Disappointment at Batsakes

[Aaron Hats]

You can't fully trust any salesman no matter what their product is.

Havana, Not to pick on you but I hear this a lot except it's usually stated when a customer asks my opinion and then they say "Of course you'll say it looks good, you just want to sell a hat." That's the equivalent of calling me (usually a stranger to the customer) a liar. That takes "big ones". Hat stores are not big chains with faceless CEO's running them. All the hat stores I know of have the owner on site and care about how their customer looks when they walk out the door. Yes, our job is to sell hats but we want the customer to leave with the hat that looks and fits best. If that doesn't happen chances are the customer won't be back.

Aaron

 

[WEEGEE]

A point...

I personally had a excellent , interesting and enjoyable time dealing with Gus... an old school and most interesting gentleman.

60CycleHum its unfortunate your experience at Batsakes but it seems to be a difference of opinion and not an egregious vendor faux pas.


That said...Onward & Upward

 

[indycop]

Hat stores are not big chains with faceless CEO's running them. All the hat stores I know of have the owner on site and care about how their customer looks when they walk out the door. Yes, our job is to sell hats but we want the customer to leave with the hat that looks and fits best. If that doesn't happen chances are the customer won't be back.

Aaron

I agree, you guys are definitely in a different boat than other types of salesman. It's your company at stake, and I am guessing a good reputation goes a long way. Plus honest salesman get customer loyalty.

 

[Justdog]

Hatter

Hi:

Well I made a trip down to my hatter and judging by the phone conversation I was prepared for no nonsense, smile.

After reading the experience that started this thread I was reinforced to be accepting of a different personality.

It appears the hatter I visited was similar to your Gus.

He was pretty matter of fact as he runs a business to sell hats, block hats, repair hats and offer his advice.

I made sure I took a low key approach as he took the time to look at 5 hats and evaluate them for me for free.

He also took a knot out of the liner that was digging into my skull after a few hours of breaking in, for free.

He then went through measuring my head measureing all my hats giving me a bit of history and showing me the back where he blocks and repairs.

I tried on a few hats with no issues.

He showed me his personal Borsalino which was awesome and soooo expensive.

I got pricing on reblocking and looked forward to returning to have the work done.

He informed me that he worked for Biltmore Stetson for many years and had run this hat store for 25 years.

I let him know that millnery was a lost art and that there are a lot of people rediscovering the great hats of the past and need skills like his to keep the lids afloat.

Overall I made a point of respecting him before I got there and respecting his turf.

He was to the point no nonsense but he could see I had a passion for the art and hats.

One thing someone might have seen before was a measuring device.

Looked like a scale.

You put any hat on this metal oval and slide the scale around expanding the metal oval until it fits the inside oval of your hat.

The scale then indicates the hat size.

There was quite a variation in all my 7 1/4 hats.

Thanks

 

[metropd]

I don't think, I KNOW Gus cares about his customers. Gus is great guy and a great hatter he just has quirks like all of us. I don't think this is a common issue with him in fact it is a far exception. I am sorry this had to be the exception. Now I too did not get the pinch I wanted on the block but his felt is So incredibley pliable I did it myself, hey thats half the fun. Everything else was perfect.

 

[sphughes]

You can't fully trust any salesman no matter what their product is.

A fair number of us earn our living in sales and would not agree with that type of generalization.

-Scott

 

[Havana]

I wish to offer my appologies to anyone who may have been offended by my comments. I should not have spoken so absolutely.

 

[John in Covina]

Havana, Not to pick on you but I hear this a lot except it's usually stated when a customer asks my opinion and then they say "Of course you'll say it looks good, you just want to sell a hat." That's the equivalent of calling me (usually a stranger to the customer) a liar. That takes "big ones". Hat stores are not big chains with faceless CEO's running them. All the hat stores I know of have the owner on site and care about how their customer looks when they walk out the door. Yes, our job is to sell hats but we want the customer to leave with the hat that looks and fits best. If that doesn't happen chances are the customer won't be back.
Aaron

********************
We live in an age of cynicism because we have been put apon at nearly every turn! It spoils the circumstances where a salesman is really looking out for the customer. As a buyer i know to look for the obvious and not so obvious motives in most instances and have seen shameless salesmen who examplify the Cavet Emptor attitude. THere are salesman and businesses that look at every customer not as a person to give service to but simply a "mark" best described by the attitude of Eli Wallach as the bandit in the Magnificant Seven says, "If he did not want them shorn, He would not have made them sheep."

I truly wish there were more of the "we'd rather make a friend than a sale" type businesses and salesmen out there. However that remains in the minority and for some either totally unexpected or simply unbelieveable be cause we are so jaded today.

We can expect the worst from people so much that when we get good, better or best from them it is inconceivable to us these day.

 

[Stoney]

Optimo did a bang-up conversion for me & it came in right at $100 to turn this:

To this:

That is an awesome job there Rick. How much were they able to soften up the felt?

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

 

[Panamabob]

I've had great luck with Gus, but yes, there has been some miscommunication. I'll tell you this, there's nothing fake about him. Of the dozen or so "real"hatters that I talk to, he's right up there on the honesty list.

 

[Razzman]

Optimo did a bang-up conversion for me & it came in right at $100 to turn this:

To this:

Excellent job by Optimo. Is the conversion something you asked for, or did you give Optimo free reign as to the outcome?
Rick if you don't mind, what about the demensions of the hat before and after the renovation. Crown height, brim width, ribbon size and binding ribbon size? Did you have the sweatband and liner replaced?

 

[shoeshineboy]

First..it is SALES PERSON OR SALES REP.... The ladies should not be left out of this equation.

Second...As an Internet Manager for an auto dealership, that is really a fancy name for an online car salesperson (notice "person")...I want to say that it is with sincere regret that you had a bad experience with Gus.

Since my association with the lounge, I have been directed to four great hatters/stores to do business with. Not everything goes well everyday, but each one of them have seen to my satisfaction, Gus being one of them.

I understand your statement in general and why you feel that way. I take no offense by what you say. My viewpoint is that WE ALL SALESPEOPLE....

When a Doctor, Landscaper, or a Insurance rep listens to you and then prescribes a plan of action..that is selling...when a politician speaks about his plan for change, they are selling....when your wife says that she doesn't feel like cooking tonight and she is all dressed up and says what resturant do you want to go to tonight...she is selling...and finally when your kids, who are the most aggressive closers in the world, ask you for something in 89 different ways..they are selling...

Whenever goods, services or ideas are influenced or adapted...somebody is selling...and when you tell me that you don't believe this and you give me reasons, why...then you are trying to sell me.

This unique and open minded view can be fun to play with. My fellow colleagues will see my point and laugh as they observe thier everyday life and thier surroundings and listen to all the "salespeople out thier". A few will chuckle at the concept, but the die hards will list out reasons, like a 10 year old wanting a new bike, trying to sell me that this idea is false....lol lol lol

So with this in mind, I have only one question to ask you:

How long has it been that you do not trust yourself anymore ?


Just a thought to linger on...

With all due respect,

Mark the shoeshine boy

 

[Rick Blaine]

That is an awesome job there Rick. How much were they able to soften up the felt?

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap :eusa_clap

Excellent job by Optimo. Is the conversion something you asked for, or did you give Optimo free reign as to the outcome?
Rick if you don't mind, what about the demensions of the hat before and after the renovation. Crown height, brim width, ribbon size and binding ribbon size? Did you have the sweatband and liner replaced?

Thanks fellas,

Stoney, it was originally a Stetson 25 that I bought thinking it was an O.R. :eusa_doh:
The felt was already quite supple, resembling a dress weight/stiffness much more than what you would think of as typical "cowboy" hat felt.
Razz, I looked over Optimos' own selections and asked them to shoot for a final product that resembled one of three of their signature lids, The Chicago, the Manhattan or The Mitchum. I wanted to give them a certain amount of latitude to hopefully result in the best outcome. They settled on the Mitchum.

Brim 2.75"
Ribbon 1.5"
Crown: rear- 4"
front 4.75"
open- 6"
Optimos' thumbnail of the real hat in question.

They replaced the sweat (I wish they hadn't, but maybe there was no other choice) but retained the liner so at least some of the hats' heritage is preserved. Here are a few more details;

 

[Justdog]

Form

Awesome forming