Mar. 30th, 2011 | 12:26 am
Having people come by my place to pick up stuff that I'm selling has proven to be a valuable lesson in human nature. I don't mind telling you that there are times when having total strangers come by my place makes me really nervous. In the winter, it's just too hard to go traipsing through the snow to meet them at the Starbucks around the corner, so I've had to settle for my own digs. I always end up having a brief conversation with them before they come by, because my apartment building is locked down so I have to meet them downstairs. In that two minutes, my mind races. "How old are they, do they have money, are they going to try to negotiate at the door? (Usually they save that pleasant experience for countless back and forth emails, even as my cell phone number is prominently displayed in the ad (right in front of their face) but alas, it is much easier to haggle behind the anonymity of the internet when you don't have to look someone in the eye and know that there is no way in he## they will ever take your ridiculously low offer.
Anyway, they show up at my door, cash in hand, and even as they stand in front of me, I find myself assessing them. I can smell a single dad a mile away (they show up in fancy, clean cars or if they're lucky, the over-sized monster trucks their now ex-wives would never have allowed them to spend the family money on.) Those are the gentlemen that feel compelled to tell me "Yeah, I'm taking my kid to this circus." like they expect me to congratulate them on being stellar fathers or better yet, hand them a gold star.
I have to say, the executives are my favourite. They'll show up in the car I recognize as expensive, but could never name, and be dressed to the nines in their business suits having decided that my tickets are important enough to interrupt their busy day for. I will tell you, even though they reek of money, they want the best deals. It's how they accumulated their wealth, by holding out on others so they could keep it for themselves. :-) I actually had a man once who had haggled with me big time over some tickets that were already half price. He knew I was down to the wire time wise, so he had me, and he knew it. As he reached into his pocket to pull out the money he owed me, wads of twenties fell carelessly down to the sidewalk, landing at my feet, Yup, he had to have that extra ten bucks off his tickets because god knows, he needed that money more than I did:-)
The worst people to deal with are Moms that are at home with their kids, not drawing a pay cheque. The first words out of their mouth are usually "I can't afford that, I'm at home with my kids" like I'm supposed to subsidize their trip to see disney on ice because they stay at home. I must say, I find this excuse the most annoying. When my Mom was at home with us, we didn't do things like disney or museums or science centres, because we couldn't afford it. We didn't expect others to foot the bill for us. Now, I'll admit, it's a different time and kids expectations are different, but that doesn't mean that Mom and Dad shouldn't save like the rest of us to get what they want. I will also say that this group (the other side of the coin) will show the most gratitude when I save tickets for them. "Thank you, little Johnny will LOVE this." What she really means is "Finally! I'm getting out of the house!" :-) They will show up in track pants, hair hurriedly pushed back into a messy ponytail and you know I'm number fifteen on a list of thirty things to do, while the kids squirm restlessly in the backseat trying desperately to unbuckle/break through the constraints of their car seats. Those were the days I most appreciated my cats! :-)
Today though, today was Easter and Christmas all rolled into one. She got out of her still running car, grabbed the tickets from me, handed me the money she had clutched in her other hand and ran back to her car like her hair was on fire. "Have to get to work, thanks so much!"
Did I mention she paid full price?
It was a good "ticket" day and believe me, I appreciate it.
Anyway, they show up at my door, cash in hand, and even as they stand in front of me, I find myself assessing them. I can smell a single dad a mile away (they show up in fancy, clean cars or if they're lucky, the over-sized monster trucks their now ex-wives would never have allowed them to spend the family money on.) Those are the gentlemen that feel compelled to tell me "Yeah, I'm taking my kid to this circus." like they expect me to congratulate them on being stellar fathers or better yet, hand them a gold star.
I have to say, the executives are my favourite. They'll show up in the car I recognize as expensive, but could never name, and be dressed to the nines in their business suits having decided that my tickets are important enough to interrupt their busy day for. I will tell you, even though they reek of money, they want the best deals. It's how they accumulated their wealth, by holding out on others so they could keep it for themselves. :-) I actually had a man once who had haggled with me big time over some tickets that were already half price. He knew I was down to the wire time wise, so he had me, and he knew it. As he reached into his pocket to pull out the money he owed me, wads of twenties fell carelessly down to the sidewalk, landing at my feet, Yup, he had to have that extra ten bucks off his tickets because god knows, he needed that money more than I did:-)
The worst people to deal with are Moms that are at home with their kids, not drawing a pay cheque. The first words out of their mouth are usually "I can't afford that, I'm at home with my kids" like I'm supposed to subsidize their trip to see disney on ice because they stay at home. I must say, I find this excuse the most annoying. When my Mom was at home with us, we didn't do things like disney or museums or science centres, because we couldn't afford it. We didn't expect others to foot the bill for us. Now, I'll admit, it's a different time and kids expectations are different, but that doesn't mean that Mom and Dad shouldn't save like the rest of us to get what they want. I will also say that this group (the other side of the coin) will show the most gratitude when I save tickets for them. "Thank you, little Johnny will LOVE this." What she really means is "Finally! I'm getting out of the house!" :-) They will show up in track pants, hair hurriedly pushed back into a messy ponytail and you know I'm number fifteen on a list of thirty things to do, while the kids squirm restlessly in the backseat trying desperately to unbuckle/break through the constraints of their car seats. Those were the days I most appreciated my cats! :-)
Today though, today was Easter and Christmas all rolled into one. She got out of her still running car, grabbed the tickets from me, handed me the money she had clutched in her other hand and ran back to her car like her hair was on fire. "Have to get to work, thanks so much!"
Did I mention she paid full price?
It was a good "ticket" day and believe me, I appreciate it.
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