You are correct. we have a few locations around here (maryland) that cater to all of the different classes of people here in our very diverse area. I work at a brand new facility that cost 17 million to build and is fully state of the art. Our reputation must be upheld in every aspect of our services. Our average funeral costs $15,000 at our new building and we have another location in a different area which has an average funeral cost of $6,500. It is strictly up to the customer which funeral home they use. We are very well known for our service and strongly respected in the industry. If only they knew that they have had a good'ole boy like myself for 7 years now <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />. I received my first pen when a client showed me his and said "You need to get one of these if you are going to lend a pen for a signature" after i offered him my bic to sign a contract. at the conclusion of the service he was so pleased he gave me one as a gift and to this day i remember him and i am sure he remembers me.

So true, when I started work it was panty hose and heels every day. If I want to I can now come to work in shorts & golf shirts during the summer and jeans and sweaters in the winter.

Great story! And the client was correct. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

- I wonder when the last time was that a customer even bought lunch for most of today's sellers.

Frank <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Frank, When i was first typing this new thread i thought to myself "i bet farnk has a mont blanc and clay will have something smart to say" i guess i am getting to know you guys alittle more every post <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Man, 15k for a funeral seems like such a waste of money...BUT that's a decision for everyone to make on their own. My grandma died today, and all we're doing is having her cremated and then the cost of a simple urn...we're weird people though. My Dad wants me to put him on an innertube, put his sunglasses on him, a coke in his hand, and shove him down the river. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Wow, condolences for the loss of your grandmother, Stony.

I think we do so much better when we remember that the funeral isn't for the dead people, it's for those of us that remain. Of course, often those that remain feel better because they think they're doing something for the deceased.

"Having" those Mont Blanc means nothing to me.... I'm just as happy using a No.2 Ticonderoga - but when I "needed" them, I would not have wanted to be without them. Now when you get to the point in life that you don't need them and no one notices whether you have things like that or not, you can be pretty comfortable in your own skin. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" /> It is hard getting to that point, though - particularly getting to the point where you don't give a rat's <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/butwiggle.gif" alt="" /> whether you have those things or not and can actually get away with it. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Frank

It's true in mechanics also, would you trust a guy with toolbox full of nasty tools or a nice Snap On box?

I'm tempted to say it doesn't matter, but it does. I don't mind going to a nasty place like a radiator shop and finding folks with mud on their boots and dirty uniforms because they work in a nasty environment - the only way I would find it spotless is if they didn't actually do the work themselves, or if they kept the workers out of sight in back with stages in between so the product never came close to the front counter.... the business costs involved would drive up the price so it would ultimately cost me more for that type of service and would not justify the attempt to save money for a good repair..... those guys do fine in my book without SnapOn tools and clean uniforms because they perform a service that saves me money and they do the job pretty well.

OTOH, I don't like to go into a shop where newer cars are repaired and find the techs in anything other than clean uniforms with good tools and a relatively orderly workspace - particularly if they work on open machinery like engines and transmissions. If the tools are dirty and the shop is dirty, there's a good chance some of that dirt is going to find its way into my machinery. It doesn't mean they can't or don't do good work - it's just that the impression given by neatness, cleanliness, friendliness and a professional atmosphere doesn't raise flags - and certainly a clean shop isn't an indication of good work... could be an indication of NO work. There are probably many grimy shops that consistently turn out good work for a better price than the pristine ones, but until you know for sure through experience there's always that doubt - at least for me. I like to at least see an attempt at neatness and pride in the work... makes it seem like the folks in the shop care about the quality of their work.

Most times the bad-looking shops aren't the fault of the employees - it's usually a management issue.

Frank

There's no way I would buy Snap-On stuff if I wasn't actually in the industry. I'd buy whatever I could pick up at Wal-Mart or Harbor Freight.

For me, Snap-On tools have nothing at all to do with status. It's all about quality and feel. It helps a lot that there is a guy at the shop once a week to sell me more tools and fix or replace the ones I broke.

Then there's the fact that Snap-On makes a lot of tools that you just can't get anywhere else. Some of the special tools sold by Kent Moore are improved and sold by Snap-On.

But not everything I own is Snap-On. I used to have a really good Mac dealer I bought a lot of tools from. Some of my favorite tools are from Mac.

Here's my toolbox;


It's a Snap-On. Ratchets, sockets and wrenches are things that I have learned not to go cheap on. Those are Snap-On all the way. Some of the other stuff I can cheap out on a little. But like Frank said, what is extravagant to some is what others simply cannot do their job without (at least not for very long).

Clay

Clay