Just Jivin'

It is truly nice, very neat indeed, when you can joke with customers. It's one of the best job perks which sales can offer.

One guy, I'll call him Cloyce just to give him a name, began giving me playful grief a few years back over my trips to da UP. "So that's how it works, Marty? You make enough money to go up north and leave the rest of us working class grunts slaving away?"

"Pretty much, yeah, Cloyce," I answered.

So now when be calls me with an order he starts with, "Hey Marty, I hear through the grapevine that you want to go up north, so I'll help you." Similarly, I might contact him and say, "Cloyce, I want to go to the Upper Peninsula and I need a few bucks." 

"Okay, Marty, bring me blah, blah, blah, because I don't want you to miss any days off while we're at the grindstone down here."

We have fun. And it makes work fun too.

Starved by Loyalty

As a bit of a follow up to Yesterday's blog where I spoke of people trying to pull the wool over our eyes, there's another category of customer who makes me equally incredulous. That's the one who brings me 'all his business'.

It's gone on for as long as I can remember, and is as inane as the fella who 'always' comes to us first. Just don't even go there. It's not gonna convince anyone.

Last Friday a man came in and bought a couple cutters. I appreciate that, as I do all sales. But he had to take the time to tell me that "I bring you all my business. I been doing it for 40 years."

Other than knowing his name was Kevin (because he told me) I have no idea who he was. Neither did me brother Phil. And he clearly knew who and where we were, as he found us without a phone call. But Kevin and his daddy and granddaddy before him brought us all their business, we were assured. I even asked the names of those immediate ancestors, and though I played nice and pretended to recognize them, I did not.

I'd starve with that kind of loyalty, I tell you what.