CopperHead Still Alive

Originally Posted by greytruck

Sorry buds, but im ganna have to disagree on this..... It works better if you have a nice truck. People dont think your some druggie homeless bum making a mess and breaking stuff. I get all the scraps from my dumpster route cause i wave, say hi and TALK to the people and become "friends". if they are out, i stop and shoot the **** with them. Thats how they ask for your number. Its called getting your foot in the door. Thats how i scored my plumbers and hvac shops. they dont just hand out scraps to mangy ass bum scrappers. they dont want that noise around.

I have gotten a few of my larger jobs by being nice and professional. A few times people have told me they had many people contact them to take away their scrap but I was the nicest, best spoken, and most timely responder.

I think the nicer truck route can be good cause it gives off the vibe of "not being a crackhead drifter" but on the other hand to the OPs point, I feel like people would EXPECT a crackhead drifter to be digging in dumpsters, so it wouldnt raise an eyebrow, where as they may see a nice truck by their dumpster and assume the person is public dumping and come try to start trouble, cause theyd think "this guy has a nice truck, he wouldnt be digging in a dumpster, he must be dumping his **** in my dumpster!"

dumpster are very complicated business

Ill stick to the curb and business contacts for now, but will try the dumpsters again in spring.

Originally Posted by kss

I have gotten a few of my larger jobs by being nice and professional. A few times people have told me they had many people contact them to take away their scrap but I was the nicest, best spoken, and most timely responder.

I think the nicer truck route can be good cause it gives off the vibe of "not being a crackhead drifter" but on the other hand to the OPs point, I feel like people would EXPECT a crackhead drifter to be digging in dumpsters, so it wouldnt raise an eyebrow, where as they may see a nice truck by their dumpster and assume the person is public dumping and come try to start trouble, cause theyd think "this guy has a nice truck, he wouldnt be digging in a dumpster, he must be dumping his **** in my dumpster!"

dumpster are very complicated business

Ill stick to the curb and business contacts for now, but will try the dumpsters again in spring.

Being professional works. When scrapping i talk to people like when i was in retail, "customer service, kill em with kindness." usually i get the "what are you looking for?" i say just scrap and then they are like "oh ok" and some times they have stuff. But then you come across the places that dont want you or anyone around. those are the stay away dumpsters. i still wave to those angry people. one guy that did that to me started putting his stuff next to the dumpster for me cause he probably felt like a ass for yelling and saying hes calling the cops all the time. I kept waving to him if hes out every time i go there. I understand that some dont want us around. if i owned a shop, i wouldnt want people poking around either lol

Try hitting up some dumpsters. now is the time. its cold and the compititon isnt around as much. you can figure out where to go, what dumpsters to hit. go for the gold lolol

Originally Posted by greytruck

Being professional works. When scrapping i talk to people like when i was in retail, "customer service, kill em with kindness." usually i get the "what are you looking for?" i say just scrap and then they are like "oh ok" and some times they have stuff. But then you come across the places that dont want you or anyone around. those are the stay away dumpsters. i still wave to those angry people. one guy that did that to me started putting his stuff next to the dumpster for me cause he probably felt like a ass for yelling and saying hes calling the cops all the time. I kept waving to him if hes out every time i go there. I understand that some dont want us around. if i owned a shop, i wouldnt want people poking around either lol

Try hitting up some dumpsters. now is the time. its cold and the compititon isnt around as much. you can figure out where to go, what dumpsters to hit. go for the gold lolol

Theres 6" of snow and its 21 degrees out RIGHT now, but in the general sense of "now", like maybe next week, I will give it a try. Well see what happens.


>if i owned a shop, i wouldnt want people poking around either lol

You HYPOCRITE! lol... I dont think I would either... so I wouldnt get mad or think badly of anyone who would yell at me for going in their dumpster, I DO understand their point of view/logic. But still..... gotta get me some of that trash gold.