Issue that may need a tissue???

[HDGlassArt]

I feel stupid even typing something out about this... So here it goes. I hate smoke shop politics, fucking hate em. But, as our own area goes, it is a normal thing to deal with as our business grows. In our little tri-city area there are 5 shops that are all selling stuffs, outta 5 we sell to two, cause they are fun to deal with, and really don't step on each others toes. One is much higher end functional art, the other more of prodo. While everything is cool with us and them, I could care less about personal beef they have with the other shops, I understand they are competition to even our own products, but really shops are a dime a dozen, and I could always take my stuff elsewhere. So before there was five there were 4 and everything was cool. One of the shops was this guy and gal. The guy owned it, the gal was just his woman. They break up, big wah wah fight, and she seeks revenge for something, what... I could care less about. So she gets this murder boner for him and opens up her own smoke shop, hence now 5 shops. At this point I could care less, I don't wanna be involved, still don't... Here is a question, when does a blower warn other blowers about a shops troublings... This gal has such a murder boner that she is ruining the market around us, almost like china, but worse. What I mean by this is she seeks out every brand that her competition carries (minus local blowers) and buys their stuff at the price of wholesale, but sells it WAY under wholesale. To break it down, like buying a $5 spoon and selling it for a $2.50. Some say she is slitting her own throat... Again this doesn't really concern me, but as I keep finding out more crap from people who don't shut their mouth, she keeps it a flout with money from another business, and doesn't even pay rent. As I said before this is just a shop, i don't care, but when I hear about stuff like this, I think she is ruining the market, because these customers of her that keep buying these couple hundred $ pieces for way under wholesale, they start looking at all the glass around them as if it's like china... So my main question is, should I go on not caring, or should this be a warning I should alarm out there. Personally I have no beef with this shop, but I think this is redonkulus

[menty666]

Well, I'd say it's a business opportunity for you. I'm guessing the other 2 shops you don't do business know she's pissing in the pool, and they're losing business.

So now's the chance to ride in with some some quality work, gently talk around the issue while making her sound like walmart and they are the mom and pop getting crapped on, and encourage them to take the high road before she runs into some litigious trust fund baby that gets hurt with an exploding piece.

If you can make them think of her like the dollar store compared to something higher end, even Target at this point, you'll likely help yourself, steel their resolve to bury the problem store, and maybe up the quality of the local market at the same time.

Just make sure you're not stepping on the toes of your two existing accounts.

[Mac Maestro]

http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lo15ezzQi41qa9czgo1_400.jpg

[gn0me]

I'd see it as a business opportunity, too...

If she's buying at wholesale, and selling at under wholesale, there's no reason why an enterprising person couldn't buy up as much stock as she's got and resell it to the other shops. Use a few friends, cut them in on the profits, and watch her ultimately fail, or raise her prices.

[Glassroots]

murder boner

sounds intriguing....

[Mecha]

Paragraphs please.

That said, if it is truly "way under wholesale" (I have trouble believing this), then do exactly what gnome said. You can make a profit for literally next to no work if you just buy her stock at "way under wholesale" and then sell it wholesale to the other shops, or perhaps even bring some of it down to Tucson as well.

Done and done. Assuming, of course, that it actually is selling for "way under wholesale".

Of course, to me, this just sounds like a wildly exaggerated rumor. There are a lot more cost effective ways of getting back at someone then sinking thousands of dollars into glass inventory and selling it at a loss, even if you supposedly have another business to fund this "revenge enterprise".

[dmas0n]

The smell test tells me the truth is somewhere in the middle. The other shops are probably on a 300-400% markup kick and shes selling for near wholesale- thus undercutting their prices while still turning a modest profit or taking a modest but acceptable loss. If the building is rent free it becomes even easier to imagine. That's how I would do it.

As for your original question, why not try to cash in like the others said or by selling her your own work at inflated prices? If it's truly how you say it is and shes losing money she will have to give up sooner or later, may as well jump on the gravy train before it pulls out of the station.

[CDot]

i couldn't care less*

[HDGlassArt]

Heh, yes I couldn't care less. Well all the info I'm being told is by one of the managers from the shops we sell too. I've been thinking all this too, I don't think it would make sense to sell at a loss, and since my product isn't in her shop, I'm not worried about competing with the prices.

I've given the manager at the shop that idea she could buy it from her competition since she is selling under wholesale. No answer yet to this. Personally I don't wanna buy someone else glass and sell it... I have no clue if she is also selling knock offs either.

[Aymie]

i couldn't care less*

I love you so much right now buddy. That's one of my biggest grammatical pet peeves. It's right next to the use of anymore without a negative. Like things are different anymore.

[FredLight]

That anymore thing bugs me too anymore.

Supposedly, not supposeably (?).

Same difference.

I can't stand a whole book full of misused cliches as well.

Don't get me started.

[Aymie]

Oooh, I effin hate same difference too.

[IndiePendent]

TL;DR

Sell to everyone who gives you cash money. Fuck the haters.

[Sketchball]

I've been thinking all this too, I don't think it would make sense to sell at a loss, and since my product isn't in her shop, I'm not worried about competing with the prices.


Sell her a bunch of prodo/headies... have your friends buy back all of it at half price.... Then sell it all back to her again...

Repeat till murder boner is flaccid

[HDGlassArt]

Repeat till murder boner is flaccid

LOL that was awesome! I'm still trying to look into this, personally I have not walked into the shop and seen the prices and products.

The only evidence I have is what was told to me by a customer that order the same two pipes from too different shops and what they said they paid. I compared that to what the manager at the shop with all the issues told me the price of the piece was wholesale.

I hate local smoke shop politics.

[MUPH]

The only evidence I have is what was told to me by a customer...

You should probably do more research before you wield a gavel

[Dubbz]

Sell her a bunch of prodo/headies... have your friends buy back all of it at half price.... Then sell it all back to her again...

Repeat till murder boner is flaccid

It sounds to me as though she is trying to monopolize the market, though at 5 head shops, that's going to take a huge amount of funds to pull that off, I doubt her tactics will work. Take advantage of the ignorant spite and ride that money plane til it crashes and burns.

This idea is pretty close, but after your friends buy your pieces back, take them on to the other shops. If you continue to bring the same pieces back she would quickly notice and stop purchasing them. However, if she did not see them again but saw a continuous demand for your work, she will become illusioned and believe that there is something about your pieces that really sell, which will have her uping her order, giving you the opportunity to up your price. You'll make you some extra money, keep her thinking she is winning her little drama war, and make her ex laugh his ass off and congratulate you on the screwing her over all at once.

[HDGlassArt]

Muph, the evidence I stated was physical evidence, I've heard rumors for months...

I'm still looking into this "under wholesale" pricing that is being spouted around by all the other shops... I can't really just walk in her shop myself. The owner knows us from previous dealings with her ex when she was at his shop...

[Dubbz]

Muph, the evidence I stated was physical evidence, I've heard rumors for months...

I'm still looking into this "under wholesale" pricing that is being spouted around by all the other shops... I can't really just walk in her shop myself. The owner knows us from previous dealings with her ex when she was at his shop...

Well you can always test the rumor. Get a friend to pose as an artist from a few towns over or something as I would imagine the local artists are all fairly known and showing up with some nice pieces could raise some question.(If you have a friend that blows glass too then it wouldn't matter because he could answer any question that would arise on his own, but ones that know little about glassblowing could be thrown off by an odd question and make her wary of buying the pieces.) Give your friend a run down on everything he would need to know to sell some pieces to her. Whatever she buys, have another friend go in and ask about the price of it, whatever other information you would be interested in extracting from her, etc. Compare prices and have a definite answer to all your questions.

[Julian]

Repeat till murder boner is flaccid

That's a thought provoking metaphor...