I was kinda justifiably ignored :)

[substratum]

One time I was in Vegas and stepped into the Armani store. I was looking at an $1800 shirt. One of the sales people came over and asked if I would like to try it on. I was wearing an iron maiden T-shirt, jeans, and Chuck Taylor Converses. I looked at the guy and said “do I look like I can afford an $1800 shirt?“ jokingly. He looked at me and said “I don’t care it you’re wearing that or a Hugo Boss suit. I treat everyone like they just hit big at a table”.

30+ years ago, a sales clerk closed the necktie case, looked down his nose at me, and walked away when I said, “$285 for a tie?!” Guess he knew I wasn’t buying, despite the HSM suit I was wearing. It WAS a beautiful Italian silk tie.

 

[Cajunrider]

Years ago, after Easter church service my family and I decided to go to a local French restaurant for their Sunday brunch buffet. We were well dressed in our Easter clothing. The Maitre D' looked at us and said: "Are you sure you want to eat here? It's pretty expensive." I shook my head, laughed, and walked out with my family. We were out the door then the Chef and Owner ran out after us. "Oh Mr. ..... I am so glad you and your family could make it today. Come in, I'll cook something special for you."

Til this day, I still don't know why that Maitre D' said that to us. My lady asked me: "Was it our skin?" I told her I don't know. We will never know since I never saw him again at that restaurant.

 

[BobbyLane]

wholesalers here are run a bit like cash n carry, meaning you just walk in, pick up a large trolley and add to the trolley as you please. all the info you need is usually tagged on the tree, price, species, container size etc. so you just pick up what you could fit on a trolley. for the bigger stuff you'd need to come back to front desk for assistance and they'd arrange and come back to your request with a fork lift of some sort.
im guessing the bloke that was ordering a large amount of big money trees, would of done just this.
most of the time when im roaming the nurseries i dont see any workers, the ones i see are usually busy lifting something out a ditch, unloading a new supply of trees. burning dead or unsaleable stock, tending to customers purchasing at the main desk etc etc
i noticed this on some of the mirai nursery streams too, on touring the nursery i didnt really see any workers present. Ryan just buzzed around picking and choosing as he saw fit.
its certainly nothing like buying in a clothes store and having a shop assistant come up and ask if they can help.
traffic also varies at specific times of the day and week.

 

[Cajunrider]

wholesalers here are run a bit like cash n carry, meaning you just walk in, pick up a large trolley and add to the trolley as you please. all the info you need is usually tagged on the tree, price, species, container size etc. so you just pick up what you could fit on a trolley. for the bigger stuff you'd need to come back to front desk for assistance and they'd arrange and come back to your request with a fork lift of some sort.
im guessing the bloke that was ordering a large amount of big money trees, would of done just this.
most of the time when im roaming the nurseries i dont see any workers, the ones i see are usually busy lifting something out a ditch, unloading a new supply of trees. burning dead or unsaleable stock, tending to customers purchasing at the main desk etc etc
i noticed this on some of the mirai nursery streams too, on touring the nursery i didnt really see any workers present. Ryan just buzzed around picking and choosing as he saw fit.
its certainly nothing like buying in a clothes store and having a shop assistant come up and ask if they can help.
traffic also varies at specific times of the day and week.

The bloke was buying large trees mostly in 120 and 270 gallon containers for a housing subdivision I think.

 

[Starfox]

There is some serious money in plants/trees. I'm totally in the wrong business, I am shocked at some of the prices I have seen some trees go for when you can grow them from seed for next to nix. Sure a 3 year head start is what a customer wants and well, I can do that.

Something for future me to work towards.

 

[Cajunrider]

There is some serious money in plants/trees. I'm totally in the wrong business, I am shocked at some of the prices I have seen some trees go for when you can grow them from seed for next to nix. Sure a 3 year head start is what a customer wants and well, I can do that.

Something for future me to work towards.

Tree farm is a serious business here. There are many farms with those huge hydraulic spade that can dig up a sizable tree in a few minutes. Those trees are sold for thousands of dollars. In big city such as Houston, they can build a new subdivision with a several hundreds houses. The landscape trees in those subdivisions are usually fairly large trees when they are first put in the ground.

 

[Vance Wood]

That must be why I can never get any help......anywhere!

Maybe you need to look like you might walk out with the tree?

 

[rockm]

Tree farm is a serious business here. There are many farms with those huge hydraulic spade that can dig up a sizable tree in a few minutes. Those trees are sold for thousands of dollars. In big city such as Houston, they can build a new subdivision with a several hundreds houses. The landscape trees in those subdivisions are usually fairly large trees when they are first put in the ground.

Yep, there are a dozen tree farms out in East Texas with live oak (quercus virginiana fusiformis) in 10-1000 gallon containers. Those trees are sold in lots to landscapers. BUT, I keep wondering why bonsai folk aren't looking at those kinds of trees down there...I don't mean the 1,000 gallon trees, but certainly the 50-100 gallon ones. The trunks on even those trees are pretty nice.

 

[rockm]

Yep, there are a dozen tree farms out in East Texas with live oak (quercus virginiana fusiformis) in 10-1000 gallon containers. Those trees are sold in lots to landscapers. BUT, I keep wondering why bonsai folk aren't looking at those kinds of trees down there...I don't mean the 1,000 gallon trees, but certainly the 50-100 gallon ones. The trunks on even those trees are pretty nice.

And FWIW, here in Va., the big bucks (and I mean BIG bucks) are out in "horse country"--Middleburg, Warrenton and Loudon County. Out that way, it's pretty understood that rich folk DON'T dress like RICH FOLK (at least the old money doesn't). "Old money" dresses in tatty clothes and drive old cars. They don't dress in flash and don't treat other people like trash. Manners dear...

 

[Cajunrider]

Yep, there are a dozen tree farms out in East Texas with live oak (quercus virginiana fusiformis) in 10-1000 gallon containers. Those trees are sold in lots to landscapers. BUT, I keep wondering why bonsai folk aren't looking at those kinds of trees down there...I don't mean the 1,000 gallon trees, but certainly the 50-100 gallon ones. The trunks on even those trees are pretty nice.

Believe me I have looked at them. The trunks are nice but the roots sometimes have issues. But yeah, one of these days I would pick up a good size one if the nebari are right.

 

[AZbonsai]

Maybe you need to look like you might walk out with the tree?

Funny thing happened today...I needed to cut some things up at the dumpster beside the school so it would fit. I get my saws-all from the truck and go back to the dumpster and start cutting this stuff up. A helicopter starts circling overhead. I am thinking great..I am wearing a hoody because I was watering my trees and did not have time to change out before school. I have this saws-all in my hand that could easily be mistaken for a gun and one of the neighbors has called the cops on me. I am just waiting for cars to come screaming around the corner and this helicopter to start telling me to get down on the ground. Turns out, the copter had been called out for a domestic in the schools neighborhood....

 

[-norwegian_blue-]

There is some serious money in plants/trees. I'm totally in the wrong business, I am shocked at some of the prices I have seen some trees go for when you can grow them from seed for next to nix. Sure a 3 year head start is what a customer wants and well, I can do that.

Something for future me to work towards.

Yep. Instant gratification sells. I've been floored by some of the prices of stock around here...but they're obviously moving inventory.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I have done wholesale sales, and retail sales of orchids. Usually a $1000 sale takes much less time to negotiate than a $20 sale. Sometimes, the person buying a $20 plant wants so much hand holding with you giving information that you feel like they were trying to suck out a piece of your soul for the $20. Seriously.

Now if I have a choice, I try to do the wholesale order, as that is where the profit is. But if I can, I will take care of both customers if the retail customer will wait until I'm done with the wholesale order. I would be polite to everyone, but usually I know my wholesale customers, because I had prior contact with them and know them on sight.

 

[amcoffeegirl]

I was a bartender and server for several years and one night a group of 3 couples came in all in biker gear. No one wanted to serve the table. i told them I would take that table.
I know how much biker jackets cost and the Harley’s they rode.
They had a round of beers and asked for a place to eat. I sent them to a nice restaurant and they came back later in the night for another round. I don’t remember what I made off them but it was pry one of the better tips of the night.