Re-reading that now I realized that I can't even pretend that that wasn't a sales pitch. Ah well.... hey, if you're in the area we're open til 5:15pm or so Monday-Saturday!
For the past 4 or 5 greenhouse seasons I have spent quite a bit of time out in the greenhouse. The season generally lasts from early/mid-April to early June. While that doesn't sound like a lot of time, we move an impressive amount of plants during those few weeks!
I'm not 100% sure why, but this year out in the greenhouse has been, by far, my best yet. Polite small talk has come easier, I know more about the plants, and I no longer panic at the thought of handling the money. I guess it just comes from years of experience and also that we have an awesome, functional cash register out there. For my first few years (and years and years before I was out there!) we didn't have any register and when people wanted to check out, we had to write down on pieces of scrap paper all the prices, add them up with a calculator, then reference the "tax sheet" to see how much tax was, then add it to the total. Then take the money. Yeah, it doesn't sound hard, but when you're out there and people are in a hurry and you hate math anyway like I do, it just sucks.
Oh, and you didn't hear it from me, but this year my dad and uncle really took control of prices in the greenhouse, and that has made a tremendous difference! In past years, people who shall remain nameless liked to price almost everything differently and didn't like to make price stickers so it was just a huge confusing mess! This year has been soooooooo much simpler!
Anyway I was thinking today about the greenhouse and all sorts of things that happened and people I've met and I decided to compile a list to share with you! I haven't done a blog in a while and I thought it's time I made a new one.
- You may or may not be familiar with her, but there is a black cat who lives in the rental shop. Her name is Lucky, named, I believe, both for the irony factor and for the fact that she is, indeed, lucky! She is the sweetest cat and everyone who works at ACE --and many people who don't-- adore her. She had a few litters of kittens before we had her fixed and two of them live up at my dad's- Betty and Bob. She wears a spiked leather collar with her tags on it. Anyway, sometimes she deigns to visit us out in the greenhouse- it's a nice, warm place to sleep and keep an eye on things. Although she is completely black and the greenhouse is sunny and full of bright flowers, she still manages somehow to blend in nicely and sometimes people never even see her. But when they do, I've noticed a pattern: Women dragging their husbands/boyfriends/sons in the greenhouse with them will notice her and give her a pat on the head- "Hi, kitty!"-and continue browsing. The husbands/boyfriends/sons, however, will see her and totally zone in: KITTY! For the rest of the time they're in the greenhouse, they focus on nothing else. They talk to her and pet her and wiggle their fingers or bits of string so she chases them. It's kind of adorable.
- There is also a pattern I've noticed, not just in the greenhouse but everywhere I go, of how people react to my appearance. When it comes to my colorful hair, young children point and tell their parents, "Look at her hair! It's pink!" and the parents shush them and take them away. Old men like to tell me, "Young lady, there seems to be something wrong with your hair!" and chuckle at their wit. Most people in the middle seem to have no reaction whatsoever. When it comes to the safety pin I've had in my ear for years and years, most of the reactions come from middle aged women, whose mouths go agape in fascinated horror.
- In all my years out in the greenhouse, I have carried countless boxes of flowers and shrubs and trees out to people's cars and I have received exactly one tip: three boxes of cereal! It was about three years ago and when I helped a lady to her car with her flowers she told me that she had bought these boxes of cereal but they had way too much sugar, so, would I like them? Sure! I took them home and my dad and I ate them.
- Last week my dad carried some trees out to a woman's car and she tipped him two dollars. He gave them to me to buy hotdogs for Otis!
- Last year I had an older lady came through and bought a few six packs of flowers. While I was checking her out on the cash register, she was telling me how that was the easy part- now she had to go plant them! I smiled. I hear that a lot. She frowned and seemed to debate with herself for a few seconds and finally said tentatively, "You wouldn't be interested in planting them for me, would you?" I chuckled. Thought she was joking. "Seriously," she told me, "I'll give you all the iced tea you can drink!" Unfortunately, I thanked her but turned her down.
- I had a lady come through a few weeks ago and after she paid for her flowers, she asked me, "Don't I get dirt to go with my flowers?" I told her, of course, we sell lots of dirt, what kind would she like? She said, "Don't you just give it to me?" That was a first! I'm sorry, but you have to pay for it!
- A few weeks ago I had a very interesting fellow come in! He was wearing Hawaiian swim trunks, dirty sneakers and a sleeveless jean vest with only the top two or three buttons buttoned, exposing his large belly. In the crook of his arm he held two small bags of popcorn that he was eating out of, alternately, one kernel at a time. He came in the greenhouse and told me, "I'm not gonna buy anything, I just wanted to come look. Is that old lady here?" He leaned in close and confided, "She hates me!"
I smiled and told him that, yes, Grandma was around here somewhere. Sure enough, she came in shortly and he greeted her enthusiastically. "Are we gonna fight today?" he asked her eagerly.
I could tell she was a little taken aback but she remained professional. "I should hope not," she told him crisply. "Is there anything we can help you find?"
"Nahhh," he told her, "I'm leavin'. See ya!" And he went over to a display of lawn chairs near the entrance of the store and sat in one while he finished his popcorn. - Every so often we get KMart and Walmart threats from people- "At that price I'd rather go to KMart!" or "Walmart's flowers are so much nicer than yours!" It bugs the crap out of my grandma but I really don't care that much. You should buy the flowers you want at the place you want to!
- As you might imagine, just like any other place of business, we have regulars and this year I've gotten to know a few of them pretty well! There is an older lady that comes in pretty often with her brother and they are an excellent example of the "Siblings grow older but they never grow up!" theory. She buys the flowers and he buys the dirt and both have grumped to me about the other when the other is busy looking for flowers or dirt: "How he can spend half an hour looking at dirt I'll never know!" and "Why she thinks she needs more flowers is beyond me!"
- This same brother and sister pair have engaged in many interesting conversations with me. The brother has a very unique take on the scent of flowers! While most people step inside the greenhouse and take a deep breath of the fresh, humid air and sigh contentedly, he steps inside and frowns: "The smell in here reminds me of a funeral!" And every time his sister comes in she asks me: "Are you married?" I tell her "No, Ma'am," and she says, "Good! Never get married! I never did and I don't regret it! I have my hands full taking care of him!" with a nod towards her brother.
- Today I had an older fellow in the greenhouse, probably 65 or so, who was wearing an Eric Clapton concert T-shirt. He asked a question or two about the plants, then browsed a bit. Finally I couldn't hold it back anymore: "I love your shirt!" He looked down and smiled. "Awesome concert! I'd love to go to another but he's always touring in Europe! I did go to a ZZ Top concert not too long ago..."
"I've seen ZZ Top in concert before!" I told him. "It was a great show!"
"Hell yeah!" he laughed. "Sometime this year I want to see George Strait, Led Zeppelin, or, oh shit, what's their name?" he snapped his fingers. "They sing 'Freebird'..."
"Lynyrd Skynyrd!" I laughed.
"Right! Man, they had a concert on TV not too long ago--"
"You know, my TV doesn't work!" Grandma cut in. "It's always unplugged....."
That was the end of that conversation, but it's cool to see how much you can have in common with someone three times your age!
As I said at the beginning, today was the last load and I'm pretty happy about that! I love the greenhouse but it's sort of this stressful blur and it's cool to have over with. After greenhouse season this year I'm gonna try some cashiering inside the store. Summer is always crazy busy and they always need extra help! However, I will be taking a break in July- Emmy, David and I are headed to.... WEST VIRGINIA! Can't wait!!
Sarah
