Crunch Time...

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UzZx32QU

UzZx32QU

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As the insane are let out this time of year, some make their way into framing shops. What's your story?


framer
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No looneys yet, but I haven't given up hope!
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There's someone at the design counter, right at this moment, talking with Andy about getting a sports jersey done for noon Thursday. (26 hours) Talk about planning ahead.
 
Mike, teach Andy the word "NO". I turned that one away yesterday.

framer
 
Actually it was a botched job from another framer. 38x32 piece with a tiny thin frame that is falling apart, very crooked (1 1/2" difference on the side margins), floaties in the frame, the ~$450 jersey and tags are pressed against the glass (the signature ink has transferred to the glass and blurred, the piece is de-valued/ruined). The only good qualities are that it had u/v glass and a/f matting.

We suggested he take it back to the shop in question and get it re-done.

Update: He called them from his cell phone, explained his concerns, and they agreed to re-do it.

I don't want us to get in the middle of such a thing, but the guy took notes when he asked us how we would have done it and gave him a quote (our quote was $180 higher than what he paid)

Odd situation. I guess he came to us for a free critique/advice.

Have you ever had such a situation, and how did you handle it?

Mike
 
I had a customer come in yesterday (Tuesday) with a large tube. He said he had a 8'x4' poster that he wanted in a "cheap" metal frame with glass by Thursday :D .
 
I'm currently in the process of becoming loony. I busted my butt to have every possible thing done before today when I get my last shipment. I have about 25 frames to go and I will be done for Christmas.

I get my last shipment today and I so I brought lunch, supper, midnight snack, early morning snack and a 12 pack in with me today.

I get in and hear this message on my machine. "Jay, this is Masters. Give me a call when you get in. We won't be making that delivery today. Call me and give me the frame sizes you need and we will ship you chops."

What no no no no no. I need this stuff today!

So now I will sit here all day playing solitaire and explaining to people on the phone all day why their pictures aren't ready. This is really killing me.
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No Loonies, but I was called a magician yesterday! A first for me.

Gentleman came in Sunday with two magazine photos from Vogue about 30 years old?? Says it's his mother (Much younger and lookin' good!) and can I have them framed for him by Christmas. I say sure, as long as we use in stock stuff. He says call him when they're ready. Doesn't even talk about or look at a design.

I put them in a crackle frame with Tusk brownish colored RAG, v-groove to unify the two pictures. "Aged elegance" is the look I'm going for.

He comes in yesterday with his daughter and picks them up. They both start crying and saying "I'm a magician." He grabs a stack of my cards and says he's handing them out to anyone he can find!

Felt weird, but good!

BTW, I framed repros not the originals.
 
OK Jay,

I feel your pain!

(Don't you just HATE IT when people say that!) Tomorrow, after having stayed up all night getting this **** T done for them, they will be angry and put out and will want a DISCOUNT!

Feeling bad you will give it to them. Then you will look back and wonder WHY THE **** you gave these procrastinators a discount for last minute rushes! Last minute means barring any misstep you will do your best. Sorry man, supplier misstepped,

Why do I feel your pain? Last night driving home I totalled my car. Glad I had the seat belt on or I'd be a statistic today. Instead I walked away from the scene.

I get in and I get 5 phone calls from Last Minute Shoppers. Noone has said, are you OK they've all said, "do you think you can get it done?" Yes yes yes It'll be done. Thanks for the concern!

Mery Christmas?

BTW I had a mirror, and three pictures in the back seat. Shattered the glass on all, but didn't break the mirror! That customer was worried about me, thankful I told them about the Misstep, and said don't worry about getting it finished. He'll get the job for free, the others won't!
 
So are you going to get them all done or what?

Just kidding, I hope you are well.

Thats a sucky Christmas present.
 
Feel, ok (small ok not cap OK)

inch of slush on a back road. crested a hill going slow, and spun around, and around and around. Landed in the embrace of a 3 foot wide Hemlock. Thankfully the rear driver side took the brunt of the hit.

I gotta say I love seatbelts. I had to roll down the window to get out, doors won't ever open again! Rear axle broke, rear windows gone. Nasty looking mess. But I walked away. Love my seat belt!

Not a scratch on me to speak of. Cut on my palm, but I do worse here at work! No bump on the head, but a real foggy feeling, like when the hair stands up on the back of your neck, just on the inside!

I Thank you all for your kind thoughts, gotta get off line and get to work.

Firt thing I did when I got home was hug my kids! What could be more important?
 
Bob,

Glad your Ok...hope the rest of the season goes better.

My main "control yourself, Dave" frustration is people that are bringing in work this week for after Christmas. I know there is life and business after Christmas, but I've got another 35-40 frames to get out by tomorrow and to take up to an hour to wait on someone for future biz is tough! I don't do well when I feel rushed at the frame counter and I have asked several customers if they would mind leaving the piece and coming back after Christmas...most have no problem when they see the wildness in my eyes!

These are the folks who probably finished their Christmas shopping last August. God love 'em and their patience with my abruptness!!!

Dave Makielski
 
I swore I wouldn't take on more than humanly possible this year. But dang, someone puts $300 cash in front of you to stretch and frame 2 canvases by Friday.......I'm compelled to take it. She even offered to pay a rush fee and I declined. I'll be rethinking that tomorrow night when I'm working on them into the wee hours.

Of course, the midnight shifts have spooked me this week because the liquor store guy came over and told me that a lady got robbed at gunpoint on Saturday night around 11:30 in the parking lot. :eek: I have no choice but to work the late shifts this week. The liquor store guy told me to just call him when I leave and he would come outside until I am in the car.(whew!)
 
Glad you are okay Bob. Those unexpected mishaps in life sure can be life affirming can't they? I also love my seat belt. I am convinced it saved my life when I got hit by a drunk driver. The police questioned whether I even had it on since my head hit the windshield. They said if I hadn't had it on the impact would have put me through the windshield. :eek: It is a hard to digest feeling when you realize technically that could have been your last moment on earth.......
 
Originally posted by Hawickman:
Why is it that it's always men who leave things to the very last minute?
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Oh no its not! I've had my share of women come in today asking if it could be done by Christmas!

I say sorry, I can give you a gift certificate saying, come pick up your framed art at The Frame Works. Give 'em a nice card to put it in and then we pick out the frame, mat et al and get a good date to do it right! Buys me a week! And gets new customers in, as in the people picking up!

Besides if I could get new works done by XMas, who knows what they'd look like! I don't think I'd put my sticker on them though.
 
Originally posted by Mike-L@GTP:
Actually it was a botched job from another framer. 38x32 piece with a tiny thin frame that is falling apart, very crooked (1 1/2" difference on the side margins), floaties in the frame, the ~$450 jersey and tags are pressed against the glass (the signature ink has transferred to the glass and blurred, the piece is de-valued/ruined). The only good qualities are that it had u/v glass and a/f matting.

We suggested he take it back to the shop in question and get it re-done.

Update: He called them from his cell phone, explained his concerns, and they agreed to re-do it.

I don't want us to get in the middle of such a thing, but the guy took notes when he asked us how we would have done it and gave him a quote (our quote was $180 higher than what he paid)

Odd situation. I guess he came to us for a free critique/advice.

Have you ever had such a situation, and how did you handle it?

Mike
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I have one of those I'm doing right now. The woman's daughter brought her to me after she pcked up her shadow box at her framers and she was so upset about the way it came out. I told her if I had done the original job that I would want to know if she wasn't happy and would redo the job. She didn't want to do that, she felt like they wouldn't change it for her, that they didn't listen to want she wanted and would rather pay again to have it done the way she wanted it. The design left a lot of dead space and we were able to take off about 8 " off the vertical to balance it better.
 
We had a man at the door early Monday, practically begging us to frame a speedo for him to give to his father in law. We did it. He's thirlled. We have a new customer for life.
 
Oh... crunch time isn't as bad as I'd like. I only have eight more pieces to finish tomorrow. My last delivery came at 6:00 tonight and I started joining the frames. I'll be going down to the shop twice more tonight to do a little here and there, but finishing up will be no problem ( I know I'm tempting the framing gods with that statement).

It still hasn't recovered enough around here to be like '00 and 2000 when Christmas Day everytime I sat down I would fall asleep from exhaustion.
 
Bob, glad you're okay! That sounded like a close one.

I'm amazed at the work coming in for January (in my case, it'll be late January due to the long list of jobs already in house for next month). Didn't have anyone today begging for a framing job prior to Christmas. Only one more piece to finish and then I'm gonna do the "happy dance"!

Yesterday, I made up several matted certificates saying that, "Santa's elves are trying to make all the little children happy on Christmas day, but there is a very special framing project that'll be ready for YOU in mid-January!" Several customers opted to go with it after I told 'em I couldn't take anymore work and promise it for Christmas. Made the customers happy and they'll now have something to wrap. Adults don't seem to mind the anticipation of waiting and wondering what's coming to them in mid-January.
 
Gave my very first 'framing will be done' certificate yesterday. (It was that or put 1 1/2" mats around a Kin****...) I have one more piece to do this morning, then the custom cut mats for clients to insert into our readymades. It has been a pretty good year, framing wise. Certainly better than LAST year... Man, I hate to see it come to an end. It's a long time until December 2005.
 
Ok, I'm still laughing.

Lady comes in with a page from a magazine.

I need this right away! I'll pay EXTRA, but I need it today.

Ok, I won't charge extra, but we need to pick in stock material.

Just a white mat and a black frame! (Yes, Jay, she is positive black will be cheaper.)

Ok, I do a simple design and quote her $80. Quite a good price I'm thinking!

OH NOOOOOO! She says, "I was thinking I'd pay a LOT EXTRA and maybe go to $40. Can't you DO something?!?"

I don't even know what to say to her?!? It's about a 15 by 18 with 2 1/2" mat. I can't even think where she's going to get a readymade in that range? Certainly not in my shop.

As she opens the door to leave, I hear her saying to her husband that is waiting in the car ... "HOLY S**T!! You won't believe ...."

Funny uhhh? I'm waiting for the next I'll "pay you extra" person.
 
Originally posted by Cliff Wilson:

I don't even know what to say to her?!?
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"Merry Christmas, please pass me that bottle."

-Mike.
 
I don't mean to gloat, but . . .

I'm home the next four days. Two of them are paid holidays.

I delivered the last Christmas order Monday evening.

This will be the first Christmas since 1976 that I won't be comatose.
 
Well Ron, I have a life to. I controlled my sales so I worked hard but am done as of 10AM this morning. At 6PM I'm out of here. I start flapping my ears at 6AM and fly away for 4 unpaid days off.

I've had several needy customers run in this morning, to hear "NO" without the sorry attached.

I hope everyone had a great season, I did, the best ever but the rest of the year was on the lame side. I hope this starts a great new year 2005 for all the Grumblers............

Bye
framer
 
Well, I knew I wouldn't get through it without the Xmas Disaster ... a 38 x 22 double mat .. due for Xmas ... mismeasured the art by 1/2" ...mats of course don't fit ... nope, not a framer around has anything like 'em....but if CMI can pull an overnight UPS for me, I might be able to save the proverbial bacon ... fingers crossed; film at 11...
 
Originally posted by FramingFool:
Well, I knew I wouldn't get through it without the Xmas Disaster ... a 38 x 22 double mat .. due for Xmas ... mismeasured the art by 1/2" ...mats of course don't fit ... nope, not a framer around has anything like 'em....but if CMI can pull an overnight UPS for me, I might be able to save the proverbial bacon ... fingers crossed; film at 11...
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Throw in a free white triple bottom mat and look like the hero!

Merry Christmas or should I say---
 
Day before my mishap, I took in an order for 30 frames (ongoing customer, meaning profit too low, stress to high!)

Had to order the stock, and am almost done! Didn't think it was possible but yeahhh, gonna celebrate with a nice cold beer. OH ****, Dr's orders no alcohol for awhile.

How do you survive family and the holidays sober?

Dumb question and not serious, as I have family "in the program", "friends of Bill". For the uninitiated that means they are in AA and thank god they don't drink. I respect and love them and would KILL them if they didn't spend the holidays sober! I'll hang out with them this year!
 
No framing loonies, but we have had several of our photography customers call us up to ask if they could still order portraits for xmas. NO! These were people we contacted 6 weeks ago to let know that the absolute latest they could order and still get it by xmas was Dec. 14th. That was the last day our lab would accept xmas deadline orders to print. Normally, they deliver to us twice a week, Tuesday and Friday but with Christmas Eve Friday, we have already had our last and only delivery for the week. All the framing and photo orders needed for xmas were finished by yesterday afternoon. I've been wrapping presents in my workroom and finsihing the last framing for family.
 
Maybe I need disasters more often ... (just kidding....) ... the customer just came in to check out the Plan B ....loved it better that Plan A .... and swore her allegiance, her first-born-son and her wallet to us forever..


Alls Well etc. etc. etc.........
 
Have been doing the "happy dance" since 2:00 today. All orders picked up, customers all appeared thrilled, lots of cash as payments (thrills me), grocery store was packed, many customers of mine were shopping and we had a good time visiting up and down the isles. Groceries all put away and now I get to begin cooking. Ahhhhh, I love my job!

Merry Christmas to all!
 
Sitting here waiting for the last two to be picked up. One was contacted and expected the other unknown. 42 minutes to go...

framer
 
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