My husband and I own an inflatable company. We rent out bounce houses and waterslides for private parties, church and school events, family reunions, etc. We love the industry we are in – people are always happy to see you! – and we love making people happy.
This is our 4th season in this business and there has definitely been a learning curve involved. My personality is that I’m a natural pleaser and want to leave everyone as happy as possible. However, I learned early on that a polite spine and boundaries are necessary in this business if you want to stay afloat.
The first two seasons in business we CONSTANTLY had people calling us from organizations, charities and large corporations asking for us to “sponsor” a bounce house at their event. We did this a few times, with the promise of “free advertising” as an incentive. We learned very quickly that this type of advertising is completely ineffective in our industry and we never booked a single job from doing these free events. We made a decision that we would pick our favorite charity and donate a bounce house to their annual event and that would be the end of our give- free-stuff-away-extravaganza. We’ve been happy with this arrangement for some time now. However, we still get phone calls – though not as frequent. I’ve learned how to have a polite spine, but even beyond that, I’ve learned how to expose their greediness in a fairly kind way. The conversation below is one that I had this week with a HUGE national company that was holding a health fair.
Me: How can I help you?
Freeloader: Hi, I’m with ______ and we are holding our annual event in a few months. We wanted to give you a great opportunity to sponsor our event with some bounce houses.
Me: : (pretending to feign interest) We love renting out for big events! Could you further explain what you mean by “sponsor”? What all does that entail? (I know good and well it means they want a free bounce house, but I want THEM to say it, instead of pretty it up with a word like sponsor.)
Freeloader: Oh….ummm….well, errrr…..It means that you would donate a bounce house to the event.
Me: OH. Donate a bounce house to you?? (silence)
Freeloader: But, it, ummmm, it means that you would get free advertising. It would be a great opportunity for you!
Me: We have found that this type of advertising does not work for us. (awkward silence)
Freeloader: Oh, well it would still be a nice thing for you to do.
Me: – (names company) Isn’t that a multi-million dollar company?
Freeloader: Ummm, yes.
Me: I’ve seen their commercials, gone into their stores. You guys have great products.
Freeloader: Yes we do.
Me: So, just to clarify, you are wanting me, a very small family-owned business, to donate my labor, fuel, time and bounce house to YOU, a multi-million dollar company?
Freeloader: (silence)
Me: Would you be willing to give us the equivalent of free products in return?
Freeloader: Well, ummm, no I don’t think we could do that.
Me: I see. (silence. I let the silence get reeeeeally awkward)
Me: I’ll be happy to give you some prices on what we offer. We do offer a discount for multiple rentals and multiple days. (I then go into my spiel about what products we have.)Sometimes I end up booking them but in this case they said they would keep calling around to find a company that would “sponsor” their event.
It’s unbelievable to me the nerve and gall that people have. This has happened with corporations, charities, churches and even private parties. It takes a crew that WE pay for labor to deliver and set up, it takes fuel in OUR diesel truck and trailer to get the bounce house to the location, it take state inspections that we pay for to make sure they are safe and it takes expensive insurance that we pay for to cover any liability. Maybe people don’t realize the cost of running a small business. Often we wonder how we will pay for insurance and overhead costs. Small businesses go under every single day. The next time you think to ask your friend, family member or random small business to give you something for free – whether it’s a haircut, a music lesson, a vehicle check-up or whatever – please remember that their livelihood depends on your business. Supporting local, small businesses doesn’t mean ask them to do stuff for free and receive “free advertising”. It means write them a check for a product or service the same way that YOU want to receive a paycheck for your time and labor. 0705-18
Category: Customers
Dodging The Confrontational Charity Worker
I came across a situation today that I would love to hear your opinions on!
I was visiting my local shopping centre and made my way into a newsagents to buy a few things I needed. I’m heavily pregnant and was hoping to get in and out as quickly as possible so I could make my way home and put my feet up! Upon entering the shop, I noticed a charity worker had been positioned inside the store at the entrance/exit and was asking each person upon leaving for a few moments of their time to donate some money toward Dementia Support. Whilst browsing, I heard the charity worker ask each and every individual that attempted to leave “before you shoot off – did you know dementia/Alzheimer’s *insert fact about how common it is*”. ALL customers that were targeted when leaving were quite abrupt to the charity worker and replied with a “no” or a “not interested” and squeezed past him to leave.
I soon realised that there was no way I could simply leave the shop without having to interact with the charity worker as he was blocking the door whilst he approached each and every customer. I paid for my items and made to leave – and of course, he stands in my way and starts asking me about my knowledge of dementia and whether or not I am willing to donate a monthly sum to the cause. I didn’t want to be rude to this man – my grandad is in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s and it’s devastating to watch a man I saw (and still see) as a father figure fade more and more each day. I also understand that CW is doing his job so for me to respond with a brisk “Not interested” didn’t feel right. I was tired and wanted to get home and having my exit blocked by someone wanting me to pay money each month was just irritating and a bit rude, I thought.
I was polite to the CW but I feel my mistake was telling him that my Grandad has the disease and as a family, we live and breathe it with him day in day out (we are very close). He took this as an opportunity to push the fact that I should be giving money each month to the cause. I was caught off guard and felt incredibly guilty for my comment – “I would rather not sign up to a monthly plan at this time but Thank you”. The CW looked at me as though I was a horrible person for being directly effected and not putting my hand in my pocket. He mumbled a “oh.. ok..” and moved out of my way so I could leave.
I feel I could have handled this better but I’m not sure how. Admittedly, I just wanted to get home and CW wasn’t going to let me out until I’d given him a good enough reason to be LET out, it seems. I find street charity workers approaching me when I’m walking very uncomfortable and awkward.
My question to you lovely people is – how do you handle this type of situation? Is there a polite way to DECLINE giving to charity?! (Not that I’m adverse to doing so! I give to a few different causes regularly but just not in this “sign up on a street corner or in a public place” way). 0531-18
And the shop manager didn’t have a problem with his customers being confronted in this manner?
He may be doing a job but how he’s doing that job is a matter of his own choice. I can’t imagine a legitimate charity wanting the face of their organization to be that of manipulation and physical blocking of a customer’s exit from a building. There is nothing wrong with a terse, “No, thank you” to someone whom you have no obligation to explain yourself and who is being a rude to the point of blocking your egress from the shop.
Are You Done Yet?
I go to a medium sized, family owned cafe every Thursday. It’s the end of my work week and it’s a treat for myself. I relish the “me time” that I get for about an hour or so.
I always order the same thing at the counter. So much so that the clerk knows what to order for me without me telling her. Sometimes I sit outside if it’s nice weather, but with the Texas wind I prefer a seat inside if possible.
Sometimes the cafe is crowded – like today – and other times there are just a few patrons there.
My routine is the same – order at the counter, find a small table, eat my lunch and dessert and then go back to the counter to order a coffee to sit and sip and savor my alone time. (The coffee is delicious and is my favorite part of this ritual).
Today the cafe was very crowded. There was only one table in the dining room available. I ate my lunch and dessert as usual and before I could even dab my lips with my napkin, there was a person at my table, glowering at me. She said, “Are you done?”. I was confused because I thought maybe she worked at the cafe and was asking this to clear my dishes. I wasn’t sure though, because I had never seen her before and know all of the cafe workers. Nevertheless, I replied, “Yes, thank you”. She then said, “Good, hey guys we can sit here.” 3 people appeared from around the corner and began to put their things on the table.
I said, “I’m sorry, there has been a misunderstanding. I meant I was finished with my dishes. However, I’m not ready to leave.”
They all glared at me and the woman replied, “Well it’s really crowded today and you are done eating”.
Before this invasive incident, my plan was to go order my coffee at the counter and come back and enjoy it. I realized right away that even if I explained I was still going to get coffee and the table wasn’t available, when I vacated the table to go order, they would steal it immediately with no recourse for me.
The owner, whom I know well and is beloved by all, walked by at that exact moment. I hadn’t seen her yet and her face lit up when she saw me. She said, “Hi there! How was everything? Are you ready for your coffee?”. I responded with a, “Yes, that would be lovely. Thank you so much”. I then pointedly looked at the crowd gathered at my table and said, “Sorry, you will have to find another table”.
They all left in a huff. The owner saved the day and I kept my polite spine on. 0426-18
One latte, please, and oh can you also fix my phone?
The introduction of drive-thrus to Starbucks was inevitable, as was a long line of cars waiting for their overpriced drinks and pastries. Coffee literally on the go is the future. But in fact, the other day I ran into an interesting problem that comes with having to wait in a car line, versus a person line. Rude customers have much more room and power to get their way – I mean who is going to risk the embarrassment of exiting their car, leaving it unattended as they walk awkwardly up to the stalling car’s window (if there’s room), so as to politely ask the driver to stop holding everyone up?
I honestly pondered my options while I waited behind a stalling driver who had the thick and rolly arms of a middle-aged woman but the gaudy pink nail polish of a teenager. Her arm was the only thing I could see of her, stretched outside her window and holding up her smartphone for the window clerk to inspect and even intermittently touch and poke. Perhaps there was a coupon or discount code that they couldn’t get to work? Whatever the issue, this lady was clearly not going to move until it was solved. Several minutes passed, five, ten, fifteen…I began to feel uncomfortable, like I should be trying to get this lady to move. But I didn’t want to act on my impatience, or talk to a stranger for that matter.
The wait dragged on and I actually got distracted with my own phone, and didn’t even see when she finally left. I just looked up and suddenly realized it was ME who was holding the others up now. I quickly rolled up to get my drink. The window clerk apologized and said that the lady “had a weird problem with her phone and wouldn’t go away.” In my mind I pictured a big, impetuous woman who tends to corner the first person she can to fix her problems, oblivious to her surroundings. I wasn’t upset, but interested in what I’d seen, and how I could have reacted differently.
Should I have tried to interfere and asked her to move along, or was it appropriate to wait as long as necessary until the clerks handled it? What if this kind of hold-up gets quite long, like over twenty minutes? I’d like to hear thoughts and tidbits from Ehell. I’m a new reader and have sincerely enjoyed and appreciated what I’ve seen in the community thus far. 0523-17
I was in a similar dilemma last week. Something was going on at the payment window that required a manager. The minutes tick by….I’m usually a laidback person who doesn’t sweat the little inconveniences…but this was turning into a marathon of waiting and there were people behind me. Once in this particular drive-thru there was no bailing, you were stuck. As the car directly behind the stalled one at the window, I was getting agitated. My food was likely getting cold at the pick up window so I tapped my horn to signal that this had gone on long enough. Driver honked back at me. I was more irked at the manager who should have directed her to a parking space and settled the issue either away from the drive-thru line or inside the restaurant. I honked again…got a reply honk from driver again. The minutes keep ticking by….I finally leaned my head out the window and yelled to the manager to please settle this inside the store. Once I got to the payment window the manager was gone but the clerk looked chagrined. No one was happy. And my fries were cold.
Do You Have The Right To Be Offended?
One Daniell Rider thinks she does. In a post to craft store Hobby Lobby’s Facebook page, Rider posted the photo below and demanded that the decor item of dried cotton bolls be removed for sale citing that :
This decor is WRONG on SO many levels. There is nothing decorative about raw cotton… A commodity which was gained at the expense of African-American slaves.
A little sensitivity goes a long way.
PLEASE REMOVE THIS “decor”.
The obvious problem is that no slave harvested these dried cotton decor items and the second obvious problem is that Daniell Rider likely wears a considerable amount of cotton. The third problem is that African American slaves worked on plantations growing and processing rice, tobacco, and sugar cane, none of which we boycott or deprive ourselves of simply because 150 years ago it was grown and harvested at the expense of slaves.
So, the question, “Do you have the right to be offended?”, could be answered by stating that, yes, you have a general right to be offended on your own behalf. Etiquette, in general, does not give grace to be offended on the behalf of others who may not share your level of offense in their name. But others also have the right to not take your offense seriously and dismiss the offense as nothing more than either a power play or expressions of heightened entitlement to be continuously put out of joint over issues that aren’t really issues.