Never forgotten apparel

Like my brother's Notre Dame hat, there are a few articles of clothing, headwear, or footwear I've adorned over the years.

Starting the pre-breakdance days, I wore a baseball cap that had a rodeo scene on it. Not sure where I got it, or who gave to to me, but I loved it. Wouldn't be caught dead in it today, but my grandmother kept it after I discarded for another. The last time I saw it was in my packrat grandma's drawer waiting to be worn again. Love ya, Granny, rest your soul. It's now lost in oblivion.

When I started Breakin, the mesh-back hat was traded in for a red, white, and blue American flag-type hat that had a flat, round top (better for doing head spins). It was tha shit. All the ladies wanted to wear it, and my love at the time, Liz Letterman, snatched it off my head and onto hers several times as a token-piece. Kind of like wearing your boyfriend's lettermans jacket. Since it was so loved, and had been on many heads, I'm sure that led to the couple of times the family battled head lice. And, even though those experiences sucked, and washing and spraying Lysol on everything was a pain in the ass, we now have stories to tell. It also helped my mom take on yet another (unofficial) job as a barber or stylist.

The hat eventually went away, although the breakdancing didn't. You may be one of the lucky few to see my infamous, yet slower from the days of way back, windmill. Don't let me hear Egypt, Egypt (Egyptian Lover) or Electric Kingdom (Twilight 22) come over the speaker, because IT WILL BE ON. Anyway, back to my attire.

Another trademark of the breakin days was our parachute pants and windbreakers. We were too poor to sport Puma, but mom took the ass chewin from Pops and we became official West Coast breakers with parachute pants and spiked belts. We also sported phat laces in whatever cheap shoes we had, along with the bandanas around the ankles. Beat Street and/or Breakin were watched at least once a week, which prompted us to move the coffee table out of the front room, lay the cardboard down, although a few times we just used the worn-out carpet, and show our moves. It was like the scene at the Roxy. Before I get too in-depth, I need to get back to my story, and I'll revisit this topic later, since it's probably the most joyous time in my life.

More gear worn:
It wasn't uncommon to see the Fleetwood boys in various sweatpants and sometimes matching top. I loved sweats so much that I sported them throughout high school AND college. I have since given them up as everyday wear, but may return for a reunion.

My infamous Raiders, Kings, and later Notre Dame jacket (the ND was Kelly's hand me down that got plenty of wear.) If my memory serves me right, back in 89-90, I went through my thug, NWA-gangsta phase. I still haven't given it up, and can be seen throwing up random gang signs, which mean whatever I want them too, while listening to a funky song. The Raiders jacket, which I loved deeply and got for Christmas, had a flaw or ripped within a couple of weeks, so I took it back, and traded it in for a Kings jacket since no more were in-stock and they couldn't tell when more would be. There I was, looking just like a Compton thug. This lasted most of my high school years. My brothers easily grew out of it, but it captivates me, and I can't let it go.

In college, Kelly handed down his black ND jacket, which I always admired, even though not an ND fan. This was worn most of my college years. In months that didn't require a coat, but was too cool for just a shirt, a white and black quilted flannel was worn without fail. It went perfect with my Westside Whiteyz white bandana frequently worn either on the head, or nicely folded hanging out of my back pocket or over my shouldner. People asked me what it meant, and I said neutral. Other friends (Larry) were sporting black bandanas portraying their love and believed likeness to Ice Cube. I bought new white ones and gave them to my new posse (Jerry Crews, Sammy Goodale, Ronnie ?, my mind fails me on the other ones, but I can see their faces). I think Larry, Brad, and Kelly even got one. It was my way of showing that I still believed in our disassembled crew.

Post college, I have favorite clothes, but nothing that I always wear. There are shirts I love which bring back fond memories, Tha Dogg Pound softball shirts, or my high school soccer T. I still have and love my Nike Vulgarians, and those are the most comfortable and coolest boots I've ever owned. If I could find a pair in good shape today, I'd pay a pretty penny. The second most comfortable are the Rossi's my bro got me for Christmas several years back. At first, I doubted their luster, so they were shelved, but decided to give them a try, and now they are in frequent rotation with other work gear. I might try to get another pair this Spring when I make the mighty flight, this time, I'm going for black.

I'm sure there are items I left out, so if you want to add your memories, great. Just remember, I can always clown on Scott's jams, I think he had like 30 pair, or Brad's Z-Cavariccis (sp?) he had one pair, but wore a lot, so happy dreams, it's bed time!

A picture I had to share

Glad I have friends who also like to laugh at the less fortunate. So, instead of sending to everyone in my e-mail address book, you can to enjoy it here. No comments added, even though several come to mind. So, you make the call, inbred? Her next meal?

Is the customer always right?

Okay, so after getting reamed by my boss for not taking care of a customer, I came up with the following thoughts.

A Retailer is Like a Friend

A retailer is like a friend, this is my philosophy on customer service. As retailers, we are so worried that if we don't take care of our customers to their liking, they will automatically go to the competition. Yes, there are always other choices, but this is not entirely true. A lot depends on the details of the situation.
If your friend says something you don’t like, or does you wrong once or twice, are they no longer your friend? No, they still are, and you may be a little bitter, but you don’t turn your back on them and get new friends. Sometimes, moving on is the end result, but we are all human, who make mistakes, talk out of line, and do things that others don‘t like. Retailers aren’t void of this, because businesses are ran by us (humans).
This is not saying that we shouldn’t take care of our customers, but we must also stand our ground in certain instances to protect company assets and minimize losses. Instead, we're asked (by the powers that be) to bend over and take it, even if we know we're getting taken advantage of. We’ve conditioned our customers that the louder they scream, the more likely they are to get their way. At my job, just a mention of the Customer Care Line can make me take back everything I said, and un-stand my ground, in fear that my job is at stake for making a decision I thought was best for my store.
I’ve heard customers say, “Well, I work in retail too and…” Great, we’re in the same industry, so we should be even closer friends, and understand where the other party is coming from. But, instead, they feel like it’s a trump card that automatically entitles them to get their way. Too many times I wanted to say, “I don’t give a sh**, that's my decision and it's final.” But no, I usually have to backpedal and say, "Well, I'll take care of you this time, but be aware that this is our policy for next time." In reality, the next time I'll be saying the same thing, so why even have policies if they will be broken every time someone starts to scream.
If it all boils down to a customer (friend) turning their back on us after one incident, then they probably aren’t a very good friend (customer) to have anyway. Friends look out for one other, and they scratch each others back. But, if I don’t want to scratch your back every time you ask, then that’s my perogative, and there shouldn't be any hurtful feelings. In a friendship, it’s give and take, not just one or the other.
The days of free-thinking, independent retailers are over, so now we must tranform into corporate robots who only do what they're told, and never think outside of the box. Corporate America is another subject I may touch on later, but my question is, "Is the customer always right?" And, has Wal-Mart ruined it for us all?

If only it was (still) as easy as a Tom Petty song, "No I won't back down, and I'll stand my ground..."