Originally Posted by
Phonetek
Thanks bud, I appreciate it. =)
Man...(expletive) that dude! He's not worth my time talking about but I will indulge you. Bold face liar and the only way to help him make money on that center is for me to hand him a gallon of gas and a match. Provided anyone would provide insurance on a center that belongs on the show Hoarders. Just walking from Lane #1 to the bathroom you walk through 4 decades of decor and never make it past the 1990's. I've seen video's of kids breaking into abandoned bowling alleys on YouTube that were a vast improvement over that place. No WAY that place is staying around for long. If it did catch fire it would smolder for 6 months with the amount of junk he has in there.
He's got parts for every type of pinsetter that he doesn't own and tools to work on them from Dollar General. No wonder he's the one that fixes them or rather rigs them. There isn't any self respecting mechanic that would take on working on those machines. Besides, he'd probably only offer them minimum wage. I seen one with a notch cut out of the center of a sweep cut with a sawzall and asked him what the notch was for? He said that the sweep kept hitting the headpin knocking it out of the fingers so he cut the notch so it wouldn't do that. I said, "Did you set the timing on the cams, it sounds like it out of sync?" and he said "How do you do that?" Seriously? That's level 1 mechanic stuff probably taught on day one of school.
It took everything I had to bite my tongue and keep things professional. I really shouldn't have because he really needs a wake up call. I didn't go down there to do that though, I'm not the Chef Ramsay of bowling centers. Back by the machines, everything was just creaky and squeaky with nothing but crud and bits of metal, screws, washers and other parts that have broken off surrounding them on the floor. It was disgusting. Mike Rowe would have balked about doing a show there.
Not only did he go back on our agreement that he made with me on the phone. He says because he just found out his wife wants a divorce. "Gee...what a shock" He was still trying to get my ideas that I had on how to bring in business. He only said he could bring me in part time and at less than I make now. He said he'd bring me in if I had another part time job set up. LMAO Yeah sure, I'd bring my family down to make less money, work and work two jobs and offer up my ideas for him to make money. I don't think a fresh smiling face and drink specials are going to help. The only event I'd be able to plan to get the town interested in that place would be to charge people to gather around watching the place get imploded.
I was soooo pissed when I left that place. Not only because of his bait and switch tactic on me. I was mad I took the time off work and lost money to come down, I spent money I didn't have to do it and it was all for nothing at that point. I called my wife and said "What am I supposed to do now since this was an epic fail?" She had no suggestion. I got something to eat, feeling very ashamed, low and on the verge of giving up. I said to myself...."There are two more centers down here I haven't dealt with yet, I have to suck this up and move forward!" It was 7pm now which was a bad time to do this but I had nothing to lose from trying.
The first center was over an hour away on the other side from Spring Hill. I pulled up at 8:30pm thinking "Man this is such a long shot, no way anyone with any juice is there to talk to" Nonetheless, I decided to go in anyway. Ended up talking to the GM's son. Nice people, nice place but another "Fun Center". The son says I'd have to talk to his dad but he knows they need a bar tender and it pays really well, he'd be in tomorrow. Staying over night wasn't in my plans time wise nor financially. I figured, "Well...it's better than nothing so I guess I'm sleeping in the car tonight.
The next center was up the road 20 minutes away. Again I said "This is going to be like shooting a bullet, at another bullet, blindfolded whilst riding a horse but I gotta try!" I walk in at 9:45 pm. I ask the girl at the counter "What time do you close?" She says "Thanksgiving" I said "Huh? No, I meant what are your business hours tonight and when do close?" Again she said "Thanksgiving" Ah....."24 hour establishment, got it" I told her my reason for being there and she called the GM on the phone. He said to come back at 10am. She said "If you like drama then this is the place to work". She wasn't very friendly or personable and given what she said I wasn't at all confident that this was the place to go and probably wasn't coming back. I was going to blow off the appointment.
Next morning after waking up in the car at the truck stop I figured I'd go back to the second place first since I had a set time. I don't like blowing people off, I'm too ethical to go back on what I say. Luckily I did because that brings us full circle to the OP and you know the rest.
As far as the asshat, as it turned out it was my saving grace. Had I ended up there, none of what is happening now would be. I wouldn't have found it within myself and dig deep to keep pressing on and keep moving forward despite my failures. I was too determined to not come back to Chicago with my head hanging in shame. Still that asshat.... I wish him the worst of luck and none of his dreams come true. Hopefully karma puts him in his place. When he's out of business which can't be far in his future, I pray he needs two part time jobs to survive as he smugly suggested for me. I wouldn't send my worst enemy to bowl at his establishment.
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