Diary of a Broke-ass Chapter 4

Last chapter you read all about our heinous trip to Eureka. This is the last segment of the vacuum sales journey in my life. Read on to see how things end.

Chapter 4:

We are back! Now what???

So we were back in Redding. And we had no clue where we should work. We had worked everywhere in Redding. And all the small towns around Redding as well. We worked a couple of days and got word that Chip and Sue (his girlfriend) were back. Jack was coming back to Redding and bringing Mike, who was another senior sales person. They promised us lots of sales. I was relived.

Chip and Sue were sick. So at first it was just Jane, Mike and me. No sales that day. By Saturday Jack had joined us and we went out to another small town. Jack got one sale. Things were looking better. They wanted me to work Sunday. I have a deal with my husband that I would be off at last one day a week. And Sunday is our day. I could tell that they were pissed. But I didn't care. They were also trying to talk Jane and I to going to Eureka with the whole crew. Jane was against it. She didn't want to go at all. But they kinda had her cornered. She now owed them over $1000 in advances for motel rooms, gas, food and living expenses. And at this point I would not be going. Although they were trying to talk me into going to Eureka as well. The conversation that took place before the ghost dialing incident was about just that. Jane was already upset that she was at this point a slave for them, and pretty much had to go where they wanted. And the pocket dialed shit talking session just sent her over the edge. Of course as soon as she told me what was all said I was equally as pissed.

This is bullshit! Why should I work like a slave for nine to ten hours a day seven days a week! Maybe other people are fine never seeing their significant other. But I am not. And you can't ask someone to just go out of town at the drop of a hat, for weeks at a time. To me that is not living. I have pets too. Who will look after them? My husband and I are trying to make a family! This traveling sales person lifestyle is not for me. I bet you agree with me as well. To them I am insane for not spending every second of my life trying to make money. I think they are insane for spending every second of their life trying tomake money. What about their families? Like I said it's bullshit.

Next week Chip was back, and we were selling again. Jane and I decided not to say a word and just go with the flow at the moment. As a group, we averaged two sales a day. But had a couple of turn downs for the finance companies. Thursday I had a relationship meltdown that took me out of the picture. However they had an alternate knocker and made one sale. It was one of my leads so I still got a cut. Then Friday we bombed. All in all it was a great week for me. I had 6 sales. That was just enough to keep me head above water. Had I made money the whole month I would be fine. For everyone else the week was a wash, All the sales people were supper bummed. Mike only made one sale. Jack made one. The rest of the sales were Jane's.

Everyone was hungry for a new area. And the team was headed to Eureka again. Things changes at my husbands place of work and he was able to come with me. Good so far. Everyone left for Sacramento to work. They were done with Redding and never coming back. We were going to leave to Eureka Monday. Jane got wind from Jack that they didn't have the funds to run to Eureka yet. Which turned into the this whole he said she said thing. Long story short Monday turned into Tuesday turned into Maybe Friday. They were all working in Sacramento. But I was off a whole week! Again I had no money coming in. By the time that they had the funds and Phil finally got his butt down from Washington to Sacramento, I was broke again. Not to mention sick.

How did I get sick? Well that whole week we worked with the crew in Redding, they were all sick. Hacking and coughing in the van. Not covering their mouth or anything. They were really sick with Bronchitis and Pneumonia!

They were finally ready to leave to Eureka Monday. Things changed yet again. The whole crew was not coming. It was only going to be Jack, Phil, and me. They came down to meet me to fill up my tank so I could get to Eureka. And surprise surprise! They had another knocker with them. Two knockers and two sales people. Not that good of a ratio. But beyond that It was dark already. We would have to make the three to four hour trip over a very windy mountain road that had snow on it! However when they saw me hacking and coughing they told me to stay back a couple of days and get better. They didn't want to get sick again. Can you believe that! Hey can work sick and get everyone else sick. But when I am sick with what they had , I can't work? They already had it. Chances of getting sick off the same strain of anything again is slim at best!

One of the reasons we agreed to go to Eureka was because of the company that finances my car. They wanted to repo my car again. Yes I said again. They repossessed it once. According to the repo company only 7-10% ever get their car out of repo. So I figure I must be doing something right. Even for the huge failure of a broke-ass American that I am. According to the thieving, rat bastards “Reliable Credit Association”, if I didn't call with a payment by the day that he car payment was due, they were going to come and take it. Well they cant do that if they don't know where I am at now can they? Our plan was to go to eureka. I would make a good $1,200 - $2,000. Pay the car company 2 or 3 payments to get them off am ass. Set aside money for rent. And follow the team back to Sacramento. Where we could both look for get jobs while I work for these sleazy sales people. Then move on with our lives and never look back.

Wednesday we texted them and said we were on out way. Screw the other knocker. I was going to push hard and still get all the sales I could. Then It came. The text saying that they were not doing as good in Eureka as they expected. Well no shit Sherlock! Jane and I told them how Eureka was. You can get in easy, but there is a lot of broke , weird people there. They thought two days of work was not a good assessment of the town. I don't think they realized just how small and poor Eureka is. Because of their confidence I thought I would make some money there with a crew. But I warned them that it was not the gold mine that they envisioned.

They didn't want me to come out at all. They didn't know how long they were going to be there. Well of course I freaked out. They know about my car situation. Which they said I could figure out on my own. I didn't need them to take care of my car problems. Which is true but rude as all hell. However, I need to work. Were they forgetting about that? I told them Grant (my husband) and I could work down in Sacramento with the other crew. And they said that I shouldn't rely on them for all my income! Can you believe that! Hello stupid mother bleepers! This is my job! What the hell is wrong with these people. On top of all this I am am independent contractor. So I can't file for unemployment. Of course I told them that they should have told me that long ago. And asked why they hired another knocker. Then it hit me. They were paying me 10%. The new knocker would be getting only $100 per sale. They were saving money. I threw my revolution in their face, which they denied. But what sales person would just back down and say “Yeah, your right, you caught me. I am such a sleazy sales person, sorry for wasting you time.”

Update on Jane, she finally escaped too. And I am really glad for it. We are still friends.

So this is pretty much where I am at now. I got you all up to speed. But how did it come to this. Why am I 32 and relying on a shit commission vacuum sales job anyway? Years ago I was on a good track. Getting office jobs, moving up, getting raises. What went wrong?