Neal on wed 26 nov 08
Actually, the check came yesterday. I sold my pots at a
craft sale at the N.C. State University Craft Center on
Saturday. One woman picked out two small pots. She asked
if I could take American Express or would she have to
use her MasterCard. I explained I did not take charge
cards.
As she was about to put the two pots back, I thought
about the earlier conversation here about trusting
people to mail checks. I told her she could mail me a
check. She took my card with the info about how much
she owed me. I wrote down her name, address, and phone
number at the total to keep for me. She kept her word
and mailed the check that day.
Not making that small sale would not have kept me from
having a good day. But I'm glad I took the small risk
to trust someone. (It's only clay, after all--I broke
four pots at my last sale when a box fell off my
handtruck.)
I have sold pots on the promise to pay me later, but
previously only to people I know.
Neal O'Briant
Raleigh, N.C.
Paul Herman on fri 28 nov 08
Neal,
I've done that for years, and can't remember any instance when the
customer didn't send the check. My customers seem to be a really
trustworthy bunch. It makes a lot of difference to get just a few
extra sales. I don't take plastic either, but credit cards seems to
falling out of fashion lately anyway.
Today I was taking a nap on the couch and heard the dogs barking, then
after a while a regular customer came up the hill, gave me a payment
for a few pots and said he'd packed his own stuff, and had to guess
the price on one pot. I trust him completely, and vice versa I think.
He also left me a bag of mandarin oranges and a bag of apples and
pears from the orchard across the street from his house in
Placerville. Those mandarins are truly delicious.
Life is good!
Paul Herman
Great Basin Pottery
Doyle, California US
www.greatbasinpottery.com/
On Nov 26, 2008, at 3:13 PM, Neal wrote:
> Actually, the check came yesterday. I sold my pots at a
> craft sale at the N.C. State University Craft Center on
> Saturday. One woman picked out two small pots. She asked
> if I could take American Express or would she have to
> use her MasterCard. I explained I did not take charge
> cards.
>
> As she was about to put the two pots back, I thought
> about the earlier conversation here about trusting
> people to mail checks. I told her she could mail me a
> check. She took my card with the info about how much
> she owed me. I wrote down her name, address, and phone
> number at the total to keep for me. She kept her word
> and mailed the check that day.
>
> Not making that small sale would not have kept me from
> having a good day. But I'm glad I took the small risk
> to trust someone. (It's only clay, after all--I broke
> four pots at my last sale when a box fell off my
> handtruck.)
>
> I have sold pots on the promise to pay me later, but
> previously only to people I know.
>
> Neal O'Briant
> Raleigh, N.C.
Lee Love on sat 29 nov 08
On Fri, Nov 28, 2008 at 8:33 PM, Paul Herman wrote:
> Neal,
>
> I've done that for years, and can't remember any instance when the
> customer didn't send the check. My customers seem to be a really
> trustworthy bunch. It makes a lot of difference to get just a few
> extra sales. I don't take plastic either, but credit cards seems to
> falling out of fashion lately anyway.
It is my experience too. People who love useful/beautiful things
tend to be honest.
I have mentioned my teacher trusting a visitor to send him a check
for over $10,000.00 after telling the visitor he didn't take credit
cards.
This visitor bought pots from my teacher when he was a young
sailor stationed at Yokohama. He brought photos of the pots and my
teacher was tickled to learn about the connection.
--
Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://togeika.multiply.com/journal
"Myth is cultural DNA, the software, the unconscious information, the
program that governs the way we see 'reality.'" --Sam Keen
"People that deny their myth and think they only act 'rationally',
are simply living an unconscious life." -- Clay Mudman
| |
|
