Scrapyards: Help Us Help You

Yes, I am a new member here. However, I have been reading these forums from time to time for well over a year, mostly for escrap knowledge, sometimes just to read some sirscrapalot quotes. some I use for myself I know the biggest rule on any forum is to use the search feature. I definitely don't want to get off on the wrong foot but I haven't been able to find exactly what I'm looking for. So here goes.

My question is what are some of your scrapyard complaints? I see a lot of posts about "getting screwed" or "never trust the yard" or any number of things. Explain what about it upset you, why you feel you were "screwed", or why you can't trust a yard. I'm not looking for any name calling, just experiences. My hope is to compile a list, answer as many questions as I can and or give the yards point of view, and use your examples to prevent them from happening within our yards. Then I'd like to start a thread based on how this one goes on things scrapyards would like the customer to know, maybe some they prefer you didn't know. I also welcome good experiences or why you felt you were treated fairly. Anyways, here goes nothing.

Most are quick to blame the yard but the reality is you don't have to sell to them.

Also...the customer is the one that pays. Are you paying your yard or are they paying you???

Misleading information. You shouldn't be telling people there is a troy oz of gold in a desktop. Yes I have a yard near me that does this, any many other silly things. I should write a book on this yard. It would show everyone how not run a yard. Yeesh.

Not letting people see the scale, when weighing. If you act all secret about it, I figure your up to something.

Oh one more..Attitude. Look I dig it your at work, this makes you pissy. Why take it out on me? Point..if your mad at work, keep it at work that you direct your ire, not me or the other poor bastard behind me, who is just here selling stuff to keep your butt employed an that job you hate so much open.

Oh I got more, but that's a start. I don't really need it explained, but thanks! Just getting the ball rolling!

An KZ I hear what your saying, on the customer thing, in that case, I'd like the same level of courtesy I give them. An the customer isn't always right. That goes for the yard, an..seller.

Sirscrapalot - I can see it now..Rededit Ask a scrapyard owner anything. Ha!

I really haven't run into anything bad. There are a couple where I have had to wait a crazy amount of time in the non-ferrous area. Crazy being over an hour. This is mostly because of understaffing though.

Other than that, I trust the yards that I go to, and they usually grade things very fairly.

KZ- Customer probably isn't the correct word to use, but nevertheless it's what we call people who bring in scrap to us. Some call them scrappers, some call them peddlers, vendors, we call them customers, maybe just an area thing.

Misleading information is one of the worst things in my opinion, because then I'm the liar trying to cheat you out of money, rarely works the other way around. Then other times it's just kind of funny, like when one guy asked me if I knew they put plutonium in "cadillac convertibles" (I was hauling a load of cats). He knew that was in the atomic bomb so he just quit messing with them entirely. Swear it.

I have not run into any problems with the yards I use, they have been very helpful and answer any questions. I use several different yards because one will pay top dollar for copper and brass another one will top dollar for aluminum and insulated copper and another will pay top dollar for electric motors and so on. I think that most of the people that say they get ripped off are the ones that don't know any better. They will go to a restaurant and check the bill before they pay for their dinner but won't look at the weigh ticket before they leave the pay window. My opinion

i was almost 20 years old when i found out it was not called a cadillac converter....i still say cadillac converter....honestly saying catilytic convertor doesn't sound right to me....i guesse folks around here pronounce a lot of words different...i know i can drive 1.5 to 2 hours north of here and people always ask if we are from tennesse or kentucky...

Happy, a lot of people don't bother to look at their dinner bill either. So trusting. I try to scrutinize everything, but then my pennies are hard to come by.

Yeah, I just avoid saying catalytic all together, especially with this southern draw and dialect

I appreciate your answering posts Mallard, don't get me wrong. ;)

An I bet you get some good ones, I've herd good ones as just a seller, I can only imagine what my main yard hears day in an day out. My main yard is awesome, they do no wrong. Heh. It should be how all yards are, if they don't know, they tell you so, no blowing smoke up your ass. Their prices are fair, an they treat you the way you treat them. An their quite helpful if you have questions. I know cause I used to ask all the time when I first started going.

The yard I mentioned in my first post, relies on one hit wonders I think. Anyone foolish enough to go there a second time is just asking for it. They mess with your weight, they act as if they know it all(see the oz of gold in every computer), an are rude no matter when you go in. First thing in the morning? Pissy. After lunch? Pissy. Some time before the yard closes? OMG Pissy.

There is also another yard near me, but they've gotten better. Less moaning if you want to see the scale, they moved all the rude workers to positions where they don't do with the seller/customer. An some other improvements..I still don't go there unless I'm desperate but I feel better if I send someone there now.

Ahh..I love what I do for a living. I Meet some of the awesomest people, an some of the worlds biggest idiots.

Sirscrapalot - When I began playing the game, baseball was about as gentlemanly as a kick in the crotch. - Ty Cobb

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Originally Posted by LordMallard

My hope is to compile a list, answer as many questions as I can and or give the yards point of view, and use your examples to prevent them from happening within our yards. Then I'd like to start a thread based on how this one goes on things scrapyards would like the customer to know, maybe some they prefer you didn't know. I also welcome good experiences or why you felt you were treated fairly. Anyways, here goes nothing.

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I would love to hear the information you have regarding what the yard would prefer you didn't know.

I hate how yards rush your truck and start pulling stuff off before you even exit the vehicle. Second I hate the fast weight and remove then dump before you see a weight. And I have 5 to 7 items to sell. Why am I selling blind. Last the scale bounces up and down one to 3 pounds and I get the lowest number. Ps. Also the vehicle scale it's moving from you braking to a full stop but your rushed off before it settled . No one is behind you. I call these smoke and mirrors.
I don't think yards would like being treated the same way they treat you . Attitude matters . The jealousy from yard workers is real. If they see you making good coin. Not a good look. Hmm the facts that you get great pay if you grease some palms . But I'm honest. I don't pay I weigh. One rule. No cheating. I don't cheat my clients or my yards or myself. I have integrity. But that's me. As a 100% free business. God has my back.

As with anything attitude and professionalism is key. My best yard has a higher rate of said good keepers. But a few bad actors always show up at any yard or friendship. I don't need them like they don't need me. Because they said it first. Guess I'm a non factor with big loads of hassle. But to my best yard I'm good welcome business. They see the value in me and I support them on multiple levels. A home to smile in . 85%of the time. And people split up for less than that . Was it love ?

I've never understood the yards that are rude to the people putting food on their tables. Whether the load you're buying is big or small, piss enough people off and you go hungry.
Tj - One quick example. We hate cans. It's the absolute worst part of the job. They're just downright disgusting. Furthermore it's where we get cheated the most. Rocks, water, other metal, I've seen it all from a dead chicken to a gallon sized freezer bag of marijuana. And no one ever knows how it got in there. We won't tell you how much we hate them because then we sound unappreciative of your business. But the reality is it's not the 50 lbs of cans we want but the 10 lbs of other stuff you'll bring with it. We remember the people that have dry, clean cans and the ones we're gonna have to check every time.
blacksteel - Why are you selling blind? You should never agree to that. As a seller you should know of your rights as much as the buyers. I'm not 100 percent sure but I think it's against the law to not have your scale weight visible to the seller, at least in my state. Most systems wont let you punch a ticket until the scale balances out. We do have a tendency to try and rush you through, if there's 10 people behind you the reason is kind of obvious, no one behind you? We're more relaxed, but still want to be as fast as possible because there's always something else we need to do as well, inventory, load a shipment, paperwork. It's a hectic place, I agree. Hectic or not, the yard should always allow you to clearly see a weight.

One of my favorite sayings is: "Those couple nails in your old sheet isn't why I graded it 'dirty,' your attitude was." A simple smile and a thank you goes a long way.

Funny part is .....business is two way . I run one also . I'M NOT A SCRAPPER lol :)

Was guilty of not looking at the ticket the other day and left the premises with pay for electric motors at .08cents a pound. My fault, but I'm sure if I take the ticket back, they'll make it right. They always paid .15cents but I noticed there were a couple new gals running the office. So my warning would be to "Beware of New People". They make innocent mistakes.

My regular yard makes mistakes too but they're not intentional and always make them right. I make mistakes too.......unloaded unprepared the other day and then pulled under the mag without reweighing the prepared iron. I told them at the scalehouse so they just averaged the load and it's always in my favor so it appears.

Tearing up my trailer with the claw or mag? No, those boys are ALWAYS aware of my equipment and apologize when they think they've bent a fender. On the other hand, I never complain to them of such....I expect some dings and bumps. Hey, I'm not in a massage parlor afterall; things can get rough in a scrapyard !! Overall they like me for some reason. Unlike one guy who threw a hammer at the mag operator for roughing up his trailer. That particular operator knows all the words in the dictionary plus some he made up and that testy customer was invited to never show his ugly ___ back in the yard again.

The biggest issues I have mostly have to do with consistency in classification. For example "vehicle complete" is always changing. I know it has to do more with training and the individual employees and I don't feel ripped off just frustrated. I have a long distance to get to the yards so my loads are thought out. It's hard to plan.

Customers : we pay with scrap in exchange for cash or check. And the yard is a customer to the smelters. ...ect the chain of customers is international.
Buyers / customers Hmmm China /Korea .......buyers and customers? lol.
Equal exchange buyers and sellers or both. It's a mutual contract. Price is negotiable. That's real business. Negotiate a fair agreement. It's professional. Don't cry and mumble. We must communicate to keep work fun and safe. Together . Buyers seller and workers. 1scrap.

I can't really say I have a problem with the yard I use. In fact one of my last visits I had a discussion with the yard boss and he agreed to take my flyback transformers as copper bearing rather than shred. I know he reads the forum, since he mentioned something I've not seen posted elsewhere. So, thanks for working with me Rodney! I like the way you run your yard.

I've never been a fan of the "complete car" classification. Same way I've never liked buying batteries by the piece, they're all shapes and sizes, plus if some old car has an old cast block motor with a gutted out converter in it how is it better than the 4 cylinder all aluminum Honda with a small foreign or better cat on it? The weight is much greater sure but it's all for x amount per lb anyways. The word "complete" leaves you at the yards mercy when you get there. It's just hard to get them to understand that.

Honestly for me personally I have more issues in my dealings with other industries both personal and professional. I think a lot of companies forget some of the basics of running a business. An example: I took time off of work to goto a follow up appointment for my surgery. After 20 minutes passed after my appointment time I asked the desk what the deal was. I got attitude and "the doctor will see you when he can." I politely informed her I'm out 45$ in wages alone so far not counting fuel, I am going to wait five minutes then leave. I was seen in 4. That was enough time for me to send an email to the corperate email and post three one star reviews online. The point im trying to make is anyone who wants my money, regardless what they do is a service provider. That means they are in the customer SERVICE business and they need to provide it. When I'm doing a removal I'm "yes sir, no sir" because thats what separates me and the high school kid next door(and liability insurance lol). Yards are our customers but need to treat the small suppliers like customers, because I will go elsewhere, no big deal but if 5 of us switch the weight adds up. I pulled up once in my suburban, no trailer and got the eye roll, then when they found out I had it full of buckets of copper wire i was getting the presidental treatment. My favorite yard is the one where I got a 45 minute class from the cat guy and he knew right from the start I was small time but he made me feel like I was just as important. In a perfect world the guy on a bike, the guy with a trailer and the guy who brings in semi loads weekly all get the same service. hmmmm rant over sorry. :)

one last thing, I drive over the road trucks fairly often hauling heavy equipment. There are lots of times I have had to do some Austin Powers backing up with a trailer at the yard. If I have issues what about the regular guys who hardly ever haul trailers? Sometimes I goto the yards that have an easy in and out.!!

If i was to turn in cars, it'd be piece by piece. The whole car price is ridiculous. They take in affect the waste items such as the glass windows, tires, and upholstery. It makes me an extra few bucks taking things in piece by piece. Plus, the engine blocks 90% of the time are cast aluminum, so you get a few extra bucks for that too. Or re-sell some working car parts to even triple your profits.

http://www.megavaux.co.uk/images/scrap_a_car.jpg

Yards who call it cast al one week at .40 and zink the next at .15 or call all computer wire com wire at .30 when 50 of it is #2 or sorter formen who have no Idea what they are doing.

the main yard I go to (99% of the time) have made 1 mistake (6 months ago) in almost 10 years of going there and that was putting aluminum rims in as sheet aluminum but all that was was a fat finger typo.

I can and have asked many questions at the yard and they will always take the time to answer my questions (difference in grading #1, #2, #2 copper for example)

one of the best things a guy in there did for me was when I use to just count my car batteries and was taking in 10-20 at a time he told me I should be going over the drive on scale with them and that I will get more that way, when I told him I wasn't sure he said if I didn't make more weighing them that he would pay me the difference... I have gotten more money every time since

as for the drive on scale, they have the weight show up on the way in and out and wait for the scale to settle before getting the weight

my only real pet peeve when I go into yard isn't about the yard itself but other guys in there selling and the back of there truck/trailer/van is a total mess and all mixed up.... when I back into the scale room I have all my aluminum rims neat, rads stacked by aluminum or copper (and always clean) batteries in one corner, #1 in buckets, #2 in buckets, electric motors in buckets...etc etc... everything is nice n' neat and makes weighing everything a breeze and quick... whether I take in a small load or a big load they never dread seeing me back my truck in

I hate when guys break their stuff down while they're unloading...holding up the line.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wadarbr549

i was almost 20 years old when i found out it was not called a cadillac converter...

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I almost fell over when i read this!! I appreciate the fact that you're comfortable enough to post this because it made my day!!

Thanks for that

First off - Just want to give "awesome bonus points" to LordMallard for starting a great thread & potentially opening doors for all around better understanding of the other side's perspective.

I find myself with mixed feelings here & the more I think about it, the more I start feeling like a bad person for my position on it

Basically whatever it is that you're working with, if you don't take the time to educate yourself and be confident enough in that knowledge that you can confront a discrepancy should it arise easily as well as tactfully - then that's on you - regardless if you're the buyer or the seller.
When I read the scrap metal industry guidelines book thingy last year - my understanding was that a buyer is not obligated to help a seller get different material categories than the seller presents nor is it their responsibility to inform the seller what they could've done to get a higher price for their material unprovoked. This doesn't mean that a buyer lies or is misleading about the reasons that the material is in one category & not the other when asked and these reasons are consistent and not redefined weekly or monthly. This is a completely objective view on the subject & i thought that the monetary rewards went to the one that did their job to the best of their ability. Not to the one who beats the other by tricking them or being dishonest.
I have a standard that I hold myself to : Own up to your part in what happens in your life (not the best way to say it I'm sure but I tried lol)
Trust & believe that to this day I find myself learning things almost weekly if not daily that would've put more money in my hand if I had that knowledge before i sold my material. Usually stupid & simple things so it gets frustrating. The opposite also happens though too - where I end up the one ahead by using an honest new approach to aspects of my scrap.

It's a completely equal playing field so to speak - if you can get past the resentments, blame, & have confidence in what you do.

Maybe I'm just a crazy lady in my beliefs ... but I'd rather be crazy than not have them. Yay - Julie's early April rant!! (possibly my 1st one... not sure though)

BTW - "awesome bonus points" are a patented idea that I made up

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Julie

First off - Just want to give "awesome bonus points" to LordMallard for starting a great thread & potentially opening doors for all around better understanding of the other side's perspective.

I find myself with mixed feelings here & the more I think about it, the more I start feeling like a bad person for my position on it

Basically whatever it is that you're working with, if you don't take the time to educate yourself and be confident enough in that knowledge that you can confront a discrepancy should it arise easily as well as tactfully - then that's on you - regardless if you're the buyer or the seller.
When I read the scrap metal industry guidelines book thingy last year - my understanding was that a buyer is not obligated to help a seller get different material categories than the seller presents nor is it their responsibility to inform the seller what they could've done to get
a higher price for their material unprovoked. This doesn't mean that a buyer lies or is misleading about the reasons that the material is in one category & not the other when asked and these reasons are consistent and not redefined weekly or monthly. This is a completely objective view on the subject & i thought that the monetary rewards went to the one that did their job to the best of their ability. Not to the one who beats the other by tricking them or being dishonest.
I have a standard that I hold myself to : Own up to your part in what happens in your life (not the best way to say it I'm sure but I tried lol)
Trust & believe that to this day I find myself learning things almost weekly if not daily that would've put more money in my hand if I had that knowledge before i sold my material. Usually stupid & simple things so it gets frustrating. The opposite also happens though too - where I end up the one ahead by using an honest new approach to aspects of my scrap.

It's a completely equal playing field so to speak - if you can get past the resentments, blame, & have confidence in what you do.

Maybe I'm just a crazy lady in my beliefs ... but I'd rather be crazy than not have them. Yay - Julie's early April rant!! (possibly my 1st one... not sure though)

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I help and educate all my customers as some educate me it's just fair play and sharing. I will educate all that listen. My ears all always open. I invite input from any source as I can't see everything and another might .

Profit by deception or elected omission is greedy and cheap . Not a good look building a family/ business.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Julie

I almost fell over when i read this!! I appreciate the fact that you're comfortable enough to post this because it made my day!!

Thanks for that

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well if you want to hear something else funny here it is...since i knew it was part of the exhaust system i actually thought it was called a Cadillac converter because it made the car sound quieter, you know like it was as quiet as a new Cadillac... i have a strong accent...i geuse it would be like a Kentucky accent...i live less than 2 miles from there....I moved to Wisconsin once for work, every day people would ask me where i was from and then they would laugh a little and tell me i talked funny..

i first want to say i love my main scrap yard..they are good to me and are all around honest and very nice folks....the only thing i dislike about them is there prices on a few types are a bit low...they pay great for all the main categories, but there prices are very low in my opinion on a few things,for example they only pay 15 cents a pound for stainless steel, 10 cents a pound for electric motors and transformers , and 10 cents a pound for unclean aluminum....the other yards in my area pay the same or less for these items...

since i discovered this forum and i have found out that people get a lot better prices for some of these things i have quit selling them to my local yard. the problem around here with electric motors and transformers is sometimes i can throw them in the shred pile and get more out of them than i could by separating them,

also they have no copper bearing material price at any yard ive ever been to around here..so if its not a motor or a large transformer it is considered tin around here. i usually just take the ones i don't want to strip and throw them in an old car, that way i get 13 to 14 cents per pound . i am now saving all my motors and other cbm's and when i get a truck and trailer full i will haul them to a buyer i found on this forum.

on the unclean aluminum it is about the same way..it goes for 10 cents per pound..so sometimes you can throw it in shred and get a penny or 2 more per pound...i can understand the price on this category to a point..i just feel that there should be at least 2 grades of unclean aluminum. for example if i have an aluminum motor block with one large steel bolt that i cant remove i don't feel it should be graded the same as an item that is 25 percent aluminum and 75 percent steel..i guess this is more of a suggestion than a complaint..i also realize this may be to costly or labor intensive for them to do.

i am not sure why the stainless steel price is so low in my area..it has been 10 to 15 cents per pound all my life.. i found a better buyer for my stainless steel years ago so i have taken care of that problem, i have to drive a bit but the price is drastically different so it is well worth the drive...

i have 2 more things i am going to mention, they do not pertain or effect me in any way but they effect many many others and it kinda bothers me ...1st thing is CATALYTIC converters ...all of the local yards pay extremely low prices for them..most are between 5 and 30 dollars each..i just feel this is taking advantage of uninformed customers..i know they need to make a profit but i just think they should be a bit more fair with folks... ive saw folks that dont know anything about converters, core buyers ,or junk in general ..they come in and sale there converters for 5 or 10 dollars at the local yard...little did they know they drove by 2 core buyers on the way there , and those core buyers would have paid them 80 or 100 dollars for there converters..

the last thing is, it is common practice that if you bring in a mixed load that is not separated at all, you will be paid the price of the lowest price item that is included in your load...i know it is not the yards job to separate your stuff..i just wish they had a sign up saying that all things must be separated and cleaned to get full value...i don't mean that if someone is to lazy to separate and clean they should get top dollar..i just think some folks don't know much about junk and they should inform them a bit more...i saw a guy throw off about 500 dollars worth of air conditioner units last week...he did not clean the coils ...this man had never hauled junk before...he got around 90 dollars for the load because it sold as tin...he thought they would pay more because of what the load contained....he left the yard very upset...i have always wished they had a large sign telling people to separate there junk and they would get the best possible price for it.....

I pretty much only use one yard, mostly for my non-e waste items. My main complaint are the people cleaning material in the lot, and the ones who throw all kinds of crap together on the cart before going to the scale. Then the scale guy has to try to sort through it while everyone waits.

My other issue is what Beardo mentioned- material changes grades from time to time out of nowhere. I love my yard and have built a good business relationship with them, but they are guilty of this from time to time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by wadarbr549

i first want to say i love my main scrap yard..they are good to me and are all around honest and very nice folks....the only thing i dislike about them is there prices on a few types are a bit low...they pay great for all the main categories, but there prices are very low in my opinion on a few things,for example they only pay 15 cents a pound for stainless steel, 10 cents a pound for electric motors and transformers , and 10 cents a pound for unclean aluminum....the other yards in my area pay the same or less for these items...

since i discovered this forum and i have found out that people get a lot better prices for some of these things i have quit selling them to my local yard. the problem around here with electric motors and transformers is sometimes i can throw them in the shred pile and get more out of them than i could by separating them,

also they have no copper bearing material price at any yard ive ever been to around here..so if its not a motor or a large transformer it is considered tin around here. i usually just take the ones i don't want to strip and throw them in an old car, that way i get 13 to 14 cents per pound . i am now saving all my motors and other cbm's and when i get a truck and trailer full i will haul them to a buyer i found on this forum.

on the unclean aluminum it is about the same way..it goes for 10 cents per pound..so sometimes you can throw it in shred and get a penny or 2 more per pound...i can understand the price on this category to a point..i just feel that there should be at least 2 grades of unclean aluminum. for example if i have an aluminum motor block with one large steel bolt that i cant remove i don't feel it should be graded the same as an item that is 25 percent aluminum and 75 percent steel..i guess this is more of a suggestion than a complaint..i also realize this may be to costly or labor intensive for them to do.

i am not sure why the stainless steel price is so low in my area..it has been 10 to 15 cents per pound all my life.. i found a better buyer for my stainless steel years ago so i have taken care of that problem, i have to drive a bit but the price is drastically different so it is well worth the drive...

i have 2 more things i am going to mention, they do not pertain or effect me in any way but they effect many many others and it kinda bothers me ...1st thing is CATALYTIC converters ...all of the local yards pay extremely low prices for them..most are between 5 and 30 dollars each..i just feel this is taking advantage of uninformed customers..i know they need to make a profit but i just think they should be a bit more fair with folks... ive saw folks that dont know anything about converters, core buyers ,or junk in general ..they come in and sale there converters for 5 or 10 dollars at the local yard...little did they know they drove by 2 core buyers on the way there , and those core buyers would have paid them 80 or 100 dollars for there converters..

the last thing is, it is common practice that if you bring in a mixed load that is not separated at all, you will be paid the price of the lowest price item that is included in your load...i know it is not the yards job to separate your stuff..i just wish they had a sign up saying that all things must be separated and cleaned to get full value...i don't mean that if someone is to lazy to separate and clean they should get top dollar..i just think some folks don't know much about junk and they should inform them a bit more...i saw a guy throw off about 500 dollars worth of air conditioner units last week...he did not clean the coils ...this man had never hauled junk before...he got around 90 dollars for the load because it sold as tin...he thought they would pay more because of what the load contained....he left the yard very upset...i have always wished they had a large sign telling people to separate there junk and they would get the best possible price for it.....

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I feel you on some dat . You are not told prices. They weigh and dump then give the ticket with low ball pricing so it's too late to say " I'm not selling that I'll hold it and clean it more. "Or "I can get a better price hold that . I'll take it back " lol the landmines are many so walk on egg shells and make no eye contact. Just be happy.

Some places treat us like crack heads and meth addicts. Like the scrap line is a drug line.
Just treat me like a hard worker business owner because I am. That's all I ask . No gouging. I wouldn't do it to anyone.