Low ball offers (6/10/2023)
It is common to see people offering a lower amount than the asking price, especially on places like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist and of course, at garage sales as well.
I did it myself and in many cases the seller took the offer and I saved myself some money.
However, I believe that the offer should be reasonable. If the item is very cheap already I won’t try to haggle and just pay the asking price.
But not everybody sees it that way and frequently I see someone making a ridiculous low offer to the point where they blatantly insult the seller.
Just now I read a post on Facebook where someone offered $2 for a $20 item.
Some years ago, we were at a sale where a lady was offering a like brand new loveseat for only $75. A guy was interested but kept moaning about the price. The owner asked him to make an offer, and he did. He was willing to pay $2.50. The lady told him to get off her property in a hurry. I would have said the same thing.
No recognition (6/2/2023)
Many years ago, I was asked to design a printed catalog for an upcoming art show.
There were twelve artists, each of them had to have an equal number of pages, an equal number of pictures in both color and black & white.
I also had to keep in mind the printing process so costs could be kept as low as possible.
It took me quite a bit of time to figure it out and then I took the file and printed mockup to a printer out of town where I had negotiated a good deal.
And when the catalogs were ready I had to go and pick them up. The product looked really good and I was sure everyone would be content.
Two of the participants started complaining right away about their pages being in the back of the catalog.
Well, what do you expect? I placed them alphabetically, the obvious thing to do.
And it’s like riding a full bus, not every passenger can sit in the front.
I will stop and help if needed. (5/8/2023)
Every now and then you will see someone on the side of the road who seems to have some kind of trouble. It could be just a flat tire or maybe being out of gas.
Many people, if not most, will not pay attention to the person in need and won’t stop and offer help. The motive for that is a familiar one: It is risky because it may be a trap.
That is true of course, some people have been robbed, physically attacked, and even killed on such an occasion.
I stop when I can, despite the risk, and see if I can help. Not only do I think that helping someone in need is the right thing to do but I also had my experience of being on the other side.
Many years ago, I was out and about doing some sightseeing and photography. I walked down a slight incline toward the road when I tripped. In my fall I already knew something was terribly wrong, I felt my right ankle snapping.
I landed right on the side of the road, just a few feet from the pavement, with my ankle at an odd angle.
The book seller (3/7/2023)
He must have been in his mid-fifties when I knew him, and I only knew his last name. I doubt if anyone knew his first name.
Let’s call him Mr. N. He owned a small bookstore on the corner of a busy street. It was an old building and you had to go up two steps to the entrance.
He specialized in antique and vintage books with emphasis on local art and history. It was the to-go place for people who were looking for something specific.
The place used to be a house, and as such it still had different areas which used to be the living room, bedrooms and such. The small kitchen was still there, with just enough space left for the coffee maker.
Moving from one section to the next could be a challenge. The place was always jam packed. There were not enough shelves to hold all books and tall stacks of them were all over the floor. One wrong move and you would topple one of those piles.