All I could do was chuckle....

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Dancinbaer

Dancinbaer

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
Joined
Apr 26, 2002
Posts
1,267
Loc
De Pere, WI
after the gentleman left of course.

Anyway, an elderly gentleman came in the shop tonight. I had framed a couple puzzles for his wife awhile ago. First he tells me he is sorry to see that I am closing my shop and it's a shame Pulaski will loose another business.

Then he procedes to tell me HE has been framing his wife's puzzles using trim moulding. He has a puzzle 19x34 and stopped in to see if I had any "CHEAP" moulding he could buy from me to frame the puzzle.

And that's the way it was ........January 18, 2010
 
Indeed...

Denny,

That's all you can do! ;)

John

(P.S. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.)
 
Dancinbaer said:
...First he tells me he is sorry to see that I am closing my shop and it's a shame Pulaski will loose another business.

Then he procedes to tell me HE has been framing his wife's puzzles using trim moulding....
Click to expand...

Yep, and he probably bought his trim moulding at Home Depot instead of a locally-owned lumber store, where the selection and the customer service might have been much better, and the prices lower. Curiously, consumers complain about the dearth of customer service at big-box stores, but avoid the smaller stores that provide it. Consumers complain about cheap marketing gimmicks, then run to the stores advertising 80% discounts. Go figure.

Consumers want small businesses to do well in their communities (I really believe they do), but they generally choose to spend their money elsewhere.

Many consumers have this sort of "disconnect" between locally-owned businesses and their own buying habits. "I want you to succeed, but not on my dime." These are the same people who complain about higher taxes, but expect government to provide for them. These people are our neighbors.
 
I still get this with the restaurant next to my store. For years, it was the Clam House. Their business steadily declined until about a year ago, it was sold to new owners who turned it into a Filipino restaurant (staffed by jack@sses who can't move tables against our common wall without throwing them). Every once in a while some old guy will come in and ask about the Clam House. I'll mention that it closed, and he'll say he hasn't eaten there in years. I'll just give him a look.
 
yes.
Same here. Previous frame shop went out of business, about 2 years ago. I still have people coming in, telling me how they were his best customer (but didn't realize he was no longer in business)
And then will complain about my prices.

You can't win.
 
Same story here Jim. Well maybe a little more extreme in that the consumer is also a local business person. The owner of a local yoga studio just left. She was upset that a local hospital built a huge medical complex and put in their own gym complete with a yoga studio. She felt like no one ever shops local anymore and that we had to do something to combat it.

It was her first time in my shop, she's been in business in town for 15 years, but gets her framing from Michaels. Wanted to know if I wanted to hang her photography, if I wanted it framed she could do that for me. (from Michaels, its cheaper :) )

She hasn't gone to any of the business or merchant meetings, ever in town, was against the downtown improvements (which is going to be putting a "plaza" in front of her space). She has never been inside the small drug store off main Street, as RiteAid has better prices, she assumes at east. But now that she is being competed against by the medical center she wants the rest of Main Street to rally for her ;)
 
Ylva I've owned this business since 2001. I still get people in looking for the previous owner. They're her best customers as well. What that means is that she gave them dirt cheap prices on damaged frames that she couldn't sell to "real" customers. I think the sales line was along the lines of "well I don't show these frames to any but my best customers...."
 
The previous store owner didn't have to run any specials... Whatever size, it would never be more than $60

But I can't complain. Most people here do shop locally (don't want to go over the bridge) and are quite loyal. Bigger problem is the 'on every corner a hairsalon' ( or take out whatever). Quite a lot of those businesses do close.
 
Jim Miller said:
Consumers want small businesses to do well in their communities (I really believe they do), but they generally choose to spend their money elsewhere.
Many consumers have this sort of "disconnect" between locally-owned businesses and their own buying habits. "I want you to succeed, but not on my dime."
Click to expand...
What they really want is the atmosphere of a local business district.
I think that's why the current trend in retail developments is the "lifestyle center" (I hate that term), which is like a local strip center on steroids. They are designed so that each store has a separate facade that appears to be distinct from that of its neighbors, even though they amount to nothing more than flats on movie sets. In reality, these are still essentially malls, inaccessible safely on foot and totally dependent on cars for access. Only national tenants can afford the rents there. Some "local" business district.
:kaffeetrinker_2: Rick
 
Rick is that like the "mall communities" where there will be 4-8 shops in a parking lot and you have to drive to another parking lot to get to the other 4-8 shops? Dumbest setup i have seen for New England! Snow, plowing, scraping off ice, and they expect you to do that when you want to go from Lowes to Staples? If I'm gonna scrape my windsheild and then yee-haw fish tail across the parking lot then forget it, I'll shop when the snow melts.

Good examples of what works in Peora wont work here. And vice versa. We had a consulting group come in and show us a design for the downtown. Looked like an exact copy of so many other towns in the US. Like their version of Epcot. Look, here's a German town, see the leiderhosen, ooh and here's a typical USA town, see the street lamps and cute shop windows? :)
 
I've had many customers wanting me to "fix" somthing a big box framed for them, and then telling me "I always try to shop at local small businesses"... but they'd like me to fix the big box's mistake for less than $30.

I looked at the "3/50 Project"... I have one of their fliers up on my front counter (framed) and little ones for people to take with them. I'm working on talking to the other local businesses in my area to see if they would all be willing to band together to either use the 3/50 Project fliers or come up with something of our own that's similar. The local paper has a program that they'll give you a discount on ads if you let them put their little "shop local" circle in your ad.
People like the idea of shopping local, but they won't go to the local butcher shop because the prices are higher than at Wal-Mart. (Never mind that the meat is a higher quality too!)
 
Bob, that sounds like the community where my shop is located. It was developed around 1987. My building is about a block north of that section, and has two businesses: me, and my tenant, an Edward Jones Investments office. We have our own parking lot with about 10 spaces.
:cool: Rick
 
I am completely convinced that the public likes to have small neighborhood business's. They like to look in the windows on their evening walks. They feel it gives their neighborhood a 'vibrant' feel, and things just seem "normal" when there are no empty stores.

People would love to support the small neighborhood business's if only they could have the selection and prices of Wall mart, they would spend at these small shops.

I am also convinced that most people take a perverse pleasure in seeing a business fail. I don't know why that is. I get people in almost every day, not to purchase anything, but more to chew the fat about the economy and how it has affected my framing business.

I swear, when I tell the business is fine, they seem downright disappointed. "You mean your doing OK in this economy?" Then I get the look like I'm lying to them. So I tell them things could be better, but I'm paying my bills. That seems to appease them for a few moments, but then they start prodding for more details, hoping for some blood.

I think it is because they honestly like to see people fail at doing what they did not have the balls to do themselves. Start their own business's. It re-enforces their decision to spend their entire working lives in a cubicle.

John
 
JRB said:
I am also convinced that most people take a perverse pleasure in seeing a business fail. I don't know why that is.

..........

I think it is because they honestly like to see people fail at doing what they did not have the balls to do themselves.
Click to expand...

See? You do know.
 
I've been with a bank in a neighboring city for three years.

About six months ago, I had them ask (through an artist, of course) if they could get me to do some framing for them. The artist told me the name of her contact, and I called.

They wanted to "borrow" custom framing and thought it would be great advertising for me.

I equate it to them giving me a whole stack of cash for no reason and me hanging up a sign that says "Blah Blah Blah bank gave me money for no reason at all".

I was shocked.

I told them if the painting was that great they should just buy the framing because 'you know it'll sell'. :p (This particular artist does hangings at various locations with price tags.)

Then they replied they weren't selling the piece, they just wanted it framed but that they knew if someone saw that beautiful piece by the artist and wanted more...they'd tell them where to get it. Mmmm-hum. :icon9:

No thankie.

A new bank (Community Bank) came to town...historically renovating a building empty for years. Used local contractors. Used local materials. Came to me and asked me if I would do their framing for them, including a print they bought from my stock.

Guess who opened an account the same day the check came in?
 
Jan the bank I do business with gets things framed here. Not sure if I started banking there first or if the work came first :). Actually I have been banking with them long before I was a framer.

Banked with them because they were local, stayed because they were responsive. I think they get stuff framed by other local framers. They are community oriented and do a lot of good things locally.)
 
JRB said:
I am also convinced that most people take a perverse pleasure in seeing a business fail. I don't know why that is. I get people in almost every day, not to purchase anything, but more to chew the fat about the economy and how it has affected my framing business.

I swear, when I tell the business is fine, they seem downright disappointed. "You mean your doing OK in this economy?" Then I get the look like I'm lying to them. So I tell them things could be better, but I'm paying my bills. That seems to appease them for a few moments, but then they start prodding for more details, hoping for some blood.
Click to expand...

I get this on a daily basis. Some people want you to be hurting badly so they can get a great deal. "What? You mean I can't have it tomorrow and for only $40?" No. Me busy. You come back later or pay me to rush it. Maybe it makes those people feel kinglier to patronize a struggling business, I don't know. I'm just happy to be in demand.

I had a lady in yesterday who wanted to frame up four photos for her business she is starting and after working up a design, we get into the sob story about her business isn't making any money yet so can I help her out. Charity framing, that's a great idea. And.....don't forget the startup that wants a discount on the promise of sending lots of business your way. No thank you, send business first then we talk discount.
 
Jan, your approach is basically how I treat any of the multitudes of people who come in or call trying to sell me something, whether it's banking, insurance, tire changes, light bulbs, etc. You want me to buy something from you, you want me to even grant you time for a sales pitch, bring me something to frame, first. First.

I tell them that if they want me to invest in their success, they should invest in my success. I do business with people who do business with me.
 
Gary was telling me that at Rotary for today's program they had a group looking for money to put up some fancy welcome signs in town. They were making the appeal that we should all help the local causes out. These are some of the same people who go elsewhere for just about everything.

We had a locally owned hardware store close last year. They used to do a lot of business with local contractors. For a number of years now, we've seen trucks belonging to many of the local contractors in the parking lot at the big box store 40 miles north of us.
 
The manager of the bank 3 doors down from me came in one day and asked if she could borrow my framing tools to do some framing in the bank.

I stood there with my mouth open for minutes - I think she almost called an ambulance.

Then I asked if I could borrow her vault to store some stuff in.

She said, and I quote "That's stupid".

I asked what I was supposed to do while she had my tools and how I would pay my rent.

I then gave her 15 minutes of my thoughts about her complete lack of understanding or knowledge of the local economy and wondered how the heck she ever got to be a bank manger.

This is a small town and I know many of the employees in the bank. I asked this manager to present this borrow tools scenario to a number of her employees relating to their spouses businesses. Would her assistant manager's husband Bob loan her his carpenter tools? Would the loan manager's wife loan her wedding tents and tables, would their accountant's daughter loan her the big rig she owns and drives?

She told me I was nuts - she just wanted to borrow some tools from a neighbour and left.

Couple of weeks later framing started coming in from the bank.
 
She probably attempted it herself anyway and found out it wasn't as easy as she thought.

By the way, which tools did she want to borrow? Wouldn't it have been funny if she asked to borrow "the tool you use to cut the mats"? Imagine the look on her face when you showed her that tool and asked her if she needed help carrying it!
 
I sit here reading and I am now typing with a smile on my face.

Wow, it almost sounds bitter in here. :icon9: and yet I agree with all the posts. If you are in buisness long enough, you will see all sorts of things that never fail to astound you. I know I've seen many myself. One of the nice things of my Point of Sale Software is the ability to retrieve on demand the facts of the case. I had a frustrated customer who didn't like what I was going to charge for a job, so after she told me what a great customer she was and that she wouldn't be back, I looked up her file. Total spent in my store..... $232.78 over 9+ years.
It just goes to show what perspective some people have.
I know some educators will tell me that this person can do much more harm to me as a disgruntled customer, so I should have bent over backward to help her, but lets be realistic. Because she couldn't afford it (more likely didn't want to), is no reason that I should lose money.
 
Bandsaw said:
She said, and I quote "That's stupid".

She told me I was nuts...
Click to expand...

So that's how a bank manager, in a small town no less, speaks to other business owners and neighbors? Great way to win friends and influence people.
 
Bandsaw said:
The manager of the bank 3 doors down from me came in one day and asked if she could borrow my framing tools to do some framing in the bank....
Click to expand...

I would be concerned about having much money in that bank...or loans from such a bank. How long will it be there? What kinds of loans would she approve?

We had a bank in a town north of here, that was so bad, that no other bank would buy their assets when they went bankrupt; so, lines of credit disappeared, and others went under.
 
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