Three Door Cooler: Chapter 5 Store Credit

Store Credit

We had several hopefuls to help with products and always recruiting to find potential employees. When I had my production in New Orleans we thought about how we would get opportunities to provide work for people in the area. We saw it as an ample opportunity. One of my first weeks working there a woman, who I didn’t know at the time, offered to help. We actually heard about her and were familiar with her entire family. She came into the store on a stormy Sunday afternoon. I was just getting back to the store. She was waiting on tenterhooks for me to arrive. K never met her before either. We knew about her from the first owner, name mentioned only, not her actions.

Sunny was a tall woman with large blue eyes and long chestnut dark hair, nice body about her early 40s. She had a son who lived with her in high school. Father was never discussed. Another single mother raising her child, seemed innocent enough. She brought by a binder with pictures of stuff, drawings and magazine clippings of nic-nac and bric-a-brac thingies. She even had a small shopping bag of stuff that she may want us to sell from her house for our store. Contents were acrylic made candlesticks, cuckoo desk clock, candy dishes, potpourri and swap meet material. Nothing really piqued our interest for the store, but there was a hidden agenda behind her meeting. She quickly was trying to befriend me, she offered her services to clean our apartment if we needed her for a little bit of cash, not really wanting to work the store, we didn’t entertain an offer. Her visit was a long winded one, she can tell her visit was getting old so she just came out and zoned in for her kill. “Hey, y’all mind if I start a little ticket? I get a check from the state at the 3rd of the month, so you’ll have your money. Is that ok?” she said. Being still new to the business we were warned of all the things not to do was to start a ticket or credit for anyone. K and I looked at each other, she seemed nice enough and she lived across the street. The previous owner knew her, but never spoke ill of her.

Boy, were we wrong. Guess it was my own kindness that got us in trouble. Sunny did everything she could to avoid the store, however, she made her son and cousin come in to buy cigarettes. Yes, kids buying cigarettes. Not young ones, just the teenagers. Having our permits in place, I am not going to lose license over a $6 pack of Newport, not happening. We would ask her parents when we saw them if she was ever going to pay on her ticket, never did discuss the monetary issue with her kid. The parents would just shrug it off mostly, after all, we didn’t know the true Sunny.
We got to know the true Sunny when she walked in with a gang of unsavory rapper folk, cordial and not causing attention to themselves, paid for everything and not looking to charge. We witnessed Sunny rubbing down one of the guys, but her face was made up like she was about to go on stage for Barnum and Bailey. Her eyes were watering, mascara running down her face like Tammy Faye Baker, bright, red lipstick smeared like China Girl-David Bowie video. Eyes were bloody from drugs and hair messy like she had just gotten banged in the parking lot. We then knew that this good looking tall girl with chestnut hair turned out to be a druggie and would do anything for it. Needless to say, we were so shocked that we had no ambition to ask about her ticket. Eventually she came into some money and paid everything off, only trying again to open another tab. No joke.

Not all who wanted credit were like the one of the primers. Some really didn’t have money until the first of the month. The ones who paid bought things they needed and usually paid out of pocket for cigarettes, dip or beer. These were the ones who got the staples without a travel 17 miles to the next town for a big box grocery store. It is like the ones who don’t carry car insurance to muck it up for everyone else who have been paying insurance for decades. This being said, we soon sought out the bad apples. One fella, who was a good looking black fella, with doe eyes and had them all for the white, young ladies. He would just look at you knowing how handsome he thought he was, and without making a statement, walk out for something for free or next to nothing. This guy known as “Cookie” had all the white gals swooning and some fathered his children, tried to get me to go for his antics. It kind of got to the point where I felt a little uncomfortable with him coming around, that I voiced my opinion to K and he knew exactly what to do. Give him what he wants. One day, Doe Eyes walks in asking to open a line of credit.
We owned the store now for a few months and already had our own accounting spreadsheet in place. These of the items bought, price, tax including 1-5% interest of customers’ store tickets. We were now familiar with the ones who were the good ones and ones who were new; not knowing if they would pay; therefore the interest would increase for those who lacked credit, pun intended. The ones that paid on time got only 1% and the others got the bigger interest with a charge of $3/day until the tab is paid off, therefore making it unaffordable for any that poisoned the well.
Cookie walked in like he owned the place. Put his stuff on the counter and said to him bluntly “put this on my ticket”. K, looked at him like he has 3 eyes and said “dude, you don’t have a ticket”. He was with few of his buddies and he was trying to show off. I was working on the computer or putting away stock nearby when all this was going down. He pretty much was trying to size up K and Cookie trying to bulk up like a rooster in a fight, Cookie was making it clear that he wouldn’t walk out without getting a tab. Little to Doe Eyes demise, K and I already talked about how we would get rid of Cookie. K, looking over at me, not flinching a bit, when this goofball tries to make a gesture to pick a fight, I just gave K a nod. “Sure man”, K said as I typed up everything on the spreadsheet along with the interest and tax, rounding about $20. Cookie walked away like he had just won, but little did he know, his days at our store would soon come to an end.
Weeks passed and business is going ok with the great weather for fishing, we invested in getting more bait for the shop. Yes, our general store did have bait, which is the biggest loser when it comes to your money if not sold immediately or timely. We had live minnows at one time, perch and worms. The worms were the most fun for me because they would just squirm when you tap the box to see if they were still alive. Some of the worms, Cool Cats is what they called them were about the width of my pinky finger and 4-6 inches long. Best sellers, run about $5. We kept these guys in the walk in refrigerator along with the beer. Red Worms were the earthworms you mostly find in your garden. Not much as fun, and you had to dig for them in the container to see if they’re still living, these ones were sold for $3-5.
Cookie walks in on a beautiful day hoping to catch some fish. Immediately, K reminded him of his unpaid ticket. “So are you going to pay for this today?” Cookie says how much does he owe and K says “$20”. Cookie proceeds to ignore K about the payment and Cookie asks what bait do we have. “Red Worms and Cool Cats,” K said. “How many do you want?” asked K. “1 box of Cool Cats” replied Cookie. I got off my stool and grabbed the worms out of refrigeration, tapped them gently and watched them get rustled. I even mentioned how nice they looked and how lucky the fish were if they were to have them. I placed the Cool Cats on the counter before Cookie, and K said, “that will be $20.” Cookie said “what?” K repeated himself and said “$20 please”. “Are you serious, $20 for bait?” Cookie asked. “You heard me friend, $20”, said K. Cookie was looking at me to step in and intervene. Cookie didn’t have his friends to back him up, and looked like he wanted to fight K. Cookie would be in trouble if given the chance. I just shrugged my shoulders as my reply. Cookie, pissed off and disappointed, walked out the store baitless, never to return again. After he left, K said, “that was the best $20 investment, ever. He won’t be bothering you ever again.” K kissed and hugged me as we celebrated his $20 credit. That’s how to get rid of customers with store credit. Good riddance.

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Saucy Girl