An Intriguing Tale Of Being An Owner

A somewhat regular customer was in looking for  Wii accessories this morning.. and she was nice and everything .. and then she received a phone call.. on her cell phone.  I guessed the other person on the line must have asked about her whereabouts, in which she replied .. at the PAWNSHOP..!!!!

Oh my God..!!!!  it irks me so much..!!! i tell yer.. because we are never a pawn shop.  Yes we buy used games and systems.. but we don’t pawn stuff.. we just buy them from ppl straight out.  Do you call  GameStop a pawn shop..??  NO!!!  so why are we a pawn shop when we pretty much do what GameStop does.. but we offer cash as a choice too??  beats me yer know..!!

Received a call from the cops .. that there was a break & enter last nite. .in an office.. or place of business.. and that the business lost a bunch of 2gb memory sticks.  I think what he meant was USB keys.. yer know cops right..?? they call the computer tower, a hard drive.. *slap forehead*.  Anyways, we were told to be careful .. in case someone does show up..  to sell them.  Wished they would all call.. when something like that happens eh. That would certainly save us some heartache.

Finally!!!!  i thought i would never lived to see the day .. i would see a good cop.  One that doesn’t work for himself and his “friends”.  10 yrs in business.. we have ppl coming into our store.. claiming that the things we bought belongs to them – without a serial #, without anything.  If we so much as not hand them over, they call their “cop friend” .. and the “friend” would come in and confiscate the “stolen item” from us.  And we never see the cop again .. nor got his name.

2 months ago, we came across a “stolen” xbox 360, that we thought we were being very careful when purchasing it – afterall, it was $220 that we paid for it.  Which is 2 months pre-school fees for my kid.  But nope.. kids came in and claimed he was broken into and didn’t wanna report his friend.. coz’ they know his mother.  A month after, the “alleged” owner’s mother called to threatened and cornered the boss into giving back the xbox 360 without paying for it .. nor making a police report for fear of her son’s life.

This went on for a month.. and finally, with all the phone calls.. and threats .. you can imagine, how upset I had gotten.. and called the cops myself.  Well.. as i figured.. there was something fishy about the whole “stolen/broken into” story.. and when the cops got involved .. no one wants to admit to nothing.

3 weeks .. that is today.. we finally saw the money .. that we had paid for .. the “stolen” xbox from the cop who was in charge.  Constable Bartlett of the RCMP Yarmouth Town County, you have made my day .. and my entire outlook of the RCMP department changed today.  For today, I know there is afterall, at least ONE good cop who did right by us – the small business owner.  THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Someone that we know .. a customer opened a satellite shop some 8 months ago.  And each time we ran into him, he had told us how good business was.  So of course, I was shocked to learn from another customer.. that the satellite store is closed.  Afterall, the young owner had told us he was making a quarter of a million in sales less than 6 months into business.  Plus he was upset, he wasn’t nominated for young entrepreneur of the year and that he had put out another satellite shop outta business, that all these didn’t count with the bank who was the nominating business and that he should change and sell best fat burners instead, since the girls at the health store were nominated.

I had hope that he would continue to well because any business located downtown is good for those like us.  But on the other hand, did i really think he would be able to hold onto the business..?? since this town is full of pirated cables and satellites.

Running a business in this town is not as easy .. today we just had a visit from the cop with regards to a hard drive for an xbox 360 that we bought from a 17 yrs old a few days ago.  Yes.. it wasn’t a lot of money .. but $30 .. but i won’t even buy eye cream at that amount .. because i need to be thrifty .. but than these crooks would come and  sell us stolen stuff.. and we prolly never see our restitution money at all.  *sigh*  Sometimes, i wonder why i am so thrifty .. when these crooks are just ripping us off.. whenever they can.

During Chinese New Year, I had hinted to my landlord about giving me a money tree .. as a good gesture… but of course he didn’t.  So each time i see him.. i would say .. “money plant”.  And if you know me.. you know.. i’m relentless.

At first.. the landlord.. used a different tactic to avoid my hint .. like telling me.. about his car fund that he should in turn hound me down for.  But i didn’t care.. and kept asking for my “money plant”.  Well today, i saw him at the grocery store.. and i went behind him.. and asked him for the money plant again.  And this time, it’s like i wore him down.. like mesothelioma and he asked the man.. what this money plant is about.  The man thinks that i am wearing the landlord down .. and he might just finally get me my money plant.. muahahhahaahah!!!

The music store’s boss came by . .when he was going for a walk.. and we chatted for abit.  Looks like things had been slow for him.. since Christmas.. and looks like he ain’t gonna be hanging in there.. like we did. .for the last 9 yrs.  Don’t blame him truth be told.. afterall, not many ppl can afford a musical instrument every month right..??   Well, if the music store goes.. you kinda have to wonder.. what is gonna happen to downtown… coz’ i hear the shoe shop owner is thinking of not doing the store.. after spending so much expanding it.. and buying over the building they are in.  *sigh*

Well. .this is the name of a new store in town.  I don’t think they were there for long though .. less than 6 months. .i think.  But the other day .. while taking a walk with my kid.. i saw a sign for lease on the window. .and was kinda shocked.  Like i said.. they haven’t been there for long..  but having said that it’s a lingerie store.. and not many ppl in this town can appreciate it .. after all .. we already have a La Senza store in the mall.  Sad to see the store go .. just like that.  Very sad..!

Easter Monday, we opened our store.. in hope that there will be more customers in since ppl do have easter money to spend.  But it wasn’t that busy.. so i think next year we shouldn’t open on Easter Monday.  Just a note to self for next year, even though the boss claimed that previous years was a good day.

We had to close the store for abit .. so that the man can bring me to court .. as a witness for the babysitter.  I know the man wasn’t too happy.. but oh well. .what can i do. .i’m too responsible.  In which, i think i should not be too kapo in the future.

A woman came in this morning to return an xbox she bought from us 29 days ago.  She quickly claimed that there was nothing wrong with the xbox.. but that it was the wrong machine.  She had wanted a xbox 360 *slap forehead*.  OhhhhhhK!!!

Anyhow.. she wanted cash back.. becasue she claimed that the boss said.. it was cash back before 30 days.  We havent’ done any cash refunds for years to date.. and to bring back a fishy smelling xbox 29 days later. .and expect full refund..??? that’s too much won’t you say.  The boss did give her a gift certificate for the full amount though.. but had it been me.. i wouldn’t do a thing for her.  Crazy ..!!

2 months ago, someone had come in to sell us an xbox 360.  A few hours later a few kids came into the store while we were out. .and claimed that they got broken into.  Long story short, the mother called since 2 weeks ago, and asked that we give it back to them.. for no money return to us .. because she tried to corner the boss .. by saying that he would lose everything .. if they reported it to the cops.

After waiting to hear back from them for 2 months, they just don’t want to give us what we paid for it.. and gave us some bullshitting story.  Anyhow, enough was enough. .when the mother threatened us with putting our store’s name on RCMP website and also BBB.. and i hung up the phone on her.  She called back asking for an apology . .in which i told the boss  – OVER MY DEAD BODY.

We called the cops. .and guess what..??? the cops came back to us an hour later.. with an apology. .because after calling up all parties.. no one wanted to report a break and enter.  How fishy .. can it get..??   The cops also warned the mother.. and the “alleged” owner.. not to call the store again. .else they can be charged with harassment.  So we will see what happens . in a week.

We do computer repairs as y8u all know but sometimes.. i feel the man is over working himself for a few bucks.  He won’t charge enough.. and like this laptop.. that is 2nd hand and sold to the customer for a few months now.  It came back.. without any light.  The man had to stripped everything out.. test just about everything.. and tried to replace stuff needed.. and guess how much he charged for all that work..??  pittance..!! donch even get me started.  At this rate.. i’ll never be able to retire .. and become a full time housewife.

Come August 20th, the store will be celebrating its 10th anniversary.  To say that we are not tired of running our own business would be a lie.  But then, if you work for someone.. you still pretty much have to take all sorts of nonsense from your co-worker.. or your bosses.  Yes.. some are really no so nice.. i wished they would go get some acne treatments for the pain they are causing others.  But running your own business.. you also get a different kinda headache.  So there is really a no win-win situataion. So the solution is to be happy and don’t sweat the small stuff.

Every now and then.. we get calls or a visit from some very “smart” ppl.  Yesterday, we had one who called to say .. that they had some things stolen from their house.. and wonder if we ever know if the things we bought were stolen…??/ what kinda question is that..???  it’s not like asking us what is the wine of the month from our wine club.. yer know..!! how would we know .. if something was stolen..??   Not like someone would come in . .and say.. “hey you wanna buy some stolen stuff..??”  *slap forehead*