Post #687398 by tikijackskeleton on Thu, Jul 25, 2013 6:38 PM

Look, I didn't reply to start a flame war or to start beef. We're posting our experiences and if you want this to be a simple circle jerk, by all means, carry on and ignore my comments. I simply felt I needed to get it off my chest.

As for emailing the person in charge. I don't know who was in charge and that was part of the problem. When the line was started I thought, oh, well since it was said that vendors will have first crack, someone will come around. But there was nothing. Then going up and saying I'm a vendor came off with that sort of brush off. Which I understood because it was so slammed.

I signed up to fill in the vendors spot when it was stated that vendors would get first crack at the mug. Simple as that. It was mentioned over and over again. The reality was, and this is another vendors words was "more like friends got first crack". I'm not sure how exactly true that was. But the common theme was that the mug handling left something to be kinked out.

And yeah, I realize Drooling is an open edition. So next time I'm in I'll get me one. Easy peasy. But the only promise advertised for vending was to get first shot at the mug and then to walk away without it. That's the monkey I needed to get off my back, is all.

You said that they didn't get them till an hour before. Yeah. I saw when they were carried in. The problem was that it went from 155 to 80 and even the umbrellas were getting carved down to fit for the majority of the time.

And to my knowledge from following the facebook updates and updates here, the mugs weren't going to go on sale on Saturday ever. I quoted what was said about them in my last page. But perhaps reading that would be, as you said it, the adult thing to do.

I get it, things go wrong. I'm glad Tonga was slammed with customers who came far and wide to support the place and business was good. But perhaps the lesson learned from this is careful how it's advertised or what promises are made prior to the event to have there be a realistic expectation and not end up writing checks that can't be cashed.

I'm not trying to be the party pooper here. I think the responsible adult actions would be to not sugar coat everything. If an event had great times, then speak about it. But if it had some kinks, since you're so high on the adult thing to do, it would be to work on them. Hard to work on them when they can't even be talked about...

Talking to yet a different vendor who had his issue with getting a mug for his selling partner, he mentioned how he can't really say anything bad because he doesn't want to be black listed from selling. I guess I don't have that holding me back.

Like I said, I'll be in there again in a few days. So it's not like I'm arms crossed going HURMP! NEVER AGAIN, TONGA! I'm glad that they are expanding to Palm Springs and I'm glad that the business is working out for them. Just next time I'm not going to vend and actually enjoy it. Much the same that I'm sure those of you who volunteered and were slammed through it all will be glad to sit down when it isn't elbow to elbow to enjoy a drink.

But please, chastise me some more for speaking ill of anything.

[ Edited by: tikijackskeleton 2013-07-25 18:50 ]