nbsp; Which landed the packaging problem back Stateside. The marketing guy, Brian, and I have essentially told Ruth we would take a day off and pack at least the initial few thousand items here. Then he did something I truly have to admire, because I have no artistic eye – he noticed that the correct size of container matched a Chinese food take-out box. I threw my full support behind it as an idea that should be taken to its logical limits. A novel box for a novel product. At half the price. [Later, so you know, the PVC boxes were between 50 and 60 cents each, the takeout boxes are 28 cents.]
Then, the database produced a report that some of the items had been double-ordered. The impact was just under $1,000 but it shows a trap if I don’t close it up right away. It had to do with different sizes and prices appearing after the orders were placed. It is duly noted that this problem would have slipped right by, so it is thus the first “pure” problem solved by the database. That is a little misleading, because many other problems were warded off well in advance. The database is miles ahead of anything they have at the factory [in Indonesia]. The decision was to leave the [duplicate] orders as is to avoid any confusion.
Dickens called and he wants to get out of Dodge for the weekend. So I’ll be minding the store this Saturday. Good, I need a VCR and he’s got several. I mentioned the $98 security camera, since the higher priced items appearing on the racks have proven too tempting for some of our customers. Mind you, I have to hook up a computer early that same morning. Before I forget, some blonde babe on a cell-phone driving a brand new white Jag cut me off this morning. Yeah, I know what she looked like, but my point is that never happened to me when I lived in Hialeah.
Never get directions from Jay-Jay. He’ll tell you the ballpark is “next to the Sanitation Department”, like I came to town and memorized such locations. I got there after asking for directions four times, only to get reminded that the game is not any more entertaining to me than it was when I was eight. Ho-hum, although I guess it is exciting if you are the one person in the vicinity who hits a home-run. The rest of it, I never could identify with. Junior league baseball. Even the parents did not show.
So I went over to Archives, the used book coffee shop. Except it is not there any more. It has gone the way of all things in Florida that have any intellectual component. There is an antique furniture store in the premises. I went to Borders on Sunrise and spent a few hours browsing. Some religion group was holding a Bible reading in the Northwest corner. I said hello to two pretty gals but they were not quite responsive (or pretty) enough to press my case.
Before I forget, I’ve been getting regular responses from the “Sportsgoof”. This is the dude who does not strum guitar, but used to. That is probably good enough for me. I sent him the blurb and song list, with a plea to reconsider the offer. It was too obvious he felt he had to be an expert guitarist, when in fact too much guitar is a career-limiting move (CLM) around me. I even listened to KISS, a local radio channel with a steady diet of modern country music. Cannot tell the tunes apart, no matter how hard I try.
Sportsgoof sent me a picture, he looks like a slimmed down Eddie Albert [the bad actor from “Green Acres”]. Unlike the G, this one has a great sense of humor. He is also adaptable, another big difference. I place him at around 45, although he could be older than the picture. His choice of words shows education and he knows after 40, you only stay in this business if it is fun. The G does not even realize his musical career peaked long ago, and he is now circling the drain.
I’ll give Sportsgoof the benefit of the doubt. Since he called about something different the first time, I am not suspicious of ulterior motives. Also, he sent me some music as attachments, which is a skill too many “musicians” have not yet mastered. I’ll download his picture and give you a version of it shortly. You have already figured out that JP did not make it out here y’day. Too bad, the Internet rentals have already paid for over half the TV he sold me and the cash is sitting here.
