Summer Job Chronicles: A Trek Across Greater Mobile
Well, I hope I am not disappointing my regular readers by posting this one so (relatively) soon after my last post. I know most do not expect this blog for a good year or so, but I like to keep things interesting. This is going to be more of a life update than a true Spencer Blog, but my life is like a sit com, so in light of that, let me tell you about my summer.
So my 6th and final year at SDS was finally wrapping up. I'm gonna miss all my kids, but it was time for this chapter in my life to end and a new one to begin. School was out in two weeks, so it was time to find me a summer job. If you wait to late, it gets really difficult to get a good job before all the high school kids do. So I started searching the paper and I kept my ear to the ground looking for a good paying job with regular hours. I found one in the paper advertising $500/wk. That's good money, so off I go.
I interview for the position and get the job. All I know is that I'll be selling vacuums. I could handle that because I was told that I wouldnt have to make my own appointments and that it was very easy to get the necessary amount. They knock on doors and you just show up and do the demo. So, okay, I'm selling vacuums. I do a week of training and I'm good to go.
Day One: Memorial Day
Yes. Memorial Day. This was my first day of work. After an early morning clinic and pep rally ("We are...."....."POSITIVE!!!!") it was off to Amberly in a big green van with 6 other men. Sounds like fun. After begging an old lady to let us in her home, I go in to "observe" a demo. ("Observe" is code for "waste my time.") She doesn't buy (it is a $2000 vacuum), and we get back in the van. At this point, the manager realizes that his financing company isn't open today. Why you ask? BECAUSE IT'S MEMORIAL DAY!!! So we have wasted 6 hours driving around attempting to make sales that could not be approved. Yay for day one.
Day Two: Tuesday 8:30 am
I arrive back at the office bright and early, geared up for another hour long sales meeting/pep rally. ("Out with the negative...." ... "...in with the positive!!!") Then we load up in the big green van. "Where does our adventure take us today?" I couldn't help but wonder. The answer, my friends, was "the middle of nowhere." In fact, we took that lovely road to nowhere, Snow Road. We were so far out that DustOn's house looked like an urban metropolis. So here we go again, knocking on doors. I get in at the house of a nice lady and do a good demo, but of course she can't buy it (it is a $2000 vacuum). I then drive around in the van for 4 hours before I get in another demo. I do another fine demo but they don't buy it because....everybody now..."It is a $2000 vacuum!" I believe I also heard the phrase, "Well the IRS is already telling me I shouldn't buy anything else. I don't know if I can afford to finance it." Well, I'd say that that was a pretty good indicator as to how that sales call went. So back in the van I go--0 for 3. We head home and I get back at 8:45. Yes, a 12 hour work day for which I received no pay. Yay for day two!
Day Three: Wednesday 8:30 am
This was shaping up to be my final day. It became quite apparent that I was not going to reach my necessary appointment goal of 15 per week as they were not getting me in enough houses. This meant that I would be on commission, and 10% of $0 in sales is, of course, $0. So I'm not a quitter. I'm gonna stick it out and make this work. Hmm...bad decision. So we have our pep rally and chants and load up the big green van. It was extra roomy today because one of the other new guys opted not to return. Smart guy. Oh well...one more day. Maybe I'll make a sale and get some money. That would be nice. So, where to today oh wise and wonderful manager? We hop in good ole highway 43 and drive north...and further north....through Mt. Vernon, through Sunflower, through McIntosh...we were up there. And now we began our quest to sell what??...$2000 VACUUMS!!! So we drive up and down dirt roads (no lie) and knock on trailer doors (seriously) in hopes that we could find someone to buy a vacuum. I could not take it anymore. And yet I had no way home, so I had to simply deal with it. I got in one demo and worked an 11 hour day. That's a lot of driving around in a van. Yay for day three!! (Luckily the last day of my vacuum selling career...)
Day Four: Thursday
So the job hunt begins again. I just wasted three days of my life, but that's behind me now. Not everybody will lie to you, right? There are good companies out there. So in good faith, I opened up tot he classifieds and see "$350/wk- Sales and warehouse positions." Okay, so the sales made me a bit hesitant, but I told the lady I called that I wanted the warehouse position. She says that's fine and that I shoudl come on in. Great. I'm there. I meet the manager and he says," Well, sales is a part of our business, so no matter what position you want, we're gonna show you a little of that." I'm thinking that I want to stay away from sales, but if it's a minimal part of this job, I can handle it. I'm told to show up the next day to shadow a current employee and see if I like it. Here goes nothing. Yay for day four!
Day Five: Friday
So I show up at work not knowing what to expect. I get thrown in a minivan with an ex-con named Camille (no lie) and a high school drop-out whose name I have since forgot. Off we go to Saraland. So here is how this works. Camille takes goods from the warehouse (cheap drills, cheap knives, and cheap toys), goes to Saraland, walks from business to business, and peddles his wares. He stops people in parking lots. He goes in restaurants and antagonizes customers. He ignores no soliciting signs because he "Doesn't want you to miss out on these deals." Wow, what a fun and enlightening way to spend 9 hours of my life. So, by my fourth day in sales, I was now selling out of the back of a van. I feel dirty. I quit. Yay for day five!
Life Lessons Learned
A $2000 dollar vacuum is not a purchase, it is an investment.
Selling anything out of the back of a van is not what I want to do.
While there are very few dragons in sales, there are a lot of ex-felons.
I hope you have taken away at least these valuable lessons. Do not let yourself be lied to and do not lie to yourself. The money isn't worth it. I'm going to feel awful when I cash my $0 check for 60 hours of work this week. Yay for sales!!
So my 6th and final year at SDS was finally wrapping up. I'm gonna miss all my kids, but it was time for this chapter in my life to end and a new one to begin. School was out in two weeks, so it was time to find me a summer job. If you wait to late, it gets really difficult to get a good job before all the high school kids do. So I started searching the paper and I kept my ear to the ground looking for a good paying job with regular hours. I found one in the paper advertising $500/wk. That's good money, so off I go.
I interview for the position and get the job. All I know is that I'll be selling vacuums. I could handle that because I was told that I wouldnt have to make my own appointments and that it was very easy to get the necessary amount. They knock on doors and you just show up and do the demo. So, okay, I'm selling vacuums. I do a week of training and I'm good to go.
Day One: Memorial Day
Yes. Memorial Day. This was my first day of work. After an early morning clinic and pep rally ("We are...."....."POSITIVE!!!!") it was off to Amberly in a big green van with 6 other men. Sounds like fun. After begging an old lady to let us in her home, I go in to "observe" a demo. ("Observe" is code for "waste my time.") She doesn't buy (it is a $2000 vacuum), and we get back in the van. At this point, the manager realizes that his financing company isn't open today. Why you ask? BECAUSE IT'S MEMORIAL DAY!!! So we have wasted 6 hours driving around attempting to make sales that could not be approved. Yay for day one.
Day Two: Tuesday 8:30 am
I arrive back at the office bright and early, geared up for another hour long sales meeting/pep rally. ("Out with the negative...." ... "...in with the positive!!!") Then we load up in the big green van. "Where does our adventure take us today?" I couldn't help but wonder. The answer, my friends, was "the middle of nowhere." In fact, we took that lovely road to nowhere, Snow Road. We were so far out that DustOn's house looked like an urban metropolis. So here we go again, knocking on doors. I get in at the house of a nice lady and do a good demo, but of course she can't buy it (it is a $2000 vacuum). I then drive around in the van for 4 hours before I get in another demo. I do another fine demo but they don't buy it because....everybody now..."It is a $2000 vacuum!" I believe I also heard the phrase, "Well the IRS is already telling me I shouldn't buy anything else. I don't know if I can afford to finance it." Well, I'd say that that was a pretty good indicator as to how that sales call went. So back in the van I go--0 for 3. We head home and I get back at 8:45. Yes, a 12 hour work day for which I received no pay. Yay for day two!
Day Three: Wednesday 8:30 am
This was shaping up to be my final day. It became quite apparent that I was not going to reach my necessary appointment goal of 15 per week as they were not getting me in enough houses. This meant that I would be on commission, and 10% of $0 in sales is, of course, $0. So I'm not a quitter. I'm gonna stick it out and make this work. Hmm...bad decision. So we have our pep rally and chants and load up the big green van. It was extra roomy today because one of the other new guys opted not to return. Smart guy. Oh well...one more day. Maybe I'll make a sale and get some money. That would be nice. So, where to today oh wise and wonderful manager? We hop in good ole highway 43 and drive north...and further north....through Mt. Vernon, through Sunflower, through McIntosh...we were up there. And now we began our quest to sell what??...$2000 VACUUMS!!! So we drive up and down dirt roads (no lie) and knock on trailer doors (seriously) in hopes that we could find someone to buy a vacuum. I could not take it anymore. And yet I had no way home, so I had to simply deal with it. I got in one demo and worked an 11 hour day. That's a lot of driving around in a van. Yay for day three!! (Luckily the last day of my vacuum selling career...)
Day Four: Thursday
So the job hunt begins again. I just wasted three days of my life, but that's behind me now. Not everybody will lie to you, right? There are good companies out there. So in good faith, I opened up tot he classifieds and see "$350/wk- Sales and warehouse positions." Okay, so the sales made me a bit hesitant, but I told the lady I called that I wanted the warehouse position. She says that's fine and that I shoudl come on in. Great. I'm there. I meet the manager and he says," Well, sales is a part of our business, so no matter what position you want, we're gonna show you a little of that." I'm thinking that I want to stay away from sales, but if it's a minimal part of this job, I can handle it. I'm told to show up the next day to shadow a current employee and see if I like it. Here goes nothing. Yay for day four!
Day Five: Friday
So I show up at work not knowing what to expect. I get thrown in a minivan with an ex-con named Camille (no lie) and a high school drop-out whose name I have since forgot. Off we go to Saraland. So here is how this works. Camille takes goods from the warehouse (cheap drills, cheap knives, and cheap toys), goes to Saraland, walks from business to business, and peddles his wares. He stops people in parking lots. He goes in restaurants and antagonizes customers. He ignores no soliciting signs because he "Doesn't want you to miss out on these deals." Wow, what a fun and enlightening way to spend 9 hours of my life. So, by my fourth day in sales, I was now selling out of the back of a van. I feel dirty. I quit. Yay for day five!
Life Lessons Learned
A $2000 dollar vacuum is not a purchase, it is an investment.
Selling anything out of the back of a van is not what I want to do.
While there are very few dragons in sales, there are a lot of ex-felons.
I hope you have taken away at least these valuable lessons. Do not let yourself be lied to and do not lie to yourself. The money isn't worth it. I'm going to feel awful when I cash my $0 check for 60 hours of work this week. Yay for sales!!
