If you’re wondering what happened to the downer post “Emotionally Messy,” I took it down. Because GEEZ. But I can summarize it for those of you who missed it:
- I am still a little…off, emotionally-speaking.
I was looking through my old journals to get the information I needed for the post about milestones, and since walking happened around the same time as weaning, I kept encountering the exact same sentences again and again, in 2000 and in 2002 and in 2006—about how I was soooo irritable and sooooo moody and soooo emotional and how if it didn’t stop I was going to ask the doctor for a prescription. And then evidently it gets better and there’s no mention of it until the next baby is weaning.
I find it helps to spend money. And so it was good timing for our 22-year-old refrigerator to shuffle off its condenser coils (I think appliances can SMELL economic stimulus checks), because normally I would be so cheesed to have to buy a new one, but instead I was skipping like a schoolgirl. Well, plodding like a mother with a double stroller.
I hope it works out, because it was an exceptionally smooth and easy purchase. My dad (he’s the family expert on What’s the Best Thing to Buy) did all the research and told me the two he recommended, and then I went in and lucked into a salesperson who was laid-back and non-pressurey, and I just chose a refrigerator and bought it and the end.
Look. It’s my new fridge. White. Fridge-like.
I ruined my high, though, by taking the twins to have their pictures done. Generally I go around recommending the JCP Portrait Studio all over the place: I left Sears for them, and have never been sorry. And I’m still really happy with the pictures they take. But the last two times I’ve been there, they’ve gone way over the top trying to push all their expensive portrait options. I keep saying, “Oh, no, thanks, I always just order sheets,” and they KEEP SHOWING ME MORE OPTIONS. And then cooing over their own work, like, “Ooooo, that’s so CUTE! How can you resist??” With me actually not having any trouble resisting.
Today she actually pulled out, “Awww! You HAVE to get that one! You’ll never get these moments back again!” Um, true, but this creation you’re showing me represents only THIS moment, of YOU trying to SELL ME STUFF while my children fight in their stroller and I am clearly itching to get out of here. And since I just bought prints of all three of those poses, I don’t see why I now ALSO need to buy them clustered on the same page, with a fake-paint-splashes background and “We love you Mommy!!” written in a stupid font. I mean, frankly I think the particular combinations you’re putting together there look tacky, but I don’t want to say so because after all this is your CAREER here.
Then, when I’d persevered and gotten ONLY what I wanted (I just said, “Okay! Now! I need a 10×13 of that one, and…”), she put on an Excited Tone of Voice and said I’d ordered enough sheets to qualify for a SPECIAL PACKAGE DEAL! The special package deal? I could spend TWICE AS MUCH for the same pictures! AND I’d get a FREE 8×10! Has she lost her mind? Do they not pay them enough to afford food, and she has gone all dizzy and confused with hunger?
I realize it’s that they HAVE to do this, and not that they get any personal joy out of pressuring me. Probably they have bosses breathing down their necks saying “SELL SELL SELL!” Perhaps there are nasty attack animals in the back room, and anyone who doesn’t meet a certain hourly quota has to spend “quality time” in the cages. But the thing is, if they don’t knock it off, they are going to lose what they DO sell me. You know what I need, is a little sign I can hold up silently, with a bored flick of the wrist, after the first few vocal repetitions of the same words: “No, thanks. I just buy the sheets.” Maybe the bottom half of the sign can be a white board, so I can add rude endings as needed.
Ironically, their people aren’t paid on commission. The managers have incentives to meet certain goals, but no one else has anything to gain (money-wise) by pressuring you.
I know this because (a) I’m friendly with the manager at our local JCP studio and (b) my friend worked as an assistant manager at a different location for like a year … regardless of her sales, she still just made her $7.50 an hour.
How dumb (on their part).
I don’t like their little collages either. Or the ones where everything is black and white except for the pink bow or whatev.
I just want some good pictures of my kids, without all the fluff, mkay?
And I broke up with Sears, but we don’t have a jcpenny’s nearby…
And RE: the little sign- a local politician once did a debate at the state fair and he had Truth on a Stick- whenever his opponent spoke, he silently held up his “Not True” or “True” sign on a stick. It was so perfectly executed, that I’m thinking it could be adapted for your purposes.
Sorry about feeling out of sorts. At least you seem to have found the cause and it will pass.
It sounds like the managers have incentives to terrorize the poor employees who don’t get anything other than to keep their job. Selling you crappy “collages.”
I think that there is a market for those signs! I will buy one. Oh, and as a teacher I could have one. Hmm… so many things to put on it.
Being a past employee of one of these types of places (I won’t divulge which one) they do work on commission. It’s very LITTLE; not worth that extra sale; really. It might add $10 at most to your paycheck and that’s if you sell about 5 of the biggest packages.
I never pushed for that huge sale; and I had so many return customers because of that. There was no pressure from me; probably to a fault. I’m sure I could have talked some into “one more sheet” or something, but why? For an extra dollar in my pay check? It wasn’t worth it to me. It was a driving factor to my quiting; plus it was just a part time second job I only did because I love taking pictures of children and was easy.
I miss Olen Mills or whatever that company of the ’70s and ’80s was where everybody had that far off hazy eyed look and their name was plastered in gold lame on the bottom or EVERY PHOTO, even wallets.
After 2 JC Penny photo sessions I went to a professional for the rest of Noodle’s first year shots. Turns out I spend just as much as I did at JCP & get better pics in the end.
And knowing the photog well gets me discounts & special deals ~ when she goes on an outdoor shoot for someone else she calls us for a tag-along shoot (w/out her normal outside fee!!) Find a good photog ~ with 5 kids she’ll be your personal paparazzi in 2 minutes flat!!
I need one of those signs, please.
Well, two. One for the car and one for the diaper bag.
I’d like them to say, ‘Please, please. Keep it moving.’
Thanks.
I normally love, love, love my JCP photo guy. However, the last two times I have been also pressured about those stupid collages.
Was just thinking about setting my appt. for my little one’s 2 yr. pictures, maybe I will just tell him that I am not buying any packages so please don’t even show me them. Think it’ll work?
*SNORT!* Seriously? Hilarious.
And love the sparkling new fridge. Fancy! Much more exciting than our stimulus check.
And if you do decide to make a sign, PLEASE mass market them and sell them on SundryBuzz! We have so many freaking door to door people ringing our doorbell throughout the day–and most especially during toddler/baby naptime– in the DC area that I could use one as a club. OR maybe I could just create some kind of gauntlet leading to the front door…with alligators. ANYway. You need to scan some of those pics and post post post.
Ooh man, I think I look to OBVIOUSLY poor for them to push me too hard.
Actually, it’s probably that I blare it from the roof tops.
“Could I show you some of our packages.”
“I can’t afford your packages. I have to pay my rent this month.”
*****uncomfortable silence******
It works pretty well.
Oh my gosh, I love Penneys too but their people seem to be RABID lately! The last time I was there I ended up talking more snippily to that over-eager salesgirl than I have ever spoken to an employee at any store, ever.
haha i loved the image of you with your little shut up board. hilarious.
i also love the picture of your new fridge. it is very aesthetically pleasing what with the crisp, clean white and the egg blue of your background. it made me happy.
thank you.
I cannot STAND pushy salespeople. My politeness (it’s a pretty thin veneer at best) wears of very quickly if I have tell them more than once that I don’t want whatever package they are trying to onsell. I also tell them that they will lose me altogether if they don’t shut up. Or words to that effect :)
I don’t go to Sears for pictures BECAUSE the salesperson once told me, “The MORE you BUY, the MORE you SAVE!”
Um….. No. The more I buy, the more I spend.
Those weaning hormones can definitely put you all out of sorts. Glad you figured it out and that it’ll get better soon.
My son broke his collarbone falling off the stupid picture taking platform at the JCP studio the one and only time I took him there. I haven’t even been able to set foot in the entire store since then.
And, woman! What were you thinking trying to do studio pictures when you were already feeling haggard?!?
You’re cute.
Oh that’s how I felt about Picture People UNTIL they started selling by the sheet. Now I can get EXACTLY what I want, without all the extras that I NEVER use and I’m happy. It’s the only place I’ve ever taken my kids for photos. I tried to take my son to Walmart once, just for the experience, and their photographer didn’t show up to open on time. Their loss.
Oooh, nice new fridge. I love appliances (my dad was an appliance salesman for 33 years).
I love the sign idea. My mom, who works in a school, sometimes pulls out her little pocketbook mirror and says to the offending child~”do I look that stupid?” I love it!
Bloglines said you had 200 new entries. I guess they were excited about the new fridge.
Jill
I also ONLY WANT THE SHEETS. Not only that, but I’ve found the Sears and JC Penny people to be just as pushy with the props and the “special” backgrounds. I just want a picture of my kid, thanks. I’m not into pictures of stained, gross, germy things that other kids have chewed on, wiped their snotty noses on, spit up on or otherwise sullied with their germy little selves. And I don’t want a Christmas scene, a menorah, an Easter scene or fireworks behind my kid either. Just sit my kid on the floor in front of a plain background and take the damn picture. Really, I think she’s cute enough to pull off the picture all on her own, no extras needed.
I realize that lots of other people like the props and special backgrounds, but *I* don’t, so once I say no, I’d appreciate them not trying to sneak that shit in during the session anyway.
Huh. I hate all those places so much that I have no portraits of either kid or the family. My mother-in-law tries to guilt me into it all the time. She has this spot on her wall where she puts up all the family portraits. She can’t stand having one kid’s family missing so she puts up whatever snapshot she can find with whoever is missing pasted in from another picture and repeatedly tells us that it’s just until we get our family pictures done.
I can’t stand upselling. Lately I’ve been starting every encounter with a salesperson with “Look, I know exactly what I want and do not want to hear about other options, so let’s just do this.” It sounds terribly like a cranky grandmother (and I’m only 24), but with a baby in the stroller and far to much to do in life, I haven’t got the time for social frills with people who are really supposed to just sell me what I want. I find it’s been working fairly well.
The one good thing about when Scott was laid off (other than his eventually finding an even better job) was being able to tell pushy salespeople, “I’m sorry, but my husband and I are both currently out of work.” It worked like a charm.
P.S. I’m sorry about the hormones. They can be such pineholes.
The condenser coils pun made me laugh out loud. You are hilarious.
I haaaaate being pressured into purchasing upgrades. Note to salespeople: I would be a lot more willing to buy the bigger/better package if you let me contrast and compare the information on my own instead of threatening me that I’ll forever regret my decision not to go with the ultra-mega-super-fantastic-bonanza-package.
Dammit! Jess beat me to it. I was going to say how clever you are for the “shuffled off its condenser coils” line. Well, there, I said it anyway.
Thank you for buying a fridge that looks like a fridge instead of, well, whatever else they try to make fridges look like these days.
White, cold, perfect.
Phew! I’m glad I’m not the only one who isn’t a fan of the “special” packages they put together. Personally, I think they’re hideous and tacky and have yet to be at all intrigued by any of them. I also recently left Sears but for Portrait Innovations that has been a lovely find for us. Unfortunately no JCP near us!
i second the portrait innovations recommendation. they usually have a 9.95 special that you just have to mention (no coupon or code to remember) and you can get the deal once a month. they do have special pkgs but we haven’t felt weirdly pressured – especially when i say, “i’m going to get the 9.95 special and two sheets at $15 each. the end.”
My mechanic is getting our economic stimulus check. He’s had the car for 3 weeks now, too. I’m starting to worry that I’ll have to give him my first born to get it back…
As for JCP, I just get the 3.99 sheets. I tell them during the shoot that I want plain, no prop shoots and that I won’t want multi-image sheets etc. Then they know they don’t need to waste time trying to pick out the right combos to show me, and just skip right over it during the viewing part. So far no pushiness.
I left both Sears and JCP for those reasons. I go now to a place called Portrait Innovations and I LOVE THEM! There’s very little pressure; the photographers are extremely nice about discussing poses; the cost is on target with what I was paying at Sears and JCP; and the best part is that you get your pictures the same day. They print them right there. The longest I had to wait for pictures was 3 hours, and that was during the Christmas pictures craze and they were also understaffed by two photographers.
And no, I don’t work for them. I just love them. Maybe there’s one in your area that you could check out?
I didn’t have a clue about the whole Photo Racket when I took Alice in for her 2-month photo. I planned to spend about $10 and ended up spending closer to $70. Now that I know how it is, I’m going in with MUCH STRONGER WILLPOWER.
I have been denied computer access for several days so I missed your last post. I hope you start feeling more even soon.
I also dislike those photo collages for the most part, I get so uncomfortable when people just won’t hear me saying no.
Nice fridge. It’s a lot like mine…except mine is now 7 years old.
Ugh, I haven’t had my son’s photos taken professionally since he was a year old (he turned 2 a few months ago). I dread going into those photo places. There you are dealing with a squirming child after making them sit through all those photos (way more poses than you ever need) and they try to talk you into buying more. Why must they torture us mothers?