Many days after school I would walk home, but I would stop many days at the store before going on home.
This way I got to spend some "special time" with my dad and get some money for a snack before walking on home.
Every evening whenever I went to the store after school, my dad would ask me how school was that day. Some days he would be sitting at a floor model dinette table with a factory sales representative who was trying to sell him some new merchandise. I believe sometimes he was looking for a way to get out of being hassled to buy more than he wanted to buy from them and by talking to me it broke the tension. I would always take this time to ask for a quarter so I could buy a coke and some candy to eat on my way home.
The Sales Representative would usually give me fifty cents and sometimes a dollar just so he could get back to making a sale. I loved this because I usually got more than my dad would ever give me.
I would take the money and go quickly to Charlie Beard's Grocery just around the corner from the store and get me some candy and a coke and then get a coke for my dad and the Sales Rep. before continuing my walk home.
I guess the moral to this story was: You never know what you'll get until you ask.
Palmer Waters
Monday, August 4, 2014
The Sofa In Question
We had a customer who purchased a naugahyde living room group. It was a beautiful sectional set and it looked great in their living room.
Several months after they purchased the sofa, the lady of the house called and said that she had a problem with the front of the sofa just below the arm. She said that the material was separating and that she was afraid that it would soon tear open.
I went out and looked at the sofa and just like she had said on the phone, the material was separating. It looked like an animal had scratched it but she said that she didn't have a cat or a dog. I said I would call the factory and then get back with her.
When I called the factory and explained the problem they said that they would remake a new sofa and exchange it with the one with the problem. I relayed this to our customer and she was very happy and said that she would wait to hear from us when it came in.
Several weeks later I called her and let her know that her new sofa was in and when would be a convenient time to exchange it and she said, Come out tomorrow before noon. We went the next morning and exchanged it and everyone was happy once again.
About three months later another call from the same customer, with the same problem on the same area on the new sofa. I said that I would call the manufacturer and see what they would do about it this time.
After talking with the manufacturer, I relayed the answer to our customer. The said that they would replace it again, but when they had ran a test on the other sofa they had found animal hairs imbedded in the Naugahyde and that some animal was tearing the material.
We delivered the third sofa to our customer when the third sofa came in. We had the customer sign and agreement where this would be the last sofa that the manufacturer would replace because of the finding of animal fibers.
A few months later my dad was walking down the sidewalk to the bank when he passed our customer and her son walking up the street. On her son's shoulder was a pet monkey. My dad just nodded and said, "Good Morning," as he walked on to the bank.
When he came back to the store he told us about the monkey and we all had a good laugh. Then my dad said, we just didn't ask the right questions.
I think we all learned a lesson that day.
Several months after they purchased the sofa, the lady of the house called and said that she had a problem with the front of the sofa just below the arm. She said that the material was separating and that she was afraid that it would soon tear open.
I went out and looked at the sofa and just like she had said on the phone, the material was separating. It looked like an animal had scratched it but she said that she didn't have a cat or a dog. I said I would call the factory and then get back with her.
When I called the factory and explained the problem they said that they would remake a new sofa and exchange it with the one with the problem. I relayed this to our customer and she was very happy and said that she would wait to hear from us when it came in.
Several weeks later I called her and let her know that her new sofa was in and when would be a convenient time to exchange it and she said, Come out tomorrow before noon. We went the next morning and exchanged it and everyone was happy once again.
About three months later another call from the same customer, with the same problem on the same area on the new sofa. I said that I would call the manufacturer and see what they would do about it this time.
After talking with the manufacturer, I relayed the answer to our customer. The said that they would replace it again, but when they had ran a test on the other sofa they had found animal hairs imbedded in the Naugahyde and that some animal was tearing the material.
We delivered the third sofa to our customer when the third sofa came in. We had the customer sign and agreement where this would be the last sofa that the manufacturer would replace because of the finding of animal fibers.
A few months later my dad was walking down the sidewalk to the bank when he passed our customer and her son walking up the street. On her son's shoulder was a pet monkey. My dad just nodded and said, "Good Morning," as he walked on to the bank.
When he came back to the store he told us about the monkey and we all had a good laugh. Then my dad said, we just didn't ask the right questions.
I think we all learned a lesson that day.
Saturday, August 2, 2014
Pay Up Or Give It Up
There are many hats that you wear when you work for a family business. Some of the jobs you do are simple and some are complex, but each job has to be completed so that you thrive and prosper.
We went to some of our customers homes and collected their payments on the weekend (Saturday) as well as early morning and evenings. Some customers worked during the day and we made it easier for them to pay by coming to them to collect their payments.
I enjoyed meeting the same customers every month and talking with them. You would hear some amazing stories as well as excuses as to why they didn't have their money.
This was easy compared to repossessing the merchandise when they would get behind several months on their payments.
One particular story is on my mind today;
It was a Monday and my cousin (Doug W.) and I went to this customers house to either get all of the back payments or the merchandise. The ladies car was in the yard near the back door and you could smell lunch cooking on the stove as we walked up to the front door. Doug knocked several times on the door and then hollered is any body home, there was no answer.
Doug looked over at me and said, "would your mother leave the house with the front door open and the screen door unlocked and food cooking on the stove." I laughed and said, "no, but then thought about my mother leaving things on the stove cooking when we went to Sunday service." Then he said, "but it's lunch time and I know someone is at home, so he opened the door and walked over to the sofa that was in the living room and pulled it out from the wall and there was the lady of the house hiding behind it." Then Doug said to her, "Are you just resting, or hiding." Then he turned to me and said, "grab the other end and we will put this on the truck and then get the stove and we can be on our way." I looked at him and said, but she has lunch cooking on the stove." He said, but we have orders to get the sofa and chair and the stove and refrigerator and unless they pay the back payments we will have to take it with us. The lady came up with two of the payments and promised to have the other payment on Friday of that week.
We took the two payments and let her know that we would be back Friday for the other payment or the merchandise, and when we knocked that she needed to answer the door.
I went back on Friday and she had the payment and also the payment for the next month as well. I was glad that we didn't have to take back their merchandise.
P. Waters
We went to some of our customers homes and collected their payments on the weekend (Saturday) as well as early morning and evenings. Some customers worked during the day and we made it easier for them to pay by coming to them to collect their payments.
I enjoyed meeting the same customers every month and talking with them. You would hear some amazing stories as well as excuses as to why they didn't have their money.
This was easy compared to repossessing the merchandise when they would get behind several months on their payments.
One particular story is on my mind today;
It was a Monday and my cousin (Doug W.) and I went to this customers house to either get all of the back payments or the merchandise. The ladies car was in the yard near the back door and you could smell lunch cooking on the stove as we walked up to the front door. Doug knocked several times on the door and then hollered is any body home, there was no answer.
Doug looked over at me and said, "would your mother leave the house with the front door open and the screen door unlocked and food cooking on the stove." I laughed and said, "no, but then thought about my mother leaving things on the stove cooking when we went to Sunday service." Then he said, "but it's lunch time and I know someone is at home, so he opened the door and walked over to the sofa that was in the living room and pulled it out from the wall and there was the lady of the house hiding behind it." Then Doug said to her, "Are you just resting, or hiding." Then he turned to me and said, "grab the other end and we will put this on the truck and then get the stove and we can be on our way." I looked at him and said, but she has lunch cooking on the stove." He said, but we have orders to get the sofa and chair and the stove and refrigerator and unless they pay the back payments we will have to take it with us. The lady came up with two of the payments and promised to have the other payment on Friday of that week.
We took the two payments and let her know that we would be back Friday for the other payment or the merchandise, and when we knocked that she needed to answer the door.
I went back on Friday and she had the payment and also the payment for the next month as well. I was glad that we didn't have to take back their merchandise.
P. Waters
Monday, July 28, 2014
The Reel To Reel Taping Machine
I remember as if it were yesterday the first reel to reel tape machine or tape recorder that we had for sale. They had just come out in a desk top model and my dad purchased one for a floor model, so customers could see and hear it operate and he would purchase one for them if they wanted to purchase one.
We kids had so much fun using it; we would record our customers and then play it back to them so that they could hear how their voice sounded on tape.
We had two customers that could really sing, as they had sung for us before we ever got the recording machine. We couldn't wait until they came in to pay on their bill so that we could get a recording of them.
The first person was E. Chandler, who with a great manager could have been a great singer. She had a great voice and she could yodel as well. My dad was the only one that she would sing for so when she came in we had set the machine under the counter and we got my dad to ask her to sing one of his favorite songs.
After she heard herself singing she wanted to purchase the recording machine. My dad explained that this one was a floor model but he would pick her one up when he went back to Atlanta.
She was the first person in our town to own a reel to reel recorder.
The other customer lived out in Banks County and she only came into town on the first of the month. Ms. Rucker sang in her church and she would put so much feeling in her singing that it seemed like you could see and feel the words that she sang. We wondered if the recorder could record it as well as she could sing. Well we would just have to wait and see when she came in.
The first of the month finally came around and sure enough like clock work she came in to pay on her bill. After she had made her payment my dad asked her to sing us one of her favorite songs. She sand to us "Standing On The Promises" and it surely sounded great. When we played it back to her she exclaimed that if she ever heard that sound in the dark that she would run for cover.
It really didn't sound bad, it was just the first time that she had ever heard her own voice after it was recorded.
We tried to sell her one but she said, chile I ain't got no electricity, I thought you kids knew that. We then remembered that she had just purchased the month before a wood burning kitchen range that she cooked on and it had a tank for keeping her water hot as well.
We kids had so much fun using it; we would record our customers and then play it back to them so that they could hear how their voice sounded on tape.
We had two customers that could really sing, as they had sung for us before we ever got the recording machine. We couldn't wait until they came in to pay on their bill so that we could get a recording of them.
The first person was E. Chandler, who with a great manager could have been a great singer. She had a great voice and she could yodel as well. My dad was the only one that she would sing for so when she came in we had set the machine under the counter and we got my dad to ask her to sing one of his favorite songs.
After she heard herself singing she wanted to purchase the recording machine. My dad explained that this one was a floor model but he would pick her one up when he went back to Atlanta.
She was the first person in our town to own a reel to reel recorder.
The other customer lived out in Banks County and she only came into town on the first of the month. Ms. Rucker sang in her church and she would put so much feeling in her singing that it seemed like you could see and feel the words that she sang. We wondered if the recorder could record it as well as she could sing. Well we would just have to wait and see when she came in.
The first of the month finally came around and sure enough like clock work she came in to pay on her bill. After she had made her payment my dad asked her to sing us one of her favorite songs. She sand to us "Standing On The Promises" and it surely sounded great. When we played it back to her she exclaimed that if she ever heard that sound in the dark that she would run for cover.
It really didn't sound bad, it was just the first time that she had ever heard her own voice after it was recorded.
We tried to sell her one but she said, chile I ain't got no electricity, I thought you kids knew that. We then remembered that she had just purchased the month before a wood burning kitchen range that she cooked on and it had a tank for keeping her water hot as well.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Happy Father's Day
I would like to remember my dad and all of my Uncles who have passed on. I know that we all miss them and have many questions that will never be answered. I know for myself that I wished I had asked more family questions and listened to more of his stories growing up.
Happy Father's Day to all of the P.Y. Waters Descendents Dads.
Monday, June 2, 2014
My Chest Freezer Is Full Of Ice
In the early days of the 1960's, appliance manufactures were putting ice makers in to refrigerator freezers.
As this started to catch on and you didn't have to make your own ice or buy it from an ice plant.
We sold a many Norge and Hotpoint refrigerators with an ice maker. Then the manufacturer said were putting it in the freezer of our refrigerators, why not put them in our chest freezers. They would mount it over the hump in the freezer just above the compressor.
We purchased a one to show to our customers and if they wanted more we could get one for them.
Chest freezers sold great twice in a year. The first time was when people were putting in their gardens and wanted a place to store their vegetables for the winter. The second best time was in the fall when they killed and butchered their hogs. They would purchase it in time to make sure it was really frozen inside for that meat of the hog to be put in.
Well, we sold the chest freezer that we had to a family over in Bank's County. We delivered it and took their old freezer in for trade. The old freezer had sat so long in it place on the screened in porch that when we lifted it up to move it to replace it with the new one the bottom was so rusty it started coming apart.
I asked the family if they could use the old freezer in their barn to store feed in, and if they wanted it we would move it to their barn for them. Otherwise we were just going to take it to the city dump for trash.
We swept the porch and then brought in the new freezer and plugged it it so it would start to get cold. We removed all of the shipping cardboard and tape that held the baskets in place while delivering it. We then ran a copper tubing line to their nearest cold water line and then hooked the line to the freezer ice maker.
I explained to the lady of the home that the baskets could be used for things that she may use everyday, so that she didn't have to rummage around in the freezer looking for these items. I also explained that the large white plastic bin was to stay under the ice maker to catch the ice as it was made. I also let her know that it they used a lot of ice she could take it out of the plastic bin and put it in a plastic bag and store it in the freezer for later use.
When I finished showing her all about her new freezer, I asked her did she have any questions. As their were none we loaded up the blankets into the truck and went back to the store.
A few days later the husband of the chest freezer with the ice maker called and said that they had a freezer full of ice and that they thought that it was frost free. I said yes that it was, but had they been lifting the lid several times a day getting ice out. He said that they had, and they had even given some to their neighbors.
I told him to put some in a bag and put it in your freezer in the refrigerator and that that would not make moisture build up ice on the freezer and it wouldn't have to be opened as often.
A few days later the wife of the family called and said, "I have half of my freezer full of ice and when we kill the hogs we want have any room for the meat."
I said that if it was alright that we would come out a little later and check it out for her.
When we got there and opened the freezer, what a sight to behold. The freezer had been making ice as fast as it could and her freezer was half full of ice cubes. I laughed and said, You have your own little ice plant going on here. Where is the plastic bin that goes under the ice maker? The man said what plastic bin? It was then that I also noticed that the wire baskets were missing as well. I then asked the man if his wife was here, and she said she and the kids are down yonder in the garden picking vegetables.
I excused myself and asked him where was the garden located, that I needed to speak with his wife. When I went around the barn there was the wife and the kids busy picking fresh vegetables in the garden. The kids were carrying the vegetables that they were picking in the wire baskets. I spoke with the kids and said it sure looks like you have been busy this morning. Yeah, these wire baskets sure come in handy carrying it all back to the house. Then I saw the wife and she was picking some tomatoes and in the middle of the row was the large plastic ice bin with fresh tomatoes in it. I don't know how I kept from busting out laughing but somehow I did.
I said, Martha, "remember me telling you that when the ice maker makes ice it will drop it in this plastic bin and when it gets full the metal arm will shut off the ice maker and it will not make more ice until you take some out of the bin." I remember you telling me that but the kids took the baskets out and were using them as well as this bin and I never gave what you said another thought.
We put the bin back in the freezer and explained again to the whole family why it needed to stay there and they knew what would happen it it was removed.
We left with a happy customer once again.
Later that evening I took her a spare ice maker bin that we had in parts and gave it to her so that she could use this one in the garden and the other one could stay in the freezer.
As this started to catch on and you didn't have to make your own ice or buy it from an ice plant.
We sold a many Norge and Hotpoint refrigerators with an ice maker. Then the manufacturer said were putting it in the freezer of our refrigerators, why not put them in our chest freezers. They would mount it over the hump in the freezer just above the compressor.
We purchased a one to show to our customers and if they wanted more we could get one for them.
Chest freezers sold great twice in a year. The first time was when people were putting in their gardens and wanted a place to store their vegetables for the winter. The second best time was in the fall when they killed and butchered their hogs. They would purchase it in time to make sure it was really frozen inside for that meat of the hog to be put in.
Well, we sold the chest freezer that we had to a family over in Bank's County. We delivered it and took their old freezer in for trade. The old freezer had sat so long in it place on the screened in porch that when we lifted it up to move it to replace it with the new one the bottom was so rusty it started coming apart.
I asked the family if they could use the old freezer in their barn to store feed in, and if they wanted it we would move it to their barn for them. Otherwise we were just going to take it to the city dump for trash.
We swept the porch and then brought in the new freezer and plugged it it so it would start to get cold. We removed all of the shipping cardboard and tape that held the baskets in place while delivering it. We then ran a copper tubing line to their nearest cold water line and then hooked the line to the freezer ice maker.
I explained to the lady of the home that the baskets could be used for things that she may use everyday, so that she didn't have to rummage around in the freezer looking for these items. I also explained that the large white plastic bin was to stay under the ice maker to catch the ice as it was made. I also let her know that it they used a lot of ice she could take it out of the plastic bin and put it in a plastic bag and store it in the freezer for later use.
When I finished showing her all about her new freezer, I asked her did she have any questions. As their were none we loaded up the blankets into the truck and went back to the store.
A few days later the husband of the chest freezer with the ice maker called and said that they had a freezer full of ice and that they thought that it was frost free. I said yes that it was, but had they been lifting the lid several times a day getting ice out. He said that they had, and they had even given some to their neighbors.
I told him to put some in a bag and put it in your freezer in the refrigerator and that that would not make moisture build up ice on the freezer and it wouldn't have to be opened as often.
A few days later the wife of the family called and said, "I have half of my freezer full of ice and when we kill the hogs we want have any room for the meat."
I said that if it was alright that we would come out a little later and check it out for her.
When we got there and opened the freezer, what a sight to behold. The freezer had been making ice as fast as it could and her freezer was half full of ice cubes. I laughed and said, You have your own little ice plant going on here. Where is the plastic bin that goes under the ice maker? The man said what plastic bin? It was then that I also noticed that the wire baskets were missing as well. I then asked the man if his wife was here, and she said she and the kids are down yonder in the garden picking vegetables.
I excused myself and asked him where was the garden located, that I needed to speak with his wife. When I went around the barn there was the wife and the kids busy picking fresh vegetables in the garden. The kids were carrying the vegetables that they were picking in the wire baskets. I spoke with the kids and said it sure looks like you have been busy this morning. Yeah, these wire baskets sure come in handy carrying it all back to the house. Then I saw the wife and she was picking some tomatoes and in the middle of the row was the large plastic ice bin with fresh tomatoes in it. I don't know how I kept from busting out laughing but somehow I did.
I said, Martha, "remember me telling you that when the ice maker makes ice it will drop it in this plastic bin and when it gets full the metal arm will shut off the ice maker and it will not make more ice until you take some out of the bin." I remember you telling me that but the kids took the baskets out and were using them as well as this bin and I never gave what you said another thought.
We put the bin back in the freezer and explained again to the whole family why it needed to stay there and they knew what would happen it it was removed.
We left with a happy customer once again.
Later that evening I took her a spare ice maker bin that we had in parts and gave it to her so that she could use this one in the garden and the other one could stay in the freezer.
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