people are "stupid"

i go to my scrap yard twice a week, it seems to me people are "stupid" today im getting rid of tin, the guy unloading next to me is also unloading his tin, he is im assuming separating his scrap, lol, i see him throw 3 almn chairs,vaccumme(cord attached) and many feet of gutters. had to laugh and cry that as soon as he was throwing there was a employee pulling the goodies out and putting were they go, it seems in the past year or so this happens all the time,. man if i could only scrap the scrap yard lol. i guess its ok, maybee these fools will find out there making no $ and stop, that would be nice. its amazing that these people beat me to scrap and they dont know what to do with it lol.

Probably just someone wanting to get rid of some stuff around home, that he got tired of looking at. Doesn't make him stupid.

Lots of them out there.. Be thankful for what u get..if they become regular, I zpproach them about a price. Otherwise let them do as they do n keep ur prices dice

Yeah, it happens way too much. There are a lot of scrappers around here that just scrap so they can have that next six-pack and only rely on social security or unemployment to feed them!






















My 80-year-old mother will not buy her heart medicine because it cost more than she can pay with social security. She is America.
Jack Bowman

They are all part of the food chain and some are still evolving...I was that guy a couple of years ago.

I'm thrilled to say one of "those guys" dropped off a load in my yard a couple of days ago. 560lb load of steel=10lb of brass valves. Before I became a yard owner I would cry over such ignorance also, my attitude has improved :) I finally posted the nonferrous prices right in my window facing the scale where people pull up. If they know enough about metal to at least read the list and pull out their own goodies great, but if they don't know one metal from the next its more hassle than its worth having to resort their stuff for them. You would be amazed how many people give me a blank stare when I inform them #1 copper tubing can't have any brass fittings on it! My policy is to educate someone once or twice and if they aren't getting the idea they just get paid the price for the lowest grade item in their witches brew of metals so I get paid to sort it all out.

I watched this about a week ago. I pulled in with a load of shred and started unloading. Another truck pulls in right behind me (looked like an older farmer and his wife) and they began unloading...a yardworker came over with a skidsteer and started helping the farmer, pulling alum, insulated wire, and some other small stuff out of the pile and throwing it in the bucket of the skidsteer as the farmer is unloading...i couldn't help but chuckle because the farmer was absolutly clueless that he had more money in the truck than he thought...

I've seen this for the past five years that I've been scrapping. I've seen people that have been scrapping for years thay bring stuff with electric motors and electric cords and just throw it on the shred pyle. I think it's just lazy people that don't what to brake things down. Some poeple just don't know what thiere doing.

Would you say stupid or uneducated?

Maybe we should start doing those seminars at the Ramada. Or maybe a local community college would let a scrapper do a continuing ed class on the subject. "Cash in the trash- how to make money from scrapping taught by local metal recyclists. $25.00 and bring your tool kit."


I'm really not kidding - not only could you make a few bucks but you would meet people who might have good leads and connections.

I don't like to call people stupid because nobody knows everything. In some areas I would be considerd stupid. I thing they are ether uneducated or just plain laszy. My .02

Let em, who cares? It only affects you positively. The scrap yard makes money, keeps workers employed. If the "stupid people" are doing this for a living they will soon starve. Too much competition has dire consequences. Remember there is a learning curve. It's a nasty dirty business; I don't mean the obvious dirt and grime either.

They " the stupids" will learn or die off. Just the way mother nature intended...

Diesel - sounds fair to me ya lead to horse to water but cant make him drink and all that jazz.

Scrapette - classes i wonder how thatd work hmmmmm. Probably piss of alot of people like your selling out trade info. But then again that what classes are for...

Yeah im just getting better at identification and have made some mistakes like that to but honest yards that help ya make all the difference. Hell diesel maybe ill able able to visit yours someday :)

A play on the bible saying... Give a man some scrap feed him for the day, teach a man to scrap feed him for a lifetime....

lol mascraps can i use that quote

I used to be semi-stupid about that. I used to strip all of my Coax cable, and tossed the "copper" in the copper wire bucket. The guy at the small scale took some of it and squeezed it and put it on the ground by my other buckets, and called it steel. I was upset, but live and learn. But, I did research on metals before I ever did a scrap run, so I didn't sell all of my stuff as shred though.

*EDIT* I did not do this on purpose to try to rip off a scrap yard, I did this because I assumed it was copper. I would NEVER rip off a scrap yard!

By me you need ID to turn in anything except steel and alum cans.

I have seen this numerous times at my steel yard. I will be unloading while some else is next to me with 8 refridgerators. They pulled NOTHING from them. Not even clipped the cords. I would have grabbed the condensors and sniped the coils at the very least.

It comes down to time versus dollars. They may get 10 fridges a day and don't have the time to strip them. That is where the REAL scrapper comes in and takes over to maximize the load.