Who's Driving

Who's Driving - Southern Charm & Customer Shenanigans S2E17

Wesley Turner Season 2 Episode 17

Have you ever found yourself chuckling at the whimsical words that only seem to make sense in the small Southern town you grew up in? That's where Steven and I start our latest "Who's Driving" podcast episode, diving straight into phrases like "Hercule-Derkle" and the good-natured jesting that comes with being from a place where the tea is sweeter and the summers are hotter than anywhere else.

Keep Listening  as we recount tales from our unforgettable customer Pat, who's taught us a thing or two about the true meaning of customer service. Picture the scene: makeup like Mimi from "The Drew Carey Show," and voice memos that hold nothing back!

Call or text our podcast hotline at 864-982-5029. Leave us your questions, comments, and episode topics you would like us to discuss.

Follow Steven on Instagram at @Keepinupwithsteven and follow Wesley on Instagram at @Farmshenanigans.

Shop our online store and get our App Here For The Nested Fig.  Find The Nested Fig on Instagram at @TheNestedFig

Speaker 1:

Don't leave me. I'm here. I know you're about to pull out.

Speaker 2:

I've got it. I have it in dynamic, which means it really would fill out.

Speaker 1:

Because I'm 30 minutes late. But it's time for another episode of who's Driving. Welcome to who's Driving. I'm Wesley Turner.

Speaker 2:

And I'm Stephen Merck. We're two best friends and entrepreneurs.

Speaker 1:

Who's Driving is an entertaining look into the behind the scenes of our lives, friendships and businesses.

Speaker 2:

These are the stories we share and topics we discuss, as two best friends would on a long road trip.

Speaker 1:

Along the way, we'll check in with friends and offer a wide range of informative topics centered around running small businesses, social media and all things home and garden.

Speaker 2:

Buckle up and enjoy the ride. You never know who's driving or where we're headed.

Speaker 1:

All we know is it's always a fun ride. Ah, sorry I'm late.

Speaker 2:

this week it's okay, we all have our moments. Okay, I wish you had just told me, because I had a few errands. But you know what? I'll run them after. It's fine, that's fine, we've got all the time in the world. But I have a question for you.

Speaker 1:

Oh, you're starting out this. Yes, I have a question. Starting out hot and heavy here, right off the bat. What, what.

Speaker 2:

Did you spend some time Hercule and Dirkling today? Oh, good Lord, do you like to Hercule Dirkle?

Speaker 1:

I know you're my best friend, so I know you like to herkle-derkle, I do not even know, you don't know what herkle-derkeling is. Do you use herkle-derkle? In a sentence. What is herkle-derkle.

Speaker 2:

Every morning when I wake up.

Speaker 1:

I don't always Hercule Durkle.

Speaker 2:

I like to Hercule Durkle.

Speaker 1:

Oh, good Lord, oh goodness, what are you talking about? You don't Hercule Durkle? I've never heard of Hercule Durkle. Hercule Durkle, okay yeah, hercule.

Speaker 2:

Durkle, herculeerkel Herculderkel. Okay yeah, herculderkel Herculderkel. So I want to pull up the dictionary.

Speaker 1:

Is this actually a word, a phrase?

Speaker 2:

It's a phrase no, it's not slang, it's something.

Speaker 1:

Oh, there's a song, herculderkel that's not what I was going for. Oh my goodness, you have thrown me off with Hercule Derkle. But that's not what I was going for. Oh my goodness, you have thrown me off with Hercule Derkle.

Speaker 2:

Hercule Derkle refers to people lying in the bed past the time they're meant to get up Think sleeping through the alarm and missing work, or lounging under the covers instead of meeting your business partner and making that appointment. There's no sense of guilt about having a Hercule D'Arco.

Speaker 1:

I then, yes, I do Hercule D'Arco most mornings, yeah you are a Hercule D'Arco.

Speaker 2:

You're a Hercule D'Arco, I am a Hercule Dirkler, but you know, you're either. Here's what I.

Speaker 1:

Daniel is not most days he's not a Hercule Dirkler he alarm goes off well most days, and he jumps right up and he's perky. You're either a Hercule Dirkler or you're not a Hercule Hercule.

Speaker 2:

Dirkler yeah.

Speaker 1:

Oh my.

Speaker 2:

Hercule Dirkler.

Speaker 1:

Herkler.

Speaker 2:

Herkler.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, oh, my Herkle Derkler, herkle, derkler, derkler. I had no idea where that one was going.

Speaker 2:

I didn't know what that was. I was like what is Herkle Derkling? So I saw it, or Dylan saw it, one of us saw it on Instagram or something and I was like what in the world? So of course I called one of our mutual friends and said do you like to herkle derkle? She didn't fall for it, she was like I don't know what that means, but she was already.

Speaker 2:

She was already Googling herkle derkle before I could even tell her, she knows me too well, but it so you know, it just kind of that, you know, kind of got me to thinking and laughing. It's some of the stuff that I grew up with, family saying you know, being from the South oh, growing up country. Yes, and it's so funny Like I don't think some people would even know what we're saying sometimes.

Speaker 1:

Oh no, I know they don't, because I left small-town Tennessee and I went to Mississippi State University, which is also a Southern thing, but they had such a diverse group of students. Group of students, because Mississippi State at the time only had I think there were only two, I don't remember but had a golf program. I forget what you call it, but anyway, like a golf management program. They also did the grass park. So there were fancy people From all over the country. You know California up north.

Speaker 2:

So you had turf management and all those kind of people that were going to get into that.

Speaker 1:

Yes, but also the physical, like the actual managing golfer, like golf program.

Speaker 3:

Oh.

Speaker 1:

Type school. So the actual sport oh. I forget what you call it. So. So people who were really good at golf would come there. Who like?

Speaker 2:

Golf pros and stuff that sort of thing. Oh so anyway, fancy come there who like golf pros and stuff, that sort of thing.

Speaker 1:

So anyway, fancy, I didn't know that. And then I would say things and they would be like what, what we? I have no idea what you're saying I know one word you said right right it's right, the milk is right. No, it is ruined and I had to cry. I taught myself so many new words like I. I would literally be like okay, wesley, you have got to retrain your brain.

Speaker 2:

Well, I was talking to one of our friends, one of our mutual friends, and she said my light bill was $260. And she said did you say light bill or power bill? And I said I say power, I say electric bill, I say power you do, or power bill, power bill.

Speaker 1:

Electric. I say power. Yeah, the electric bills do, is what I say.

Speaker 2:

No, I say power, but my dad says light bill, my grandparents light bill. No, my mother never did.

Speaker 1:

I feel like a ton of people, especially probably older generations, refer to it as light bill and I think that becomes, you know, like my grandmother didn't have power growing up until like a certain age. So then at the time I guess it only powered light light. I get why they said it yeah. And so then that's passed down light bills due to the next generation that's all.

Speaker 2:

My grandparents said light bill, you need to close that refrigerator. No, you need to close that refrigerator. You didn't put the R-E. No, it's refrigerator.

Speaker 1:

Or fridge.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, close that refrigerator. It's going to run the light bill up, that is. But my mother didn't say. My mother was a grammar Nazi and she typically said things correctly. Can you imagine, as country as I am, if my mother hadn't been that way? I would have been like you kind of are. I'm saying it would have been worse.

Speaker 1:

The funny thing is you have made fun of, or you think you're being funny and say words all the time incorrectly. But now, and I've tried to tell you for years, but now, and I've I tried to tell you for years, but now that's your regular vocabulary, so you cannot play it off like no, it's not, yes, it is. You will say it in a sentence when you're not meaning it to be funny, because that is now the way you talk. You have corrected yourself to say it wrong.

Speaker 2:

A lot of words like and I tried to warn you like sconces, yeah, I say scunches, so I. I passed that off to somebody else because I kept calling them scunches uh-huh. So one of our other friends said I, you know, I can't even say the word now I call them scunches and I was like that's what you do, you.

Speaker 1:

You played around, but it's fine, it's fine, you know it is, it's funny, it is funny, but when you think about learning things such as light bill and you learn it that way, you never question it you know what I'm saying, like well, why would you?

Speaker 2:

that's all you heard, you just call it the light bill, and you don't think, oh, the refrigerator isn't not gonna run up the light bill and you don't think, oh, the refrigerator is not going to run up the light bill, because that's all the power bill or electricity bill. Yes, you don't think behind it no, no, and I never thought about it.

Speaker 1:

That was the first time I thought about it, and this isn't a country thing, but also like calling, you know, a traffic light, a stoplight. Oh, at the stoplight. Or the red light or the red light.

Speaker 2:

Red light? That's a Southern thing, red light. Go to that red light and take a left. Yeah.

Speaker 1:

Well, what if it's green at the time? You know it's a traffic light, it's a traffic light.

Speaker 2:

But yeah, we say red light. You take a left at that red light right there.

Speaker 1:

I love when you put your country on even country.

Speaker 2:

That's the way it's, you know, and I'm not listen. I embrace my country. I know I'm country. I'm just thankful that I had a stickler for a mother so that I do actually know the appropriate way to speak.

Speaker 1:

Yeah. Now whether I do that or not is two different things, so let us know if you're listening out there. What is your country phrase or words that you love to say?

Speaker 2:

Or if you're not in the South, like what is something up North that you say that we wouldn't know?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, or something that you hear Southern say and you don't really know what it is, yeah, you're like what the hell?

Speaker 2:

is that.

Speaker 1:

On our hotline. Our hotline number is 864-982-5029. You can also find it in the show notes below as well.

Speaker 2:

I'm trying to think of other ones besides Rert, I mean there's all kinds of things in the South, like one time I was telling a story about my cousins going cooter hunting what, and I can't remember who I was in front of, and they were like what and I? Said cooter hunting, and you could tell they just did not know what that was. I'm like, yeah, they would go, they go cooter hunting. And then sometimes they get snakes too and they were like what? And I'm like it's mud turtles.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, in the south it's cooters, cooter hunting oh my gosh uh I don't know that's that way up north yeah, I don't know, do they call them that universally?

Speaker 2:

yeah, is it cooter hunting? I don't, I don't, I don't know, right, I mean, you know but here you go.

Speaker 1:

I mean that's pretty dang southern you can go cooter hunting.

Speaker 2:

You can go coon hunting Raccoons, we call those coons, and then mud turtles are cooters. I mean, there's no telling what. I always say that people are like what. What are you?

Speaker 1:

talking about I'm trying to think just regular vocabulary, other words that I would say from. That was very sudden. Oh, here's one.

Speaker 2:

I do say yeah what I do, say this what is it? And I and I just, it just hit me the other day I actually say that I reckon, I reckon I reckon what the hell's a reckon I reckon I don't think that's a word I mean I, I don't think.

Speaker 1:

I really say I reckon, but I know what it means. Yeah, like I reckon, I reckon so. Or what about? I know, you know, fixing to, I'm fixing to Mm-hmm, instead of I'm about to, I'm fixing to, I'm fixing to. Yeah, my mother didn't like that either. That I'm fixing to. I'm fixing to. Yeah, my mother didn't like that either. That's another one. There is one on the tip of my tongue that I can't remember.

Speaker 2:

Oh, it's an informal word. It means to think or suppose something, to believe that something is true or possible. I reckon that we'll have to leave early. Do you reckon we'll be able to get to the grocery store after work? So I guess it's fine to say I reckon, I reckon.

Speaker 1:

How do you spell reckon?

Speaker 2:

Like see, I wouldn't use it because I don't even know how to R-E-C-K-O-N. Reckon, reckon, I reckon, I reckon.

Speaker 1:

Oh, the other one is and this is more of a phrase thing, and I think a lot of people say this but might as well, might as well.

Speaker 2:

I don't say that my mother would have slapped me.

Speaker 1:

Instead of might as well. No, I didn't say that.

Speaker 2:

Might as well.

Speaker 1:

I think I still say that.

Speaker 2:

All those things, like certain things, like my grandparents said. My grandmother said, instead of chance, you know, if I have a chance I'll do that. She didn't say chance, she said change, change, change is a big Southern thing, oh. I don't think my family used change that may be a South Carolina thing Change, change. I hadn't had a change to do it.

Speaker 1:

Instead of chance, uh-huh, I mean my grandmother. Her whole life called Walmart Walmart.

Speaker 2:

Walmart. A lot of people do that. Yeah, I don't know, I don't know.

Speaker 1:

I have a little bit of a riddle for you. Are you on your toes, oh gosh.

Speaker 2:

Let me.

Speaker 1:

Get your brain centered. Yeah, okay, are you ready?

Speaker 2:

I'm fixing to be.

Speaker 1:

Okay, here we go. Okay, what comes twice in a week and once in a year.

Speaker 2:

What comes twice in a week and once in a year.

Speaker 1:

What comes twice in a week, and there's so many ways that could go, but what comes twice in a week and once in a year? You're so good at riddles Twice in a week and once in a year. If you're out there, let us know. Text us before he gives the answer 864-982-5029.

Speaker 3:

What comes?

Speaker 1:

twice in a week and once in a year. E yes, you are correct.

Speaker 2:

You got it.

Speaker 1:

I was thinking like days of week E comes twice in a week and once in a year I was thinking days of week and I was like no, yeah, and I thought numbers.

Speaker 2:

I was like no, and then I said oh, let me. And so then I got it well when I saw the riddle did you get?

Speaker 1:

it. No, I did not get it, and my brain went way many different directions than sourcing out the letters there.

Speaker 2:

Another thing that Southerners would say, or my family, let's say country. I don't know, maybe it was just Pickens County, I don't know, I put some money back.

Speaker 1:

Oh, put some money back Instead of saving it.

Speaker 2:

You need to put some back. You need to put some back.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, where did that come from? Put some back, because where are you putting it back instead of saving it? Like I'm just thinking, is that shortened version of doing something back in the day before you know saving money a certain way Because you know? Now you would say you need to save some of that or whatever, or invest, or whatever.

Speaker 2:

So phrasal verb to put something back means to delay it or arrange it for to happen later than you previously plan.

Speaker 1:

Well, that has nothing to do with money, put it back.

Speaker 2:

Here it also means to work very hard at something, to put a lot of effort. If you want to clean, if you want that floor clean, you'll have to put some back, oh, Back into it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, now we can talk about putting some back into it.

Speaker 2:

It means to return something to its usual place or the place where it was before it was moved. I don't know that's literal, but in South Carolina it means save some money.

Speaker 1:

Well, you remember years ago I wish I still had that voicemail. That would be so fun. I wonder if I can dig that out.

Speaker 2:

I've probably got more money put back than most of them women.

Speaker 1:

Uh-huh. So we had a lady. We haven't heard from her in probably 10 years now, wouldn't you say?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, she loved us and now she hates us evidently.

Speaker 1:

I think she moved or something, or who knows what happened to this poor lady, but anyway she would come into the garden store. At events, she would only come during open house. For the drinks and food For the drinks and food, and then she would always call.

Speaker 3:

So it's been a long time she would get drunk Because she did it for like the first three or four years I have got.

Speaker 1:

surely I have that voicemail somewhere. I thought I had it. She would call and leave us voicemails.

Speaker 2:

She would get drunk.

Speaker 1:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

Because she would be intoxicated. Right, you could tell she was. Yeah, I'm not going to say her whole name, but her name's Pat. Yeah, and she would say this is Pat.

Speaker 3:

This is Pat.

Speaker 2:

And I just wanted to tell you Like she had smoked like eight cartons of cigarettes and she said I just wanted to tell you it wasn't as good this year as it was last year. She would eat and eat Bless her heart. It was the event she waited on all year. Yes, and I do want to say this it was her event and it was a big deal to her and we welcomed her and we were very sweet to her and we were very kind to her and because we said that, we said you know, this is her big holiday event for the year. So we tried to be really sweet to her, but then she got mean.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, she would get drunk afterwards or whatever after her big night out and she would every year call and leave us a voicemail after hours with the review of the event.

Speaker 2:

What we did wrong.

Speaker 1:

What we did wrong. And so one year, because our events got to be so big, we had and we would get, we would have we still do have amazing food. Well, one year we got a caterer to cater it for free for us to promote her business for holiday events, and so she was there with this amazing setup. But she was also because we had so many people. She was like serving, you know, spooning it out or like.

Speaker 2:

It wasn't like buffet style.

Speaker 1:

No, it was you. Walk down the line and she was serving it and that gave her the opportunity to talk to you. Hey, I can host your party and promote her business.

Speaker 2:

And tell you about the food.

Speaker 1:

Yes, Well, pat didn't like that, because she had to call us that night and tell us how I'm going to find them. I know I can find them.

Speaker 2:

That ain't the good Southern way.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and it ain't like last year and the servings were too small and the women were looking at me, looking, and a gawking, that's what she said A gawking. That's another gawking. Yeah, that's what she said Looking and a gawking. And the drinks this year were just a little gulp, little gulp. Swaller Drinks this year were just a little gulp.

Speaker 2:

Little gulp swaller.

Speaker 1:

And she said and I have more money put back than most of them, that's where I got it from. And she was saying how she had more put back than most of the women in there.

Speaker 1:

Oh, I miss Pat, now that I think about it. We would always wait to see what the voicemail was going to be, because she would give us a little review on how we did. Miss Pat, now that I think about it, that was, we would always wait to see what the voicemail was going to be, because she would give us a little review on how we did.

Speaker 2:

Oh, and it was always good and it was always left at like 2 or 3 in the morning.

Speaker 1:

And she would have like.

Speaker 2:

Elvis music.

Speaker 1:

I swear. Surely there's an old iPhone with that still on it somewhere. Bless her heart.

Speaker 2:

She wore makeup like um a clown. I mean seriously it was?

Speaker 1:

it was like what was not rupaul, what was the um?

Speaker 2:

on drew carrie. Carrie the woman. That's what she looked like, mimi was that her name? Yeah, wasn't it, mimi Drew Carey? I mean identical, the Southern version of that Size look everything she was that, oh, I miss Pat.

Speaker 1:

For years I was like, oh, Pat didn't come this year.

Speaker 2:

No.

Speaker 1:

And she didn't. I don't know what happened to Pat. Anyway, wow, that was random, that was yeah. But you know Uh-huh Good old days with Pat. I, but you know Uh-huh Good old days with Pat. I'm going to search somewhere and find her. We had it, I know. I mean we kept it for years. Yes, I know, I have to have a file somewhere.

Speaker 2:

You should say hello. So I went shopping this weekend. Oh do tell I'm assuming it was somewhere.

Speaker 1:

Bougie, it was okay. Thank you, didn't let me down.

Speaker 2:

Yes, um, so the we went to, uh, the mall in charlotte south park mall. It's the only mall that I'm aware of, other than las vegas, that I will go to, that I enjoy. It's actually a great experience. But we walked in and I've never had this happen and I thought it was very weird. All of the air conditioning was out in the whole mall. Oh, that's weird. It was weird. The only stores that had air conditioning, thank God, were the anchor stores on each end, because you know they're separate building, if you will, and it was so stuffy but it wasn't bad. It was maybe 78 in there, 80.

Speaker 2:

But what cracked me up is, like some of the high-end stores, like Gucci and St John and some others, they closed. They just couldn't. They put notes out, they couldn't take the heat and I'm like you know I had to say this. I said you know 30 years in McDonald's. I know you don't like hearing McDonald's, but do you know how many times the air would break in the middle of the summer? And I mean I've had both. You know both units in the kitchen go at the same time, and it's like 105 degrees.

Speaker 2:

We would have been attacked and killed if we had said we're closing. It's a little too warm in here and I'm like who closes the?

Speaker 1:

I mean, but that's the difference between a small business and a big corporation.

Speaker 2:

They're like we're going to close it down.

Speaker 1:

If you're a small business, well you know, at the garden store not our current one, but the previous location the air went out like several times in the middle of summer, and you prop the doors open.

Speaker 2:

And you put a fan on Some fans and you keep on going. That's the difference between big business and small business. You see who's got.

Speaker 1:

First of all, we had to sell something to pay for the damn air conditioner to get fit right right.

Speaker 2:

but and then then the flip side of it if I was paying that kind of rent because I imagine that rent is ridiculous because of all that whole mall's high end yeah I, I would be mad as hell, but it worked out, and it worked out for Neiman Marcus, because we made it through the hot-ass mall and we made it there and we just stayed there the whole time until it was time to go.

Speaker 1:

You just stayed in Neiman Marcus. Mm-hmm, Now was their air out too. No, it was fine.

Speaker 2:

All the anchor stores had air. Because they had their own system, so it worked, I mean, and really that's the reason I go.

Speaker 1:

But would the individual stores not each have their own unit?

Speaker 2:

Evidently not, because, you know, I had to ask. I said when we first walked in I said, oh, we need to get out of this wing. Obviously the air's broken in this wing because there's huge wings, which is also weird yeah. But then it wasn't that.

Speaker 2:

So finally, before Gucci shut down, I asked like what in the hell's going on? And they were like the air's broken. The only stores are the anchor stores. I was like that's interesting, you know, just from, you know from, like I thought they would have had a lot of units like what would take it out, unless it was an electrical yeah panel or something that went that's bizarre I thought it was really odd.

Speaker 1:

Well, guess what I found the the voice memo from Pat. No, should we play it?

Speaker 2:

We totally should. Okay, let me, this is gonna be good. You gotta send me that. Okay, because what have you been able to find? How did you?

Speaker 1:

find it. I just searched and I had sent it to Central at some point and it came up in our text messages. Let me get her, okay, hooked up, hooked up to this, and here's up in our text messages.

Speaker 3:

Let me get her hooked up to this, and here's Pat's urgent voice message from Pat Black Today at 5.43 am. What's that? Have something to say about your this year? Excuse me, very disappointing. Pat Blackwell here came last year. Had bought stuff off and on in there from your store. Thought it was a wonderful store. But I tell you what. Go back to the old way you had it last year. Me and a lot of others left A lot of others.

Speaker 3:

As we went out the door. Go back to the bartender doing the martinis. Don't have them sitting in a pitcher already made up with a little gal pouring them in little bitty tiny glasses. That was barely one gulp.

Speaker 3:

Gulp the judges said it was probably to keep them swallowing it all at one time, food that was setting out, like last year, where you could go and get what you wanted without being gawked at and watched people talking and looking at everything you were saying and doing, afraid to look like you're again gawking and looking, afraid somebody was going to get a few more pieces of what was there than what they should, and don't have a woman in there selling jewelry from China when this is America. To listen to this message, press 1.

Speaker 1:

It's a three-part message. Yes, she ran out of time Urgent voice message.

Speaker 2:

Urgent, urgent.

Speaker 3:

What is that boy See today at 5.46 am 5.46? Am 5.46 am. Continue. What really turned me off, as I was saying and so many others jewelry from China, this is America. I was supplementing the lady on her beautiful jewelry and then did you make this yourself? No, it's from China. Well, I almost went off, right then. That's what's wrong right now. No, it's from China. Well, I almost went off right then.

Speaker 1:

That's what's wrong right now. The jewelry it was a pearl that was from China. It was pieces.

Speaker 3:

Really and a lot cheaper than a lot of that. And you know she was just right. She had a friend that goes to China and has this made when people right here and that's what's wrong right now people doing this there's too much of this going on right here that has took our jobs away. I've worked for companies, I've worked for factories, I've worked for production plants and stuff and lost our jobs to China and other foreign countries like that and it just burns me up.

Speaker 3:

You've got people, like I say, right here in this hometown area, right around here, who would have been proud to come there and display their homemade works, not have somebody saying I almost went off on it, I almost told her what I thought, but, like I say, I don't think that was right. And two, I think the catering sucks. It should have been again like last year, because people don't want these people. They're no better than me To listen to this message. Press 1. Message saved. Next message Urgent voice message Received today at 5.49 am.

Speaker 3:

They were the workers in there. They would have never, never spoke. Some of them never spoke. The only way I got the one behind the register to speak to me, the older lady with the glassy short hair and the other one with the long hair. When I came in the door I said, oh, how pretty it looks. No, it's time for that, a year, or to believe. Then, when I asked for a card or asked about the drawing, what to fill out, and then you know, the gentleman had to hunt something to fill out which was a card. They wasn't even set up for that. Y'all wasn't even set up for that.

Speaker 2:

Some things never change.

Speaker 3:

My tennis shoes, my socks and my shirt, my blue and white shirt. You know I didn't deck out to come over there like some did, but they're no better than I am, because I probably made more money than the biggest majority in there and probably got more put back than a lot of them.

Speaker 3:

Put back High pollution, didn't say nothing about the China jury. I tried to hold my tongue but I'm sure a lot felt the same Because a lot walked out that door, disgusted, just like I was. Again, like I say last year, go back to that way. That was the good old Southern-style way and that was so much better than all that hoopla yesterday. Thank you very much.

Speaker 2:

Thank you very much. I mean, she really gave us a dressing down.

Speaker 1:

And first, of all, but she did that. I don't know where the other ones?

Speaker 2:

are Like three times.

Speaker 1:

She did that like three Different times Years in a row. She would call and give us a review of that, poor pat, I know. But and then it was funny because then she would come in, usually just for that, and maybe because we did spring open houses too, and she would come in for that too, but then all the employees, you know, we, we played that. But first of all they would all like pats here and like you know, but there were dote on her.

Speaker 2:

They did, and there were. There were 8 000 people that shows up at the event, right. So the fact that she didn't think every employee spoke to her they couldn't right, that's not even freaking possible to be maybe out of pocket and self-conscious about being in a different environment?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I guess.

Speaker 2:

And then the lady with the jewelry. She had pieces that were from China.

Speaker 1:

Well, it was a specific pearl, I don't remember, back in the day.

Speaker 3:

It was expensive.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to say 2012.

Speaker 2:

We were in both stores, we were in both buildings that time.

Speaker 1:

But that would have been like 11 or 12. Would it I?

Speaker 2:

don't know. But yeah, it was expensive jewelry, yeah, and it was handmade. But I guess I mean hell, you can't help where the pearls come from.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I know, but that's a whole different discussion, because that goes to like we were talking about that in a live sale the other day, about being made in America and you know, and we're all for that.

Speaker 3:

Yeah.

Speaker 1:

And we try to literally find what we can made in America, but it's absolutely not always possible. It's absolutely not always possible and what I was saying is there's a misconception of being made in America for some of the Some of it's just put together in America.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, and it's a fine line. I understand that. But if you have someone who, like I was saying, makes candles a small local business that makes candles, but yet they get their wax from China, the vessel, from China the wick, from China the scent, or wherever it could be, ecuador, or from any other country, but they got all those pieces and then they poured it in their garage or basement, or maybe they have a factory factory and they melted it and put it together and then they call it made in America. Well, you assembled it and, yes, you touched all those pieces. But the support of the foreign country is no different than us importing home decor, putting it on our shelves here in America, and then our people are boxing it and shipping it out. It's really the same.

Speaker 2:

It's really hard to know.

Speaker 1:

But the same support is there. The company that we bought it from is in America, and so it's gone to their warehouse in America and then we're supporting that company that is in America, and then it's coming to our warehouse and you're supporting us in America. So the same American support is there, even as it is for someone who can say it was made in America, but they got all the individual pieces from a foreign country.

Speaker 2:

And there's a very fine line. And it's vice versa too, because we make a lot of parts here, like for BMW Right right here in Greenville, south Carolina, right here in. Greenville County and it ends up in Europe or wherever Right and it's the same and it is so.

Speaker 1:

It's that fine line of being supportive of Made in America. And I get that we want to support Made in America. But supporting my point is supporting someone who assembles all the pieces.

Speaker 2:

You're still supporting America.

Speaker 1:

Is supporting that person who's living here in. America which is no different than you supporting our business here in America, even though the product came from.

Speaker 2:

China.

Speaker 1:

Or whatever. I'm just referencing that we have gotten off one way too many different topics here.

Speaker 2:

I mean, all I've got to say is I'm voting for her for president. After that speech. I mean.

Speaker 1:

But she loved to call and read us up and then she'd be back right at the last minute.

Speaker 2:

She's funny and she was really nice. I just don't know if someone offended her or they heard her. You know, I don't know.

Speaker 1:

I don't know either, but she came in for years and then we haven't seen her in a long time. I searched in my phone, Pat Blackwellwell, and I have a text message from Daniel from 2014 that says Pat just came in. It was like in November of 2014.

Speaker 2:

She was older, she could have passed away, she could have or moved, or who knows, but I loved some of the words she said the highfalutin.

Speaker 1:

Highfalutin. I forgot about that.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so tell us if you're not from the South, or even if you are, do you know what highfalutin is?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, Do you know what highfalutin is? Our text number again is in the show notes below, but it's 864-982-5029. And I know Pat was early on because she came to like the very first one of our. If she didn't come to year one she was definitely year two and so those were like the first, like first three years or first four years that we were open, and I remember the one the year before.

Speaker 2:

I don't have that.

Speaker 1:

One was a very similar, you know reading us, but at the time we were such new business, I was like, who is this? Like? Who did we offend All concerned? I was all concerned and then she came back in, like you know the spring, when, while I left that message like, she told us like are y'all going to let me back in here after I left that message at Christmas, or something like that. And then I was like, oh Lord, yes yes, yes, and it was fun.

Speaker 2:

I mean, it was you know, it was fun, it's good times though.

Speaker 1:

It was, and you know that was her like you said, event and outing, it was, it was.

Speaker 2:

That's what my mother you know, because I I told my mother about that back then and she said I'll be always be nice to her. That's her outing for the year. Right, and I and I was like you know, to everybody, to everyone. But even though when she was leaving mean messages, my mom still said that she's like's.

Speaker 1:

And you know you never know what someone has put back, or you can't judge by their clothing. You never know.

Speaker 2:

You never know. You know I went to. One time I went I'll never forget this I went to a Lexus dealership. I thought I wanted a Lexus Not knocking Lexus or anything, it was just the people and I was much younger and I was buying a car and I was writing a check for the car, for the company car, and I had on a t-shirt, pretty much like I look I had on, because I wasn't working that day. I had on a t-shirt, jeans with holes in them and flip-flops and a cap.

Speaker 3:

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 2:

And they treated me like Scum, scum yeah, and I didn't say anything. I was just like I'm really turned off by these people and I'm leaving and I'm leaving. So I went down the street and I bought a new BMW yeah, and I'm leaving and I'm leaving. So I went down the street and I bought a new BMW yeah, and I wanted to go by there and go.

Speaker 1:

That kind of happened to. Well, that's happened once to my mom, I remember as a kid I don't remember how old I was, but she was at the BMW place in Memphis or whatever, and that kind of happened. She left and went to the Mercedes place and it's happened to me and it probably still happens to us and we don't know it. It's happened to us at market too, but I was saying at market. It's happened to me definitely at market, Because when we go to market I dress comfortable. I mean, I dress what I have on now, A black t-shirt. We're not there to impress and I'm not there to impress and I'm spending my money with you and don't treat me any different.

Speaker 1:

But there has been some blatant times, and especially when I was younger and we, you know, because we started the garden shop I was what, 28? But I even had a store before that when I was in college, and I still remember like I would go and ask for back then a catalog Because I was like, oh, I'm going to take this home and they would be like, well, we really save our catalogs, for I don't know what they said, but you know, like not potential customers, but like their customers, yeah, Like someone who's really going to buy, basically, Like we know you're not really going to buy, so we're not going to give you a catalog, but if you would like to order while you're here, you can sort of thing. I mean, it was some very you know, and I'm very sensitive to that.

Speaker 1:

But we've had it happen to us more at the high point furniture market, because those are some snooty ass people. They are sometimes in the higher end furniture like you go in this one building and everyone is in suits and dresses marble floors and guess what? Your shit's gonna look the same in our store as it does in those people's store and that's the thing.

Speaker 2:

They will eye you and they will ignore you and all kinds of things it's, and it's funny that it's comical to me, but I'm I'm a little, probably more sensitive to it than a lot of people because of you know, working in mcdonald's so many years, because you would get that too, you would get.

Speaker 1:

Now we just say do you know who we are? We're kind of a big deal yeah, we are a big.

Speaker 2:

Do you know who we are? And literally, that is something I would say you would say now to their face. Yeah, do you know who I am? But yeah that's you make it baby that's why I always, always treat people nice, because you do not know if that man in the overalls is a billionaire, you know he probably is because he's smarter.

Speaker 1:

But I'm not dressing up to impress you at market and being uncomfortable when I'm walking five miles a day for you to look me up and down and decide whether I can buy your product or not.

Speaker 2:

The only time I dress up and wear clothes that are not 100% comfortable and shoes that are not 100% comfortable, if I'm going to your special event. If I'm going to your special event.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, if I'm going to your wedding or funeral, something like that.

Speaker 2:

Yes, I will respect you by doing that. I'm not doing it to impress a damn soul, right? But I think that comes with age too. Like I buy what I— and you're bougie. But you only like to wear it on occasion I did, I, I don't, I don't wear it all the time and I don't do it to impress a damn soul right, it's just, you like nice stuff and you like yeah, yeah I like it and it's about me and and the funny thing is, is with me.

Speaker 2:

You will never, you will rarely ever see a label on me because I don't like.

Speaker 1:

I don't like flashy well, you do like those belts that have the big. What which one do you have on today?

Speaker 2:

gucci, dolce and cabana, gabana, not cabana, it's not caboose gabana this, this belt was not expensive.

Speaker 1:

I got this like on a discount site okay, expensive to you and expensive is all relevant. It was like 200 that is expensive for a belt that is expensive I thought it was a real.

Speaker 2:

I thought that was a good deal because I I wear, I keep my belt for years, four years, I wear my shoes. For years. I see you put on your old ratty shoes to come. I thought that was a good deal because I keep my belt For years, for years, I wear my shoes for years.

Speaker 1:

I see you put on your old, ratty shoes to come out to the farm.

Speaker 2:

I got my beaters on today and I love these.

Speaker 1:

What are those loafers?

Speaker 2:

These are really old. These are more than 10 years old. They're old Cole Haans. They're my favorite shoes.

Speaker 1:

Now are these considered penny loafers? Remember when you used to put a penny in the front?

Speaker 2:

Yes, yes, I did that.

Speaker 1:

What was that about?

Speaker 2:

These aren't penny loafers.

Speaker 1:

What's a penny loafer and why did you put pennies in the front? That just popped in my head when I looked down and saw those.

Speaker 2:

I don't know these aren't penny loafers, these are just drivers. But yeah, back in the day penny loafers were a thing and you put pennies in them.

Speaker 1:

That's what I'm saying.

Speaker 2:

Did you have them?

Speaker 1:

Not that I remember, but I feel, like my brothers did, they would have.

Speaker 2:

That would have been in their time. Yeah, I'll tell you, it'd be a nickel loafer these days.

Speaker 1:

It'd be a nickel though for these days It'd be a nickel A quarter, yeah, but it's funny.

Speaker 2:

You know, and I'm sensitive about how you treat people like that. You know from working for McDonald's for so many years and then becoming an owner. Mm-hmm, I had to bring up McDonald's. I lived yeah, I did. I did too, but it's why I'm sensitive about it and I'm very careful about it. But people treated me differently from managing and working for McDonald's versus owning. And the thing is is if you're going to treat me different because I own it, that's insulting to me, right Like.

Speaker 1:

I'm no different than I was, then Don't treat me different. Yeah, I don't. That's insulting to me.

Speaker 2:

I'm no different than I was, then Don't treat me different. I don't like that, and they always judge me for my age too.

Speaker 1:

That was a thing You've heard that. That was a thing for me too.

Speaker 1:

We were talking about that. Daniel and I were actually talking about similar to that, but I've Talk about it in the past opening a store so young. But also now we're growing. I'm 43, so having the stores that we have is not a oh my God, you're so young anymore. We bought our farmhouse I was 35 and Daniel was 30. This is a nice, larger-sized house and people would say make remarks about. Well, they still will, about why two of us need a house this size, or being young and having a house why?

Speaker 1:

not Because I want it.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, because I can.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, exactly, but it's funny being, you know, judged by age or look, it is an age thing.

Speaker 2:

And you know, judged by age or look, it is an age thing. And you know, it's funny, I bought my first. You bought your first house young too, I was 22. Yeah, and you were 24?

Speaker 1:

23, 24. Yeah, like 24. That's very young for buying your first home.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, and I remember that. But it was funny because my mother had never worked in the McDonald's business at all. She had been in higher education for her entire career and so you know she was a bit of a fish out of water when I bought my first McDonald's, but she would drive an hour one way to help me.

Speaker 1:

As mom's will.

Speaker 2:

Yes, and it was funny because the people that own the land where you live here in Moonville it's actually not a formal name, it's a family that owned all of this land- yeah, it's not even a community, is it? It is a community, it is. It's like Pottersville Moon, yeah it is it's? Moon's moonville, and I was like, where in the hell did they get this name?

Speaker 1:

well, the moon family, the miss moon well, they just live right down the street from us yeah, they came in.

Speaker 2:

Well, miss moon's passed away, but she was like in her 90s and they're very nice people and, uh, she would come in and because of my age she thought that my mother owned she would come in and because of my age she thought that my mother owned a. Mcdonald's and that I worked for my mother and I would never have corrected her Because my mother would be in there sitting down having coffee and apple pie and I'm out there pushing the lawnmower cutting the grass Right, so it did look like.

Speaker 2:

It did. And she would come out there and she would say I see your mother still has you working at this one. And I'd say yes, ma'am, because she was like in her 90s, and she would drive her big, full-size Jaguar right up on my grassy lawn wherever I was.

Speaker 1:

Just park it wherever she wanted.

Speaker 2:

She didn't give a damn and I would giggle and laugh. I would like I told my mom I was like Miss Moon, ask me if you still had me working at this one. And my mom would laugh and stare. But you know I didn't want to deal with her a lot so I would sick my mom on her.

Speaker 3:

Right and.

Speaker 2:

I would have coffee and Talk and and do all that and it was fine. But you know, the thing is is, you know, I've been treated weirdly because of my age. I've been treated weirdly because of how I might dress. And it really all goes back to age and where I worked, so I'm not going to treat people like that.

Speaker 1:

Right it's true, I don't like it, everyone the same. I think I've told it on here before, or maybe not. It's true, I don't like it, everyone the same. I think I've told it on here before, or maybe not. But I remember back when I had a store in college back in the day and a customer came in and looked total, just ratty, and you know, for a minute I was a little judgy like oh, I'm going to waste my time, but I was super nice.

Speaker 1:

I was always I've always been been very, very good customer service you like even back at when I worked at the gas station we both are. Hey, how's it going but in your mind thinking, oh, I ain't gonna make a sale here. You know what I'm thinking, you know. But I, you know whatever. And I mean bought, nearly bought out the store loaded up, oh up, oh yeah, I want this, I love that. And I thought, hot damn.

Speaker 1:

And then, after she left, I thought to myself, wesley, you're being judgmental, but I didn't act on it or anything like that I can say, but in my mind I was thinking, oh, it's going to be a waste of my time. Bought, came back the next day. Bought, made the whole month for me.

Speaker 2:

And I remember working at McDonald's when I was a kid and you probably remember this from the gas station. I can remember some of the people that came in and you would think they were dirt poor because they always used the coupons, they were pension pennies and stuff and they were like the wealthiest people in the town, yeah, and that stuck with me, and so I was just always really nice to everybody.

Speaker 1:

It's true.

Speaker 2:

You know, and sometimes they weren't the nicest.

Speaker 1:

That is true too, but you're there to be nice.

Speaker 2:

Yes, that's our job, and pleasant.

Speaker 1:

We need a master course in customer service these days. I think that needs to be incorporated into schooling.

Speaker 2:

Customer service needs to come back.

Speaker 1:

Public and general. It's not hard, but I think people need to recognize the way you greet someone and you know it's like when you pull up to order food anywhere and it help you order, especially mcdonald's.

Speaker 2:

Now I hate to say that.

Speaker 1:

I know you wanted to, so I just know it's anywhere you go it is, but it's especially order, and then you get up to the window and they just hand it out. Not hey, how's it going?

Speaker 2:

Don't say thank you, kiss my ass nothing. And it costs nothing to be nice and I've always said people like giving and I said this in a meeting at the store not long ago people like giving their money to nice people.

Speaker 1:

Whether they're buying they feel money to nice people Right.

Speaker 2:

Whether they're buying. It makes them feel good about their purchase.

Speaker 1:

Yes, Whether they're buying a Big Mac or they're buying a Mercedes, be nice. And that's why our winning personalities have gotten us this far, don't be an asshole, it's true, it's really not hard, it's true, just be nice and treat people. Be that asshole to like one person that really deserves it that deserves it. Yeah, you bottle it up and then you let it out on that one person.

Speaker 2:

That really nasty person.

Speaker 1:

That deserves it. And then you do that for all the other people that you held it in for and be nice I mean, and you're nice to a thousand people and then you can take it out once a year on that one person that really needed it, that needed it.

Speaker 2:

Because there's so few that need it. Yes, they need it.

Speaker 1:

That's how you do it, yeah, but we need a whole little master class in customer service etiquette.

Speaker 2:

Another peeve of mine with customer service is you go to, you're dining at, a nice restaurant where it's going to be really expensive and you expect a higher level of service, and I don't think they realize it. It's the age group, you know. Could I please get some more ranch or whatever? Yeah, sure, no problem. Yeah, okay, you just made a negative Right, yeah, sure, no problem, yeah, okay you just made a negative Right Out of it. Say absolutely, I'm happy to get that for you?

Speaker 1:

Yeah, absolutely. I'll be right back, yeah, to make it sound eager and accommodating. But when you say no problem, well is there a problem?

Speaker 2:

Is there it?

Speaker 1:

is a problem.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, is there a problem, it is a problem, and say thank you, thank you, I'm so sick of appreciate it. You were too lazy to even say appreciate Just what happened. Thank you.

Speaker 1:

Thank you, yeah, but what I don't get with these people who are in customer service and I can say this from being in customer service is everyone is the customer at some point, whether you work in customer service or not. So those people who work in customer service with these bad attitudes, do they not go places where they get good customer service and go oh, that was enjoyable. Maybe I should be like that when I'm in, when the position is flipped you know what I'm saying Like I think about how someone made me feel and I've even picked up tips along the way, you know like, oh, that person made this one little comment and it made me feel good. I'm going to use that for other people, because if it made me feel good, it's going to make other people feel good. So I just I don't under. Everyone's a customer. So how can customer service be so bad? You would think you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2:

Well, I think my speculation is it all really tanked during COVID? Yeah, and that became the excuse, and now it's the norm, yeah, and we've got to reverse that, but it was kind of before then but yeah, it was going.

Speaker 1:

I feel like at some point, I feel like it's going to continue to go downhill and then it's going to become more AI and automatic. You know what I'm saying, where it's like I think Wendy's is already doing it where you talk to the speaker and it's AI and it's typing out what you ordered and placing your order for you. It's going to go that way, but, just like anything else, then someone's going to come in and their focus will be there's a person at our speaker, there's a person at our window, we have good customer service, and then that will flip it back to.

Speaker 2:

Well, just like self-checkout Right it went. Everybody was going to self-checkoutouts in the kiosk at McDonald's. Those kiosks at McDonald's are $18,000 a piece and they suck, and they suck. And you're taking out all of these companies Walmart, cvs, mcdonald's, you name it, all of them that are doing it. Cvs, mcdonald's, you name it, all of them that are doing it. You're spending millions of dollars on advertising and all of these things to pull people in and then you're giving your customer a freaking monitor.

Speaker 1:

Right, that's your last impression. And a frustration, yeah, where the focus really needs to be on hiring good quality people.

Speaker 2:

And then you could change the whole thing around, but it's always been that way. It's all you know. I think it all comes back to people and having good people.

Speaker 1:

Well, and then there's the understanding, and this is not getting into anything. And this is not getting into anything. But you know, with the pay being increased so much for some people, it is pricing them out of being able to have the number of employees to actually manage a place, and it could be in any industry.

Speaker 1:

From local business to fast food or whatever. They're getting priced out and being forced to come up with other ways. Automation yeah, to run the business Because you can't pay. You know some businesses cannot sustain what is being required to pay. There's that fine line.

Speaker 2:

I mean with our business. If there was some government mandate that we had to pay every person $10 more an hour, we couldn't do it.

Speaker 1:

No.

Speaker 2:

We would have to cut down. We would have to cut our staff.

Speaker 1:

Right and come up with other ways to run the business.

Speaker 2:

I mean it's just the way it is.

Speaker 1:

And it's. You know, there's this fine line and again, I'm not getting into anything political but about my thing is not every position is meant to be a livable wage position. You know what I'm saying. Some of them are meant to be offsets or maybe it's what you do when you're in high school, but some of our positions, even in our own retail stores, where we pay the best that we can, we're way above minimum wage or anything like that we pay well for what the job is.

Speaker 1:

But it's meant for part-time employees that want to get out of the house or whatever it's not meant to. I mean, we have certain key positions that are meant to be you can live off of and that sort of thing.

Speaker 2:

But not every position can be that way Not if you're a cashier Right and I'm not downplaying that it's a very needed job.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, but there's only certain positions, especially within a small business, that can run like that.

Speaker 2:

So it gets very sticky. It does, it does. And just like with me and you, I started at McDonald's at $3.25 an hour.

Speaker 1:

The gas station as a 16-year-old. I did not deserve or that position was not meant to be making a livable like 20-something dollar an hour position. That was for me as a high schooler working part-time for extra money. And that's all that position should ever be Right. That's all that position should ever be.

Speaker 2:

Right, but I took that job working the front counter at McDonald's making $3.25 an hour, and I moved up the ladder all the way to being an owner, and that's what those positions are supposed to be.

Speaker 1:

They're entry-level, usually part-time, climb the ladder.

Speaker 2:

That's why employee? Not as I grew, but when I had one McDonald's and then I tried to go when I had more stores and spend time you know if I was just eating or checking in and at least talk to multiple employees. And I always shared my story with everybody I came in contact with Because I wanted them to know this is not a dead end. If you want it to be a dead end, it can be a dead end. If you want it to be temporary, it can be temporary. If you want it to be life-changing, it can be that too.

Speaker 1:

It's such a fine line because I understand you know people have to live and that sort of thing. But then I understand the business side of not everyone can make top dollar, and then that forces it going back to the automation, which then causes people to lose jobs, which then puts more people out of jobs. You know, it's a whole balance.

Speaker 2:

It's all very hard.

Speaker 1:

It's a whole hard thing.

Speaker 2:

It's all hard.

Speaker 1:

Hopefully it balances. Yeah, alright, I think we've reached our destination for this week. I have got to get out of here. Get out, I've got things to do. Yeah, me too. Places to go I don't want to hear it and I was only late.

Speaker 1:

I was late. That's going to wrap up this week's episode of who's Driving. Remember to leave us a review wherever you're listening to this podcast and, if you have any feedback or comments, text or call us on our hotline 864-982-5029. It will be down below in the show notes and I hope everyone is having a fantastic week.

Speaker 2:

Yes, thank you guys, we'll see you next time Bye.