Quote:
Originally Posted by roKWiz
Ask any self employed contractor in any career how they started and what they used to achieve the final result.
We all had to start somewhere.
Have fun with the resto.
|
I'm often bemused by customers who come in with absolutely no idea what they want or have done 0% research before coming into the store. For stuff that I don't know much about, I'm one of those who will spend time researching a purchase before entering a store, that way I'm not flying blind. And in most cases, I will already know what I want or have a shortlist of what I want. That way, I'm not wasting time or wasting the time of the business, just in and out.
Thinking back, that mower was the beginnings of my strong inclination for knowing EXACTLY what I wanted. I rode my bike all over town looking at mowers, so when it was time to buy, it was a just matter of which store would sell me the mower I wanted.
At the time, there were 4 different Victa dealers in town, only one remains today. I remember walking into one of the stores and was greeted by the arrogant owner, who has only recently retired. That first encounter put me off him and his business ever since. Despite having the machine I wanted, he was trying to upsell me on a Yard Man with the 158cc Quattro 40 engine.
(Still have the brochures from back then)
He was probably right to do that seeing as it was going to be used for semi-contractor use. But NO NO NO! My sentiment at the time was like, don't tell me what to buy, I know exactly what I want. I think that sort of stuck, mowers or otherwise. I remember a Honda salesman insisting I needed the mulch kit on my purchase, again, NO I don't!
For some reason, I wanted the Sprint 375 engine, perhaps because it was the modern version of the 3.5 hp engine on the old Morrison. But, as I said, once I have my mind set on something, I generally go with that instinct.
Again, I have the period brochure, I remember being annoyed that they wrote on my shiny brochure. The only difference with mine and the one pictured is the wheels, the dealer that ultimately sold it to me put double ball bearing wheels on all of his stock.
In hindsight, I probably should have bought one with a bigger engine, but I wanted what I wanted. In defense, it's not the size of the tool that counts, its how you use it. At age 16, I had plenty of energy to walk a bit longer or push through heavy growth. Now? I need all the help I can get, so its big engines and self-propel all the way.