April 22, 2025 • 65 mins
Wesley and Stephen share their Easter weekend experiences and explore how tariffs impact small businesses, providing practical insights beyond the political headlines.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Let's get this baby rolling.
It's a gorgeous spring day, itis, and it's warm, it is so nice
and it's time for anotherepisode of who's Driving.
Welcome to who's Driving.
I'm Wesley Turner.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
And I'm Stephen Merck .
We're two best friends andentrepreneurs.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Who's Driving is an entertaining look into the
behind the scenes of our lives,friendship and business.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
These are the stories we share and topics we discuss,
as two best friends would on along road trip.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Along the way, we'll check in with friends and offer
a wide range of informativetopics centered around running
small businesses, social mediaand all things home and garden.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
You never know who's driving or where we're headed.
All we know is it's always afun ride.
And, coming up on this week'sepisode, we're going to talk
about tariffs in small businessand not political.
Not political.
No, no, no.
No, we're not talking political, but I've got messages saying
how's this affecting your smallbusiness?
How do you handle it?
(01:01):
I think it's good to heardirectly from you know our point
of view, so I thought we wouldtalk about that coming up in a
bit.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
And you'll be, I think we'll have.
We have some surprisinginformation about that too.
Insight, yeah, yeah,information.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Yeah, you know how it works and that sort of thing.
Anyway, we'll get to that, butEaster was this past weekend,
sunday yesterday.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yes, well, it was well, we're friday, yeah no,
we're monday, I mean monday ismonday easter was yesterday.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
It comes out on tuesday, that's what I just said
this past.
Yeah, sunday, so we wouldn'tconfuse ourselves.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
But you know, there we go with that.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
how was your easter though?
Good was y'all's good, it wasgood.
It was, you know, a reallypretty day.
I know you don't like theirfood.
You are such a liar.
Well, you said he tries to setme up and plant these little
things in here.
No, the food was good.
What?
Speaker 2 (01:59):
about Ours was too.
Was it fit to eat?
Yeah, it was fit to eat, it wasgood.
I mean, there's always myfavorite things.
I'm not a big meat eater, neverhave been a big meat eater, so
I'm not really into that.
I'm more green beans potatosalad.
Oh, I'll tell something funnyon Dylan's mom.
(02:22):
Okay, do that, this is good.
So you know, we've beentogether like six years.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
And I come.
She still doesn't like you.
No, she does.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
I'm a connoisseur of good Southern food and I love
potato salad.
Oh, you either love it or youdon't.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Yeah, do you like yours with mustard, the mustard.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
You just put it just a little bit in the southern way
to do it.
I judge you on your potatosalad.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
I'm just going to go ahead and tell you.
Coming out strong.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
I will judge you on potato salad.
So the first time we did aholiday meal at Dylan's parents'
house, first time we did aholiday meal at Dylan's parents'
house I sat down and I was likedamn, this potato salad looks
good.
Oh, Like I'm like, that lookslike my mom could have made that
.
Hmm, but then you tasted it andit didn't live up.
(03:20):
Well, I got it and I tasted ofit and I was like, damn, this is
good.
Oh, it was good.
And you know me.
I was like you know what?
This potato salad I said thisout loud is good.
This might work out foreverybody, this could work out.
And she was sitting across theroom and she said thank you,
(03:43):
yeah.
And Dylan said she didn't makethat potato salad oh, she bought
it, she buys it uh-huh and um.
It's very funny because hismother is a good christian, nice
lady, but she lies about thepotato salad.
She lies by deception.
(04:05):
She goes and gets it at thisparticular supermarket, which is
really good potato salad.
So if you're in the South andyou have an Ingles, they in
their deli.
They have good potato salad.
There's several different ones,but you get the original, and
so she goes and gets the big oneand she takes it out of that
(04:27):
container Dumps it in hers.
She dumps it in hers and does itlike she made it and then
brings it.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Yeah, does she doctor it at all or just smooth it
around?
No, she didn't do a damn thingto it.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
That's funny.
It's funny because I'm alwayslike.
I'm like.
I always say is this yourpotato salad?
I'm always like, I'm like.
I always say, is this yourpotato salad?
And she's like, yeah.
So I know I need to get a bighelping in that because it's
really good.
But you know, and I told thisat the table at Easter yesterday
, I was like, do y'all know?
(04:58):
Because it was all the wholefamily.
I was like how she lies abouther potato salad.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
You just called her out.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Yeah, you're not supposed to call them out, but
it was funny and it was reallygood and it kind of spreads the
word hey, this is good, youshould get it.
Yeah, why go through all thatpotato peeling and all that work
if you could go get it?
I mean, I ain't hating on it.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
That's true.
I have two things to interjecthere, and we're going to talk
about family more one I justspilt.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Oh, you spilt from your water bottle you're
drooling over there, yeah I needmy sippy cup dribbling.
I'm gonna have to go to sippycup well, okay, first of all, I
forget.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Now I got three things.
My brain is jumping aroundtoday.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
I see what kind of day this is going to be.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
First of all, remember it's still the month of
April and if you join our, Ifyou join us in our members-only
community at the who's at who'sdriving podcast dot com that's
our website, who's drivingpodcast dot com If you join the
(06:12):
online community this month anduse the coupon code April, you
get two months for half price.
So it's like two months andyou're basically getting one
month free there.
So that is where you can watchus and you know, see Steven
drooling on the table and mefumbling around.
(06:32):
If you just want to take it up anotch?
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Yeah, but you can also comment and have fun there
as well, If you'd like to makefun a little bit more, I mean
you can do it with visuals.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
In the month of May we are going to early May we're
going to select an active memberand going to give them one.
Use your words.
We're going to give one activemember a hydrate spark water
bottle, which is our favoritewater bottle.
(07:03):
I got mine out and cleaned itthe other day.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Still have water in it, you don't have to clean them
.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
They're good.
No, mine has been sitting withwater in it for probably at
least eight months.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Well, if you get a new one, all the rubber on these
is now microbial.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
So it doesn't mold, it doesn't get black he hasn't
washed his in ever Ever.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
It's clean, gross okay so that's shout out number
one.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Go to whosedrivingpodcastcom.
You can join our members onlycommunity.
That's where you can watch.
Use the coupon code april toget that bonus.
You can also go to that websiteand listen for free as well, or
you can listen to us anywhereyou can listen to podcasts.
Now back to the dishes.
I have two more thoughts tocomplete before my brain now,
(07:49):
what was it?
Speaker 2 (07:50):
what was that main dish that that daniel's mom
makes, that you said you hate?
Speaker 1 (07:55):
that is not true.
We're gonna get back to that ina minute.
We're talking about family.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
He is trying to just terry'm just, I am so messing
with him.
But, Terry, act like you're madabout it, please, and I'll give
you a gift card or something.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Well, first of all, speaking of putting things in
dishes, you know we used to have, well, two places on Augusta
Road where our retail stores are.
There was a business next toour home store and we know, a
bakery on there, and both ofthose places have told me that
(08:33):
at Easter, christmas, anyholiday, people bring them their
dishes, their casserole dishes,to these places and they make
the casseroles in the dish forthem so that these ladies can
come pick up the casseroles andbake them.
(08:54):
And it looks like they madewires.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
See, I'm not doing all that.
You know what?
The best cake in greenville?
In my opinion, there are manygood cakes, look, we obviously
like cake, okay, so, um, but oneof my favorites is, uh, brick
street downtown.
Yeah and um, I don't I make nobones about it.
(09:20):
I go walking right up in therewith my big brick street box.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
So you could probably take your you know your
favorite cake dish or somethingand have them put it on that.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
You know I do not give a shit enough to go to that
trouble, but it's funny.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
People don't really expect a pretty cake to be
homemade.
You know you can pass that offlike off, like oh, this is my
favorite cake, my favoritebakery or restaurant or whatever
, and that's acceptable.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
But a casserole they won't eat it in the south.
They if they I mean in allfairness I can see why they like
, because you know that is veryfrowned upon.
That's when they're like but Iwant to also tell you, though in
the South, unless it is areally good cake, like from
(10:10):
Brick Street, nobody says a wordwhen you bring a Brick Street
cake.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Because they know that damn thing is good.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Nobody judges you.
You go in there with a cakefrom Publix or Ingalls or
something.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
She brought that old cake.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
They would cut your eye.
Don't get that one that small.
Or if you use a mix, you do nottell that.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
That's another thing.
This is grandma's recipe.
I had to get it to you sometime.
I don't have it on me right now, then you just never seen it,
hadn't your mom done that before?
Speaker 2 (10:49):
I mean, didn't you say it was there or something?
Speaker 1 (10:52):
we did a thing, uh, where we were setting up.
I had a little garden shop orwhatever and we were setting up
at this garden festival, at thisum, it wasn't really a garden
center, it was out in thecountry.
This lady had an herb farm andshe would have a plant sale but
she would invite vendors to setup there and you were supposed
(11:12):
to bring something with, um,herbs or something in it, you
know a dish type thing.
I don't remember so well.
We forgot to the last minute.
So we went and got slice andbake sugar cookies and I feel
like.
And then we did put likechocolate mint leaves in it,
(11:38):
like just cut up fresh chocolatemint leaves, like legit or
whatever.
And then people were like, oh,like, oh, my gosh, these are so
good.
And we were just laughingbecause all we did was take a
few mint leaves, chop them up,press them into the slice and
bake.
I mean, it wasn't even from amix, it was from the tube, the
slice and bake sugar cookies andmy mom was like these are
(12:01):
something, something you know, Idon't know my mom's so late so
if you have a secret, we willnot call your name out on here.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
by the way, If you have a secret recipe that you go
and get and put in your owncasserole and just flat out lie
about it, let us know.
Let us know on our hotline andwe will not call you out.
The number is 864-982-5029.
(12:30):
But we want to hear it becauseI love hearing these.
It's comical to me.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
It is comical, we have to go back.
I forgot.
We'll do it for the nextepisode.
There were some funny textmessages from previous about
awkward moments and stuff likethat.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
We hit that oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
The other thing that I can't forget to talk about is
going back to potato salad.
These are my getting through mythoughts here.
There was this cafe in anderson, south carolina, and if you
know this recipe or know thesepeople, or maybe you own this
cafe- what cafe was.
I will pay you for the recipe.
(13:06):
It was called doodah day cafe.
I've never been there it wasdowntown at one time and then
they moved out.
I don't.
I can't remember the street onanderson anymore, you know, like
the high school where um, yeah,the main high school, they were
out there somewhere.
Anyway, they had the bestdaniel and I still talk about it
(13:27):
potato salad and they used likea honey mustard on top or
something.
It was amazing and I so wantthat recipe.
So maybe you know doodah cafeback in the day.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
I mean it closed at some point.
Speaking to that, I do likesome different recipes for, yeah
, potato salad like I like agerman you would love this
recipe.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
It was so good.
We used to what?
Because I lived in anderson atone time and we went there and
then, even when I didn't livethere anymore and we were here,
daniel and I went there a coupleof times just to get the potato
salad back in the day.
Uh.
So, anyway, that was my potatosalad.
Talk, thought uh, but back tofamily time and dylan, what else
(14:15):
did you like there?
Do you like everybody?
Was everyone nice?
Speaker 2 (14:18):
yeah, I actually, I really do.
Yeah, there's nobody that Imean I have my favorites, but
there's nobody, like they're allreally nice was there a dish
that you were just like I ain'ttouching.
No, but there was.
There's one that I love, all ofthe ingredients in it.
Yeah, that dylan's aunt makes,but I don't eat blueberries so I
(14:40):
have to pick them out.
But I told her it would be muchappreciated if she would use
cherries instead of blueberries.
Oh, did she listen?
But Dylan doesn't like cherriesso much, oh gosh.
So it was just.
You know, it was just an issue,so she made one of each.
Oh well, that's very nice.
(15:00):
Yeah, she was like I made oneof each for my favorites.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
What is this?
Is it a dessert?
Speaker 2 (15:06):
It is a dessert, it is.
She makes the crust and thenshe slices bananas in it.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
What kind of crust it's like a pastry crust.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Okay, like a pie crust, pie crust, and then she
slices bananas in it, and thenthere's a cream-ish Some kind of
filling and then there's acream-ish filling that has Dream
Whip packet milk and creamcheese.
And it is really good, and thenyou just put the topping on top
(15:36):
of that it is very good, and Ilike bananas.
You could even mix in somecoconut in there and you could
even do strawberries and youcould do pineapple topping with
coconut and do like a pinacolada.
I need the recipe.
This could be some good content.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
Yeah, I can get it for you.
So back to Daniel's family, whoI love, and I love all of
Terry's dishes as much as youlike to make fun of that.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
Terry, give him a hard time please, she makes.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
I don't eat the meat either.
Right, so it was good casserole.
I mean we had the pineapplecasserole.
Do they ever have that at yourfamily functions, where it's the
baked pineapple and it's got?
I've had it.
I like it.
We had a hash brown casserole.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
And I know you, big girl, you love a hash brown
casserole.
And I know you, big girl, youlove a hash brown casserole,
yeah, but you know I've never,not any of my family, dylan's or
mine ever makes.
I should make one, you should,but you know.
And then the mac and cheese.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
See, I eat all the sides like that, no meat.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Hell yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
And it's all good, and I love.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
One of my favorite things is green beans.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
We didn't have green beans, we had asparagus.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
They have to be done right.
And I'm not a big meat eater,but I do like my green beans
flavored with some ham, bone orbacon.
Just for the flavor Okay.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
She did make a so good with fresh strawberry like
pie, and his family, like it's asmall gathering, so one of his
younger brother.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
They just had a baby like a week ago, so they weren't
theirs we have a new segment Iforgot to mention on our podcast
that we're going to be doingand I've got to tie it in here
because it makes sense with thatwe're going to be doing.
And I've got to tie it in herebecause it makes sense with what
we're talking about Okay, well,hold on Before we get to your
new segment.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Terry did give me some grief, though, because she
was like.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Thank you, terry, because they listened to the
podcast.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Okay, she was like, well, I am part of a book club
Because you know, know, wetalked about book clubs.
And I was like oh my gosh.
And I was like, well, how doesit work, do you wait to the last
minute?
And you're like, oh my gosh Igotta read it was like sometimes
(17:58):
I do see that stresses me out.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Yeah yeah, well we don't read.
If you're 80, if you'reseverely ADD, all jokes aside,
or if you have children orgrandchildren that are ADD.
Just know that reading is verychallenging for us?
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Oh my gosh, we're not stupid we just have other
strengths.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Yes, and reading is not one of them Reading.
Comprehension is not good.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
I mean my reading is just be the most torturous thing
was reading, and I'm dyslexictoo.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
I don't know how you did it.
Well, you've heard me talk, Ijust stumbled around but I mean,
you made it through schoolpretty good, yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Yeah, you know, is that I mean, and that's hard you
know, with that they would belike school would get out in the
summer.
You know when you're elementary, middle school, now we're gonna
read every day for 30 minutesor something, hell, no, that was
the most torturous, I mean itwould last, maybe a week or two.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Doing that shit?
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Hell, no, it was the worst, I have to tie it, it's
southernisms.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
We have a lot of people relocating to the south,
a lot relocating to Greenvillefrom all over the country and
you know we're good southerners,we welcome you.
But there's things I was justthinking through it that you
need to know.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
So new segment you're going to throw in occasionally
Southernisms.
Okay, this is the new.
I feel like we need, like aLike a lead way to it
Southernisms.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Yeah, oh, yeah, I like this, but I feel like I
should be clogging to that.
I feel like it needs to be.
So, first off, before we getinto this, you need to know what
you are.
And when I say you need to knowwhat you are, and when I say
you need to know what you are,you need to know where you're
(19:59):
from what you're consideredmoving here.
Okay, and this is not Stephenand Wesley, you know, do not
send us a message that you'reoffended or we offended you or
anything.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
It's not about us.
We welcome the message.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
But this is truly a public service for all of you
people moving in.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
So you're talking about if someone is moving to
the South, or maybe toGreenville South.
Carolina, we have a huge influxof people coming to our city.
This is what you need to know.
And when you get here, you needto shop at the Nested Fig home,
the Nested Fig garden andonline at the Nested Fig.
But anyway, go ahead.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
First of all, if you live any higher than Kentucky in
the United States, you're aYankee.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Oh hell, yeah, Yankee , and not in a derogatory way.
No, no, I'm just telling youit's different personalities.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
When you move into a neighborhood here and you've got
a true southern grown personliving right there, they're like
they're yankees and it doesn'teven matter if you're, if you're
, like from Northern Virginia,you're Yankee, it's just the way
it is.
And if you are from, if you'refrom out west, anything really
(21:24):
past like Missouri, mississippiRiver, yeah.
You're just from out west andyou're really.
They're from California.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
They could be from like Utah, but they're from
California.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
You, you know they're from the west coast yeah, you
know, and here's the and, if, ifyou, if you don't go back, if
(21:55):
you live in florida, that is notthe south, florida and texas
are not the south, but those aretwo very, very different places
, uh-huh.
But you know, I had an aunt andan aunt that married a man from
New York and they lived myentire life in Florida.
(22:18):
Yeah, and I can remember beingtaught as a kid well, you know,
they're from Florida, they'redifferent down there and
seriously, and I would say why?
Well, you know, a lot ofYankees moved down there.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
So Florida's like a mixed pot.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
It is.
And then Texas.
Texas is like a country initself.
It is, it is.
So I have family all the wayfrom here to California.
Well, I have an uncle and auntthat live in Corpus Christi.
Well, you're right up therewith California.
(23:01):
If you are like Corpus Christi,texas, you might as well be
from Newport Beach, california.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
And then there's different parts of Texas that is
more Southern, and it reallyjust depends on where you're
from, but you will find out ifyou ask.
When you relocate here, though,we good Southern people will
let you know.
Yeah, and you may or may not beable to cook.
You will find that out at thechurch potluck.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
Oh, I mean, here's the thing too.
There's like Southernisms,there's things you got to get
used to, but you, if you arerelocating to the south, don't
think you got.
You have got to leave behind.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Everything you knew.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
Everything you knew.
You are joining the south.
It's a great place to be.
It's a great place to be.
Up North's a great place to be.
But if I'm moving up there, I'mgoing to get my horn adjusted
and I'm going to be honking atyou when we're driving the road.
Speaker 2 (24:04):
You move to New York City, you're not going to go to
a potluck and you're going tomake sure that damn horn works
on your car.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
That's beat off to hell, right, when you move down
here, don't honk that damn horn.
Severe emergency.
Do not honk that horn when youare driving.
I don't care if the red lightturns green and you have to sit
through the whole thing you sitthere and you do not honk that
horn.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
No we do not.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
We do not do that here.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
That is correct.
Absolutely not, and this isvery helpful if you're
relocating, I mean in this.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
See, we're getting more and more mixed people here
in Greenville Mm-hmm and you goout on the new side of
Greenville area, like where ourwarehouse is, the Woodruff Road
area.
That's where a lot of that'sthe suburbs of Greenville and
that's where the new well, Imean new is everywhere.
They start honking at you overthere.
(25:01):
I'm like, damn Yankee, youbetter back up.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
No, ma'am, we have had a huge influx in our
building of New Yorkers and it'svery interesting 're not only
new yorkers, new york city, andI guess?
Your meal in the meal and, Iguess, being in that meal, that
lofty atmosphere, demanding andum.
(25:27):
There's an adjustment periodfor them?
Yes, because they figure out,they're not gonna hand us.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
But they have to figure out they're not gonna get
their way we've had.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Yeah, yeah, it's been an adjustment now and once you
know who you are, what you, whatwe call you and all that kind
of stuff into place and and andwhat.
And here's the other thing ifyou're really nice and listen,
there's a lot of nice peoplemoving here and a lot of people
that I love and and we make surewhen we introduce you to other
(26:00):
people behind your back we saythey're from New York, but
they're nice people.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
They're.
Yankees, but they are reallynice, so you got to get in with
at least three good Southerners.
So they'll spread the wordabout you.
You're going to be on an islandby yourself, with your other
Yankee friends.
It can be bad.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
It can be bad.
So there's a few terms that weneed to talk about, just so you
know, when you get heresometimes, what we're speaking
about and the reason this tiesinto Easter.
Yeah, well, sop it up yet.
Well, sop it up.
(26:38):
Oh, sop it up now.
Sop it up can mean lots ofthings, but what that generally
means is, when you're having ameal, sopping it up with a
biscuit per se is soaking it up,and it usually involves large
amounts of gravy.
Soap it up, soap it up.
(27:00):
You know I need, and you woulduse it in context like can you
hand me one more biscuit?
I need to sop this up.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Well, that means I need to sop up this gravy,
because your plate's going to beclean when you're done Right.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
You're using that biscuit as a sponge as a sponge
and you literally sop it up withthat biscuit.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Uh-huh, and then you eat it.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Yeah, okay, mm-hmm.
So we're clear on that, yeah,what we're clear on that?
Yeah.
But the other is, if you'retold we will get to that
directly, we will get to thatdirectly, directly.
I learned this terminology frommy dear sweet grandma, mark.
(27:49):
Well, we'll get to thatdirectly, mm-hmm.
Well, it took me about 30 yearsto figure out what in the hell
she was talking about.
So if somebody uses the worddirectly, to you that means
directly is what they're saying,yeah.
But we say it here directly andthat means we're going to get to
(28:12):
it in the next little bit, likeright away yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
We're going to get to it directly Next on the list
Directly, directly there's anextra R in there Directly.
The other is Okay, you have to,if you're listening, share your
favorite Southernisms.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
Or Southernism, or Northernism or Westernism.
Is there something we don'tknow about?
Educate us, because we visity'all and I'm sure you know,
it's like hillbillies come totown.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
But okay, this goes two directions though, because
we've had some Yankees move downhere and some work for us and
some do work for us and you know, always growing up in the South
thought, oh, they're the.
You know, they're not rednecks,they're the proper.
Sophisticated, they're moresophisticated, they're proper.
Hell, no, no I don't know, wemight be redneck and they just
(29:19):
might be.
Well, my mother was.
I don't know grammar policecall them.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
My mother was, you know, and I look this is after
years of my mother likeliterally hounding me,
chastising me, but you thingsthat I would have had my teeth
knocked out for, for example,correct would be.
(29:45):
I saw that.
Did you see that?
On the way to work?
I saw that.
I saw that, yeah, no, we havepeople from the north that have
worked for us.
I seen that.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
I seen that, mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
I seen that.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
So yeah, it goes different both ways.
It's not just the rednecks andthe southern top and the
hillbillies.
We might have a little southerndraw, here and there we might
add a few extra syllables, buty'all aren't all perfect and
proper up there.
One thing, uh-uh.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
Did your family ever use this?
I can remember my papa sayingwell, we ain't got a new truck,
oh you did, oh yeah.
Saying well, we ain't got a newtruck, oh you did, oh yeah,
yeah.
I had to give them my old truckand ten thousand dollars to
boot boot, oh yeah, boot yeah,to boot was to finish it up like
(30:43):
to I don't know to boot thatcame from.
Let me look, I did.
It means in addition, you know,on top of that yeah, I was
going to say to finish it off.
Let me see I think that actuallycame from a real estate
terminology.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
Yeah, had to give them something to boot.
To boot, mm-hmm For sure.
Oh my gosh, that is so funny.
There's all kinds, for sure.
Oh my gosh, that is so funny.
So let us know on the hotline864-982-5029.
Or, if you're in the membersonly community, put it down in
the comment section what's your?
(31:23):
You know, southernisms ornorthernisms or west coast isms?
Speaker 2 (31:31):
Oh, actually to, um is old english in addition to uh
, so it actually originated inengland oh to be to be in
addition to in addition to, andthe last Southern ism for today
(31:55):
will be I feel like we've goneto class here Mess, mess and gom
.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
No, it's mess, mess and a gom.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
Yes, well, it's actually written out mess and a
gom I thought it was gom MessandU-M.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
I thought it was gum Mess and a gum.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
To use it in correct Southern-ism, you would say oh
my gosh that kitchen is a messand a gum and it just means just
a wreck Just upside down.
But you don't ever say gum,because then nobody would know
what you're talking about Messand a gum, no.
(32:36):
Mess and a gum.
It's a mess and a gum, just amess.
One of my favorite termsactually.
So that is Southern Schooltoday and I hope that that helps
anyone relocating, or if you'recoming to visit.
If you're coming to visit, youmight need to know.
If you're coming to visit, youmight need to know, and at least
if somebody goes, well, it's amess and a gom out there on that
(32:59):
Woodruff Road.
You'll know we shouldn't gothat way.
Yeah, it's just a mess and agom, or do you want extra
biscuit to sop that up?
You're going to know.
I tell you what.
Oh my God, you're going to know.
I tell you what.
You give me that watch.
(33:19):
You got on tradein and give me$10,000 to boot and you can have
this new.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Rolex.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
You know what to boot means To boot To boot.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
Is to boot, not a.
Is that a Southern thing?
You think that's just aSouthern thing?
Speaker 2 (33:30):
I don't.
I've never heard, I've neverbeen in New York City and heard
to boot.
Speaker 1 (33:35):
To boot.
It's so funny.
We have been in like a cab oran Uber or whatever in Las Vegas
, like Daniel and I have been,and they're like where are you
from, what country are you from?
Just because of our accents,and I'm like our accents sound
normal to me.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
It's very exotic.
I used to be very, veryself-conscious because I, as all
of you know, went to ClemsonUniversity and 98.9% of all the
students at Clemson Universitywhen I was there in the 90s was
from New Jersey and they alltalk like this.
And I was self-conscious untilI started traveling.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
Yeah, I'm not self-conscious about having a
Southern accent or Southerndrawl and I know like a lot of
people like it.
I was about, I guess, maybeSouthernism or not pronouncing
the word right, you know, likeChester drawers, it's chest of
drawers, not Chester drawers, oryou know when.
Speaker 2 (34:39):
I went.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
Or Runt or Runt.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Yeah, which is?
Speaker 1 (34:42):
ruined.
The milk is Runt?
No, it's ruined.
Speaker 2 (34:45):
So you know, so if you're here and they're like oh,
that's Runt you don't want noneof that.
Speaker 1 (34:54):
It means it's gone bad.
Yeah, all ball saw.
You know I had to teach oilboil soil.
Those are the things Icorrected.
Was that, you know?
I say Monday, tuesday,wednesday.
Monday, tuesday, wednesday.
You know, it's all.
That's the kind of thing, butthe accent part.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
The thing I had to correct is when I was a kid I
would say I knew that Knew, Didyou do that?
No, so when I got to college Iwas like it's not new, I knew
you would do that.
It was I knew.
I knew that I got new shoes.
I didn't get new New shoes.
(35:32):
I said that I got me some newshoes.
I didn't get new New shoes.
I said that I got me some newshoes.
I mean yes you can get morecountry than us, that is funny.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
So you know, that's the kind of things, like I said,
I've tried to correct, but notthe southern accent.
It is what it is.
You know northern people havetheir accents boston, people
have boston the pot, the car,yeah, when I like hearing theirs
too.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
I don't mind hearing other people's accents?
Speaker 1 (36:02):
yeah, I don't either.
Just depends on where you areand that sort of thing.
And as long as you're nice,yeah, you better be nice,
especially if you're moving downhere.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
If you're going to stay here, you better be nice or
you won't get invited to thatpotluck, it's true.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
So you want to get into tariffs the hot topic oh
yes, let's talk about tariffs.
You see it everywhere Tariffs.
Oh, you see it everywhere.
Tariffs.
It's the hot topic that's beingpushed around everywhere is
clickbait, I feel like on somethings.
So again we're talking abouttariffs because I've gotten
(36:45):
asked about it.
You know, from small businessowners how does tariffs affect
you?
What do you think about tariffsand that sort of thing?
Not from any politicalstandpoint.
This is the you know, just oursmall business, the reality sort
of thing.
Not from any politicalstandpoint.
This is the.
you know, just our smallbusiness and how it affects
things or doesn't affect things.
So let's get into it.
What do you want to talk about?
First of all, I think what weshould mention is tariffs aren't
(37:07):
anything new as a smallbusiness owner.
Tariffs have come and gone.
There's been a lot ofsurcharges.
They change the verbiage.
Speaker 2 (37:15):
That's what they do.
Tariff, as we all know, is theform of a tax and for a small
business that hits us indifferent ways.
Sometimes they love to callsurcharge and you have those
companies.
First of all, nothing hasreally hugely negatively
(37:38):
affected our business yet ormade it more challenging.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
It hasn't trickled down to our level yet, but it
will start in the next, you knowfew weeks, just depending on
how things change.
I mean, we're gettingcommunication about them.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
Right and um, and, quite honestly, you always have
those companies that are goingto try to take advantage of it.
Right, and you know, because Ican remember having fuel
surcharges way back.
Speaker 1 (38:08):
Yeah, we've had, as business owners, we've had fuel
surcharges that were a higherpercentage.
We've had additional freightcharges.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
Something's going on and the thing is they try to
leave them there like once it'sgone.
Because I've called companies,I'm like what the hell is it?
They're like well, that's fuelsurcharge.
I said, well, hell, the priceof fuel has been down for a year
.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
It depends on the vendor and that's really where
you get to learn who your goodvendors are.
And from the last time beforewe this isn't a tariff thing but
from the last time I think wewere most impacted was, I don't
know where it was around 20, 22or whatever when all the ports
(38:50):
were getting backed up with thesupply chain and I know it was
talked about a little bit but Idon't know, you know, if the
consumer really, you know, knewhow much it was affected.
But it was really hard to getproduct in for importers and
manufacturers and they werehaving to pay like three and
four times their normal shippingcost to get it imported into
(39:14):
the country.
Speaker 2 (39:14):
From a consumer standpoint, if you felt any of
that, you may have perceivedthat a business might be just
taking advantage of supply anddemand, but that wasn't the case
.
Speaker 1 (39:29):
And it was also during all the inflation talk as
well.
So you see these higher pricestoo.
So there was a surcharge at thetime for shipping, because
something a shipping container,for example may have cost the
actual container, I think,normally like I think it's like
(39:50):
$3,000, the container that theywould buy to put it in and it
was like $15,000 or $20,000.
So that's a huge cost.
And then it was being passed onin some form of sleaze
surcharges to the smallbusinesses such as us who are
importing or buying from oursuppliers home decor, holiday
(40:11):
decor and all of that.
Well, there were a few vendorsand one we still won't shop with
who just jacked up all theirprices Ridiculous and then tried
to leave them there.
And we were like no, we wentthere at market and—.
It was one of our huge vendors,yeah.
Speaker 2 (40:32):
I'm still pissed about it.
I get mad when I walk by theshowroom.
I'm like the rep said the repasked me um, in january, are you
ready to go back?
I was like, nope, they're stillon the list.
Yeah, she was like, seriously,I'm like, yeah, I don't know
when they're gonna come on,probably not because they
haven't it, they're still don'tget it, yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:53):
So instead of just saying, hey, you know the
shipping's this, we're going todo a line item as a surcharge.
We'll drop it off when we can.
Yeah, their prices went frombeing like wholesale what we buy
it at, and then you knowthere's a markup on that and
that's the retail price.
Their prices went to beinghigher than our retail prices
(41:15):
were on the items.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
I would have been embarrassed to put their, their
products in our stores.
Yeah, people would have thoughtwe had lost our mind.
Yeah, I was like.
I mean it was crazy, right, andwe even said have you changed
your pricing?
Like, is it?
Are you priced?
(41:37):
Cause some vendors, when you goto market, price it as MSRP,
like what the retail price is.
Yeah, the suggested retail.
And you get a discount off ofthat.
So I thought, oh, this isretail, yeah.
Speaker 1 (41:51):
Oh no.
So getting into tariffs, smallbusinesses have dealt with these
type things that you're hearinga lot about in the media.
It's everyday part of businessand tariffs come and go,
surcharges come and go, and thatis for us as the retailer, the
(42:11):
small business.
It is our, you know, job totalk to the vendor, look for
where we can get a discount,where we can absorb that call.
You know you have to look atthat.
That's what we do every day.
Whether there is a tariff orisn't, is what can we do for
pricing?
(42:32):
How do you know?
Our goal is to sell as much aswe can.
That's how we make money.
So we have to look at that andsee, you know how it makes sense
.
So, before all of this tarifftalk, that's already part of the
daily business and we've hadtariffs from China since, I mean
(42:53):
, the last eight years there'sbeen a tariff.
Now what happens is, a lot oftimes it may start out as a
tariff.
I mean, it's still technicallya tariff, but it will start out
as a line item.
So they'll say, oh, your tariffis 10%, so they'll have their
regular.
This is, you know, the way thatkind of makes sense is they'll
(43:13):
have their regular cost, andthen there'll be a line that's a
surcharge.
Speaker 2 (43:18):
It's usually surcharge of some sort.
Speaker 1 (43:20):
It'll just say surcharge 10% and it'll have
your amount on there.
Now, if a tariff goes on and onand it's years and years, you
know, and it's just part ofeveryday business, at that point
they just put that into theproduct cost along the way.
Speaker 2 (43:38):
And sometimes what you have to be, what you have to
know, is we look at every item.
For example, we, you know Iwon't speak specifically because
I don't want to call anybodyout because I didn't I don't
blame them for going up, but wehad one product go up.
We've had a lot go up, but wehad one product in the past few
weeks that have gone that wentup and it was not a huge amount,
(44:02):
it was $10 per item and I, youknow, I looked at it and I told
Wes, you know I don't want to, Imean, I do not want to go up on
that item.
Like, I looked at where ourprice was and I just said you
know, we'll just absorb, we'regoing to absorb that because I,
(44:23):
I don't, I think customers willhave a problem paying more for
that one item than marking thatup.
Speaker 1 (44:31):
And so that's what you have to do on the retail
level is say, okay, if I markthis up and this vendor had not
gone up on this item, it's avery staple item.
Speaker 2 (44:43):
In over 12 years.
Speaker 1 (44:44):
Yeah, they had never gone up in 12 years.
So they went up by $10 andwe're like that's a reasonable,
it made sense, and.
But we were like, okay, but wecan absorb this and we feel like
we will still sell the amountof these that we do, which is
great.
But if we increase this, willwe then not sell as many and
(45:07):
actually make less money andmake less money?
So that's where you have tocalculate it from the retail
side.
It's like what can we do?
So when you're hearing all thesetariff numbers being thrown
around and these like hugeamounts, what you have to
understand is vendors, hugeamounts.
(45:29):
What you have to understand isvendors.
So we were on the retail leveland we're buying from either an
importer or a manufacturer.
Like we're either buying from avendor who goes to markets
could be in China or anywhere inthe country or anywhere in the
world, and they're importingitems on a wholesale level or
some of the people we buy fromactually manufacture.
They have their own factories,so that they are manufacturing
(45:52):
their own product and we'rebuying that way.
So they too are then talking towhatever, wherever factory
manufacturer is, and they'renegotiating the tariffs too.
Speaker 2 (46:07):
So they're like, hey, we still want to buy from you,
but we can't mark these productsup this much, so a lot of that
tariff does get absorbed on theother side, then it gets
absorbed in the middle, and thenit gets absorbed on the retail
level, or it's just shocking,too, because you really don't
understand where the squeeze iscoming from, and you've heard me
(46:31):
over the past several yearsgoing to mcdonald's I mean this
one right out here that I ownedright out next to you and there
are items there that are morethan three times what they what
they were.
they were when I owned thatMcDonald's and I, you know, in
my mind, you know I'm going tobuy the damn filet of fish or
(46:54):
quarter, whatever I'm theregetting.
I'm not one of those peoplethat says I'm not.
I have friends that are retiredMcDonald's owners and I kid you
not, they will not go toMcDonald's because they don't
agree with the price of theircoffee.
And I'm like, oh my Lord really.
But I'm still going to go thereand I'm still going to buy it.
(47:16):
So I have just thought, oh mygosh, like if I had charged that
when I was an owner I wouldhave been making like insane
money.
Yeah, so I had to go just outof my curiosity and ask a friend
of mine that is that still ownsmultiple McDonald's Are y'all
just killing it?
(47:36):
Are you just making an insaneamount of money because of the
price of your menu prices?
Well, come to find out, youknow, after I do a little
digging just for my curiosity.
Yeah Well, their packageinsurance, like all their
liability workers comp, you know, and like each McDonald's is
(47:59):
going to have like $37 millionof insurance.
That has tripled.
That's a huge amount of money.
And then the cost of employeeshas got has almost doubled.
Yeah.
So I mean, when you really backup and look at it, they,
(48:19):
they're just breaking even yeahit where they were.
Speaker 1 (48:23):
It's just.
It's not like they're makingmore profit, it's just
everything.
Speaker 2 (48:26):
It is truly just inflation, but to me, because I
was in McDonald's for 30 years,that's what I measure.
I measure things by the Big Mac, and so it's the same with our
business.
And it shows up in lots ofdifferent ways.
The other thing that affects usand we have been in the
(48:48):
business for a long time so weknow to expect it is it always
doesn't.
It's not that one company, butit's the components of that
company, of what they make.
Like, for example, ourupholstered furniture is a
(49:09):
united states company.
Right, it is made in the unitedstates, but there are
components within in thatproduct that come from maybe um,
china or indonesia, wherevermay be where something is made.
And it can be random things,because unfortunately, we
(49:31):
learned way too much about allof this during COVID, because we
found out like a lot of burledwood comes from Indonesia and it
sat in ports forever and everand ever and ever, and so it may
be one component that is goingup, so it doesn't raise the
(49:52):
whole price of thatsignificantly.
Speaker 1 (49:55):
Or at all.
Speaker 2 (49:55):
Sometimes the vendors are like we're going to eat it
with our item.
Speaker 1 (50:00):
We're like we're just going to eat this, and they
also look sometimes like is thisa temporary situation or is
this a permanent situation, oris there's going to be one or
two shipments of this part?
That's going to be higher, butyou know what, after that it's
going to be done and we're goingto make it up in the long run
the better.
Speaker 2 (50:18):
Companies don't make knee-jerk reactions.
Speaker 1 (50:21):
I feel like so which is funny because I just opened
my email because there was avendor I was going to actually
refer to and there was an emailfrom a different vendor sitting
there today talking about thetariffs.
We're getting them every dayjust from our vendors, and a lot
of them are doing like this oneis talking about how you know,
okay, so there's tariffscurrently in place, but vendors
(50:42):
can call their factory in I'mjust going to say China, for
example and say, hey, hold ourorder, we don't want it to ship
because it's not the tariff'snot on the order until it shows
up in the US and they receive it.
So there's also windows andopportunity as well.
So if they're like, hey, youknow what we feel like this is
(51:03):
going to change within the nexttwo weeks Hold our orders,
because it takes like it'sseveral weeks to even get here
anyway, and then we'll, you know, hold it and we'll tell you
when to ship it.
So they can say things likethat.
But this was basically sayingthat that they're looking at
production times and this istalking about holiday products
(51:24):
and how they have opportunity tohold it, and they're talking to
the vendors and you know thatsort of thing.
And then it said we're notrushing decisions.
Instead, we're taking the timeto gather facts, access the
impact and move forwardthoughtfully.
So it says a surcharge may benecessary and we will approach
in everyone's best interest inmind when a decision is made.
(51:45):
So that is a lot of what we'reseeing right now and I think
we'll, we'll, we'll follow thisup, you know, when we start
seeing it on the retail level,because right now we haven't
seen, not that it's not coming,we've got a lot of warning, like
there's a couple of vendorsthat are saying okay, may 1st
(52:08):
there's going to be the smallsurcharge, and then we may
increase it.
Speaker 2 (52:15):
I'm most concerned about fall and Christmas.
Speaker 1 (52:18):
The one thing that we have done is we've already
started taking delivery of falland.
Christmas, Some of our vendorshave reached out and said hey,
we actually have these itemsthat have already arrived in our
warehouse.
If you want to go ahead andtake them, there will be no
surcharge.
Speaker 2 (52:36):
And we're like hell.
Speaker 1 (52:37):
yes, we're like ship it on now because that will save
us later and save our customers.
Yeah, and that's the otherthing vendors will do as well.
They'll look at what theircurrent inventory is and what
they didn't have to pay tariffson and they're like, okay, we're
going to sell all of this.
So, even though it might be Xnumber of tariff that we're
(52:58):
paying on this portion, if wespread it out across everything,
it's only a 2% tariff orsomething like that.
Speaker 2 (53:07):
Most of the good ones are doing it in a very
intelligent manner so that itdoes not negatively impact the
market.
Speaker 1 (53:15):
Honestly, um, I got one from another vendor and they
do every day and holiday aswell and they were basically
saying, um, that they wereprepared to implement a
surcharge.
Uh, but, due to encouragingdevelopments and how things have
(53:37):
been changing, that from apolitical standpoint on the with
the tariffs.
Yeah, just how things are likeone day.
They're this one day.
They're this there seems to besome negotiation going on.
They feel like maybe that's apositive sign.
So they are hoping that it'llbe resolved in the next 30 days.
(53:58):
So they will hold off onimplant implementing um any
adjustments at this time.
Um.
So the goal is, you know, tohopefully not have those
surcharges there.
Speaker 2 (54:13):
As a whole and, as you know, as a whole, we are
pretty optimistic on the wholesituation.
Speaker 1 (54:21):
I think the worst thing for the whole tariff talk
again, not from a politicalstandpoint, I think is when
something like this becomes sucha hot topic and it's being
driven home who is going toimpact, or there's speculation
on who it's going to impact, howit's going to impact it becomes
(54:57):
so emotional.
It becomes so emotional as itcomes and as a consumer,
especially in you know, productssuch as ours home decor that
isn't a daily, you know.
Just necessity.
You have the option to decideif the item you're buying is
(55:18):
worth it or not to you.
Speaker 2 (55:19):
So I feel like that it just causes this hysteria
almost for consumers uncertainty, I guess is the word and it
makes them more like I don'tknow and that does more damage
or or they get angst and run outand purchased a large item, for
example a car, in anticipationthat it's gonna go up, yeah, and
(55:43):
then it's going to go up, yeah,and then it's yeah.
Speaker 1 (55:47):
So that's kind of the tariff situation.
I think the other thing is,from my point, if you are a
small business owner maybeyou're a newer small business
owner and you haven't beenthrough something that's talked
about this much Don't panic.
That's the first thing.
First thing is don't panic.
Second thing is you still haveto stop.
If you don't have it for sale,you can't sell it.
(56:09):
So if you don't have it to sell, you can't sell it.
So you have to continue tostock your shelves in order.
And then you have to deal ordecide how to deal with the
surcharges on your level andbased on your customers.
Because what some vendors willdo let's say an item is $10 and
(56:32):
there's a 10% tariff, so that'sa dollar tariff surcharge on
that one item.
Some vendors will do a normalwhatever.
Their retail markup is based onthat $10 price and then they'll
just add in the tariff a dollaron top of that.
Then some people will add inwell, really, I paid $11 from
(56:53):
that item and have their markupfrom that price.
So there's even on the retaillevel, there is room to make the
items.
Speaker 2 (57:06):
It's not like everything's just going to go up
by so if you're a businessowner, I would not approach it
in a blanket Like we're going upthis much, right.
I would look at it on a productby product, you know, vendor by
vendor basis, because you youcan shoot yourself in the foot
(57:26):
that's doing having that kneejerk.
Oh, my God, we got to go upthis much.
Well, maybe you do, maybe youdon't, right.
Speaker 1 (57:35):
And maybe you, like we've talked about the item that
we were talking about, youabsorb it yourself and you're
like it's going to be fine, I'mjust going to absorb that cost.
Or maybe you go, it's going tobe fine, I'm just going to
absorb that cost.
Or maybe you go, okay, I'mgoing to keep mine as close to
what they have been, but when Igo to do promotions I'm going to
(57:57):
know, oh, there's not that asmuch room to do promotions.
So maybe, instead of doingnormally 20% off at the end of a
season or as a promotion, I'mnow going to do 15% off, and you
can calculate that on thebackside.
Yes, and so there's ways.
So I just want it's interestingfrom the business standpoint
and the consumer standpoint.
Speaker 2 (58:15):
It's so black and white.
Speaker 1 (58:16):
When you are hearing it talked about so much, I feel
like, even for me, when they'rejust you know, I'm paying
attention to it.
I feel like I'm going to gooutside to buy something and
it's going to be like 400 timeswhat it cost yesterday and I'm
like, oh my gosh, and thenthat's not the reality because
it gets absorbed all along theway in the supply chain.
(58:36):
I think that's it.
Yeah, I hope that makes senseTalking through it.
Speaker 2 (58:42):
And yeah, and just don't be so emotional about it.
Yeah, and talking through it,and yeah, and just don't be so
emotional about it.
I know it's scary and I knowyou hear it and that's what
they're I feel like sometimesthat's what the media in general
wants to create.
Speaker 1 (58:57):
Is Well, stress and worry?
Yeah, and I'm not.
And again, not political and nottalking about, but it's the
world we live in is everythingis so competitive nowadays.
The world we live in iseverything is so competitive
nowadays it's almost like whatcan I?
What hype or clickbait can Icreate to get people to consume?
With anything?
Yeah, with anything, butespecially in the media.
(59:18):
You know they're fighting forviews they're fighting for how
can I keep you watching, how canI keep you coming back?
My ratings, my ratings Withanything.
And so the way they do that isby playing up certain things or
whatever.
Speaker 2 (59:33):
Sensationalizing everything, Whether it's weight
loss or tariffs, or I mean mygosh, it's all kinds of things.
Oh, Zympic, Whatever, it isLike anything, so Zempik
whatever, it is like anything.
Speaker 1 (59:48):
So I don't know.
You just have to do yourresearch and you still shop and
decipher it.
You still shop and you go isthis item worth it for me or not
?
Can I get it this week, Can Inot?
And you just like to me the wayI shop all the time.
Speaker 2 (01:00:03):
And ask questions I mean, that's what I did with the
McDonald's prices rather thangoing, oh my gosh, these owners
are making a killing.
I asked questions.
I was like are you making afortune?
And listen, I do not know anyMcDonald's owners that are
slumming it all of a sudden.
(01:00:23):
I don't think they're doing badowners that are slumming it all
of a sudden.
I don't think they're doing bad, but I don't think I don't
think these menu price increasesare funding them a new house on
the coast in italy either.
Yeah, I think it's all, and Ithink the other thing with.
Speaker 1 (01:00:40):
Say, if you are a small business and stocking your
store, go to your vendors andsay can I get a discount, or
maybe you have to.
We've done this.
We go to vendors all the timeand say you know what we really
like you.
We've done business with youfor a while.
If we kind of want to cut out avendor and we want to bring you
that business, can you give usa discount if we buy more?
(01:01:03):
from you, so maybe you have tolook at your inventory and say
you know, these two vendors aresimilar.
What if I go to this vendor whoI really like and say hey, I'm
going to bring some additional.
You know, I'm going to buyadditional amount from you.
Is there anything you can do?
You know, they might say theymight say if you spend this
amount, you get 5%, 10%.
(01:01:23):
You just never know, know, andit doesn't hurt to ask.
That's part of business.
Um, and I feel like so farwe've been able to set ourselves
up in a very good way, kind ofunknowingly, because we started
really asking for vendors um, inthe last year.
Speaker 2 (01:01:40):
Hey we what can we do what?
Speaker 1 (01:01:43):
can we we?
Speaker 2 (01:01:43):
wanted it to be easier too.
We were trying to streamlinethings.
Like sometimes we had fivevendors and you know we buy so
much.
Like the best example isHoliday.
We might have five vendors andour dumbasses would go order the
same thing from three, becauseyou're so overwhelmed just over.
(01:02:08):
We would buy the same thing andwe bought it three times.
So we were like, well, if wecould get rid of those three and
bring it down to one, it makesour life easier, yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:02:19):
So we went to vendors and said, hey, we like you, we
want to get rid of these twovendors and you throw out those
names because they're theircompetitor and we want to bring
the business we used to givethem to you.
But to do that, we're going toneed something like what kind of
discount can?
Speaker 2 (01:02:34):
you give us.
Speaker 1 (01:02:34):
If we commit to doing business with you, what can you
commit to doing business withus?
Speaker 2 (01:02:39):
And it worked and we might look at a vendor and go
hmm, you know, we see we'reseeing that in that vendor a lot
in this box store, discountstore.
Speaker 1 (01:02:50):
We and that's not a boutique.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:02:52):
So we're going to just cut that whole line out,
because we can.
We can step it up over here andwe can leverage our business
and get it at a better price.
Speaker 1 (01:03:02):
Yeah, so that's what you have to do on the store
level.
On the business level, go toyour vendors, don't be afraid to
talk to them.
Maybe you commit to bringingthem something.
They commit to bringing yousomething.
We missed that for a lot ofyears.
Yeah, we missed out on thatbecause we were just.
Speaker 2 (01:03:17):
We thought it is what it is, yeah, and it isn't you
go talk to them.
Speaker 1 (01:03:21):
They might be able to do something for you.
Squeaky wheel gets the grease.
I mean they want the business,just like you want the business,
and they want their life easier.
Yeah, that's the way it is.
Alright, we're going to pullthis baby over.
I think that's enough tarifftalk.
We're going to pull this over.
If you have questions abouttariffs or small business that
you would like for us to answerfrom the business level maybe
(01:03:45):
something didn't sound right orconfusing or you just want more
let us know and we'll have to doanother follow-up.
I feel like on the retail level, it does take a while for it to
trickle down.
I feel like it will.
Really, if nothing changes, bythe end of May we'll have a good
update.
We'll see what vendors and Iwill tell you what they're.
(01:04:09):
You know like this vendor ischarging five or ten.
I don't want to name vendorsspecific, but it would be
interesting for I feel like youto hear like, oh, the tariff's X
percent, but see, on our levelit's only this percent.
You might hear, oh, it's 100%here, but on our level it was 5%
or 10%.
(01:04:30):
So we'll keep you posted.
All right, let's pull this babyover and we'll see you next week
.
Remember to join themembers-only community at
whosedrivingpodcastcom.
You can use the coupon codeAPRIL to get two months half
price through the end of April,and in early May we're going to
(01:04:50):
select one current member to geta Hydrate Spark water bottle.
Yes, lots of fun.
So we'll see you there andwe'll see you next week.
Thanks guys.
Let's get this baby rolling.
It's a gorgeous spring day, itis, and it's warm, it is so nice
and it's time for anotherepisode of who's Driving.
Welcome to who's Driving.
I'm Wesley Turner.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
And I'm Stephen Merck .
We're two best friends andentrepreneurs.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
Who's Driving is an entertaining look into the
behind the scenes of our lives,friendship and business.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
These are the stories we share and topics we discuss,
as two best friends would on along road trip.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Along the way, we'll check in with friends and offer
a wide range of informativetopics centered around running
small businesses, social mediaand all things home and garden.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
You never know who's driving or where we're headed.
All we know is it's always afun ride.
And, coming up on this week'sepisode, we're going to talk
about tariffs in small businessand not political.
Not political.
No, no, no.
No, we're not talking political, but I've got messages saying
how's this affecting your smallbusiness?
How do you handle it?
(01:01):
I think it's good to heardirectly from you know our point
of view, so I thought we wouldtalk about that coming up in a
bit.
Speaker 2 (01:09):
And you'll be, I think we'll have.
We have some surprisinginformation about that too.
Insight, yeah, yeah,information.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Yeah, you know how it works and that sort of thing.
Anyway, we'll get to that, butEaster was this past weekend,
sunday yesterday.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
Yes, well, it was well, we're friday, yeah no,
we're monday, I mean monday ismonday easter was yesterday.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
It comes out on tuesday, that's what I just said
this past.
Yeah, sunday, so we wouldn'tconfuse ourselves.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
But you know, there we go with that.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
how was your easter though?
Good was y'all's good, it wasgood.
It was, you know, a reallypretty day.
I know you don't like theirfood.
You are such a liar.
Well, you said he tries to setme up and plant these little
things in here.
No, the food was good.
What?
Speaker 2 (01:59):
about Ours was too.
Was it fit to eat?
Yeah, it was fit to eat, it wasgood.
I mean, there's always myfavorite things.
I'm not a big meat eater, neverhave been a big meat eater, so
I'm not really into that.
I'm more green beans potatosalad.
Oh, I'll tell something funnyon Dylan's mom.
(02:22):
Okay, do that, this is good.
So you know, we've beentogether like six years.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
And I come.
She still doesn't like you.
No, she does.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
I'm a connoisseur of good Southern food and I love
potato salad.
Oh, you either love it or youdon't.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
Yeah, do you like yours with mustard, the mustard.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
You just put it just a little bit in the southern way
to do it.
I judge you on your potatosalad.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
I'm just going to go ahead and tell you.
Coming out strong.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
I will judge you on potato salad.
So the first time we did aholiday meal at Dylan's parents'
house, first time we did aholiday meal at Dylan's parents'
house I sat down and I was likedamn, this potato salad looks
good.
Oh, Like I'm like, that lookslike my mom could have made that
.
Hmm, but then you tasted it andit didn't live up.
(03:20):
Well, I got it and I tasted ofit and I was like, damn, this is
good.
Oh, it was good.
And you know me.
I was like you know what?
This potato salad I said thisout loud is good.
This might work out foreverybody, this could work out.
And she was sitting across theroom and she said thank you,
(03:43):
yeah.
And Dylan said she didn't makethat potato salad oh, she bought
it, she buys it uh-huh and um.
It's very funny because hismother is a good christian, nice
lady, but she lies about thepotato salad.
She lies by deception.
(04:05):
She goes and gets it at thisparticular supermarket, which is
really good potato salad.
So if you're in the South andyou have an Ingles, they in
their deli.
They have good potato salad.
There's several different ones,but you get the original, and
so she goes and gets the big oneand she takes it out of that
(04:27):
container Dumps it in hers.
She dumps it in hers and does itlike she made it and then
brings it.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
Yeah, does she doctor it at all or just smooth it
around?
No, she didn't do a damn thingto it.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
That's funny.
It's funny because I'm alwayslike.
I'm like.
I always say is this yourpotato salad?
I'm always like, I'm like.
I always say, is this yourpotato salad?
And she's like, yeah.
So I know I need to get a bighelping in that because it's
really good.
But you know, and I told thisat the table at Easter yesterday
, I was like, do y'all know?
(04:58):
Because it was all the wholefamily.
I was like how she lies abouther potato salad.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
You just called her out.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Yeah, you're not supposed to call them out, but
it was funny and it was reallygood and it kind of spreads the
word hey, this is good, youshould get it.
Yeah, why go through all thatpotato peeling and all that work
if you could go get it?
I mean, I ain't hating on it.
Speaker 1 (05:24):
That's true.
I have two things to interjecthere, and we're going to talk
about family more one I justspilt.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
Oh, you spilt from your water bottle you're
drooling over there, yeah I needmy sippy cup dribbling.
I'm gonna have to go to sippycup well, okay, first of all, I
forget.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Now I got three things.
My brain is jumping aroundtoday.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
I see what kind of day this is going to be.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
First of all, remember it's still the month of
April and if you join our, Ifyou join us in our members-only
community at the who's at who'sdriving podcast dot com that's
our website, who's drivingpodcast dot com If you join the
(06:12):
online community this month anduse the coupon code April, you
get two months for half price.
So it's like two months andyou're basically getting one
month free there.
So that is where you can watchus and you know, see Steven
drooling on the table and mefumbling around.
(06:32):
If you just want to take it up anotch?
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Yeah, but you can also comment and have fun there
as well, If you'd like to makefun a little bit more, I mean
you can do it with visuals.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
In the month of May we are going to early May we're
going to select an active memberand going to give them one.
Use your words.
We're going to give one activemember a hydrate spark water
bottle, which is our favoritewater bottle.
(07:03):
I got mine out and cleaned itthe other day.
Speaker 2 (07:06):
Still have water in it, you don't have to clean them
.
Speaker 1 (07:08):
They're good.
No, mine has been sitting withwater in it for probably at
least eight months.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Well, if you get a new one, all the rubber on these
is now microbial.
Speaker 1 (07:19):
So it doesn't mold, it doesn't get black he hasn't
washed his in ever Ever.
Speaker 2 (07:26):
It's clean, gross okay so that's shout out number
one.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
Go to whosedrivingpodcastcom.
You can join our members onlycommunity.
That's where you can watch.
Use the coupon code april toget that bonus.
You can also go to that websiteand listen for free as well, or
you can listen to us anywhereyou can listen to podcasts.
Now back to the dishes.
I have two more thoughts tocomplete before my brain now,
(07:49):
what was it?
Speaker 2 (07:50):
what was that main dish that that daniel's mom
makes, that you said you hate?
Speaker 1 (07:55):
that is not true.
We're gonna get back to that ina minute.
We're talking about family.
Speaker 2 (07:59):
He is trying to just terry'm just, I am so messing
with him.
But, Terry, act like you're madabout it, please, and I'll give
you a gift card or something.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Well, first of all, speaking of putting things in
dishes, you know we used to have, well, two places on Augusta
Road where our retail stores are.
There was a business next toour home store and we know, a
bakery on there, and both ofthose places have told me that
(08:33):
at Easter, christmas, anyholiday, people bring them their
dishes, their casserole dishes,to these places and they make
the casseroles in the dish forthem so that these ladies can
come pick up the casseroles andbake them.
(08:54):
And it looks like they madewires.
Speaker 2 (08:57):
See, I'm not doing all that.
You know what?
The best cake in greenville?
In my opinion, there are manygood cakes, look, we obviously
like cake, okay, so, um, but oneof my favorites is, uh, brick
street downtown.
Yeah and um, I don't I make nobones about it.
(09:20):
I go walking right up in therewith my big brick street box.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
So you could probably take your you know your
favorite cake dish or somethingand have them put it on that.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
You know I do not give a shit enough to go to that
trouble, but it's funny.
Speaker 1 (09:37):
People don't really expect a pretty cake to be
homemade.
You know you can pass that offlike off, like oh, this is my
favorite cake, my favoritebakery or restaurant or whatever
, and that's acceptable.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
But a casserole they won't eat it in the south.
They if they I mean in allfairness I can see why they like
, because you know that is veryfrowned upon.
That's when they're like but Iwant to also tell you, though in
the South, unless it is areally good cake, like from
(10:10):
Brick Street, nobody says a wordwhen you bring a Brick Street
cake.
Speaker 1 (10:15):
Because they know that damn thing is good.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
Nobody judges you.
You go in there with a cakefrom Publix or Ingalls or
something.
Speaker 1 (10:26):
She brought that old cake.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
They would cut your eye.
Don't get that one that small.
Or if you use a mix, you do nottell that.
Speaker 1 (10:38):
That's another thing.
This is grandma's recipe.
I had to get it to you sometime.
I don't have it on me right now, then you just never seen it,
hadn't your mom done that before?
Speaker 2 (10:49):
I mean, didn't you say it was there or something?
Speaker 1 (10:52):
we did a thing, uh, where we were setting up.
I had a little garden shop orwhatever and we were setting up
at this garden festival, at thisum, it wasn't really a garden
center, it was out in thecountry.
This lady had an herb farm andshe would have a plant sale but
she would invite vendors to setup there and you were supposed
(11:12):
to bring something with, um,herbs or something in it, you
know a dish type thing.
I don't remember so well.
We forgot to the last minute.
So we went and got slice andbake sugar cookies and I feel
like.
And then we did put likechocolate mint leaves in it,
(11:38):
like just cut up fresh chocolatemint leaves, like legit or
whatever.
And then people were like, oh,like, oh, my gosh, these are so
good.
And we were just laughingbecause all we did was take a
few mint leaves, chop them up,press them into the slice and
bake.
I mean, it wasn't even from amix, it was from the tube, the
slice and bake sugar cookies andmy mom was like these are
(12:01):
something, something you know, Idon't know my mom's so late so
if you have a secret, we willnot call your name out on here.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
by the way, If you have a secret recipe that you go
and get and put in your owncasserole and just flat out lie
about it, let us know.
Let us know on our hotline andwe will not call you out.
The number is 864-982-5029.
(12:30):
But we want to hear it becauseI love hearing these.
It's comical to me.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
It is comical, we have to go back.
I forgot.
We'll do it for the nextepisode.
There were some funny textmessages from previous about
awkward moments and stuff likethat.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
We hit that oh yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:45):
The other thing that I can't forget to talk about is
going back to potato salad.
These are my getting through mythoughts here.
There was this cafe in anderson, south carolina, and if you
know this recipe or know thesepeople, or maybe you own this
cafe- what cafe was.
I will pay you for the recipe.
(13:06):
It was called doodah day cafe.
I've never been there it wasdowntown at one time and then
they moved out.
I don't.
I can't remember the street onanderson anymore, you know, like
the high school where um, yeah,the main high school, they were
out there somewhere.
Anyway, they had the bestdaniel and I still talk about it
(13:27):
potato salad and they used likea honey mustard on top or
something.
It was amazing and I so wantthat recipe.
So maybe you know doodah cafeback in the day.
Speaker 2 (13:41):
I mean it closed at some point.
Speaking to that, I do likesome different recipes for, yeah
, potato salad like I like agerman you would love this
recipe.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
It was so good.
We used to what?
Because I lived in anderson atone time and we went there and
then, even when I didn't livethere anymore and we were here,
daniel and I went there a coupleof times just to get the potato
salad back in the day.
Uh.
So, anyway, that was my potatosalad.
Talk, thought uh, but back tofamily time and dylan, what else
(14:15):
did you like there?
Do you like everybody?
Was everyone nice?
Speaker 2 (14:18):
yeah, I actually, I really do.
Yeah, there's nobody that Imean I have my favorites, but
there's nobody, like they're allreally nice was there a dish
that you were just like I ain'ttouching.
No, but there was.
There's one that I love, all ofthe ingredients in it.
Yeah, that dylan's aunt makes,but I don't eat blueberries so I
(14:40):
have to pick them out.
But I told her it would be muchappreciated if she would use
cherries instead of blueberries.
Oh, did she listen?
But Dylan doesn't like cherriesso much, oh gosh.
So it was just.
You know, it was just an issue,so she made one of each.
Oh well, that's very nice.
(15:00):
Yeah, she was like I made oneof each for my favorites.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
What is this?
Is it a dessert?
Speaker 2 (15:06):
It is a dessert, it is.
She makes the crust and thenshe slices bananas in it.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
What kind of crust it's like a pastry crust.
Speaker 2 (15:15):
Okay, like a pie crust, pie crust, and then she
slices bananas in it, and thenthere's a cream-ish Some kind of
filling and then there's acream-ish filling that has Dream
Whip packet milk and creamcheese.
And it is really good, and thenyou just put the topping on top
(15:36):
of that it is very good, and Ilike bananas.
You could even mix in somecoconut in there and you could
even do strawberries and youcould do pineapple topping with
coconut and do like a pinacolada.
I need the recipe.
This could be some good content.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
Yeah, I can get it for you.
So back to Daniel's family, whoI love, and I love all of
Terry's dishes as much as youlike to make fun of that.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
Terry, give him a hard time please, she makes.
Speaker 1 (16:07):
I don't eat the meat either.
Right, so it was good casserole.
I mean we had the pineapplecasserole.
Do they ever have that at yourfamily functions, where it's the
baked pineapple and it's got?
I've had it.
I like it.
We had a hash brown casserole.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
And I know you, big girl, you love a hash brown
casserole.
And I know you, big girl, youlove a hash brown casserole,
yeah, but you know I've never,not any of my family, dylan's or
mine ever makes.
I should make one, you should,but you know.
And then the mac and cheese.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
See, I eat all the sides like that, no meat.
Speaker 2 (16:39):
Hell yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:42):
And it's all good, and I love.
Speaker 2 (16:44):
One of my favorite things is green beans.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
We didn't have green beans, we had asparagus.
Speaker 2 (16:51):
They have to be done right.
And I'm not a big meat eater,but I do like my green beans
flavored with some ham, bone orbacon.
Just for the flavor Okay.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
She did make a so good with fresh strawberry like
pie, and his family, like it's asmall gathering, so one of his
younger brother.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
They just had a baby like a week ago, so they weren't
theirs we have a new segment Iforgot to mention on our podcast
that we're going to be doingand I've got to tie it in here
because it makes sense with thatwe're going to be doing.
And I've got to tie it in herebecause it makes sense with what
we're talking about Okay, well,hold on Before we get to your
new segment.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
Terry did give me some grief, though, because she
was like.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Thank you, terry, because they listened to the
podcast.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
Okay, she was like, well, I am part of a book club
Because you know, know, wetalked about book clubs.
And I was like oh my gosh.
And I was like, well, how doesit work, do you wait to the last
minute?
And you're like, oh my gosh Igotta read it was like sometimes
(17:58):
I do see that stresses me out.
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Yeah yeah, well we don't read.
If you're 80, if you'reseverely ADD, all jokes aside,
or if you have children orgrandchildren that are ADD.
Just know that reading is verychallenging for us?
Speaker 1 (18:14):
Oh my gosh, we're not stupid we just have other
strengths.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Yes, and reading is not one of them Reading.
Comprehension is not good.
Speaker 1 (18:26):
I mean my reading is just be the most torturous thing
was reading, and I'm dyslexictoo.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
I don't know how you did it.
Well, you've heard me talk, Ijust stumbled around but I mean,
you made it through schoolpretty good, yeah.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Yeah, you know, is that I mean, and that's hard you
know, with that they would belike school would get out in the
summer.
You know when you're elementary, middle school, now we're gonna
read every day for 30 minutesor something, hell, no, that was
the most torturous, I mean itwould last, maybe a week or two.
Speaker 2 (19:02):
Doing that shit?
Speaker 1 (19:02):
Hell, no, it was the worst, I have to tie it, it's
southernisms.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
We have a lot of people relocating to the south,
a lot relocating to Greenvillefrom all over the country and
you know we're good southerners,we welcome you.
But there's things I was justthinking through it that you
need to know.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
So new segment you're going to throw in occasionally
Southernisms.
Okay, this is the new.
I feel like we need, like aLike a lead way to it
Southernisms.
Speaker 2 (19:38):
Yeah, oh, yeah, I like this, but I feel like I
should be clogging to that.
I feel like it needs to be.
So, first off, before we getinto this, you need to know what
you are.
And when I say you need to knowwhat you are, and when I say
you need to know what you are,you need to know where you're
(19:59):
from what you're consideredmoving here.
Okay, and this is not Stephenand Wesley, you know, do not
send us a message that you'reoffended or we offended you or
anything.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
It's not about us.
We welcome the message.
Speaker 2 (20:16):
But this is truly a public service for all of you
people moving in.
Speaker 1 (20:23):
So you're talking about if someone is moving to
the South, or maybe toGreenville South.
Carolina, we have a huge influxof people coming to our city.
This is what you need to know.
And when you get here, you needto shop at the Nested Fig home,
the Nested Fig garden andonline at the Nested Fig.
But anyway, go ahead.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
First of all, if you live any higher than Kentucky in
the United States, you're aYankee.
Speaker 1 (20:49):
Oh hell, yeah, Yankee , and not in a derogatory way.
No, no, I'm just telling youit's different personalities.
Speaker 2 (20:58):
When you move into a neighborhood here and you've got
a true southern grown personliving right there, they're like
they're yankees and it doesn'teven matter if you're, if you're
, like from Northern Virginia,you're Yankee, it's just the way
it is.
And if you are from, if you'refrom out west, anything really
(21:24):
past like Missouri, mississippiRiver, yeah.
You're just from out west andyou're really.
They're from California.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
They could be from like Utah, but they're from
California.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
You, you know they're from the west coast yeah, you
know, and here's the and, if, ifyou, if you don't go back, if
(21:55):
you live in florida, that is notthe south, florida and texas
are not the south, but those aretwo very, very different places
, uh-huh.
But you know, I had an aunt andan aunt that married a man from
New York and they lived myentire life in Florida.
(22:18):
Yeah, and I can remember beingtaught as a kid well, you know,
they're from Florida, they'redifferent down there and
seriously, and I would say why?
Well, you know, a lot ofYankees moved down there.
Speaker 1 (22:36):
So Florida's like a mixed pot.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
It is.
And then Texas.
Texas is like a country initself.
It is, it is.
So I have family all the wayfrom here to California.
Well, I have an uncle and auntthat live in Corpus Christi.
Well, you're right up therewith California.
(23:01):
If you are like Corpus Christi,texas, you might as well be
from Newport Beach, california.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (23:10):
And then there's different parts of Texas that is
more Southern, and it reallyjust depends on where you're
from, but you will find out ifyou ask.
When you relocate here, though,we good Southern people will
let you know.
Yeah, and you may or may not beable to cook.
You will find that out at thechurch potluck.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
Oh, I mean, here's the thing too.
There's like Southernisms,there's things you got to get
used to, but you, if you arerelocating to the south, don't
think you got.
You have got to leave behind.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Everything you knew.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
Everything you knew.
You are joining the south.
It's a great place to be.
It's a great place to be.
Up North's a great place to be.
But if I'm moving up there, I'mgoing to get my horn adjusted
and I'm going to be honking atyou when we're driving the road.
Speaker 2 (24:04):
You move to New York City, you're not going to go to
a potluck and you're going tomake sure that damn horn works
on your car.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
That's beat off to hell, right, when you move down
here, don't honk that damn horn.
Severe emergency.
Do not honk that horn when youare driving.
I don't care if the red lightturns green and you have to sit
through the whole thing you sitthere and you do not honk that
horn.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
No we do not.
Speaker 1 (24:32):
We do not do that here.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
That is correct.
Absolutely not, and this isvery helpful if you're
relocating, I mean in this.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
See, we're getting more and more mixed people here
in Greenville Mm-hmm and you goout on the new side of
Greenville area, like where ourwarehouse is, the Woodruff Road
area.
That's where a lot of that'sthe suburbs of Greenville and
that's where the new well, Imean new is everywhere.
They start honking at you overthere.
(25:01):
I'm like, damn Yankee, youbetter back up.
Speaker 2 (25:05):
No, ma'am, we have had a huge influx in our
building of New Yorkers and it'svery interesting 're not only
new yorkers, new york city, andI guess?
Your meal in the meal and, Iguess, being in that meal, that
lofty atmosphere, demanding andum.
(25:27):
There's an adjustment periodfor them?
Yes, because they figure out,they're not gonna hand us.
Speaker 1 (25:32):
But they have to figure out they're not gonna get
their way we've had.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Yeah, yeah, it's been an adjustment now and once you
know who you are, what you, whatwe call you and all that kind
of stuff into place and and andwhat.
And here's the other thing ifyou're really nice and listen,
there's a lot of nice peoplemoving here and a lot of people
that I love and and we make surewhen we introduce you to other
(26:00):
people behind your back we saythey're from New York, but
they're nice people.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
They're.
Yankees, but they are reallynice, so you got to get in with
at least three good Southerners.
So they'll spread the wordabout you.
You're going to be on an islandby yourself, with your other
Yankee friends.
It can be bad.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
It can be bad.
So there's a few terms that weneed to talk about, just so you
know, when you get heresometimes, what we're speaking
about and the reason this tiesinto Easter.
Yeah, well, sop it up yet.
Well, sop it up.
(26:38):
Oh, sop it up now.
Sop it up can mean lots ofthings, but what that generally
means is, when you're having ameal, sopping it up with a
biscuit per se is soaking it up,and it usually involves large
amounts of gravy.
Soap it up, soap it up.
(27:00):
You know I need, and you woulduse it in context like can you
hand me one more biscuit?
I need to sop this up.
Speaker 1 (27:10):
Well, that means I need to sop up this gravy,
because your plate's going to beclean when you're done Right.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
You're using that biscuit as a sponge as a sponge
and you literally sop it up withthat biscuit.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Uh-huh, and then you eat it.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Yeah, okay, mm-hmm.
So we're clear on that, yeah,what we're clear on that?
Yeah.
But the other is, if you'retold we will get to that
directly, we will get to thatdirectly, directly.
I learned this terminology frommy dear sweet grandma, mark.
(27:49):
Well, we'll get to thatdirectly, mm-hmm.
Well, it took me about 30 yearsto figure out what in the hell
she was talking about.
So if somebody uses the worddirectly, to you that means
directly is what they're saying,yeah.
But we say it here directly andthat means we're going to get to
(28:12):
it in the next little bit, likeright away yeah.
Speaker 1 (28:16):
We're going to get to it directly Next on the list
Directly, directly there's anextra R in there Directly.
The other is Okay, you have to,if you're listening, share your
favorite Southernisms.
Speaker 2 (28:35):
Or Southernism, or Northernism or Westernism.
Is there something we don'tknow about?
Educate us, because we visity'all and I'm sure you know,
it's like hillbillies come totown.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
But okay, this goes two directions though, because
we've had some Yankees move downhere and some work for us and
some do work for us and you know, always growing up in the South
thought, oh, they're the.
You know, they're not rednecks,they're the proper.
Sophisticated, they're moresophisticated, they're proper.
Hell, no, no I don't know, wemight be redneck and they just
(29:19):
might be.
Well, my mother was.
I don't know grammar policecall them.
Speaker 2 (29:21):
My mother was, you know, and I look this is after
years of my mother likeliterally hounding me,
chastising me, but you thingsthat I would have had my teeth
knocked out for, for example,correct would be.
(29:45):
I saw that.
Did you see that?
On the way to work?
I saw that.
I saw that, yeah, no, we havepeople from the north that have
worked for us.
I seen that.
Speaker 1 (29:59):
I seen that, mm-hmm.
Speaker 2 (30:01):
I seen that.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
So yeah, it goes different both ways.
It's not just the rednecks andthe southern top and the
hillbillies.
We might have a little southerndraw, here and there we might
add a few extra syllables, buty'all aren't all perfect and
proper up there.
One thing, uh-uh.
Speaker 2 (30:22):
Did your family ever use this?
I can remember my papa sayingwell, we ain't got a new truck,
oh you did, oh yeah.
Saying well, we ain't got a newtruck, oh you did, oh yeah,
yeah.
I had to give them my old truckand ten thousand dollars to
boot boot, oh yeah, boot yeah,to boot was to finish it up like
(30:43):
to I don't know to boot thatcame from.
Let me look, I did.
It means in addition, you know,on top of that yeah, I was
going to say to finish it off.
Let me see I think that actuallycame from a real estate
terminology.
Speaker 1 (31:03):
Yeah, had to give them something to boot.
To boot, mm-hmm For sure.
Oh my gosh, that is so funny.
There's all kinds, for sure.
Oh my gosh, that is so funny.
So let us know on the hotline864-982-5029.
Or, if you're in the membersonly community, put it down in
the comment section what's your?
(31:23):
You know, southernisms ornorthernisms or west coast isms?
Speaker 2 (31:31):
Oh, actually to, um is old english in addition to uh
, so it actually originated inengland oh to be to be in
addition to in addition to, andthe last Southern ism for today
(31:55):
will be I feel like we've goneto class here Mess, mess and gom
.
Speaker 1 (32:02):
No, it's mess, mess and a gom.
Speaker 2 (32:05):
Yes, well, it's actually written out mess and a
gom I thought it was gom MessandU-M.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
I thought it was gum Mess and a gum.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
To use it in correct Southern-ism, you would say oh
my gosh that kitchen is a messand a gum and it just means just
a wreck Just upside down.
But you don't ever say gum,because then nobody would know
what you're talking about Messand a gum, no.
(32:36):
Mess and a gum.
It's a mess and a gum, just amess.
One of my favorite termsactually.
So that is Southern Schooltoday and I hope that that helps
anyone relocating, or if you'recoming to visit.
If you're coming to visit, youmight need to know.
If you're coming to visit, youmight need to know, and at least
if somebody goes, well, it's amess and a gom out there on that
(32:59):
Woodruff Road.
You'll know we shouldn't gothat way.
Yeah, it's just a mess and agom, or do you want extra
biscuit to sop that up?
You're going to know.
I tell you what.
Oh my God, you're going to know.
I tell you what.
You give me that watch.
(33:19):
You got on tradein and give me$10,000 to boot and you can have
this new.
Speaker 1 (33:22):
Rolex.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
You know what to boot means To boot To boot.
Speaker 1 (33:25):
Is to boot, not a.
Is that a Southern thing?
You think that's just aSouthern thing?
Speaker 2 (33:30):
I don't.
I've never heard, I've neverbeen in New York City and heard
to boot.
Speaker 1 (33:35):
To boot.
It's so funny.
We have been in like a cab oran Uber or whatever in Las Vegas
, like Daniel and I have been,and they're like where are you
from, what country are you from?
Just because of our accents,and I'm like our accents sound
normal to me.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (33:54):
It's very exotic.
I used to be very, veryself-conscious because I, as all
of you know, went to ClemsonUniversity and 98.9% of all the
students at Clemson Universitywhen I was there in the 90s was
from New Jersey and they alltalk like this.
And I was self-conscious untilI started traveling.
Speaker 1 (34:19):
Yeah, I'm not self-conscious about having a
Southern accent or Southerndrawl and I know like a lot of
people like it.
I was about, I guess, maybeSouthernism or not pronouncing
the word right, you know, likeChester drawers, it's chest of
drawers, not Chester drawers, oryou know when.
Speaker 2 (34:39):
I went.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
Or Runt or Runt.
Speaker 2 (34:40):
Yeah, which is?
Speaker 1 (34:42):
ruined.
The milk is Runt?
No, it's ruined.
Speaker 2 (34:45):
So you know, so if you're here and they're like oh,
that's Runt you don't want noneof that.
Speaker 1 (34:54):
It means it's gone bad.
Yeah, all ball saw.
You know I had to teach oilboil soil.
Those are the things Icorrected.
Was that, you know?
I say Monday, tuesday,wednesday.
Monday, tuesday, wednesday.
You know, it's all.
That's the kind of thing, butthe accent part.
Speaker 2 (35:10):
The thing I had to correct is when I was a kid I
would say I knew that Knew, Didyou do that?
No, so when I got to college Iwas like it's not new, I knew
you would do that.
It was I knew.
I knew that I got new shoes.
I didn't get new New shoes.
(35:32):
I said that I got me some newshoes.
I didn't get new New shoes.
I said that I got me some newshoes.
I mean yes you can get morecountry than us, that is funny.
Speaker 1 (35:45):
So you know, that's the kind of things, like I said,
I've tried to correct, but notthe southern accent.
It is what it is.
You know northern people havetheir accents boston, people
have boston the pot, the car,yeah, when I like hearing theirs
too.
Speaker 2 (36:00):
I don't mind hearing other people's accents?
Speaker 1 (36:02):
yeah, I don't either.
Just depends on where you areand that sort of thing.
And as long as you're nice,yeah, you better be nice,
especially if you're moving downhere.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
If you're going to stay here, you better be nice or
you won't get invited to thatpotluck, it's true.
Speaker 1 (36:21):
So you want to get into tariffs the hot topic oh
yes, let's talk about tariffs.
You see it everywhere Tariffs.
Oh, you see it everywhere.
Tariffs.
It's the hot topic that's beingpushed around everywhere is
clickbait, I feel like on somethings.
So again we're talking abouttariffs because I've gotten
(36:45):
asked about it.
You know, from small businessowners how does tariffs affect
you?
What do you think about tariffsand that sort of thing?
Not from any politicalstandpoint.
This is the you know, just oursmall business, the reality sort
of thing.
Not from any politicalstandpoint.
This is the.
you know, just our smallbusiness and how it affects
things or doesn't affect things.
So let's get into it.
What do you want to talk about?
First of all, I think what weshould mention is tariffs aren't
(37:07):
anything new as a smallbusiness owner.
Tariffs have come and gone.
There's been a lot ofsurcharges.
They change the verbiage.
Speaker 2 (37:15):
That's what they do.
Tariff, as we all know, is theform of a tax and for a small
business that hits us indifferent ways.
Sometimes they love to callsurcharge and you have those
companies.
First of all, nothing hasreally hugely negatively
(37:38):
affected our business yet ormade it more challenging.
Speaker 1 (37:42):
It hasn't trickled down to our level yet, but it
will start in the next, you knowfew weeks, just depending on
how things change.
I mean, we're gettingcommunication about them.
Speaker 2 (37:53):
Right and um, and, quite honestly, you always have
those companies that are goingto try to take advantage of it.
Right, and you know, because Ican remember having fuel
surcharges way back.
Speaker 1 (38:08):
Yeah, we've had, as business owners, we've had fuel
surcharges that were a higherpercentage.
We've had additional freightcharges.
Speaker 2 (38:16):
Something's going on and the thing is they try to
leave them there like once it'sgone.
Because I've called companies,I'm like what the hell is it?
They're like well, that's fuelsurcharge.
I said, well, hell, the priceof fuel has been down for a year
.
Speaker 1 (38:29):
It depends on the vendor and that's really where
you get to learn who your goodvendors are.
And from the last time beforewe this isn't a tariff thing but
from the last time I think wewere most impacted was, I don't
know where it was around 20, 22or whatever when all the ports
(38:50):
were getting backed up with thesupply chain and I know it was
talked about a little bit but Idon't know, you know, if the
consumer really, you know, knewhow much it was affected.
But it was really hard to getproduct in for importers and
manufacturers and they werehaving to pay like three and
four times their normal shippingcost to get it imported into
(39:14):
the country.
Speaker 2 (39:14):
From a consumer standpoint, if you felt any of
that, you may have perceivedthat a business might be just
taking advantage of supply anddemand, but that wasn't the case
.
Speaker 1 (39:29):
And it was also during all the inflation talk as
well.
So you see these higher pricestoo.
So there was a surcharge at thetime for shipping, because
something a shipping container,for example may have cost the
actual container, I think,normally like I think it's like
(39:50):
$3,000, the container that theywould buy to put it in and it
was like $15,000 or $20,000.
So that's a huge cost.
And then it was being passed onin some form of sleaze
surcharges to the smallbusinesses such as us who are
importing or buying from oursuppliers home decor, holiday
(40:11):
decor and all of that.
Well, there were a few vendorsand one we still won't shop with
who just jacked up all theirprices Ridiculous and then tried
to leave them there.
And we were like no, we wentthere at market and—.
It was one of our huge vendors,yeah.
Speaker 2 (40:32):
I'm still pissed about it.
I get mad when I walk by theshowroom.
I'm like the rep said the repasked me um, in january, are you
ready to go back?
I was like, nope, they're stillon the list.
Yeah, she was like, seriously,I'm like, yeah, I don't know
when they're gonna come on,probably not because they
haven't it, they're still don'tget it, yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:53):
So instead of just saying, hey, you know the
shipping's this, we're going todo a line item as a surcharge.
We'll drop it off when we can.
Yeah, their prices went frombeing like wholesale what we buy
it at, and then you knowthere's a markup on that and
that's the retail price.
Their prices went to beinghigher than our retail prices
(41:15):
were on the items.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
I would have been embarrassed to put their, their
products in our stores.
Yeah, people would have thoughtwe had lost our mind.
Yeah, I was like.
I mean it was crazy, right, andwe even said have you changed
your pricing?
Like, is it?
Are you priced?
(41:37):
Cause some vendors, when you goto market, price it as MSRP,
like what the retail price is.
Yeah, the suggested retail.
And you get a discount off ofthat.
So I thought, oh, this isretail, yeah.
Speaker 1 (41:51):
Oh no.
So getting into tariffs, smallbusinesses have dealt with these
type things that you're hearinga lot about in the media.
It's everyday part of businessand tariffs come and go,
surcharges come and go, and thatis for us as the retailer, the
(42:11):
small business.
It is our, you know, job totalk to the vendor, look for
where we can get a discount,where we can absorb that call.
You know you have to look atthat.
That's what we do every day.
Whether there is a tariff orisn't, is what can we do for
pricing?
(42:32):
How do you know?
Our goal is to sell as much aswe can.
That's how we make money.
So we have to look at that andsee, you know how it makes sense
.
So, before all of this tarifftalk, that's already part of the
daily business and we've hadtariffs from China since, I mean
(42:53):
, the last eight years there'sbeen a tariff.
Now what happens is, a lot oftimes it may start out as a
tariff.
I mean, it's still technicallya tariff, but it will start out
as a line item.
So they'll say, oh, your tariffis 10%, so they'll have their
regular.
This is, you know, the way thatkind of makes sense is they'll
(43:13):
have their regular cost, andthen there'll be a line that's a
surcharge.
Speaker 2 (43:18):
It's usually surcharge of some sort.
Speaker 1 (43:20):
It'll just say surcharge 10% and it'll have
your amount on there.
Now, if a tariff goes on and onand it's years and years, you
know, and it's just part ofeveryday business, at that point
they just put that into theproduct cost along the way.
Speaker 2 (43:38):
And sometimes what you have to be, what you have to
know, is we look at every item.
For example, we, you know Iwon't speak specifically because
I don't want to call anybodyout because I didn't I don't
blame them for going up, but wehad one product go up.
We've had a lot go up, but wehad one product in the past few
weeks that have gone that wentup and it was not a huge amount,
(44:02):
it was $10 per item and I, youknow, I looked at it and I told
Wes, you know I don't want to, Imean, I do not want to go up on
that item.
Like, I looked at where ourprice was and I just said you
know, we'll just absorb, we'regoing to absorb that because I,
(44:23):
I don't, I think customers willhave a problem paying more for
that one item than marking thatup.
Speaker 1 (44:31):
And so that's what you have to do on the retail
level is say, okay, if I markthis up and this vendor had not
gone up on this item, it's avery staple item.
Speaker 2 (44:43):
In over 12 years.
Speaker 1 (44:44):
Yeah, they had never gone up in 12 years.
So they went up by $10 andwe're like that's a reasonable,
it made sense, and.
But we were like, okay, but wecan absorb this and we feel like
we will still sell the amountof these that we do, which is
great.
But if we increase this, willwe then not sell as many and
(45:07):
actually make less money andmake less money?
So that's where you have tocalculate it from the retail
side.
It's like what can we do?
So when you're hearing all thesetariff numbers being thrown
around and these like hugeamounts, what you have to
understand is vendors, hugeamounts.
(45:29):
What you have to understand isvendors.
So we were on the retail leveland we're buying from either an
importer or a manufacturer.
Like we're either buying from avendor who goes to markets
could be in China or anywhere inthe country or anywhere in the
world, and they're importingitems on a wholesale level or
some of the people we buy fromactually manufacture.
They have their own factories,so that they are manufacturing
(45:52):
their own product and we'rebuying that way.
So they too are then talking towhatever, wherever factory
manufacturer is, and they'renegotiating the tariffs too.
Speaker 2 (46:07):
So they're like, hey, we still want to buy from you,
but we can't mark these productsup this much, so a lot of that
tariff does get absorbed on theother side, then it gets
absorbed in the middle, and thenit gets absorbed on the retail
level, or it's just shocking,too, because you really don't
understand where the squeeze iscoming from, and you've heard me
(46:31):
over the past several yearsgoing to mcdonald's I mean this
one right out here that I ownedright out next to you and there
are items there that are morethan three times what they what
they were.
they were when I owned thatMcDonald's and I, you know, in
my mind, you know I'm going tobuy the damn filet of fish or
(46:54):
quarter, whatever I'm theregetting.
I'm not one of those peoplethat says I'm not.
I have friends that are retiredMcDonald's owners and I kid you
not, they will not go toMcDonald's because they don't
agree with the price of theircoffee.
And I'm like, oh my Lord really.
But I'm still going to go thereand I'm still going to buy it.
(47:16):
So I have just thought, oh mygosh, like if I had charged that
when I was an owner I wouldhave been making like insane
money.
Yeah, so I had to go just outof my curiosity and ask a friend
of mine that is that still ownsmultiple McDonald's Are y'all
just killing it?
(47:36):
Are you just making an insaneamount of money because of the
price of your menu prices?
Well, come to find out, youknow, after I do a little
digging just for my curiosity.
Yeah Well, their packageinsurance, like all their
liability workers comp, you know, and like each McDonald's is
(47:59):
going to have like $37 millionof insurance.
That has tripled.
That's a huge amount of money.
And then the cost of employeeshas got has almost doubled.
Yeah.
So I mean, when you really backup and look at it, they,
(48:19):
they're just breaking even yeahit where they were.
Speaker 1 (48:23):
It's just.
It's not like they're makingmore profit, it's just
everything.
Speaker 2 (48:26):
It is truly just inflation, but to me, because I
was in McDonald's for 30 years,that's what I measure.
I measure things by the Big Mac, and so it's the same with our
business.
And it shows up in lots ofdifferent ways.
The other thing that affects usand we have been in the
(48:48):
business for a long time so weknow to expect it is it always
doesn't.
It's not that one company, butit's the components of that
company, of what they make.
Like, for example, ourupholstered furniture is a
(49:09):
united states company.
Right, it is made in the unitedstates, but there are
components within in thatproduct that come from maybe um,
china or indonesia, wherevermay be where something is made.
And it can be random things,because unfortunately, we
(49:31):
learned way too much about allof this during COVID, because we
found out like a lot of burledwood comes from Indonesia and it
sat in ports forever and everand ever and ever, and so it may
be one component that is goingup, so it doesn't raise the
(49:52):
whole price of thatsignificantly.
Speaker 1 (49:55):
Or at all.
Speaker 2 (49:55):
Sometimes the vendors are like we're going to eat it
with our item.
Speaker 1 (50:00):
We're like we're just going to eat this, and they
also look sometimes like is thisa temporary situation or is
this a permanent situation, oris there's going to be one or
two shipments of this part?
That's going to be higher, butyou know what, after that it's
going to be done and we're goingto make it up in the long run
the better.
Speaker 2 (50:18):
Companies don't make knee-jerk reactions.
Speaker 1 (50:21):
I feel like so which is funny because I just opened
my email because there was avendor I was going to actually
refer to and there was an emailfrom a different vendor sitting
there today talking about thetariffs.
We're getting them every dayjust from our vendors, and a lot
of them are doing like this oneis talking about how you know,
okay, so there's tariffscurrently in place, but vendors
(50:42):
can call their factory in I'mjust going to say China, for
example and say, hey, hold ourorder, we don't want it to ship
because it's not the tariff'snot on the order until it shows
up in the US and they receive it.
So there's also windows andopportunity as well.
So if they're like, hey, youknow what we feel like this is
(51:03):
going to change within the nexttwo weeks Hold our orders,
because it takes like it'sseveral weeks to even get here
anyway, and then we'll, you know, hold it and we'll tell you
when to ship it.
So they can say things likethat.
But this was basically sayingthat that they're looking at
production times and this istalking about holiday products
(51:24):
and how they have opportunity tohold it, and they're talking to
the vendors and you know thatsort of thing.
And then it said we're notrushing decisions.
Instead, we're taking the timeto gather facts, access the
impact and move forwardthoughtfully.
So it says a surcharge may benecessary and we will approach
in everyone's best interest inmind when a decision is made.
(51:45):
So that is a lot of what we'reseeing right now and I think
we'll, we'll, we'll follow thisup, you know, when we start
seeing it on the retail level,because right now we haven't
seen, not that it's not coming,we've got a lot of warning, like
there's a couple of vendorsthat are saying okay, may 1st
(52:08):
there's going to be the smallsurcharge, and then we may
increase it.
Speaker 2 (52:15):
I'm most concerned about fall and Christmas.
Speaker 1 (52:18):
The one thing that we have done is we've already
started taking delivery of falland.
Christmas, Some of our vendorshave reached out and said hey,
we actually have these itemsthat have already arrived in our
warehouse.
If you want to go ahead andtake them, there will be no
surcharge.
Speaker 2 (52:36):
And we're like hell.
Speaker 1 (52:37):
yes, we're like ship it on now because that will save
us later and save our customers.
Yeah, and that's the otherthing vendors will do as well.
They'll look at what theircurrent inventory is and what
they didn't have to pay tariffson and they're like, okay, we're
going to sell all of this.
So, even though it might be Xnumber of tariff that we're
(52:58):
paying on this portion, if wespread it out across everything,
it's only a 2% tariff orsomething like that.
Speaker 2 (53:07):
Most of the good ones are doing it in a very
intelligent manner so that itdoes not negatively impact the
market.
Speaker 1 (53:15):
Honestly, um, I got one from another vendor and they
do every day and holiday aswell and they were basically
saying, um, that they wereprepared to implement a
surcharge.
Uh, but, due to encouragingdevelopments and how things have
(53:37):
been changing, that from apolitical standpoint on the with
the tariffs.
Yeah, just how things are likeone day.
They're this one day.
They're this there seems to besome negotiation going on.
They feel like maybe that's apositive sign.
So they are hoping that it'llbe resolved in the next 30 days.
(53:58):
So they will hold off onimplant implementing um any
adjustments at this time.
Um.
So the goal is, you know, tohopefully not have those
surcharges there.
Speaker 2 (54:13):
As a whole and, as you know, as a whole, we are
pretty optimistic on the wholesituation.
Speaker 1 (54:21):
I think the worst thing for the whole tariff talk
again, not from a politicalstandpoint, I think is when
something like this becomes sucha hot topic and it's being
driven home who is going toimpact, or there's speculation
on who it's going to impact, howit's going to impact it becomes
(54:57):
so emotional.
It becomes so emotional as itcomes and as a consumer,
especially in you know, productssuch as ours home decor that
isn't a daily, you know.
Just necessity.
You have the option to decideif the item you're buying is
(55:18):
worth it or not to you.
Speaker 2 (55:19):
So I feel like that it just causes this hysteria
almost for consumers uncertainty, I guess is the word and it
makes them more like I don'tknow and that does more damage
or or they get angst and run outand purchased a large item, for
example a car, in anticipationthat it's gonna go up, yeah, and
(55:43):
then it's going to go up, yeah,and then it's yeah.
Speaker 1 (55:47):
So that's kind of the tariff situation.
I think the other thing is,from my point, if you are a
small business owner maybeyou're a newer small business
owner and you haven't beenthrough something that's talked
about this much Don't panic.
That's the first thing.
First thing is don't panic.
Second thing is you still haveto stop.
If you don't have it for sale,you can't sell it.
(56:09):
So if you don't have it to sell, you can't sell it.
So you have to continue tostock your shelves in order.
And then you have to deal ordecide how to deal with the
surcharges on your level andbased on your customers.
Because what some vendors willdo let's say an item is $10 and
(56:32):
there's a 10% tariff, so that'sa dollar tariff surcharge on
that one item.
Some vendors will do a normalwhatever.
Their retail markup is based onthat $10 price and then they'll
just add in the tariff a dollaron top of that.
Then some people will add inwell, really, I paid $11 from
(56:53):
that item and have their markupfrom that price.
So there's even on the retaillevel, there is room to make the
items.
Speaker 2 (57:06):
It's not like everything's just going to go up
by so if you're a businessowner, I would not approach it
in a blanket Like we're going upthis much, right.
I would look at it on a productby product, you know, vendor by
vendor basis, because you youcan shoot yourself in the foot
(57:26):
that's doing having that kneejerk.
Oh, my God, we got to go upthis much.
Well, maybe you do, maybe youdon't, right.
Speaker 1 (57:35):
And maybe you, like we've talked about the item that
we were talking about, youabsorb it yourself and you're
like it's going to be fine, I'mjust going to absorb that cost.
Or maybe you go, it's going tobe fine, I'm just going to
absorb that cost.
Or maybe you go, okay, I'mgoing to keep mine as close to
what they have been, but when Igo to do promotions I'm going to
(57:57):
know, oh, there's not that asmuch room to do promotions.
So maybe, instead of doingnormally 20% off at the end of a
season or as a promotion, I'mnow going to do 15% off, and you
can calculate that on thebackside.
Yes, and so there's ways.
So I just want it's interestingfrom the business standpoint
and the consumer standpoint.
Speaker 2 (58:15):
It's so black and white.
Speaker 1 (58:16):
When you are hearing it talked about so much, I feel
like, even for me, when they'rejust you know, I'm paying
attention to it.
I feel like I'm going to gooutside to buy something and
it's going to be like 400 timeswhat it cost yesterday and I'm
like, oh my gosh, and thenthat's not the reality because
it gets absorbed all along theway in the supply chain.
(58:36):
I think that's it.
Yeah, I hope that makes senseTalking through it.
Speaker 2 (58:42):
And yeah, and just don't be so emotional about it.
Yeah, and talking through it,and yeah, and just don't be so
emotional about it.
I know it's scary and I knowyou hear it and that's what
they're I feel like sometimesthat's what the media in general
wants to create.
Speaker 1 (58:57):
Is Well, stress and worry?
Yeah, and I'm not.
And again, not political and nottalking about, but it's the
world we live in is everythingis so competitive nowadays.
The world we live in iseverything is so competitive
nowadays it's almost like whatcan I?
What hype or clickbait can Icreate to get people to consume?
With anything?
Yeah, with anything, butespecially in the media.
(59:18):
You know they're fighting forviews they're fighting for how
can I keep you watching, how canI keep you coming back?
My ratings, my ratings Withanything.
And so the way they do that isby playing up certain things or
whatever.
Speaker 2 (59:33):
Sensationalizing everything, Whether it's weight
loss or tariffs, or I mean mygosh, it's all kinds of things.
Oh, Zympic, Whatever, it isLike anything, so Zempik
whatever, it is like anything.
Speaker 1 (59:48):
So I don't know.
You just have to do yourresearch and you still shop and
decipher it.
You still shop and you go isthis item worth it for me or not
?
Can I get it this week, Can Inot?
And you just like to me the wayI shop all the time.
Speaker 2 (01:00:03):
And ask questions I mean, that's what I did with the
McDonald's prices rather thangoing, oh my gosh, these owners
are making a killing.
I asked questions.
I was like are you making afortune?
And listen, I do not know anyMcDonald's owners that are
slumming it all of a sudden.
(01:00:23):
I don't think they're doing badowners that are slumming it all
of a sudden.
I don't think they're doing bad, but I don't think I don't
think these menu price increasesare funding them a new house on
the coast in italy either.
Yeah, I think it's all, and Ithink the other thing with.
Speaker 1 (01:00:40):
Say, if you are a small business and stocking your
store, go to your vendors andsay can I get a discount, or
maybe you have to.
We've done this.
We go to vendors all the timeand say you know what we really
like you.
We've done business with youfor a while.
If we kind of want to cut out avendor and we want to bring you
that business, can you give usa discount if we buy more?
(01:01:03):
from you, so maybe you have tolook at your inventory and say
you know, these two vendors aresimilar.
What if I go to this vendor whoI really like and say hey, I'm
going to bring some additional.
You know, I'm going to buyadditional amount from you.
Is there anything you can do?
You know, they might say theymight say if you spend this
amount, you get 5%, 10%.
(01:01:23):
You just never know, know, andit doesn't hurt to ask.
That's part of business.
Um, and I feel like so farwe've been able to set ourselves
up in a very good way, kind ofunknowingly, because we started
really asking for vendors um, inthe last year.
Speaker 2 (01:01:40):
Hey we what can we do what?
Speaker 1 (01:01:43):
can we we?
Speaker 2 (01:01:43):
wanted it to be easier too.
We were trying to streamlinethings.
Like sometimes we had fivevendors and you know we buy so
much.
Like the best example isHoliday.
We might have five vendors andour dumbasses would go order the
same thing from three, becauseyou're so overwhelmed just over.
(01:02:08):
We would buy the same thing andwe bought it three times.
So we were like, well, if wecould get rid of those three and
bring it down to one, it makesour life easier, yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:02:19):
So we went to vendors and said, hey, we like you, we
want to get rid of these twovendors and you throw out those
names because they're theircompetitor and we want to bring
the business we used to givethem to you.
But to do that, we're going toneed something like what kind of
discount can?
Speaker 2 (01:02:34):
you give us.
Speaker 1 (01:02:34):
If we commit to doing business with you, what can you
commit to doing business withus?
Speaker 2 (01:02:39):
And it worked and we might look at a vendor and go
hmm, you know, we see we'reseeing that in that vendor a lot
in this box store, discountstore.
Speaker 1 (01:02:50):
We and that's not a boutique.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:02:52):
So we're going to just cut that whole line out,
because we can.
We can step it up over here andwe can leverage our business
and get it at a better price.
Speaker 1 (01:03:02):
Yeah, so that's what you have to do on the store
level.
On the business level, go toyour vendors, don't be afraid to
talk to them.
Maybe you commit to bringingthem something.
They commit to bringing yousomething.
We missed that for a lot ofyears.
Yeah, we missed out on thatbecause we were just.
Speaker 2 (01:03:17):
We thought it is what it is, yeah, and it isn't you
go talk to them.
Speaker 1 (01:03:21):
They might be able to do something for you.
Squeaky wheel gets the grease.
I mean they want the business,just like you want the business,
and they want their life easier.
Yeah, that's the way it is.
Alright, we're going to pullthis baby over.
I think that's enough tarifftalk.
We're going to pull this over.
If you have questions abouttariffs or small business that
you would like for us to answerfrom the business level maybe
(01:03:45):
something didn't sound right orconfusing or you just want more
let us know and we'll have to doanother follow-up.
I feel like on the retail level, it does take a while for it to
trickle down.
I feel like it will.
Really, if nothing changes, bythe end of May we'll have a good
update.
We'll see what vendors and Iwill tell you what they're.
(01:04:09):
You know like this vendor ischarging five or ten.
I don't want to name vendorsspecific, but it would be
interesting for I feel like youto hear like, oh, the tariff's X
percent, but see, on our levelit's only this percent.
You might hear, oh, it's 100%here, but on our level it was 5%
or 10%.
(01:04:30):
So we'll keep you posted.
All right, let's pull this babyover and we'll see you next week
.
Remember to join themembers-only community at
whosedrivingpodcastcom.
You can use the coupon codeAPRIL to get two months half
price through the end of April,and in early May we're going to
(01:04:50):
select one current member to geta Hydrate Spark water bottle.
Yes, lots of fun.
So we'll see you there andwe'll see you next week.
Thanks guys.
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