Stories from the Sales Frontlines

abacomike

what business was your family in?

The business was started by my father's father in 1923. They opened a women's lingerie and clothing store. They expanded by the 1970's into 12 stores, mostly petite junior shops, and slowly got out of the lingerie and corsette business. My Dad retired when he was 52 and moved down here with Mom.

All of the stores were in Queens and Northern and Central New Jersey.

oldfarmer50

"...I guess you meant "tricks"..."

Yes indeed I did. The wife's I-pad hates me and has a nasty habit of putting it's own words in place of mine to make me look like a crazy or a drunk. The truth is I am usually neither.

I fixed the word in my OP and the dang I-pad tried to put in "trucks" again so I know I'm not crazy.

imidazol97

>Statue...

Keep in mind the 'Football Jesus' original was hit by lightning and burned. So the new statue is a different image and is standing above the pool. The rumor locally is that the lightning was trying to hit the Larry Flyntt "Hollywood" store of exotica about a mile from the church.

nyccarguy

You had to go there Craig? September 2012 AL east pennant race is as exciting as ever. Yankees are only 1/2 game up on Baltimore. They have been decimated by injuries this year. Many of the injuries have come to their "big money" guys: Sabathia, Teixeria, Rodriguez, Rivera. Jeter has been carrying the team all year with his .323 BA. Different guys have been stepping up. Kiroda would probably have 20 wins if they'd give him some run support. Ibañez has been insanely productive. Soriano has been killing it as our closer. Ichiro is batting .321 as a Yankee.

driver100

If not that, for all of the plugs they've gotten in here, they ought to at least pick up a few months dues

They should at least pay for a nice ad over on the right side.

Seems like we could have another topic too; Fast Food Chains We Do Have and Ones We Don't Have But Want.

abacomike

...so I know I'm not crazy...

I know you don't want to put that comment up for a vote here on our forum site! The did that to me a day or two ago and I confessed that I was, in fact, nuts!

In terms of customers trying to hide things on me as the appraiser, not really. Customers just tend to "deny" things like a repaints on a quarter panel, "...you're kidding me - someone actually reprinted my right rear quarter panel and it shows up on my CARFAX? I'll kill my son for keeping that from me!"

Or, I might get, "...you mean to tell me that there was a paint job done on the rear end? We never had that done - maybe it was a bad paint job done at the Lexus plant in Japan or the painted it before we bought it and they never told me!"

So denial was the primary rationale for blemishes or dents or repaints. If someone was trying to hide something, they would bring the trade in filty, not beautifully cleaned and polished.

imidazol97

>Boeing 747

But they launched 747's back in the old days when a buddy and I visited my sister in Ft. L. and sat under the runway on the sideroad between it and Highway 1 while aircraft took off hopefully lifting and going over out heads. Tremendous roar. Thrilling but dangerous is the aircraft didn't quite make it. I think that was the same visit where we were able to go up into the control tower and watch while they directed aircraft. They showed us the planes coming on over the outer marker on the 090 runway.

Don't they have a 045 runway for takeoffs that is long and new since that time?

abacomike

don't the have an 045 runway...

No they don 't. The only runways the have are 9L/27R(main runway) 9R/27L(for small private planes like Cessna and Pipers, etc) or 12/31(auxiliary runway used when main runway is not available - shorter than the main runway). They cannot get wide bodied jets into FLL. The largest jet they fly in and out I'd the Boeing 757, an extended 737 long range plane. They used to fly L-1011's in and out of there (Lockheed) but that didn't need the longer runway. They can't get a 747-200 or bigger 300/400's there - runway is too short. FedEx flies the old DC10's in there but they are the more powerful ones (later models before Boeing took over Douglas/McDonnell).

What they really want in there are the 767's and 777's and the A330's and A340/350's. runways are too short to handle them for takeoffs. They can land because you can stop those big planes fast - it's the take offs that the runway can't handle.

fezo

stores in north and central Jersey? What was teh name? I might have seen them around. I spent teh first 30 years of my life in North Jersey.

fezo

I think it's Tampa that has a chunk of the tarmac that runs on an overpass over a highway. It's pretty disconcerting just driving under a big plane that is just taxiing to the gate. I can't imagine an actual takeoff or landing.

abacomike

I spent the first 30 years of my life in North Jersey

Jaye's Specialty Shop (Jersey City) Anne's Specialty Shop (Union City), Can Can Shop (West Orange) and there was one in Cranford, but I forgot the name of that one. Then there was Connie's (Flushing), Tops and Togs (Woodside) and the rest of the names escape me, sorry. It was a long time ago.

How would you remember the names of women's clothing shops? Is there something you have been hiding from us?

abacomike

I think it's Tampa that has a chunk...

Kennedy has a taxiway that runs over an interstate, LAX has one also as does DFW and ORD (Chicago Ohare). But I don't know of any with a runway several stories high. Should be interesting!

abacomike

...045 runway...

To follow up, there is no such thing as an 045 runway. Here are some examples of runways and what they mean (L is left and R is right - some airports have two runways side by side, so one might be 25R and the other 25L):

Runway 4 at LaGuardia is a runway that takes off toward 40 degrees, or ENE
25L is a runway that takes off toward 250 degrees or WSW
1L is the left runway that takes off toward 10 degrees, or NNE

There can't be a runway 45 because that would be 450 degrees, and there is no direction that is 450 degrees. Runway 36 would head toward 360 degrees, or due North.

I hope you understand how runways are named now - in the direction of takeoff x 10. Runway 23 heads toward 230 degrees, or WSW. Hope thishelps.

abacomike

chains we do have and chains we don't...

There are only two that we don't have that I'd give almost anything to have:

A White Castle around the corner from me
An In 'n' Out Burger around the corner from me in the opposite direction of the White Castle. We can get White Castles (sliders) frozen at super markets, but it's just not the same. The White Castles I remember we're soggy, loaded with minced onions and as greasy as a skillet in an old Greek restaurant.

In 'n' Outs (double doubles and triple triples) are greasy, big, tasty and about 1000 calories each, but worth ever bit of the calories because of the taste.

Ahhhhh, my kingdom for a White Castle on the corner!

nyccarguy

HA! Can Can Shop? THAT'S HYSTERICAL! I LOVE IT!

Btw Mike - I upgraded to the new OS on my iPhone 4. The browser is so much quicker!

stickguy

is new to me, but quite the experience. Not sure I will need one, but just doing some leg work, in case.

not many online with nothing down (I like the zero down, sign and drive deals!), so most are right around $1,999 +/- $200. So, not a huge amount to come up with.

but given the very similar up front cost, you get a wide variety of car. Same drive off, and $10 different a month or so to drive an Altima or Camry, instead of say a Versa or strippo cruz!

mako1a

I spent the first 30 years of my life in North Jersey.

I spent 2 1/2 years in Bayonne and it felt like 30 years. (couldn't resist)

mako1a

soggy, loaded with minced onions and as greasy as a skillet in an old Greek restaurant.

Mike, I know you have Krystals there. They're all over FL. Sliders similar to WC.

I kind of liked Whataburger in Texas. Hey, you're making me hungry. Did you do that on purpose?

abacomike

Mike, I know you have Krystal's there...

Honestly, I've never heard of Krystal's. Besides, nothing beats the taste of a White Castle hamburger/cheeseburger with all those minced onions and that soggy bottom - good grief, I gaining weight just thinking about them.

abacomike

Mike, I upgraded to the new iOS on my iPhone 4...

I didn't know you could on the iPhone 4, I thought it only worked on the 4S because of the upgrades to Siri. Yes, everything works better and faster.

The reason I am answering the posts at 3:30 AM is because we're getting severe thunderstorms right now which woke me up. Gotta love Florida in the summer - rain, lightning and thunder every day. Lake Okeechobee, the big Lake just west of Palm Beach, is 3' above normal depth because of all the rain we've had this summer. For the past 4 years it's been below normal due to severe drought here, but not any more.

tjc78

but given the very similar up front cost, you get a wide variety of car. Same drive off, and $10 different a month or so to drive an Altima or Camry, instead of say a Versa or strippo cruz!

Probably the best cheap leases are in the midsizers when they are on promo (IE.... low money factor). Base model Camry and Altima (maybe not now with the redo) should be do-able for 200ish with under 1K down.

My Stepbro got one of those Camry leases a year or two ago. He put 2K down and his payment is something silly like 149 or something like that. I told him to put nothing down but no-one listens to me.

isellhondas

There is something unexciting about the Yankees going to the World Series....yawn...

Of course Ichiro would wake up once he was traded. He was on a steady decline here and left with a batting average in the mid 200's.

Pretty typical.

stickguy

same thing with Ibanez. Last year with the Phillies, he was practically a corpse. Totally shot. But now he is a productive hitter helping to carry the team?

I no not like the Yankees. But at least they aren't the Phillies!

jmonroe

I'm throwing my guess into the pot here:

Mrs. Jmonroe isn't thrilled with her outback & decides to give it to Jmonroe jr. Mrs J gets a new ride & Jmonroe rids himself of his beloved Genesis & sheds himself of the Hyundai brand he now loathes

What are you, a fly on the wallpaper in our house or what? :confuse:

Last night Mrs. j said, “you know, it’s a shame that we don’t need a car, or we could give junior our car and get another one but we don’t need a car and don’t you dare take this as an excuse for getting me another car. I like my car just fine although I know you’re kinda indifferent about it”. Let me explain, the Legacy is an alright car but it’s not a car that I would buy for myself although I am warming up about it. It has a lot more pep than I thought it had (must be broken in now with 4200 miles), but then again that’s why it had to be a 6 cylinder. Otherwise I’d be in agony every time I drove it.

As for the Genny, I’m not in any hurry to get rid of it. While I won’t get another one for the reason you mentioned, it’s still a pretty darn nice ride. Now I’m going to bring the car gods down on me. It has almost 45K miles so it’s past the dreaded 43K mile blowup point that got the XG350.

With what’s been going on in my family with cars in the last year, if that doesn’t bring about some kind of a major problem for me, nothing will.

Update on Son #2’s car:

He won’t be going with a yard engine. He also doesn’t like taking that gamble so he’s going to detail it this weekend and see if he can sell it as is. He says it should go for around $4200 easily (’05 Mazda 6, 4 door V6 with 102K miles and blown engine). Personally, I think he’s in need of some good drugs but I’ve been wrong before. I say if he gets $3800 he should grab it maybe even $3500. He and his brother are scouring the ads for a replacement used thing as I post. Probably going to be a Honda or Toyota of some type.

jmonroe

jmonroe

Lake Okeechobee, the big Lake just west of Palm Beach, is 3' above normal depth because of all the rain we've had this summer. For the past 4 years it's been below normal due to severe drought here, but not any more.

It’s all or nothing with you guys. My Delray Beach brother has told me the same thing about that big lake.

I think we’ll be joining my younger brother and his wife when they go to visit him in early November. We will be going into Ft. Lauderdale via Spirit if we go. If I see a diamond white 2013 MB, I’ll toot to ya.

jmonroe

fezo

Personally, I think he’s in need of some good drugs but I’ve been wrong before.

Sounds to me like he's got some fine drugs going right now.

Mike - there were a lot of small chains and of course one had mom and grandma. However you were covering the wrong towns.

Where I grew up was NW Jersey. Hilly and pretty place to live. Unfortunately they discovered the factory in town had been dumping mercury, lead, benzine and a host of other such things into the lake I spent my first 10 years in. It's why I went through what I've been going through.

Also unfortunately, despite this they are still building like mad in that area - just not that town.

abacomike

Dad and I were up to Towne Center for our daily walk this morning and low and behold, Brahman Motors was pulling in two additional cars into the main entrance of the Towne Center in addition to the Bentley Convertible and Rolls Royce Ghost.

The first one was a Bentley Mulsanne Sedan (or something like that name) at $345,000 (bigger and wider than the standard Bentley Sedan) in a beige/cream white. The second one was a white Rolls Royce Phantom at $425,000. Good gosh, I stood admiring them in a mesmerized state - Dad had to poke me a few times to get me out of that trance I was in.

They sure were beautiful. If there is anywhere in Southeast Florida where you want to attract buyers for cars like that, it is definitely Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Palm Beach and Wellington (South Palm Beach County Cities/Towns). That's where all the money is. You'd have to include Jupiter as well, just north of Palm Beach, where all the athletes/golfers/football players, etc., live. They now how 4 cars on display - but my favorite of course is still the Rolls Royce Ghost - not because it is the least expensive of the Rolls Royce vehicles, but because it is just the right size, width and good looks.

I get chills even as I sit keyboarding here in front of the PC - jmonroe was right - my loins can't take it anymore!

abacomike

lol.....you are right....

I checked the information system this morning while driving up to Boca Raton on the Turnpike and it showed 355 days to "A" Service. So, it seems it went back to days, at least for a short time. Then, we stopped off for gas and then went to Target to get a few things, then to the AT&T store. When I got back into the Mercedes after that, the system showed 9600 miles. So, it finally dawned on me why it is fluctuating back and forth between miles and days.

When the car is cruising on the highway at 65 mph, and the engine is in a steady rpm range, eventually the sensors tell the computer, "...hey, if he keeps this type of driving up, we can go a full year until the next service, so change to miles back to days..." Then, when I start doing lots of stop and go driving, like I did this morning after I got off the Turnpike, the sensors tell the computer, "...he, if he keeps this type of driving up, we'll never make it to 355 days, so change the days back to miles..." which it did.

So it is obvious that the Mercedes system diagnostics use a sophisticated sensing system, much like BMW, to determine when or in how many miles a service needs to be done.

abacomike

Mike - there were a lot of small chains and of course some had mom and grandma. However you were covering the wrong towns.

I guess I owe you an apology. So, here it comes, "...fezo, I want to apologize sincerely for covering the wrong towns where my family owned businesses - just let me know which towns you want me to cover, and I'll cover those in my next post. OK?..."

chuckle, chuckle, chuckle

jmonroe

I get chills even as I sit keyboarding here in front of the PC - jmonroe was right - my loins can't take it anymore!

Damn, you’re such an easy read. Let me update that thing about your need for an oil change. Hell, you might dump the MB before it needs another gas tank fill up. :sick:

jmonroe

abacomike

Where I grew up was NW Jersey

If I am not mistaken, that would include Sussex, Port Jervis, Easton, etc. Am I right. You were probably not too far from Allentown/Bethlehem PA. Every time I think of Allentown/Bethlehem (I used to live in NE PA) I think of that song by Billy Joel, "Allentown". That was one of his very best ones. The words were right on target as to what really happened in that area where there were huge coal mines and steel mills. All gone now.

fezo

We were in Pompton Lakes (the contaminated town) and Butler. My mom taught in Sussex for a little before enlisting in the Navy during the war. (The Navy said they'd let her finish out the school year and then reneged - not the only thing they reneged on.)

We were maybe 20 miles south of Sussex, 32 miles south of Port Jervis.

Not only is Allentown one of the the best things Billy Joel ever did (and dead on accurate) but the album that it's on (The Nylon Curtain) is a masterpiece.

abacomike

Damn, you're such an easy read

Ya think, *jmonroe!

To be quite frank, there is no car out there with the exception of the RR Ghost that I would be interested in, and believe me when I tell you there is no way I could afford a car like that - not just for the purchase price, but also the insurance, maintenance, and the anxiety it would generate every time I would have to park somewhere. That, in itself, would give me the heeby-jeebies. Can you imagine trying to find a parking spot adjacent to a mall that you would feel at ease about - that no one would open a door into your Rolls or run a key down the side because they were jealous of the 3% (Obama's line) who have money? I don't think so.

The answer to that would be a "car sitter" (something like a baby sitter) that would go wherever you went (sitting in the back seat of course) and when you parked the Rolls, the "car sitter" would take the car to the farthest empty place on the grounds and wait for you cell phone call to him to pick you up at the entrance. So, added to cost, maintenance and insurance (not to mention the tons of gas you would burn with that 500 horsepower engine), you have the car sitter now to pay.

Like I said, as much as I would love to own one, there is no way I could come up with the money to buy it and keep it - even if I moved myself into it, I couldn't afford it.

So much for dreams!

stickguy

one of my childhood friends now lives in Ringwood, backing up to some mountain/nature area/reservoir deal. Very country, with bears wandering through the yard, stuff like that.

I go up through there a lot on the way to NY (206 through Princeton/Hillsborough, then 287 up to the NY turnpike). Pretty area.

gogiboy

"Used to be no Sonics around here. Now we're thick with them."

Fezo--

The first Sonic (1957)--or at least the first one to bear the Sonic name, logo and sign is in my current hometown. People use them all winter long--at least in my neck of the woods, whereas my beloved A & Ws are a mere shell of what they were in the 60s. The drive-in in my birth city disappeared sometime around 1980 and even before that it would shut down annually on Labor Day. The proprietors were like driver and would head to FL for the fall, winter and spring returning in time for Memorial Day. There is still an A & W drive-in in the next community over, but I don't believe I have seen a single drive-in in my current state of residence. Instead they have gone into a shared building with other fast food franchisees. Just not the same without the frosty mug. It also used to be a strictly summertime treat to get the root beer before it was mass produced and sold everywhere like other carbonated beverages.

I also miss Big Boy (also a drive-in in the early years) and Bill Knapps (which only the forum members from Southern Mich, NW Ohio and NE Indiana will remember). None of the food was healthy, but no one knew any better.

Gogiboy

Kirstie_H

is in BIG trouble :mad:
They closed all of them on the western side of Missouri, so the nearest one is 100 miles away. When I used to live in St. Louis, I had one less than 2 miles away. I try not to think about how much I miss WC.

jmonroe

The answer to that would be a "car sitter"

So, added to cost, maintenance and insurance (not to mention the tons of gas you would burn with that 500 horsepower engine), you have the car sitter now to pay.

Hey, I think I have an answer for that “sitter” part, although you’re on your own for the rest of the Rolls ownership stuff. Our poster buddy ‘fez’ is on the mend (we all give thanks for that) so I’m sure he wouldn’t mind showing up when it gets colder in Jersey. I’ll bet he’d come down just to show off and act like a chauffeur and do that “sitter” stuff for you. However, while you’re in the mall you might not be able to trust him to always take it to the far edge of the mall parking lot and wait for your call. I think he’d go a little further, like the Florida Turnpike, to check out the 500 HP. :surprise:

jmonroe

abacomike

IS IN BIG TROUBLE...

Sorry, Kristie, but that was my very favorite place to stop off on my way home from work when I lived in NY. I had one right on the corner of Queens Blvd. and 43rd St. You could smell those "sliders" from a block away. I couldn't resist them. They used to have a slogan, "...buy 'em by the sack...", don't know if they still use that slogan. I have to settle for second best - I buy them frozen here in FL and then microwave them. Not the same, believe me.

I used to pay 12 cents a piece for them, no I pay $4.16 for a 6-pack of them. I never added ketchup or mustard or anything, loved them plain with extra onions - but ohhhhhhh, those minced onions. They grilled them 48 at a time, and the longer they sat there in that grease, the better they tasted.

When I went in to buy 8 or 10 of them, and they had two grills going at the same time, I always asked for the ones in the grill that was almost empty because I knew they had fermented a real long time there and that is when they were at their best - "fermented" if you know what I mean.

Now, I don't even know if there are any in the State of Florida - I've never seen one anywhere around here, and I would travel to Tampa or Naples to get some.

abacomike

Hey, I think I have an answer for that "sitter" part...

I'd trust *fezo anytime with my car - it's "you" I wouldn't trust, You'd be gone in a flash if you had those keys and I'd never see you again.

Tell him *fez - am I right or am I right?

tjc78

Good stuff, but IMHO Five Guys is the Chik Fil A of burgers. The burger is good, but there is something about the fries.

Expensive, though. We went the other day and it was $24 for two cheesburgers, two fries, two drinks.

I can go to a good 'ol NJ diner for not much more.

Heading out in a few to get the marriage license. Three weeks from today for dooms day!

abacomike

Good stuff, but IMHO, Five Guys...

I never claimed that White Castles are the best or even close to the best hamburgers I've ever had - THEY JUST TASTE GREAT!

I love "In 'n' Out Burgers", "Carl's Jrs.", "MacDonalds" and many other hamburgers, but WHITE CASTLES just smell and taste "awful-ly" good! What can I say!

driver100

Well, I took the 535 in at 9 a.m.for the $180 oil change. I was armed with 2 newspapers and my book, because they told me it would take 90 minutes, including time to wash it inside and out.

It actually took about 105 minutes, but they told me they did a complimentary 30 point inspection. Apparently the tires are wearing unevenly so it needs a 4 wheel alignment for $250 and wiper blades $140, but not urgent.

They gave me the keys and asked if I would give them a good report when BMW does a survey. I said, yes 100%. Then I said wasn't I supposed to pay for this. They said, no the oil change was free under the warranty.

My wife and I can go our for the dinner with the $180 I saved. Of course it will cost me $400 for blades and an alignment.

Thanks again JMonroe for spurring me on (I think that is the right use of the phrase).

driver100

. Same drive off, and $10 different a month or so to drive an Altima or Camry, instead of say a Versa or strippo cruz!

Stick, keep in mind with leasing you are really paying for the difference. You are paying the difference between what the car is worth when you buy it and what it is worth when you trade it in, plus finance charges, and a profit for the dealer.

Because you are paying the difference you may pay more to lease a car with a very high depreciation rate. To get the best bang for your buck, lease popular cars with a high resale value. It is true, you can lease a much better car for only $20 or $30 a month.

jmonroe

Heading out in a few to get the marriage license. Three weeks from today for dooms day!

Cheer up. You gotta think positive. That’ll be one of your best days.

jmonroe

fezo

Tell him *fez - am I right or am I right?

Oh, you're absolutely right! You may be a bit concerned having a one eyed chauffeur but what the hey....

White Castles are funny you either really like them or don't at all. It killed me maybe 15 or so years back. They built a nice, new White Castle right here in town. Several years later they closed it up. It turned into a Stewart's Root Beer place which was pretty good but no car hops. They closed it up and now it is a Japanese restaurant. It's been that for a long time so maybe it's going to stay that way.

stick - that stretch up there was way better before they decided to put 287 though there. There was a lake that is now townhouses and another one that is now a bunch of box stores.

jmonroe

Apparently the tires are wearing unevenly so it needs a 4 wheel alignment for $250 and wiper blades $140, but not urgent.

Then I said wasn't I supposed to pay for this. They said, no the oil change was free under the warranty.

My wife and I can go our for the dinner with the $180 I saved. Of course it will cost me $400 for blades and an alignment.

There’s always a catch.

Tell me, if I give you $180 will you give me $400? :surprise:

jmonroe

stickguy

$250 is outrageous for an alignment. And $140 for some wiper inserts is criminal.

I thought that wipers though were part of the free maintenance, along with brakes? Volvo at least covers everything (except tires) for 5 years. And I think it includes alignment

abacomike

Well I took the 535 in at 9:00 AM...

Remember I told you that my BMW dealer said that they change the oil once a year or 12,000 miles, whichever comes first? They said that it was up to the dealer to determine when the oil should be changed.

So you got your oil change, but ended up having a 4 wheel alignment done because of uneven wear on your tires. To need an alignment after 10 months of ownership is very odd! Do you make it a habit of hitting curbs or going over deep potholes? You may have needed an alignment when you first got the car.

So you ended up spending big bucks anyway! Don't you rotate your tires? That would help with wear. I can't rotate mine because the fronts are a different size from the rears.

Well, at least your mind is at ease and we won't talk about oil changes for you until next year. Congratulations!

fezo

More route 287 for stick.

I particularly like the "Your Highway Taxes at Work" sign. Goes well with a neglected road.

houdini1

Kirstie, either Sam's or Costco (wife buys them so I don't know which) has them frozen. You can buy a box of 10 or 20 of the things. All you do is pop one in the microwave for about a minute and you are good to go. They taste great to me, just like the regular ones.

PS- She says Sam's or Wal Mart.