Hang Your Hat

"Hang Your Hat" by artist Lisa Rae Winant

Image used by permission of the artist

37 x 10 / oil on panel

From the outside it may not look like much, but it is home, she thought to herself. It was a long trip and she was relieved to be home for the first time in over two weeks. Even though her feet were throbbing, covered with blisters from her work shoes and it seemed like every joint in her body felt as if they were ready to give out and her body would collapse underneath her, she just stood and admired her home.

Sure, it was not the mansion she imagined herself in, but it is better than nothing. Besides, this home has gotten her through some really though times. It has always kept her warm when the bitter crisp air of winter nights struck. Staring at her home from the edge of the road, she wondered if this would be her home for the rest of her life. It seems like no matter how hard she works, it seems she just can not save for a bigger place.

She imagined what it would be like to smell something other than dirt and mothballs. What it would feel like on her toes to touch hardwood floors instead of the scratchy mismatched area rugs scattered over the cement floor. What it would be like to breathe in crisp fresh air of the country instead of the smoggy air of the crowded city.

Does she really need a bigger place? Sure it would make entertaining much easier, but she is all alone in this cozy house, and she spent more time working than she did at home. She smiled again with relief. Even though the roof leaked when it rained, and occasionally the door came unhinged, it was a place to hang her hat, and that was all she really wanted.

Auto Salespeople

It has recently come to my attention that car salespeople seem to be taking extreme (more like ridiculous) measures to get a sale. My neighbor recently went to Autofair to buy (in cash) a new SUV, after taking the SUV for a test drive, he asked the salesman what the price was on the car. The salesmen told him that unless he signed a contract saying that he would buy the SUV that he would not disclose the price. Needless to say, my neighbor did not buy the SUV from Autofair.

Another one of my friends asked for a quote on a car, and as the salesman was going through his list of expenses, he skipped over on line that had a large amount of money on it, when my friend asked what that money was for the salesmen replied, "Well its like a tip for me." Like the commission he makes off the car is not good enough he decided to add in another thousand dollars in a "tip" for himself. Unbelievable!

I have heard of salespeople taking keys from customers so that they could not leave the dealership, or not allowing customers to test drive a car unless they have a written agreement to make a purchase that day. What is wrong with these people? I understand wanting to make money, I work in a sales position, but is this really necessary? What makes them think that consumers will actually respond positively to this type of behavior? It makes you wonder what types of people are managing this business..? Do they really encourage these kinds of sales techniques? So much for customer service, looks like the only people they want to service are themselves. No wonder so many people buy used cars in private sales. I would buy privately just to avoid being attacked by salespeople!