How should I display my leatherwork?

[Billy P]

Just to ask a question, and not meaning to be a downer, has anybody experienced someone trying to get the five finger discount while set up at an event/fair/show? When things are hanging out front and if you get busy with another customer or at the other end of your booth doing something, seems it would be easy for a crooked butt hole to try and steal your work. I know at the flea markets/jockey lots around here some of the vendors say that it happens. Some say often enough that they have been taking someone with them to just help keep a eye on things. It's a sad thing that people will steal your stuff and take your little bit of profit if they get a chance. If I catch somebody stealing from me the cops will probably get me too, because I'm gonna be wailing on there ass. Just my .02 and a question. Anyway something to think about and maybe come up with someway to attach things to make it harder for a thief get away with. Billy P

[Luke Hatley]

Billy out of 28 years of going to the living history events or Rendezvous i have only lost ONE item.

now i dont set up at flea markets , and dont want to.

at some of these events there has been as many a 1100 campsites and as little as 40.

so i guess i have been lucky or i dont go where there is not like minded folks.

[Windy]

If I catch somebody stealing from me the cops will probably get me too, because I'm gonna be wailing on there ass.

Billy,

I understand what you are saying and why. I would like to point out to you

that the courts are not very friendly to the good guys. Thanks to all the stinking

lawyers. It is much wiser to raise your prices enough to cover any theft like

all the big stores , than it is to put a well deserved whoopin on some low life

scum who tried to steal your wares.Not to mention is it worth paying a low life

stinking lawyer more money than the thief tried to steal from you in the first place.

WINDY

[Jordan]

It is not really a question of if, it is when. There is a world of very poor excuses for humans out there but it is not something I think about too often. I would let the police deal with it as it really is one of the costs of doing business. While it would be nice to open a can'o'whoopass on a scumbucket once in a while, it is really not going to change that type of person, one can only hope they see the error of their ways before it is to late. As is written "vengeance is mine, sayith the lord". As personal addedumn; payback is a real beotch.

[Drac]

billy

unfortunately, I have lost a few items to jerks. it did get to the point where I was having to either take someone with me to one of the places I used to set up at or bribe someone there I knew to help me keep an eye on everything and that was after trying a few different ways to "keep things in their place". if I would've caught 'em, I'd be in the same boat as you if you caught someone stealing from your set up.

windy

when what usually gets stolen is worth about 10 percent (or more) of what you make in sales (before subtracting set up fees, gas, food, lodging), it's kind of hard to raise your prices to cover that, especially when you're competing with several other vendors.

jordan

I look at like this, me whoopin' on 'em will help them see the error of their ways very quickly, and someone's gotta be the instrument of vengeance.

Edited June 20, 2008 by Drac

[UKRay]

Drac,

Your great looking show cases look about as secure as it gets to me so if you can lose stuff what hope have the rest of us got? Having said that, I did have a trick I used to use at shows to stop things being taken from the hooks along the front of the stall. I got one of those bells on a spring they make for parrot cages and rigged it with a line along the top of the hooks. It was pretty nearly impossible to get anything off the hooks without ringing the bell... But you had to watch out for low flying parrots <grin!>

[Jordan]

I worry more about fast talking flimflammers that try to shortchange or confuse in order to get or give wrong change and such. The grifters treat it as a challenging game and if your not on top of yours you could lose cash and product too. Luckily most of them choose bigger and better targets. I will be using a second person this year, more for the company, but a second pair of eyes is a deterent especially if they belong to a very protective wife. LOL. Good luck with your setup and hope you make lotsa dough.