Escorted a customer out of my shop today.

kpotter · Feb 29, 2016

I make small presses that hobbiests use and every now and then one comes to my shop to buy one. I might get a few people a year walking in but 99 percent are online out of state sales. Today a lady comes in with her two teenage boys. I am running a lathe and they come over to see what I am doing. The lady says loudly to her sons "See this is why you are going to college, so you dont have to do menial labor like this." She then says to me tell my boys to go to college so they dont end up like you working with their hands and backs instead of their minds." I smiled and said I payed more in income tax than you earned last year I gaurantee it and you need to leave, I calmly walked her to the door and thanked her for coming in but we dont sell our tools to just anyone off the street. I locked the door behind me and went back to work.

Dave K · Feb 29, 2016

kpotter said:
I make small presses that hobbiests use and every now and then one comes to my shop to buy one. I might get a few people a year walking in but 99 percent are online out of state sales. Today a lady comes in with her two teenage boys. I am running a lathe and they come over to see what I am doing. The lady says loudly to her sons "See this is why you are going to college, so you dont have to do menial labor like this." She then says to me tell my boys to go to college so they dont end up like you working with their hands and backs instead of their minds." I smiled and said I payed more in income tax than you earned last year I gaurantee it and you need to leave, I calmly walked her to the door and thanked her for coming in but we dont sell our tools to just anyone off the street. I locked the door behind me and went back to work.

I would have done the same, but I don't think I could have held back giving her a little more of a piece of my mind. What an insult.

TDegenhart · Feb 29, 2016

+10 on that one!

Tom

Mr.M · Feb 29, 2016

Yeah, I was too dumb for a fancy degree. I make good money showing people how to run machines, making parts, designing stuff. Yep, manufacturing is the job for me.

specfab · Feb 29, 2016

The absolute embodiment of tone-deaf. What a moron, that lady. Sounds like you handles that with more aplomb than I might have.

Oldwrench · Feb 29, 2016

"Kids, if you're still at home listening to this shit, it's already too late. College isn't gonna help."

Chknives · Feb 29, 2016

Yeah my mom and sister say the same thing as I am a teen and not yet an adult but I just ignore them for a good reason. If that ever happened to me and my father was around he'd give them quite an ear full, I'd probably say a few words of "wisdom" and escort them out. Love the way you dealt with it though Kevin :cool:

.

motion guru · Feb 29, 2016

Kevin - sounds like you maintained your composure . . . well done. Only a fool gives full vent to his anger.

kpotter · Feb 29, 2016

I was pretty shocked that she didnt even realize what she had said. When I walked out with her she said should I order online, I said absolutely. I dont think she realizes that I love my job and I have a degree in art. My neighbor has an art degree and he owns a lighting design company they do a few million a year but you wouldnt know that he is the owner, he looks like he works there.

Zahnrad Kopf · Feb 29, 2016

motion guru said:
Kevin - sounds like you maintained your composure . . . well done. Only a fool gives full vent to his anger.

My goodness. I have to agree, WHOLEHEARTEDLY. I cannot say that I would have handled it so well. You did perfectly.

Was this before or after we spoke, today????

kpotter · Feb 29, 2016

She came in at the end of the day after picking up her kids from school. I would have been kinda ticked off all day if she was in first thing, god help her if it was during my coffee hang out and surf the web time.

wawoodman · Feb 29, 2016

"Learn a trade. You won't be cute forever."

dcsipo · Feb 29, 2016

kpotter said:
I make small presses that hobbiests use and every now and then one comes to my shop to buy one. I might get a few people a year walking in but 99 percent are online out of state sales. Today a lady comes in with her two teenage boys. I am running a lathe and they come over to see what I am doing. The lady says loudly to her sons "See this is why you are going to college, so you dont have to do menial labor like this." She then says to me tell my boys to go to college so they dont end up like you working with their hands and backs instead of their minds." I smiled and said I payed more in income tax than you earned last year I gaurantee it and you need to leave, I calmly walked her to the door and thanked her for coming in but we dont sell our tools to just anyone off the street. I locked the door behind me and went back to work.

You should have pointed to one of your guys, and said "Bob over there has a Phd in Communications theory, but he is making better money here building tools."

dee
;-D

Monarchist · Mar 1, 2016

kpotter said:
I was pretty shocked that she didnt even realize what she had said. When I walked out with her she said should I order online, I said absolutely. I dont think she realizes that I love my job and I have a degree in art. My neighbor has an art degree and he owns a lighting design company they do a few million a year but you wouldnt know that he is the owner, he looks like he works there.

Degrees. What are they really worth?

Once had an acquaintance who held a PhD.

His thesis? Be sitting down, please....

"Medieval Spanish Anti-Semitic Poetry".

His Day job? 'coz one surely cannot make a living on THAT... and no fine way the lad could change an ignorant light-bulb, let alone a flat tire..

Junior (very) buyer of low-line colored stone jewelry for a middle-sized catalog discount chain.

Didn't even have the authority to place or price goods that sold for over eighty bucks.

Go figure...

Yah done good, Kevin.

"American Diplomacy" at its best.

Keep 'em talking 'til you can reach sumthin' weighty enough to virtually cold-cock the buggers in one go without breakin' a sweat.

Bill

Hodge · Mar 1, 2016

I've seen\heard foot in mouth disease on occasion but that takes the cake. Sounds like she didn't realise you ripped her a new one as you pleasantly escorted her out. Doesn't appear that college was helpful in her case none whatsoever.

dcsipo · Mar 1, 2016

Monarchist said:
Degrees. What are they really worth?

Once had an acquaintance who held a PhD.

His thesis? Be sitting down, please....

"Medieval Spanish Anti-Semitic Poetry".

His Day job? 'coz one surely cannot make a living on THAT... and no fine way the lad could change an ignorant light-bulb, let alone a flat tire..

Junior (very) buyer of low-line colored stone jewelry for a middle-sized catalog discount chain.

Didn't even have the authority to place or price goods that sold for over eighty bucks.

Go figure...

Yah done good, Kevin.

"American Diplomacy" at its best.

Keep 'em talking 'til you can reach sumthin' weighty enough to virtually cold-cock the buggers in one go without breakin' a sweat.

Bill

On a similar note...My oldest daughter has a degree in electrical engineering from U of MD and she is gainfully employed with a well paying job, but her BF has a masters in some sort of sub specialty of communications from NYU and and he is the "chief technician" for some dinky little company doing sound measurements for cars, his job is to stick microphones and find rattles in cars. The dude spent 6 years studying something that is only useable if you get a job with some politico. And he decided that he does not like it

. Go figure.

My other daughter who is studying at Mass Art to become and industrial designer, works at nights as a bartender, any time someone answers the question "and, what is that you do for a living", with the "well it is complicated" She responds with, " lemme guess you have a degree in communications" Yeah...

the third daughter is studying music composition...go figure.

go figure

dee
;-D

72bwhite · Mar 1, 2016

a good plumber makes better money then most of those basket weaving grads who end up in retail

new_guy · Mar 1, 2016

That takes the Cake

Maybe we as people should focus on using our brains instead of trying to be smart

Jashley73 · Mar 1, 2016

dcsipo said:
the third daughter is studying music composition...go figure.

I was 3-weeks away from going to college on a really good scholarship for music-composition. At the time, I realized I could be a high-school band director and be overworked & underpaid, or I could be a starving-artist "composer" wanting to be famous.

I'd say I did pretty well going the Machinist route. My current & upcoming salaries are nothing to sneeze at.

But then again, when I turn on the radio sometimes and hear the crap that people listen to, I start to wonder... :scratchchin:

swamp dweller · Mar 1, 2016

I've been working in the machine trades since age 15, and have done very well for myself.Always worked the overtime, never laid off. I own my own home, have a hunting/fish camp in upstate New York, and own 4 houses that I rent. 2 are rented to college graduates that are making less than $30,000 a year and 1 other has a college grad in it that has a gross income of $38,000/yr. but that includes $800.00/month child support. I don't understand the mindset of it being necessary to be college educated. That's part of the reason there are very few young people in the trade. I keep putting off retirement because the company I work for can't find any body to take my job.

Escorted a customer out of my shop today.

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