Day 22 - Rookie of the Year...so far

Cards vs. Cubs...dare I say more?

Oh, but I will!

I had a rough night overall...or so I thought.

It all started off by waiting in line to clock-in. It's a very frustrating process when all of the "kids" (majority of the high school students and anyone under 21) rush up and push through to the front of the lines of the time clocks. It's frustrating when they want to hurry up to clock in, but then just go to get their product (cotton candy, peanuts, cracker jacks, ice cream...) and stand around in the seats and text on their phones or talk in groups...frustrating I tell ya!

So as i was trying to get to clock in, I ended up getting a time clock with a messed up printer...it was just a frustrating time with all of the commotion of the "kids" and having to wait to get the printer fixed.

I finally get clocked in and head on up to Commissary 240. It felt great to be back up there and see familiar faces...like being on vacation and coming home to see friends/family you may have missed. I love these people I get to work with in 240.

I want to take a moment to apologize for not getting to visit my friends who were at the stadium tonight. I stuck around in the 200's for the night to get back in the rhythm of everything. I had planned to come visit after I was clocked out but by the time I was done and clocked out, the game was over.

After getting my beer on ice, I head out early to start making some sales. I felt like I was having a really slow night...even after the game started, it felt like I was having a hard time to get through my first...then something just snapped...I nearly went through 3 cases on the night.

While standing in the commissary after returning beer/peanuts/cracker jacks, I was talking with some guys and they were asking how much I sold. I told them, "10 short of 3" (translation=10 beers away from selling 3 full cases). Several of the guys didn't even sell 3 full cases. One of them commented on how I seem to be selling just as good if not better than most of the experienced beer men. He told me I already won the Rookie of the Year award because of how well I've been doing and for sticking it out through the slow selling games.

He explained how he has seen some guys quit after only working 5 minutes. Some guys just have different expectations and don't do very well and don't make money and just quit.

I don't think I'm up to my full potential as a beer man, but I'm still mastering things on how to get someone to buy a beer...I'm enjoying it though...and sticking with it cause the extra income is nice...and the Home Run Derby & the All-Star Game...duh!

So as for stories tonight...

-Cards shut-out the Cubs...always worth mentioning!

-I tailored my beer call again for the Cards/Cubs games and added in something...it goes like this, "Ice cold Beer! Bud Light, Bud Select, Old Style....just kidding!" I got several people to laugh with it and some Cubs fans actually didn't think it was funny...I did.

-I had several small children wave at me and then try reaching towards my beer tub as I would stop for a moment to sound off my beer call.

-After selling a beer to one guy, he told me to hang on and wanted to give me a tip, so he gave me a handful of change out of his pocket...about $0.73 in change...

-I had a guy stop me and ask me how beer men get paid. I explained how we get paid through commission and he carried on a conversation with me how he thought we should be getting paid a lot more. I didn't disagree and I didn't really go into how we also get tips too. He was curious if we could sell enough to make $100 or more on commission in one night. I told him that some guys can make over $100 on an average night.

-While walking to the stadium, I witnessed an old lady driving a car that nearly hit a family crossing the street. She was on her cell phone...and wasn't paying attention to the cross walk and she nearly hit them all. The father was yelling at her and told her to get off of the phone. She kind of sputtered her car into the intersection and stopped her car and flipped the guy off. It wasn't just any middle finger...it was an old, long, wrinkly grandma finger.

Totals thus far:
30 Bags of Cracker Jacks
33 Bottles of Water
93 Bags of Peanuts
1168 Bottles of Beer

Day 12 & 13 - Old Style, Personal Best & People's Worst

My first Cards/Cubs home series as a beer vendor has come to an end.

I want to start off by saying something about Cubs fans...

Cubs fans tip better than Cardinal fans, which I appreciate!
Cubs fans are polite when they are losing or lose a game
Cubs fans are cockier/annoying more than ever when they have the lead or win a game!

You see, the bit about them tipping is a fact...I had more tips from Cubs fans than Cards fans...I also came up with a clever beer call while the Cubs were in town..."Ice Cold Beer! Bud Light, Bud Select, Old Style...Just Jokin!" You see, most of the Cub fans got a laugh out of it...some felt led on, I found it to be clever! (for those that don't know, Old Style is the beer of choice at Wrigley Field)

Saturday's stories:

I nearly got flashed... Fact: I would have been flashed if I hadn't of turned my head away. There was this girl who was already pretty wasted and well, she about as big around as a pencil and probably didn't even weigh in at 100lbs....and she had on a tube-top that was probably the wrapper to a straw...well, i don't know how to put it politely, but she was not gifted with anything to help keep her top up...she was jumping around as a few runs were being scored, I didn't realize it till it was almost too late as i was standing right next to her after after just selling a few beers to the row across from her...I quickly looked the other way and was yelling out my call.....well, what she barely had was about to pop out and as I turned away I heard her say a few words that she shared with everyone how tired she was of popping out of her f'n top and flashing everyone...

I had my best day ever! Personal best so far this season! I sold 5 cases!...during last call, didn't even get out of a section without selling everything left in my tub! Great day indeed!

Sunday's stories:

The atmosphere at Sunday's game was very intense. I saw numerous cards/cubs fans get into dispute about who was sitting in who's seats...I saw more police and security than ever on the move through out the game. I saw several people drunk before the game had even started.

It felt as if everyone was on their worst behavior...everyone was acting rude, very irritated...and the game hadn't even started...

I had beer spilled onto me today...no crazy story other than the dude wasn't paying attention and wasted about $3.50 of beer onto me.

I found an entire section from Quincy, IL...as I was carding most of them, I mentioned how I was from Hannibal...it didn't help with the tip and it didn't help with starting conversation with any of them...oh well...

I was being "watched" by one of our supervisors today while selling and I didn't even know it till I walked back towards the commissary and saw her there. I just said hi to her and she asked what I had left in my tub...I had just sold out of my 4th case during last call. She was happy for me, told me to sign on this paper that showed her observations...it showed that I did a perfect job! I was pleased.


Once again this coming week, another week of away games...thank God!...my arms/hands/legs/shoulders/back/knees need a break! I'll be doing another Q & A blog if there are any Q's posted (so post them as a comment and i'll answer them) on here....also, look for a blog about how all of us guys in Commissary 240 have become like a platoon of solders and how an ex-Marine walked out after one day of work as a beer man (true story)....also this coming week, I'll share a few other thoughts of what it's like to be an STL Beer Man.