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And why should people buy stuff from you rather than the big box place or the big online place that both sell stuff at standard prices that are very easy to find using a simple search?
Even cars have pretty standardized prices these days. A good car salesperson makes better money exhibiting a caring attitude with the customers rather than your ultra-competitive, shark-like attitude.
Even real estate is becoming more standardized in price with the online services, such as the one that starts with a "Z" and rhymes with "pillow."
Do you consider yourself a part of any sort of _community_, or is it just _You for Your$elf?_
I see an awful lot of bluffing and bluster in your posts. They're just not very believable
Hard-sell techniques might have worked well in 1982, but they don't work well in today's market.
Today's market, driven by social media, is more community-based. In that paradigm, people actually CARE about what happens in their communities.
And if I care about the community, I really don't like to see people standing in 110-degree heat begging.
It reflects poorly on the community.
Also, I am very skeptical of stuff that sounds like propaganda. Your posts resemble Ayn Rand-type propaganda.
Wow, Lee. To be blunt, you're even more uninformed about real estate and how car selling works that you are about homelessness in Austin, and everything else you've held forth. You're embarrassing yourself, picking fights, and don't even seem to realize it. Hasn't your original question been answered?
To everyone else. FWIW - My wife and I met friends at Roaring Fork downtown last night for dinner. There was more than the usual number of street beggars wandering Congress Ave. I gave $5 to one to get something to eat, because he hadn't eaten since 7AM, which I found out by saying "what's up?", and talking to him.
I've posted here before about my estranged homeless brother in law who died in his tent at the hidden homeless encampment where he lived off S Congress. My wife and I got to know a lot of the homeless people through that experience. Many came to his funeral service, which we held on S. Congress so they could walk there. It completely changed our perspective and the stereotypes we previously held about homeless people. Their stories are varied, wide ranging and more complex than we often assume.
If you really want to know more about the homeless people you see, including the beggars, stop and have a conversation. Roll the window down at the red light and say something and offer a dollar or a bottle of water instead of averting your eyes. They don't bite. I promise it will be enlightening.
I usually try to make them feel human, if only for a short moment, ask their name, and encourage them to call any family or friends who haven't heard from them in a while. If my BIL had done that instead of hiding out for so many years, we could have helped him.
The part of this post addressed "to everyone else" was quite interesting and enlightening!! That was actually a good post!! Despite the fact that you missed a situation with your brother-in-law, it still seems that you DO care.
In your post, the paragraph addressed to _me_ was unnecessarily hostile. The rest of the post was terrific!
I'm definitely not trying to pick fights. I'm just wondering why there are so many beggars on busy suburban street corners in Austin whereas there aren't nearly so many in comparable cities.
As far as "bootstrapping" by using aggressive sales techniques: I realize this was indeed possible during the 1930s-1980s before the advent of online price-comparison sites. A clever salesperson could make a high profit margin using a strong pitch.
Nowadays though, with widespread internet access, most potential buyers of products know how much the products cost in the overall marketplace. An iPhone costs $$$, a 2010 Subaru with 115,000 miles costs $$$$$, and a 1985-built 3 BR 2BA in XYZ neighborhood with ABC schools costs $$$$$$$.
Why do you think I don't understand current markets for sales in cars and RE? I've helped several friends during the past year find market and even below-market deals for autos and other products. Yes, a bit of time and searching is involved.
Of course, there are local markets. Some areas are trendier than others, and some are downright depressed.
If my internet connection isn't down at the moment because of weather or whatever, I can assess the value of just about any car or house with just a few form entries and mouse-clicks.
The bottom-line point of my original post is that is that it seems its every man for himself in Austin.
Quote:
Originally Posted by austin-steve
Wow, Lee. To be blunt, you're even more uninformed about real estate and how car selling works that you are about homelessness in Austin, and everything else you've held forth. You're embarrassing yourself, picking fights, and don't even seem to realize it. Hasn't your original question been answered?
To everyone else. FWIW - My wife and I met friends at Roaring Fork downtown last night for dinner. There was more than the usual number of street beggars wandering Congress Ave. I gave $5 to one to get something to eat, because he hadn't eaten since 7AM, which I found out by saying "what's up?", and talking to him.
I've posted here before about my estranged homeless brother in law who died in his tent at the hidden homeless encampment where he lived off S Congress. My wife and I got to know a lot of the homeless people through that experience. Many came to his funeral service, which we held on S. Congress so they could walk there. It completely changed our perspective and the stereotypes we previously held about homeless people. Their stories are varied, wide ranging and more complex than we often assume.
If you really want to know more about the homeless people you see, including the beggars, stop and have a conversation. Roll the window down at the red light and say something and offer a dollar or a bottle of water instead of averting your eyes. They don't bite. I promise it will be enlightening.
I usually try to make them feel human, if only for a short moment, ask their name, and encourage them to call any family or friends who haven't heard from them in a while. If my BIL had done that instead of hiding out for so many years, we could have helped him.
The part of this post addressed "to everyone else" was quite interesting and enlightening!! That was actually a good post!! Despite the fact that you missed a situation with your brother-in-law, it still seems that you DO care.
In your post, the paragraph addressed to _me_ was unnecessarily hostile. The rest of the post was terrific!
I'm definitely not trying to pick fights. I'm just wondering why there are so many beggars on busy suburban street corners in Austin whereas there aren't nearly so many in comparable cities.
As far as "bootstrapping" by using aggressive sales techniques: I realize this was indeed possible during the 1930s-1980s before the advent of online price-comparison sites. A clever salesperson could make a high profit margin using a strong pitch.
Nowadays though, with widespread internet access, most potential buyers of products know how much the products cost in the overall marketplace. An iPhone costs $$$, a 2010 Subaru with 115,000 miles costs $$$$$, and a 1985-built 3 BR 2BA in XYZ neighborhood with ABC schools costs $$$$$$$.
Why do you think I don't understand current markets for sales in cars and RE? I've helped several friends during the past year find market and even below-market deals for autos and other products. Yes, a bit of time and searching is involved.
Of course, there are local markets. Some areas are trendier than others, and some are downright depressed.
If my internet connection isn't down at the moment because of weather or whatever, I can assess the value of just about any car or house with just a few form entries and mouse-clicks.
The bottom-line point of my original post is that is that it seems its every man for himself in Austin.
Who said anything about aggressive sales techniques?
Answer: Nobody.
Yes, prices are static and known. Deliver better service, better and faster interaction and more value and you win.
Every man/woman for themselves? Eh, maybe. Allowing everyone to be who they want to be? Why not.
Have you met any of these people who take the sacrifice for granted? If you have, did you educate them? Could you possibly just be projecting your own personal feelings onto those people?
The people that I know that have been homeless don't take it for granted. Now that they aren't homeless, they give to homeless people because they understand what it's like and appreciate the help they got.
I have spoken with several of the homeless.
But no, I do not attempt to educate them (with maybe a few exceptions, where their own end of the conversation opened the door).
I have know people who would be homeless without the free help they received from various tax funded sources. I did sense a lack of appreciation, and even a sense of entitlement.
I then watched the children grow up with the same sense of entitlement.
I am not against helping the homeless, quite the opposite.
I just believe in providing opportunity for work in return for needs, where a person is capable of working.
My perception of needs is lower than what some are currently being provided with. Some get too much, some go without enough.
Every idea I have for dealing with the homeless and otherwise unemployed, is something that I would be comfortable with if I were in their situation.
I remember being on the corner of Anderson and Burnett. There are a line of beggars that have shifts on that median. Its a hotspot for them.
Anywayz, one sunny afternoon, I saw a guy holding a 'we buy gold' sign right across the street from the beggar (who was at bat in a rotation while the other sat on a side wall, smoking cigs, talking on cell phones, coordinating the beer session.. etc)
Now think... its a hot day. Smelly cars dangerously driving. Not easy work per say. Walking back and fourth, waving a sign and trying to appeal to the motorist.
The guy with the gold sign makes whatever - lets say $7-10 an hour. I've heard from various sources that an average panhandler in Austin makes about $60 a day. Depends on various things of course. Maybe $20, or $200 a day?
BUT THE DUDE WITH THE 'WE BUY GOLD' SIGN HAS TO PAY TAXES! and he won't hit a jackpot - like a guy on his way from Religious gathering or whatever. Those dudes kick down mad cash.. maybe a $20 here and there.
Same with the jack-in-the-box workers. Same with the lady cleaning toilets at Tiger-Mart (where the beggar crew uses the restroom and makes it all nasty)
my point: beggars in austin should have to be licensed and pay taxes.
I have spoken with several of the homeless.
But no, I do not attempt to educate them (with maybe a few exceptions, where their own end of the conversation opened the door).
I have know people who would be homeless without the free help they received from various tax funded sources. I did sense a lack of appreciation, and even a sense of entitlement.
I then watched the children grow up with the same sense of entitlement.
I am not against helping the homeless, quite the opposite.
I just believe in providing opportunity for work in return for needs, where a person is capable of working.
My perception of needs is lower than what some are currently being provided with. Some get too much, some go without enough.
Every idea I have for dealing with the homeless and otherwise unemployed, is something that I would be comfortable with if I were in their situation.
Many, but not all of the people on street corners are panhandlers. I hired a man off of a street corner because he was holding a sign "need work, laid off". He was sincere in wanting to work so I had him trim a bunch of bushes in my yard. In talking to him I learned he was an experienced carpenter, so I paid him to build a covered patio for me on the back of my house. He did a great job.
If someone wants work, I'm inclined to try and help them out if I can, but I rarely give any money to panhandlers unless they have an obvious disability.
And a lot aren't even homeless - they are just scammers. There have been numerous stories run nationally that document people making a lot of money off of panhandling. Google Investigative Reports Panhandling and start reading.
I actually heard this from a salesman at a clothing store I went to last year, that before he got that job he'd been panhandling at various S. Austin intersections and would clear like $400-500/week tax free cash. Granted, I do see a number of mentally-ill (stinkers, mumblers, yellers) or drunks/junkies, but I would bet a goodly # are folks that could get a 'square' job in retail or food service if the police cracked down on vagrancy and panhandling.
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