This post needs no crazy letter, the crazy is below.
*Gentleman contacts me looking for Jacobite shirts. I give him quotes.*
Him: Um...$60 for a shirt seems expensive unless it would be silk or something. You're telling me that's just cotton. And why would linen be $80? That makes no sense.
Me: The fabric I'm going to be using for a cotton shirt is $5-6 a yard. It's a quality lightweight cotton made my Kona. It's top of the line. And linen's current market value is about double that of cotton, I'm afraid. Even if I went with Fustian, which is a linen and cotton blend that was very popular in the 1700s, it would still be $6 a yard. You're paying for quality fabrics and my time on the machine, which I charge $20/hr on custom orders outside of my usual offerings because I need to draft a pattern.
Him: I dunno. Thanks for your time and all but I think I could find them cheaper somewhere else.
...
hours pass.
...
Him: Sorry to bug you, but polyester blend isn't period for the 18th century, is it?
...And people wonder why I DON'T want to do this anymore.
Quote from: Suu on March 15, 2010, 11:00:20 PM
Him: Sorry to bug you, but polyester blend isn't period for the 18th century, is it?
:weary: Oh, godddamn it!
Quote from: Suu on March 15, 2010, 11:00:20 PM
This post needs no crazy letter, the crazy is below.
*Gentleman contacts me looking for Jacobite shirts. I give him quotes.*
Him: Um...$60 for a shirt seems expensive unless it would be silk or something. You're telling me that's just cotton. And why would linen be $80? That makes no sense.
Me: The fabric I'm going to be using for a cotton shirt is $5-6 a yard. It's a quality lightweight cotton made my Kona. It's top of the line. And linen's current market value is about double that of cotton, I'm afraid. Even if I went with Fustian, which is a linen and cotton blend that was very popular in the 1700s, it would still be $6 a yard. You're paying for quality fabrics and my time on the machine, which I charge $20/hr on custom orders outside of my usual offerings because I need to draft a pattern.
Him: I dunno. Thanks for your time and all but I think I could find them cheaper somewhere else.
...
hours pass.
...
Him: Sorry to bug you, but polyester blend isn't period for the 18th century, is it?
...And people wonder why I DON'T want to do this anymore.
:lulz: It was just annoying customer stupidity until his last line... then I burst out laughing. Is polyester blend period for the 18th century? :argh!: :argh!: :argh!:
Oh god. Suu, they're insane. Insane, stingy, and ignorant. They want to know things like why I can't give a volume discount. I say, because I make each bead individually and there's no such thing as economy of scale with handmade items. They say, but I have a resale license. I say, I have already taken that into consideration with my pricing, look at my FAQ. Nobody who ISN'T a jewelry designer really has much reason to buy what I make, so I assume everyone's reselling. That assumption is built into my pricing. They say, but I am a jewelry designer and you should give me a discount.
I put my head on my desk and cry.
Also, invariably... the ones who demand the most attention and handholding are the ones who will spend the least money. Every single artisan and/or consultant I have spoken to agrees with this experience. If they want THAT much help and THAT much of your time, they will not only buy the cheapest thing you make, but most likely they will return it later and pretend it was somehow your fault. And then they will ask you to make a slightly different one at no extra charge. Which, if you agree to it, they will also return.
HATE.
I give discounts ONLY to the following.
1: People who are already in the 501st/Rebel Legion get a 10% discount.
2: People who are a card-carrying member of the SCA and are looking for something authentic and are paying me top dollar ANYWAY. 10%.
3: US Military. 15%. For the kid who's garb I'm working on right now 20% because he's in Iraq.
That's it. I don't give stupidity discounts. I don't haggle. This is my livelihood.
Oh hey Nigel I meant to ask you if you could make me about 250 of the same bead, and they're very intricate and complex. I'd also like a bulk discount because I'm a jeweler and I'm thinking I should only pay around .12 cents per bead.
And Suu, I know you use "top of the line" fabrics and all but I'd really like this period costume for about $15 with the right fabrics, none of that polyester blend stuff... unless you think they had that in the 1800's. I mean, they did, right?
::runs giggling waving arms::
My customers are the worst. I'm hired for personal security. ONLY for personal security. Sometimes they think they're buying other services.
Suu, you should have told that jerk all kinds of bullshit. Like polyester wasn't period, they only had nylon.
I used to work at a mainstream Electronics retailer called Futureshop. It's like a Canadian clone of Best Buy, if Best Buy was slightly less idiotic. One of my favourite parts of the jobs was my encounters with exactly that type of customer. Presented in its original, unaltered form:
Me: Yeah, so the console is $499.99 and the controllers are $59.99 apiece.
Customer: Can I have a discount?
Me: Why?
Customer: ... Because I asked?
They would always threaten to leave and never shop there again after I told them No with an amused look on my face. I then politely informed them that I was paid by the hour and not on commission, therefore I really didn't care if he never came back. It was fun.
You guys are :lulz:
Quote from: Remington on March 16, 2010, 12:15:01 AM
I used to work at a mainstream Electronics retailer called Futureshop. It's like a Canadian clone of Best Buy, if Best Buy was slightly less idiotic. One of my favourite parts of the jobs was my encounters with exactly that type of customer. Presented in its original, unaltered form:
Me: Yeah, so the console is $499.99 and the controllers are $59.99 apiece.
Customer: Can I have a discount?
Me: Why?
Customer: ... Because I asked?
They would always threaten to leave and never shop there again after I told them No with an amused look on my face. I then politely informed them that I was paid by the hour and not on commission, therefore I really didn't care if he never came back. It was fun.
I'd give him an A for effort though. Just for asking. Lol.
Quote from: Suu on March 16, 2010, 12:20:11 AM
I'd give him an A for effort though. Just for asking. Lol.
Usually what I did was call the manager and try to work out a package deal. This usually involved getting $20-30 off a high-markup item (like a controller) but having to buy FS's shitty extended warranty.
The customer usually passed on the offer, and wisely so.
Babysitting parents are all the same too. Trying to haggle how much to pay me saying that the last person to watch their kid only cost $10 per hour, even though the last person to watch their kid(s) was a 16 year old who probably brought her boyfriend over to screw on their couch. Or ignored the kids to watch tv/yack on the phone the whole time. Sorry, but the going rate around here is 15/hr or MORE for a qualified babysitter/nanny (such as myself, who is TB tested, fingerprinted, has taken classes, CPR certified, good driving record, almost 10 years of exp, works for a preschool, etc), PLUS GAS if I have to drive them anywhere. I give certain moms the discount of 12/hr if I know them, like them, or I know they're struggling financially. Usually they're great, but occasionally one will come along and decide to squeeze every fucking penny out of my hourly rate by also turning me into a house keeper, cook (since when is helping you with your cookie swap in my job description???), errand-runner (non-kid errands), and personal assistant. Like the one I'm working for now. :|
Raise your prices 10%, then give everyone 10% off deals. Not valid with any other offer, etc, etc.
Quote from: PeregrineBF on March 16, 2010, 01:00:22 AM
Raise your prices 10%, then give everyone 10% off deals. Not valid with any other offer, etc, etc.
Since I do web sales, that doesn't really work for me without adding a bunch of unnecessary interactions which simply serve to detract from my productive time.
Also, my high-spending customers are the ones who mostly want me to leave them alone so they can get their work done, not waste time in email interactions for some fractional and illusory discount.
This is exactly why I got out of working for myself, and why I have turned down a couple of offers over the last few years to be a personal chef. My current situation may not be totally ideal, but at least I go to work (at my REAL job, not this bullshit I'm doing to keep from getting bored right now) every day knowing that ultimately, the person paying me is on my side.
Quote from: Sparkley Pink Shit on March 16, 2010, 12:56:52 AM
Babysitting parents are all the same too. Trying to haggle how much to pay me saying that the last person to watch their kid only cost $10 per hour, even though the last person to watch their kid(s) was a 16 year old who probably brought her boyfriend over to screw on their couch. Or ignored the kids to watch tv/yack on the phone the whole time. Sorry, but the going rate around here is 15/hr or MORE for a qualified babysitter/nanny (such as myself, who is TB tested, fingerprinted, has taken classes, CPR certified, good driving record, almost 10 years of exp, works for a preschool, etc), PLUS GAS if I have to drive them anywhere. I give certain moms the discount of 12/hr if I know them, like them, or I know they're struggling financially. Usually they're great, but occasionally one will come along and decide to squeeze every fucking penny out of my hourly rate by also turning me into a house keeper, cook (since when is helping you with your cookie swap in my job description???), errand-runner (non-kid errands), and personal assistant. Like the one I'm working for now. :|
Take the $10/hour, screw your boyfriend on their couch. Leave stains.
Quote from: LMNO on March 16, 2010, 02:00:50 PM
Quote from: Sparkley Pink Shit on March 16, 2010, 12:56:52 AM
Babysitting parents are all the same too. Trying to haggle how much to pay me saying that the last person to watch their kid only cost $10 per hour, even though the last person to watch their kid(s) was a 16 year old who probably brought her boyfriend over to screw on their couch. Or ignored the kids to watch tv/yack on the phone the whole time. Sorry, but the going rate around here is 15/hr or MORE for a qualified babysitter/nanny (such as myself, who is TB tested, fingerprinted, has taken classes, CPR certified, good driving record, almost 10 years of exp, works for a preschool, etc), PLUS GAS if I have to drive them anywhere. I give certain moms the discount of 12/hr if I know them, like them, or I know they're struggling financially. Usually they're great, but occasionally one will come along and decide to squeeze every fucking penny out of my hourly rate by also turning me into a house keeper, cook (since when is helping you with your cookie swap in my job description???), errand-runner (non-kid errands), and personal assistant. Like the one I'm working for now. :|
Take the $10/hour, screw your boyfriend on their couch. Leave stains.
This should be advice puppy material.
Quote from: Sparkley Pink Shit on March 16, 2010, 12:56:52 AM
Babysitting parents are all the same too. Trying to haggle how much to pay me saying that the last person to watch their kid only cost $10 per hour, even though the last person to watch their kid(s) was a 16 year old who probably brought her boyfriend over to screw on their couch. Or ignored the kids to watch tv/yack on the phone the whole time. Sorry, but the going rate around here is 15/hr or MORE for a qualified babysitter/nanny (such as myself, who is TB tested, fingerprinted, has taken classes, CPR certified, good driving record, almost 10 years of exp, works for a preschool, etc), PLUS GAS if I have to drive them anywhere. I give certain moms the discount of 12/hr if I know them, like them, or I know they're struggling financially. Usually they're great, but occasionally one will come along and decide to squeeze every fucking penny out of my hourly rate by also turning me into a house keeper, cook (since when is helping you with your cookie swap in my job description???), errand-runner (non-kid errands), and personal assistant. Like the one I'm working for now. :|
:x When I nannied, for a flat salary that would have covered me at minimum wage for 5 hours a day, the mom expected me to do their laundry and would yell at me if I washed and dried it but didn't fold it and put it away. Also she BADLY took advantage of my salary and would leave me with the kids sometimes 12-16 hours at a time so she could go to a bar after work, with no extra pay. It was awful.
This is when signed contracts are your friends.
Quote from: Suu on March 16, 2010, 03:38:20 PM
This is when signed contracts are your friends.
A lesson well learned.
Quote from: Calamity Nigel on March 16, 2010, 03:23:29 PM
Quote from: Sparkley Pink Shit on March 16, 2010, 12:56:52 AM
Babysitting parents are all the same too. Trying to haggle how much to pay me saying that the last person to watch their kid only cost $10 per hour, even though the last person to watch their kid(s) was a 16 year old who probably brought her boyfriend over to screw on their couch. Or ignored the kids to watch tv/yack on the phone the whole time. Sorry, but the going rate around here is 15/hr or MORE for a qualified babysitter/nanny (such as myself, who is TB tested, fingerprinted, has taken classes, CPR certified, good driving record, almost 10 years of exp, works for a preschool, etc), PLUS GAS if I have to drive them anywhere. I give certain moms the discount of 12/hr if I know them, like them, or I know they're struggling financially. Usually they're great, but occasionally one will come along and decide to squeeze every fucking penny out of my hourly rate by also turning me into a house keeper, cook (since when is helping you with your cookie swap in my job description???), errand-runner (non-kid errands), and personal assistant. Like the one I'm working for now. :|
:x When I nannied, for a flat salary that would have covered me at minimum wage for 5 hours a day, the mom expected me to do their laundry and would yell at me if I washed and dried it but didn't fold it and put it away. Also she BADLY took advantage of my salary and would leave me with the kids sometimes 12-16 hours at a time so she could go to a bar after work, with no extra pay. It was awful.
My daughter has done some babysitting. Nobody so far has asked her to do housework. I shudder to think of her reaction if they did.
I had done quite a bit of babysitting up to that point, and no one EVER asked me to do housework. The most they asked of me was if I could tidy up after myself in the kitchen, ie. wiping up any messes *I* made and making sure dishes were in or beside the sink and not all over the house. I was also paid hourly up to that point; granted, not much, but it was the 80's. I made like $3/hour or something, and pretty much everyone paid double for anything past when they said they'd be back. This gig seemed reasonable when I started it, $200/week for short days, and then, like an abusive relationship, gradually escalated into a complete monstrosity before I knew it. Of course by then I was really attached to the kids, which has always been my achilles heel.
Quote from: Calamity Nigel on March 16, 2010, 03:49:33 PM
I had done quite a bit of babysitting up to that point, and no one EVER asked me to do housework. The most they asked of me was if I could tidy up after myself in the kitchen, ie. wiping up any messes *I* made and making sure dishes were in or beside the sink and not all over the house. I was also paid hourly up to that point; granted, not much, but it was the 80's. I made like $3/hour or something, and pretty much everyone paid double for anything past when they said they'd be back. This gig seemed reasonable when I started it, $200/week for short days, and then, like an abusive relationship, gradually escalated into a complete monstrosity before I knew it. Of course by then I was really attached to the kids, which has always been my achilles heel.
That's kind of creepy on the parents' part.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on March 16, 2010, 03:51:56 PM
Quote from: Calamity Nigel on March 16, 2010, 03:49:33 PM
I had done quite a bit of babysitting up to that point, and no one EVER asked me to do housework. The most they asked of me was if I could tidy up after myself in the kitchen, ie. wiping up any messes *I* made and making sure dishes were in or beside the sink and not all over the house. I was also paid hourly up to that point; granted, not much, but it was the 80's. I made like $3/hour or something, and pretty much everyone paid double for anything past when they said they'd be back. This gig seemed reasonable when I started it, $200/week for short days, and then, like an abusive relationship, gradually escalated into a complete monstrosity before I knew it. Of course by then I was really attached to the kids, which has always been my achilles heel.
That's kind of creepy on the parents' part.
Yep. It was. Also the dad creeped me out. They ended up getting divorced shortly after I left their employ.
Quote from: Doktor Howl on March 16, 2010, 03:45:03 PM
Quote from: Calamity Nigel on March 16, 2010, 03:23:29 PM
Quote from: Sparkley Pink Shit on March 16, 2010, 12:56:52 AM
Babysitting parents are all the same too. Trying to haggle how much to pay me saying that the last person to watch their kid only cost $10 per hour, even though the last person to watch their kid(s) was a 16 year old who probably brought her boyfriend over to screw on their couch. Or ignored the kids to watch tv/yack on the phone the whole time. Sorry, but the going rate around here is 15/hr or MORE for a qualified babysitter/nanny (such as myself, who is TB tested, fingerprinted, has taken classes, CPR certified, good driving record, almost 10 years of exp, works for a preschool, etc), PLUS GAS if I have to drive them anywhere. I give certain moms the discount of 12/hr if I know them, like them, or I know they're struggling financially. Usually they're great, but occasionally one will come along and decide to squeeze every fucking penny out of my hourly rate by also turning me into a house keeper, cook (since when is helping you with your cookie swap in my job description???), errand-runner (non-kid errands), and personal assistant. Like the one I'm working for now. :|
:x When I nannied, for a flat salary that would have covered me at minimum wage for 5 hours a day, the mom expected me to do their laundry and would yell at me if I washed and dried it but didn't fold it and put it away. Also she BADLY took advantage of my salary and would leave me with the kids sometimes 12-16 hours at a time so she could go to a bar after work, with no extra pay. It was awful.
My daughter has done some babysitting. Nobody so far has asked her to do housework. I shudder to think of her reaction if they did.
If they do, we need to start a betting pool on how long it takes the offending family to find "it".
So glad I don't really have to deal with customers.
Though occasionally I have to process customer returns, it's awesome when people put their used product inside the boxes and then carefully glue/tape them back together. Sorry, no, you do not get money for that. Once I got a lens case with two contacts inside with a note that said "I didn't use them". Occasionally you get photocopies of product instead of the actual thing, or sometimes not even the right product at all. I've found Christian karaoke cds, bottles of wine, extenze, children's clothes...and don't even get me started on packaging. Between the people who lovingly wrap their product in layers of bubblewrap and packing peanuts to people who just slap a shipping label on the contact lens box and expect it to get through the mail all right I spent a lot of time muttering "why the hell would you do that?!"
I don't even do returns that often. I'd hate it more but it's kind of an adventure into stupidland.
One thing to remember about returns, and why they are usually so awful, is that most of the time the buyer didn't choose the product wisely in the first place; they didn't really know what they were buying, and then they used it and decided they didn't like it.
Actually it's mostly people getting new prescriptions for their contacts and sending in the ones they didn't use from their last prescription. Although it's true there are plenty of shitty uncomfortable brands out there.
Hm I guess with contacts it's a whole different story.
Ewww, people send OPENED contacts and expect a refund???
Yes, yes they do.
Quote from: LMNO on March 16, 2010, 02:00:50 PM
Quote from: Sparkley Pink Shit on March 16, 2010, 12:56:52 AM
Babysitting parents are all the same too. Trying to haggle how much to pay me saying that the last person to watch their kid only cost $10 per hour, even though the last person to watch their kid(s) was a 16 year old who probably brought her boyfriend over to screw on their couch. Or ignored the kids to watch tv/yack on the phone the whole time. Sorry, but the going rate around here is 15/hr or MORE for a qualified babysitter/nanny (such as myself, who is TB tested, fingerprinted, has taken classes, CPR certified, good driving record, almost 10 years of exp, works for a preschool, etc), PLUS GAS if I have to drive them anywhere. I give certain moms the discount of 12/hr if I know them, like them, or I know they're struggling financially. Usually they're great, but occasionally one will come along and decide to squeeze every fucking penny out of my hourly rate by also turning me into a house keeper, cook (since when is helping you with your cookie swap in my job description???), errand-runner (non-kid errands), and personal assistant. Like the one I'm working for now. :|
Take the $10/hour, screw your boyfriend on their couch. Leave stains.
THIS.
Also, Nigel that really sucks. Ughhhhh this mom is about like that. Only if I told her to eat a dick, and quit she'd ruin my rep to all the other moms. So I'm sorta stuck till April 1st. I've had a couple creepy dads too, and while I am naturally suspicious of men anyways, it's never fun having to deal with that shit.
Ugh, this is why I prefer cities. I hate the thought of living my life by the whims and decrees of gemeinschaft.