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Visited a favorite restaurant about a 20 minute drive away a month or so ago. When I returned home, discovered the usual exit I would take was blocked off for construction.
Got off at the next exit which is smack dab in the middle of a middle-lower class neighborhood. Mixture of white and black folks, decent little homes, but unfortunately it can see some high crime rates. It was daylight, anyway, and I've never felt particularly threatened in the area. But I digress.
Get up to a traffic light. There's about 20 cars in the right lane going straight - also diverted from their usual exit. There's no one in the left turn lane. Having lived in the area a few years before I knew a shortcut, so I got in the left lane and waited.
Well, this middle-aged chubby black guy comes ambling up to my car. And I don't drive a BMW or even a Hyundai. I have an 18 year old Geo Tracker that's missing the plastic bumper pieces on the doors and has fading graphics I put on about 10 years ago. Not a complete piece of junk but obviously not a higher-end vehicle, either.
Guy has a rag in his hand and is trying to wipe down my windshield.
Now, I'll give him points for having the initiative to do this. There's probably going to be hundreds of cars being diverted this way over a few hours or more. But instead of walking across the street and investing in a bottle of Windex and a clean roll of paper towels from the CVS, the guy just has a dirty rag.
So as he approaches my car window, I tap my foot on the accelerator and roll forward five feet.
Not to be deterred, he walks up and tries to talk to me again. (note: it's hot out, I don't have A/C, nor do I have power windows - I didn't feel like rolling the windows up)
I drive a stick and there's no one behind me, so I take my foot off the brake and roll backwards five feet.
Guy is STILL determined to get my business. Walks back and tries to approach my window.
So I tapped the gas again and moved up five feet.
Meanwhile, this must be the longest goddammed light in South Jersey.
I swear we did this dance about 4 or 5 times. I'd move up a few feet, he'd try to walk up to my window. I'd roll back five feet, same thing. In the time it took for the guy to try to talk to me, he probably could have approached 4 or 5 vehicles in the other lane. I have no idea why he was so adamant to get my business.
You, sir, have a poor business model. Invest in proper supplies and learn to take "no" for an answer. Don't waste your time on one person when you can hit up several others in the same space of time.
Got off at the next exit which is smack dab in the middle of a middle-lower class neighborhood. Mixture of white and black folks, decent little homes, but unfortunately it can see some high crime rates. It was daylight, anyway, and I've never felt particularly threatened in the area. But I digress.
Get up to a traffic light. There's about 20 cars in the right lane going straight - also diverted from their usual exit. There's no one in the left turn lane. Having lived in the area a few years before I knew a shortcut, so I got in the left lane and waited.
Well, this middle-aged chubby black guy comes ambling up to my car. And I don't drive a BMW or even a Hyundai. I have an 18 year old Geo Tracker that's missing the plastic bumper pieces on the doors and has fading graphics I put on about 10 years ago. Not a complete piece of junk but obviously not a higher-end vehicle, either.
Guy has a rag in his hand and is trying to wipe down my windshield.
Now, I'll give him points for having the initiative to do this. There's probably going to be hundreds of cars being diverted this way over a few hours or more. But instead of walking across the street and investing in a bottle of Windex and a clean roll of paper towels from the CVS, the guy just has a dirty rag.
So as he approaches my car window, I tap my foot on the accelerator and roll forward five feet.
Not to be deterred, he walks up and tries to talk to me again. (note: it's hot out, I don't have A/C, nor do I have power windows - I didn't feel like rolling the windows up)
I drive a stick and there's no one behind me, so I take my foot off the brake and roll backwards five feet.
Guy is STILL determined to get my business. Walks back and tries to approach my window.
So I tapped the gas again and moved up five feet.
Meanwhile, this must be the longest goddammed light in South Jersey.
I swear we did this dance about 4 or 5 times. I'd move up a few feet, he'd try to walk up to my window. I'd roll back five feet, same thing. In the time it took for the guy to try to talk to me, he probably could have approached 4 or 5 vehicles in the other lane. I have no idea why he was so adamant to get my business.
You, sir, have a poor business model. Invest in proper supplies and learn to take "no" for an answer. Don't waste your time on one person when you can hit up several others in the same space of time.