Stories from the Sales Frontlines

fezo

"I'll have to look up that term...never heard 'crop' used that way."

Make sure that you use a Southern dictionary honey.

Bless your heart.

roadburner

Alabama Shakes is great! I had heard of them but that's the first clip I've seen.
One of my all-time favorite bands is a Chicago power pop trio called Material issue. The songwriter/lead guitar/lead vocalist was a guy named Jim Ellison. He could write some really catchy hooks and lyrics. Sadly, he committed suicide in 1996. These two live clips from 1992 demonstrate what a great band MI was:

What Girls Want

Valerie Loves Me

abacomike

I'm sitting here at home watching an HD TV with 400+ channel cable and can't find a darn thing worth watching. I even went to ON DEMAND for Showtime, HBO, ENCORE as well as free and pay-for movies. If I want to spend $5.99 to watch a movie on a cable network that I already pay over $100 a month for, I could. But I won't pay another dime to my cable company. I've seen the worthwhile free movies and all the TV first run shows for the week. But to sit here with access to that much stuff and not be able to find anything except SciFi channel's first run movie about meteorites destroying San Francisco is very frustrating. MY KINGDOM FOR SOMETHING DECENT TO WATCH!

UNBELIEVABLE!

imidazol97

Are there any old time TV shows in reruns? I like the Golden Girls with their wry humor and timing, I Love Lucy, Andy of Mayberry shows, etc.

But I have basic cable and because I hate my cable company which I won't name but has a hyphen in its name I won't upgrade to digital. Just cable. And other than the old TV shows, Fox News, and HGTV, I could live with the over-the-air digital TV we can receive on the other 2 TVs.

Now if there were an Edmunds channel...

abacomike

Now if there were an Edmunds channel...

Imidizol, I could also go to a movie, but at $9.00 for a ticket and $20.00 or so for a large buttered popcorn bucket and a diet Coke, I could put 6-7 gallons of gas in the car. That is what most people are thinking right now - go buy something for enjoyment or put gas in the tank. This is exactly what is going to put us into a deep recession along with all the other economic pressures on us. Something better happen to solve this upcoming mess before it's too late.

driver100

Make sure that you use a Southern dictionary honey.
Bless your heart.

And crop my grits honey child.

I know, a poor imitation.............................

abacomike

I know, a poor imitation.............................

*driver, is it at warm up in Tampa as it is here? We hit 86 degrees today with a forecast of near 90 degrees for tomorrow. Boy, this sure has been the warmest winter I can remember. I wore jeans 2 days since the beginning of December - shorts every other day. Been running the AC every day and night except for 6 or 7 days.

driver100

We hit 86 degrees today with a forecast of near 90 degrees for tomorrow.

Mike, the Tampa area was 80 today and 81 forecast for tomorrow. We have been here for a few weeks in Nov and Dec, all of January and most of Feb, and it has been over 75 about 95% of the time, and has rained about 3X.

Temperature was 80 today and I went for a swim in th pool which is set at 86.

Back home, near Toronto, it has been around 30 most of the time, with a few inches of snow here and there.

This is the best way to spend a winter though......this is the life.

roadburner

I could also go to a movie, but at $9.00 for a ticket and $20.00 or so for a large buttered popcorn bucket and a diet Coke, I could put 6-7 gallons of gas in the car.

It's not only that, but people are so rude at the movies nowadays- and on top of that, the sound in most theaters is not as good as that of my cheap and dirty 5.1 system in the basement, never mind my main 7.1 system. My son even decided to wait until The Avengers was released on Blu-ray so he could hear the soundtrack the way it was meant to be heard...

fezo

You Florida dweller need to shut up about the weather..... :P

40 and raining here.

sterlingdog

LOL!

Richard

sterlingdog

We also watch Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best, Dragnet, Adam 12, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, Sanford & Son, All in the Family, The Jeffersons, Good Times, and Alfred Hitchcock. They're better than network TV and I can understand what they say and what they mean.

I'm with Mike. We've got 500 channels and nothing to watch---with the exception of a couple of old movie channels. The problem is that I've seen the old movies at least a dozen times. :sick:

Richard

sterlingdog

I know what you mean. Going to a movie can cost a fortune. We microwave two bags of popcorn, take two bottles of Pepsi Zero, and put it all into an old large handbag that my wife no longer uses. We then buy the matinee tickets for $5 and away we go. I know it sounds cheap, but I'm not paying $20 for popcorn and a soda. :mad:

Richard

sterlingdog

Is it me or is the sound in theatres much louder than it used to be? I may be old but I'm not stone deaf!

Richard

riley3

I've been a lurker for years but only one post.
This subject of test drives gave me an excuse to post..
Count me in that 20% of buyers without a test drive. I have ordered several cars over the years before they were available in the show room. I worked for a major corp that supposedly arranged with local dealers to sell at employee discount. I would research a car through magazines, then consult NADA pricing books to get retail and invoice pricing. I would then meet with a dealer fleet manager to write up the order. No trades. I paid invoice plus $75 if I remember correctly. Bought an '84 Buick Riviera, '87 Buick Estate Wagon, and '97 Buick Ultra that way. Buicks have always had a good soft ride which I like. They kept producing the same car over and over so I researched and ordered a 2005 Toyota Avalon the same way. Love it.

[Deleted User]

MASH is my all-time favorite show and I still watch it today. Brilliant humor and character development along with a magical cast. I still recall the empty feeling I had at 10 years old when Blake was killed on the flight home.

venture

Is it me or is the sound in theatres much louder than it used to be?

Yes. I think it has to be to drown out everyone talking during the movie.

The last time my wife and I went to a movie there were two guys right behind us talking. After a while I had enough and stood up, turned around and said, "Would you two shut up? We are trying to hear the movie". I figured they were either going to be quiet or I was going to get beat up. Luckily they clammed up.

roadburner

Is it me or is the sound in theatres much louder than it used to be? I may be old but I'm not stone deaf!

Well, more than a few theaters try to substitute volume for sound quality. And even when the electronics and speakers are decent they are often poorly balanced and/or equalized.

Having said all that, the Dolby and THX reference level for theaters(home and public) is 85 decibels(dB). For a frame of reference, busy city traffic measures 85dB, and you can listen to that volume level for 8 hours without endangering your hearing. The decibel scale is also logarithmic, so an increase of 3 dB effectively doubles the volume. I listen to my main system at a 80-85 dB level when I'm watching a movie- especially a film with lots of low frequency energy(LFE) in the soundtrack.

Now, if you want to talk LOUD, The Who(126 dB at the Valley stadium in London, 1976) held the world record for the loudest concert for quite some time, but KISS is currently regarded to be the loudest band, having been measured at 136 dB(!) at a concert in Ottawa in 2009. I saw them in 1976(the Destroyer tour) and my ears were still ringing when I woke up the next morning- and I wasn't sitting all that close to the stage.

Perhaps there will someday be a band like Disaster Area, from Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy books; that band was so loud that "regular concert goers judged that the best sound balance was usually to be heard from within large concrete bunkers some thirty-seven miles away from the stage." :P

sterlingdog

I knew that I asked the right person, whether I understood a word of it or not.

I also think about those teens whose car speakers must be turned up to 150 dB. If they are in the lane beside me, even MY car vibrates.

Richard

sterlingdog

Welcome! We're glad that you posted and hope that you will do more of it. I used to drive the big Buicks as well. They drove well and were very comfortable. I also had one of those Buick Estate Wagons---white with the wood siding and the blue velvet interior. What a monster that car was!

I'm beginning to think that the 20% figure for non-test drivers may very well be realistic.

Richard

sterlingdog

"...they clammed up."

Good for you!

Richard

sterlingdog

I know how you felt. The night that Edith Bunker died on All in the Family, I sat there and cried like a baby. I don't think that I ever missed even one episode. When she died, I knew that the series was finished.

Richard

explorerx4

That's why you buy the Mercedes. When you can't find your car in a parking lot, you can walk around looking like you are reading emails, even though your just a lost as the other people.

explorerx4

40 and raining, and we're happy to have it!
Here, they are still trucking the snow from 2 weeks ago off the streets.

tjc78

It's not only that, but people are so rude at the movies nowadays- and on top of that, the sound in most theaters is not as good as that of my cheap and dirty 5.1 system in the basement, never mind my main 7.1 system. My son even decided to wait until The Avengers was released on Blu-ray so he could hear the soundtrack the way it was meant to be heard...

I couldn't agree more. The last time we went to a movie I couldn't believe the way people acted. I love my cell phone, but I'm more than capable of putting it away for two hours.

The sound in the theater near me is pretty good, but certainly a little harsh. I know they play it louder than 85db.

I love having a nice home theater at home, we can spread out crank it up and pause it if we want to. Whenever people watch a movie at our house they always walk away impressed. I love the looks on their faces when the first big explosion happens and the whole house shakes.

driver100

You Florida dweller need to shut up about the weather.....

Sorry, I thought talking about warmth and sunshine would make you feel better.

Maybe this will, a cold front moves in the middle of the week and temperatures are going to get very cold, only a high of 59 next Sunday. BRRRRRRRR

abacomike

That's why you buy the Mercedes. When you can't find your car in a parking lot, you can walk around looking like you are reading emails, even though your just a lost as the other people.

Never thought of it that way! Now I have another reason to buy Mercedes vehicles - I use a smartphone to look smarter, but in actuality, I'm just as dumb as the next guy! Just another Pilgrim looking for a lost car in the mall parking lot!

driver100

We then buy the matinee tickets for $5 and away we go. I know it sounds cheap, but I'm not paying $20 for popcorn and a soda.

No wonder they don't make movies for us old folks...they can't make any money at the concession stand from us!

What's that...don't mess with us seniors!

bwia

For a frame of reference, busy city traffic measures 85dB,

Very good explanation roadburner. And may I add, normal conversation is about 60 - 65dB. By comparison our new dishwasher runs at 44dB. That is what I call whisper quiet.

For those who mentioned the heat in Florida count your lucky blessings. In July I will be attending a wedding in Jamaica and if I remember correctly that is when the weather is caliente hot.

abacomike

...Maybe this will, a cold front moves in the middle of the week and temperatures are going to get very cold, only a high of 59 next Sunday. BRRRRRRRR

Up in Tampa it will be cold - down here in Ft. Lauderdale, it will drop into the 70's a few days later - Tuesday I believe.

Most of the year-round inhabitants wear jackets and sweaters when the temperatures go into the low 70's. to me, 70's is perfect!

driver100

I would then meet with a dealer fleet manager to write up the order. No trades. I paid invoice plus $75 if I remember correctly.

Welcome aboard, always nice to have a new poster. I worked for a large company too that had a fleet of a few thousand cars and they paid $75 over invoice. They would find some obscure dealer who needed to make their quota for the month, and buy the car there.

Whenever I picked up my new car they just got me to sign papers and get out of the dealership as soon as possible, they weren't making any money on me.

One year the US guys got these 1979 Buicks....I hesitate to say ugly in case someone owned one.


Cars were more expensive in Canada, so the company got the Canadians cheaper Malibus which were actually much nicer looking;


One guy who got the Buick said his was really ugly, his was moss green with brown interior.

But, if I was buying a car I would want to try it out. I like to know what the seating position is like, what the vision is like, how the car handles. If you don't need to know that that is great, but, I am in the 80% who need a test drive. I guess it depends on how important these things are...isell doesn't care what make or color his car is.">

driver100

the Dolby and THX reference level for theaters(home and public) is 85 decibels(dB). For a frame of reference, busy city traffic measures 85dB,

I have read that kids who play in a rock band will be deaf when they are older unless they wear earplugs. Probably the same with playing a radio loud in a car.

At that point it is not pleasureable....sound becomes painful at a certain point, and loud music can be as loud as standing in front of a jet engine.

abacomike

For those who mentioned the heat in Florida count your lucky blessings. In July I will be attending a wedding in Jamaica and if I remember correctly that is when the weather is caliente hot.

Depends where you are in Jamaica. If in the Kingston area (southern part of the island, there is always a nice southern breeze off the ocean. If you will be in the northern part of the island over the mountains, it can get much hotter there. I prefer the northern part of the island though because it is not as densely populated.

Too bad the wedding is in July instead of now! Weather down here has been the warmest I can remember for this time of year.

During the summer, the west coast of Florida is usually 5-7 degrees warmer than the southeast coast. Our winters are a bit warmer than the west coast because of the prevailing winds. In summer, prevailing winds are easterlies - in winter, they tend to be northwesterly to north or even westerly. That's the reason for the slight differences in climate on the peninsula.

driver100

Most of the year-round inhabitants wear jackets and sweaters when the temperatures go into the low 70's. to me, 70's is perfect!

I laugh at that here too...the tennis people wear gloves, long pants, and jackets when the temp is in the 60s.

To me it is the ideal temp...feels like I am playing in an air conditioned building.

And, people in lineups at the store are all complaining about how freezing cold it is. If they only knew.....................

houdini1

I guess it is just me getting old, but at home watching tv, I can hear just fine as far as volume is concerned, but I can't understand what is being said in many cases. My wife has the same problem to a lesser degree.

Some programs are fine but some are not. I have heard that the new super thin led tv's have poor sound quality...maybe a sound bar would help? Any ideas?

houdini1

We also had one of those gigantic Buick Estate Wagons. We bought it used in 1979 but I am not sure of the model year. It was a great car but it was simply huge.

We kept it for about a year then sold it to a really nice Mexican family who wanted to use it to travel back and forth from KC to Mexico. I remember they had several kids and the father could not have been much over 5' tall. He really looked proud driving that thing away.

fezo

Sorry, I thought talking about warmth and sunshine would make you feel better.

:P

sterlingdog

"...but I can't understand what is being said in many cases."

My wife and I have noticed the same thing. I don't think that it is the TV set. We have no trouble hearing or understanding old movies or old TV reruns. I especially notice it in movies made in the 90's. I don't know if it's actors dropping their voices at certain points or if it is the movie sound quality itself. We also seem to notice it more on the Encore network which shows a lot of movies. Strange. I don't think that it is the cable service, though Time Warner is beginning to get on my left nerve. Before we moved back home, we had Dish which we thought was terrible, couldn't wait to get back to Time Warner. Well, they did something while we were gone for five years---and it wasn't good.

Richard

roadburner

I also think about those teens whose car speakers must be turned up to 150 dB. If they are in the lane beside me, even MY car vibrates.

Those kids are running huge subwoofers(very low frequency speakers) with a lot of amplifier power- one of my friends said that those kid's eardrums must have been turned into leather...

bwia

The sound in the theater near me is pretty good, but certainly a little harsh. I know they play it louder than 85db.

I was just reading a car magazine and they mentioned that noise levels are better measured in "Sones" than dB. Looked up sone in Wikipedia but unfortunately I did not understand a word of it.

Anyone care to explain sone in non-technical jargon?

roadburner

I love the looks on their faces when the first big explosion happens and the whole house shakes.

Me too!!!

roadburner

I have read that kids who play in a rock band will be deaf when they are older unless they wear earplugs. Probably the same with playing a radio loud in a car.

Pretty much. The Who's Pete Townsend has severe tinnitus(ringing in the ear)- due in large part to an explosion at the end of their act on the old Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. Keith Moon's drum kit WAS supposed to explode, but Moon paid the stage hands extra to add more explosives. You can watch it in the video below(it's a real hoot). The explosion even caught Townsend's hair on fire- you can see him putting it out right before he smashes Tommy Smothers' guitar:

My Generation

venture

I read somewhere recently that the theatres don't make any money on ticket sales - the people who make and distribute the movies take it all. They have to make their profit on concessions.

It sounds hard to believe, but who knows?

isellhondas

That's true.

A close friend of mine managed a theatre on Maui and that's exactly the case according to him. ALL of the profits come from the concessions.

What I despise are the 20 minutes of previews and advertisements we are forced to sit through. It used to be two or three previews but now it's six or more!

kyfdx

1) I have the same problem with hearing dialogue on TV... got a new LED, but haven't hooked up the soundbar, yet... .as we still need a proper stand.. (of course, I can't hear the wife while I'm reading the newspaper, either..) Hopefully, the soundbar will help some.

2) I also went to see The Who in Louisville. They are my favorite group.. but, I didn't love the concert... it was just okay for me, but 2/3 of it was Quadrophenia, which is not one of my favorite albums.. Vintage Trouble was good... but, I felt like they would have been better in a blues club, than in a 20K seat arena.... I did have decent seats, though..

3) Rush... I'm a little old to be one of their original fans... but, I've always liked their music, and my teenager loves them... So, we went to Columbus to see them in September.. One of the best concerts that I've seen... definitely not a nostalgia tour.. I liked it so much, that I bought two tickets to see them at Riverbend in Cincinnati.. (better seats, this time). GG.. sales to the general public start Monday for that show.

4) Rudeness... I haven't had much trouble at concerts... plus, the music is loud enough that talking isn't a problem. But, the movies? It's terrible.... we almost never go. I love seeing it on the big screen, and I can live with the prices.... but, my fellow movie-goers suck...

robr2

No wonder they don't make movies for us old folks...they can't make any money at the concession stand from us!

Actually they make nothing off you.

The numbers vary but the distributor typically gets 95% of the box office for 2 weeks, 90% for the next week and 85% for the 4th week. After that, the theater can negotiate to keep showing the movie and get a bigger cut of the box office.

The film is considered a loss leader to get you in the door to buy popcorn, nachos and soda.

oldfarmer50

"...Hate my cable company which I won't name...I won't upgrade to digital..."

I love it when I hear my words coming out of someone else's mouth. I tossed that same cable company's HD sales rep out on his ear because I told him I wouldn't upgrade until they fixed the fuzzy reception I was getting. Took them 7 months to get around to fixing all the issues at the house only to tell me that their wires on the poles were all worn out and were the real problem. Had I gone to HD I would have been paying extra for the same poor quality. Needless to say I don't have HD either. :lemon:

abacomike

No wonder they don't make movies for us old folks...they can't make any money at the concession stand from us!

Speak for yourself, *driver, I loved those Harry Potter movies, Star Trek movies, Star Wars movies, Batman movies, to name a few. I guess I'm just a kid at heart!

As for the concession stand, movies just wouldn't be the same without those large buckets of movie popcorn w/butter and those huge Diet Cokes. Sure, I could bring my own popcorn, but honestly, is there anything better tasting than movie popcorn?

oldfarmer50

"...my ears were still ringing the next morning..."

When we were still young I snagged some prime seats to a Beach Boys concert at SPAC, fourth row center, if I recall. We were happy to have prime seats for the first time in our lives.

The noise level was HORRENDOUS! I hadn't ever felt actual pain in my ears from noise before. We suffered through a few songs and then gave up and left. I was sure my ears were bleeding.

That may be why movie sound is so loud, the kids are all deaf already.

gogiboy

"They are 84 now, which means they were born in 1929. So, he would have been able to go to war near the end of the war, but I don't think he actually fought in WWII."

Driver--

My father is the same age and he was 16 on VE Day and roughly 16 1/2 on VJ day. Unless the Brits were drafting men that young at the end of the war (and they may have been) he would have been ineligible. My dad's brother was 4 years older and he was indeed drafted.

Gogiboy