Adding a BERC to Curb Painting Biz....

....for any folks out there in....."looking for ways to make money WHEN YOU NEED IT!...land.... here's something I did some years ago...when I was living in Chicagoland...and can STILL be done TODAY!

Here tis....

One night I get a call from an old buddy who I hadn't seen or heard from for a couple of years. We have some "history" together and ..like "brothers" ..the "glue has been set"....if you know what I mean.

He tells me he's in "deep financial dodo" and if he doesn't come up with a "few grand" within the next week or so..."his A_ _ is Grass"!

So....it's about 9pm....he gives me more details of what's been happening and as we're talking, I remember what another buddy did a few yrs before, to make some "quick bux". So I tell my old buddy to meet me at 7am
at a Dunkin Donuts (I think)

We meet and I explain WHAT we are going to do today to "Put $1,000 in HIS Pockets".

Here's the background;
Almost every month, in a big city like Chgo, there are "Trade Shows"...in McCormick Place or the Merchandise Mart. HUGE "Trade Shows" where companies from all over the world...bring their goods to display AND SELL at these "Trade Shows".

Many of these companies bring TOO MUCH stuff and wind up NOT selling all of it and...boxing it up and shipping it back. Well...at one Trade Show, my other buddy was working for one of the "out-of-town" manufacturers and HE came up with an idea to;
1) Save the company shipping charges (sending the stuff back)
2) Make some GOOD MONEY for himself.

What he did was....take the excess items and go "office to office"....selling it to Office Secretary's ....on the basis that....they had just finished a Trade Show and....instead of shipping the stuff back to LA (or New York or whereever)...they decided to sell it "locally" for a fraction of it's worth.

So....ONE of the items he handled was "7pc set of Enamel Pots & Pans". THIS "set"....with a full color box....had a "Retail Price of $69" stamped on the boxes.

He told me I could get these sets for $7 ea at a "Wholesaler" in Chgo.

So...I "logged" that info into one of my "memory hooks" and ....this morning, I told my "busted" buddy to "get in my car"....and I drove over to (I just remembered)....COOK BROTHERS.

We went into their "Kitchenwear Showroom" and FOUND the "7 pc Sets of FIESTA Enamel Cookware, in the Cororful boxes"....and sure nuff....if we bought 20 boxes, our price would be $7 each.

So....I plunk down $149 for 20 boxes and we load them into the car.

I then drive to one of those "office complexes with a Lake in the middle" that
I knew was in a Western Suburb.

I park in the lot. I grab 4 boxes and tell my pal to get 4. We go into the elevator and go to the top floor (4)....get out and go to the first office door;
I put my boxes down in the hallway....pick up one box and tell my buddy to bring in 3 more boxes.

We open the door....I go in...walk up to the receptionists's desk...plunk my box down on the front of her desk and....as I'm opening the box with my pen knife (so she can SEE WITH HER OWN EYES)....I say the following;
"Good Mornin' Maam....we're coming from a Housewares Show at McCormick Place and we have these beautiful sets of CookWare left over and...rather than spend the money to ship them back to LA...we decided to sell them locally....at a HUGE Discount. These normally retail for $69 a Set.... HOWEVER....YOU can have a set RIGHT NOW for just $29.

As I'm saying this....I pick up a pot...pull a quarter from my pocket and start scratching the bottom of the pot....hand the pot to her and say;
"See! This is REALLY TOUGH STUFF!"....."And, it's really Pretty!" Can YOU use a set of Pots & Pans?"

Now...at this time...one or two other girls notice what's going on and come up to see what's going on. When the first girl gets near...I hand her a pot and say; "We're coming from a Trade Show and rather that spend the money to ship these back to LA....the Boss says...Move Em Out! These normally retail for $69....my price right NOW is $29 a Set....for the entire box...in fact, if you BOTH buy a set....RIGHT NOW....I'll know it down to $27 a Set."

Then....when the 3rd girl approaches....I hand her a pot (or a pan) and say, "In FAct, I'll know the price down to $25 a Set...for ALL 7 PIECES....if ALL 3 of you buy a set....right now!

Ya hadda ben dere to see it! It was "beyoootiful"!

They ALL bought! I even accepted their checks.

I sold 6 sets on our first stop....we then went into the next office....sold 5 more sets....all told....just on that 4th floor, we sold ALL 20 Sets.

We now had 20 x $25 = $500 We paid 20 x $7 = $140....so we now had $360 profit.

We went back to Cook Bros for another 20 Sets....plunked down another $140 and went back to the 3rd Floor of the SAME building....sold the 20 sets...went back to Cook Bros....another 20 sets....sold those....etc.

All told....out first day "in Business"...we sold 100 Sets of Enamel Cookware (my Goal for the day)... for a Min of $25 a set....$2,500 Gross....less 5 x $140 = $700
$2500 - $700 = $1800 FOR THE DAY!

The next day, I let my pal do the selling and we sold 70sets @ min of $25 = $1750 Gross.

I went with him for a 3rd day....sold 60 sets....then I let him "go". His average for the next few weeks he did this was 40 Sets a Day = $1,000 Gross - 7 x 40 = $280 = $720 A DAY AVERAGE....Selling Cookware!

So....I don't know if Cook Bros is still in biz BUT....I'll bet there are "Wholesalers" you can find on the internet who have "7pc Sets of
Enamel Cookware for $7 each....or thereabouts".....that can be sold to "young girls working in office buildings"....NOWADAYS!

And....Yes....we DID "get shagged" from a few buildings BUT....we found our share of offices and "willing buyers".

My pal DID save his house and "get back on his feet" and NEVER FORGETS our "venture into Direct Sales of Pots & Pans". We remember this adventure every ChristmasTime and have a FOND REMEMBRANCE of this time in our lives.

Hope YOU folks have a "fond remembrance" of YOUR advertures...too.

Don Alm...."waxing nostalgic"