#52 - THE CLOSEOUT & POSITIVITY

I've shipped quite a few orders the past two weeks and many of them have been large orders containing many spiders and many adults, most of which I had raised from sling or juvenile. I've seen many "prize" spiders go but they've gone on to some great keepers and I am determined to work with only a small collection.

It has been a pleasure to deal with these customers. Many are repeat buyers who have dealt with me before. I thank them for their patronage. There was only one douchenozzle in the whole bunch and his order was promptly cancelled. I will remember the last few weeks' transactions as positive experiences that will be fitting last memories of my life as an exotic animal breeder and dealer. 

I mentioned in my "popularity contests" blog how I never solicited a review in my entire career. This is very true as were the reasons I gave in that blog about why most public comments are meaningless. However, I have received many private remarks from customers that have meant a lot to me. I'd like to share those of one of my regular customers (S.T.) who received a huge box of spiders this week.

"Happy Birthday Michael. My birthday is tomorrow and I just got my b-day present, a box full of healthy live spiders, all smiling and ready to enclose. I sure hope you stay close to the hobby. With the closure of the Spider Shoppe, the criminal fraction of retailers just went up to nearly 100%, small vendors like Swifty excluded of course. ... I very much enjoy buying spiders from you--quality, price, friendliness, doing everything the "right" way. :)"

Kind words like these have always been part of my motivation. Fortunately, "S.T." represents the customers who have made it worthwhile and they have far outweighed those that have wasted my time with twenty emails and no purchase or those who were just a pain in the ass. I don't need confirmation of my professionalism, but it sure is nice to be appreciated.

It's funny because I've never asked for a review in my decades in the pet industry, but found myself doing so last night in my new career. The irony struck me immediately. I was on a roll on my birthday. I sold three guns last night to bring my total to 10 in less than a month. For our business, which focuses more on the "range and tactical training center" aspect that is part of our company name, these are stellar numbers. I spent a good deal of time with a couple instructing them in different handguns. They came in ready to buy and I could have just made two quick sales and sent them on their way. However, I recommended shooting and taking advantage of our great rental system to try a dozen or more to see what they really liked. They bought different guns then they came in the door with money burning holes in their pockets to buy. I put a lot of effort into them as they were novices and I had knowledge to share. This is what I have always done in the arachnid and reptile hobbies as well. They were so happy at the end, just like S.T. above. It was rewarding for them and as the old commercial stated "an educated consumer is our best customer". They were profuse in thanking me and one of my colleagues who had also shared some tips with them. I then surprised myself by asking them to write a Yelp review. I had noticed that our owner watches these and emails our whole team when there is a posting mentioning an employee by name. With less than a month on the job, I can use the "brownie points".

As I wrote, the irony was not lost on me and I understand why the newbie "pseudo dealers" and "weekend warriors" are looking for affirmation that they did a good job. However, do we really need to see 1000 ass-kissing posts on Arachnoboards. The same customer I quoted above also wrote me. " And yes, Jamie does send usps (based on personal experience)". He is referring to Jamie's Tarantulas, one of the people I mentioned boycotting in my Blog #9 - DON'T SHIP BY USPS (or give a penny to those who do ... Coincidentally, I was on Arachnoboards last night checking a recent post I had made sharing my recent YouTube videos and a review for her was the most recent. I checked it out and saw a few recent postings. Someone called her "the best dealer around". Laughing my fucking ass off. I noticed that many posts referred to cost ... yes it sure is cheaper when you're shipping illegally! Oh well, I've moved on. I'll just keep hoping an eager postal inspector will find the Arachnoboards classifieds some day and bust everyone of these knuckleheads. I can only worry about myself. I threw in free shipping with all orders over $500 from my closeout and some boxes cost me a pretty penny to ship. I paid the fee with a smile on my face. I know I've always done it right, just like I did at On Target last night. I can't be bothered with what anyone else does.

In closing, I keep trying to keep my website list updated and there still are a few spiders available although the pickin's are gettin' slim. I'd love to serve you with the professionalism you deserve. As S.T. said, I have basically left you to Swifty and he's still getting back on his feet. He has my full endorsement. Few others do.

All the best, Michael