an item with landscape timbers and rope to resemble pylons with a solar light on top and then glue cast figurines of animals to the other posts and they are very popular selling for around $45.00 each. We had a young lady of college age and her friends in our booths looking at everything. She had one of our signs in her hands and swung around with it dropping it on our landscapers breaking one of the $1 (I buy these from the local 99cent store) horse figurines.

I figured, oh well, I am glad I have more figurines and I can replace the horse for a buck and a little glue and about 5 minutes time. But this young lady surprised me and insisted on buying the landscaper and taking it home with her because, as she said, "that was the way I was raised!"

Made me raise my level of confidence in the upcoming generation!!
 
All I can say is that some people are just jerks. It's hard to do a show. When people want to handle your stuff and end up ruining it then it's just part of the operating cost. If you don't let them handle anything then they just move along to someone else. You're kind of stuck.
 
The saddest thing about this story is that this jerk is raising a child! My take is these things happen and it just reinforces for me how important it is to treat people like you want to be treated (the golden rule).

John
 
'Spoiled brat son'? I don't think so, at least he tried to apologize. So he does have some good in him but that won't last long hanging around with a buggar of an ol man that has that sort of an attitude. I think he was afraid he'd have to be asked to pay for the pen & that way he can throw the blame somewhere else. Using the carpet to put the blame on you instead of at least offering to pay any damages. You'll notice a lot of gift shops & displays of all sorts that have a sign saying 'you damage an item- you pay for it. The kid should take the ol sucker to the side a give him a lesson or two.
Working with the public you've gotta take the good with the bad & thank goodness there are a lot more good than bad. Try owning a full service gas station for almost 40 yrs. plus an automatic car wash. People will do/pull crap there they won't do anywhere else.
At least you didn't blow you're cool, & that is a big plus for you. Hang in there.
 
Hey Robert,
As others have said S... happens and as vendors, more often than not, we pay for it. I was doing a show last October and had a number of high collar pens on a display. A man approached with his teen aged son, who appeared to be somewhat retarded. The boy grabbed one of my pens and immediately pulled the cap off, except it was a screw cap and he pulled the pen apart.... his dad grabbed it and before either of us could react, the boy grabbed another and repeated his act... he loved pens. His dad got hold of him and moved him away from the booth and apologized. He didn't offer to pay, but I couldn't be mad at the boy either.. He wasn't being destructive, just enthusiastic.
Fortunately, all he did was pull the pen apart and a simple press repaired, no harm, no foul.

And in retrospect, I should have given him a pen.. a slimline or euro..
 
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