24 Hours In My Life:

Easy I think the problem wasn't about wearing a hard hat but the fact they wanted to sell him one.

Dumb D I wonder if you may have been able to ask to borrow one from the guy, but you had already soured the deal by arguing the point of there "was no sign or previous warning". Maybe if it went something like this,
" No sir I was unaware of this new policy . If you would be kind enough to loan me one as I drove a long way to come to your yard and have a couple hard hats back at my shop."
That encounter cost you profit by losing your cool. Being in business you take even more crap from people then if you worked for someone. If you work for a boss you only have him to answer to. Being the boss you must answer to everyone in a professional manor.

The yard you are dealing with must be some very nice folks! They are paying about $0.047 a pound for your steel, that is less then half then the current going rate! I bet they would loan you a hard hat!

Well welcome to the board. Hope this will help.

As per post #6 , I find all yard people seem grouchy to most of the clients & even if there in a nice mood they are ready be nasty I think it might come with the territory of working with metal. Even I used to be this guy nice to all people & now i seem more like them I kinda like it. But DumbD I say this as the truth regardless of personalities The yards are your - BANK ACCOUNT - WHERE YOUR MONEY IS AT - YOUR BREAD AND BUTTER - YOUR MONEY TREE - OK enough said , NEVER fight with a yard guy they are your ultimate boss - treat them as such . they are never wrong. Even if they get you on a few pounds the next day you will get them .It's really just a big game, of selling items we find and with luck find some more .When you get a chance I would apologizes and say man i was in a bad mood this happened that happened i will keep my cool in the future . The grouchy yard people tend to forgive very well - thats the good news .
I wonder if the yard you use takes your license as some yards that pay less seem to be the ones that absorb that requirement.

Originally Posted by Area67

O.K. let me stick up for small yards (that is me)! We can offer convenience,honesty,and education...we can not match the shred price of a larger yard,,,period! I only get $20/ton for handling shred...but I pay a bit more for appliances and complete cars. I make a point to educate my customers on how to sort their product so they get paid better. I also honestly tell them what materials they have. Now on the topic of grumpy yard workers..2 factors 1-scamming tweekers it is a plague on the industry and dealing with them will burn you out 2-It is really hard work all day long. From a yard owner perspective, the stress of not getting burned by market shifts is high and you sweat some ginourmous load coming in that wipes out your account. I do my best to be friendly to all customers, and I hope they forgive me for being snappy! Scrap on..

I fully understand what you say , I wish a yard like you was about also . I really don't care if workers are grouchy I am there to make money. A smile or 2 is fine. By me it is a game, one yard for instance I'll bring AL or copper in a 4# bucket I know weighs 4 LBs . I see the total weight of my product as per there scale but I also see them take off 6 lbs on my bucket, this has happened plenty. I wont start a fight of 2 or 3 lb . But next time they are getting Tweaked. I have had a bucket of clean brass 36# with one of the pieces a little bit of steel, I get to the window and it all was listed as dirty brass. Well you just can't start a fight since there are people lined up 10 deep/ One or two good fights & they will tell you "your done " . There are other yards who are honest but they also might not want the tire on wheel ever so often.
SO i feel it all evens out I try for 95% metal but a bunch of office chairs lowers that a bit . The yard guys watch so I know what goes . I have talked to others and heard stories of what they have pulled but I will never take that kinda chance. But if i have predominantly a nice load over 95% true, i feel no guilt in a few pieces lower in % as they got the shredder & a few # on me.

it's the 4 G's
get your product
get it to the yard
get you money
get more product

Originally Posted by Area67

.....From a yard owner perspective, the stress of not getting burned by market shifts is high and you sweat some ginourmous load coming in that wipes out your account. I do my best to be friendly to all customers, and I hope they forgive me for being snappy! Scrap on..

This is one of my biggest stress levels that never seems to go away unless the market is on the up and up....hardly ever....we all know there is that HUGE drop thats going to slap us RIGHT after we get that large pickup....But thats the risks the yards take...and some you all may or may not know that all of us yard owners know all to well.