# Help me figure this customer out



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Because I sure as hell can't. 
A woman rents a stable and land from a rich guy. She is pretty sharp and has all 23 stalls rented. Like me, she hustles all day, lives in tattered rags and drives junk with 100k miles. 
She asked me to cut and bale all the property in June and I could keep it all, which I did. She even allowed me to store 8 of the best RB's in a riding arena. Sporadically, she had me deliver straw to her, but she would NOT buy my hay. She would have me go get medium bales from a big local guy i know and deliver them to her. I also bush hogged her paddocks 
Sounds pretty good so far, right? 
About 3 weeks ago, I stopped by and noticed she ran out of small squares and one of my round bales she was allowing me to store was cut open. 
I was all jacked up. I thought "finally she's using my hay". I asked the stable hand if the horses liked it. He said he thought they liked it, but I could easily see it wasn't as good as the hay that I was bringing in from the other guy. 
In fact, I think I may have made a mistake allowing her to access it, because now she can probably see it is just bales from the best patch of grass I could find on her property. 
I contacted her a few days after she used up 2-3 bales and asked her if she wanted to buy the rest. She did. I got good money for all 8 of them. 
Knowing it was average at best hay (really just the best 8 RBs of a natural grass field), I told her I had 10 Orch/Tim mix bales from another field ready for her if she wanted better hay. I also told her they were much better quality. 
I stopped back yesterday and the place was filled with someone else's straw and someone else's hay. 
I have done everything but shined her floors. 
What went wrong????


----------



## Teslan (Aug 20, 2011)

You did nothing wrong. People are just strange sometimes.


----------



## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Nothing JD, she's a horsey lady......you'll never figure them out, don't even try....perhaps you should have charged her $100 a bale for your grass.....


----------



## Nitram (Apr 2, 2011)

Some people/women the better you treat them the worse they treat you... I think if you keep personal feelings out of this you will save yourself an ulcer! Who knows her reasons as long as she isn't stealing, taking advantage of your good nature or costing you money...


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

You never know.

Could have been one of the people boarding horses knew someone who could supply the straw or hay.

May have been someone selling at cut rate trying to get their foot in the door hoping to pick up their business.

Not everyone has loyalties or appreciation for that matter. The next time she needed something from me I would put her on hold for a little bit, be busy taking care of my regular customers. I would still use her business when I could but I would let her know how it felt to be on the back burner.


----------



## Chessiedog (Jul 24, 2009)

Like Tim says some will have no loyalties or even feel they should . They paid you for services and that's it .

I have one buyer that buys hay where ever it pops up for a low price . Calls me when he can not find any cheap stuff for 3 dollars or so . When I first started selling to him I tried to cater to him , then I saw how he buys . I like him he's a cut up for sure . So I just sell to him when he's looking for something and that's that . He might buy 2 or 3 hundred a year or 4 or 5 hundred or none . If I have it ,I have it , if I don't I don't .


----------



## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

Usually here operations that large have already ordered hay beforehand and or paid for it and they just happened to run out and use yours. I wouldn't get your feelings hurt about it.


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I wouldn't worry about it, women can be goofy anyways and add horse's into the picture they get even goofier with a capital goof.


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Soooo bizarre. She will ask me to bring her straw, then specify NO AMOUNT. 
I will get a text that says "please bring me some straw" 
And I'm like, OK:
how much?
When?
Small bales? Or medium bales?


----------



## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

Maybe shes just keeping you for a backup. Buy from the regulars, and keep you for when they don't have anything.

My real guess though is that she thinks there is something wrong with the hay you cut on her property. Maybe she sees some weeds in the field before you bale it, so she thinks its junk. She probably has herself convinced that her regular supplier doesn't have a single weed in his hay field....


----------



## bhamrick (Jan 4, 2013)

Im married to one of those horsey ladies. As wonderful as she is TRUST ME !! I wouldn't want to sell hay to her. On another note its proven to be a great way to market hay when we have excess to sell. If it passes her inspection it will most likely pass the rest of the goofy horse ladies requirements as well.


----------



## Chessiedog (Jul 24, 2009)

JD I have both men and women tell me how well they liked my hay . That they would only buy from me from now on . Only to never hear from them again . I've also had one that complained about it but didn't bring it back, call me a couple years later and want more . You just never know .


----------



## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Chessiedog said:


> JD I have both men and women tell me how well they liked my hay . That they would only buy from me from now on . Only to never hear from them again . I've also had one that complained about it but didn't bring it back, call me a couple years later and want more . You just never know .


Now that's the truth ^^^^ ya just never know.....


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Chessiedog said:


> JD I have both men and women tell me how well they liked my hay . That they would only buy from me from now on . Only to never hear from them again . I've also had one that complained about it but didn't bring it back, call me a couple years later and want more . You just never know .


I figured when I put hay in the riding arena, I was going to sell it to someone else that was needing lesser quality hay. I was surprised to see she started feeding it without my permission. No big deal, she was good for the money. Problem is, I knew in the back of my head that it was kind of typical stemmy first cut hay. First impressions = lasting impressions. 
So it was a risk, but I believe it was worth it. Only time will tell. She said she wants to switch to round bales outside once the grass stops growing late fall I'm hoping I'll have plenty ready to go.

What I don't understand is I think she knew the hay wasn't as good. She rode horses by those fields for weeks before they were cut. I told her I have much nicer hay....ready to deliver....but she went to someone else.

I think what screwed me was the stable helper. I think he whined and complained about having to pull hay off RBs and feed them into stalls. 
She's kind of funny, she'll complain the stable hand doesn't work hard enough, then comply to his complaints that its too hard to feed medium bales or round bales. She told me weeks ago the stable hand complained about feeding medium bales. RBs are tougher.


----------



## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

What is a "medium" bale?


----------



## Shetland Sheepdog (Mar 31, 2011)

I had a customer stop by to check some 1st crop with RCG in it! She said 1 wagon was fine, but the other was too stemmy! I explained that both wagons came from the same field, and I would deliver them and "selectively" unload, so she didn't have to take the stemmy stuff! Long story short, she rejected 12 whole bales out of 150!   You just never know!


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

deadmoose said:


> What is a "medium" bale?


Could be a regional or local reference in my area to bales that are like 30"x 3' x 7' Ish in size. They weigh about 700lbs.


----------



## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

You worry too much JD....the hell with her, when In doubt, charge em more, that seems to make it all better....crazy crowd these horsey women....but I love em!


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

somedevildawg said:


> You worry too much JD....the hell with her, when In doubt, charge em more, that seems to make it all better....crazy crowd these horsey women....but I love em!


Very true.

I have a friend who is a very well known and established farrier. He makes scheduled rounds and shoes entire barns, not many individual horses. A new client at a barn he shoes dropped him because he did not charge enough.

Not a hard problem to correct.


----------



## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

JD3430 said:


> Because I sure as hell can't.
> A woman rents a stable and land from a rich guy. She is pretty sharp and has all 23 stalls rented. Like me, she hustles all day, lives in tattered rags and drives junk with 100k miles.
> She asked me to cut and bale all the property in June and I could keep it all, which I did. She even allowed me to store 8 of the best RB's in a riding arena. Sporadically, she had me deliver straw to her, but she would NOT buy my hay. She would have me go get medium bales from a big local guy i know and deliver them to her. I also bush hogged her paddocks
> Sounds pretty good so far, right?
> ...


Did she get round bales ? We are getting more and more round bale horse hay customers BUT WE make there bales 50 inches in diameter


----------



## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

Maybe the other supplier was her regular one. If it was loyalty its ok. New customers are nice but if you were on the other end you would have a bee in your bonnet.


----------



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Maybe take her one of your good Orchard/Timothy bales and just give it to her to try and compare with what she is feeding.

Regards, Mike


----------



## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

JD- Do your "medium" bales come from one of the old NH big square balers? I was thinking some of the early balers made that size bale before they jumped up to 3x3 and 4x4. Medium bales are actually a nicer size. Trying to pull flakes of hay off a 3x3 is a real pain. Esp if the baler was flying and flakes are super thick....


----------



## jdhayfarmer (Jan 20, 2012)

She sounds like a real pain in the a$$ probably not worth dealing with anyway!


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

jdhayfarmer said:


> She sounds like a real pain in the a$$ probably not worth dealing with anyway!


I'd like to be able to think that way, but when you are a beginner and only have a handful of customers, you need to keep them. Pain in the a$$ customers included. 
The other thing is that she's got 20 acres of hay that i can keep, fields for bush hogging and a big driveway for snowplowing. 
It's not just a hay customer.


----------



## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

JD3430 said:


> I'd like to be able to think that way, but when you are a beginner and only have a handful of customers, you need to keep them. Pain in the a$$ customers included.
> The other thing is that she's got 20 acres of hay that i can keep, fields for bush hogging and a big driveway for snowplowing.
> It's not just a hay customer.


Can you keep her for the acreage and drop her on the sales?


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

Sure, but why? If you go back and read my original posts, I am confused about why she buys from me, then buys from someone else. Back and forth. 
If she only wants hay occasionally, fine. 
I'll take whatever money she wants to spend on me.
I just can't figure out the sporadic nature of buying.


----------



## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

JD3430 said:


> Sure, but why? If you go back and read my original posts, I am confused about why she buys from me, then buys from someone else. Back and forth.
> If she only wants hay occasionally, fine.
> I'll take whatever money she wants to spend on me.
> I just can't figure out the sporadic nature of buying.


Sometimes I buy my orange juice at one grocery store. The next time I might buy at a different place. Is it worth figuring out?

For her, it could make good sense to buy multiple places. This way she has multiple working relationships to draw upon if one supplier is busy/short-stocked/higher-priced/etc. Better to be able to get hay from the "other guy" as opposed to breaking in "complete stranger guy". 
If you're still making money in the instances where she does call you, take the opportunity. Personally, I wouldn't store any more hay in her barn though. Seems like getting inside storage for just 8 bales may not have been worth it.


----------



## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

How much did you charge her maybe you overcharged her . I have guys who will call and describe the hay they need and tell me to bring a 5 ton load. They trust that I will price it fair and in line with the markets they will write the check and say thankyou . If price is to high hey will never call you again

it is too high


----------



## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

Lying is epidemic in this country. It starts at the top and works its way down.

I believe 1/2 of what I hear, and that's the 1/2 that wasn't spoken. She probably found a better deal (in her mind) and didn't have the doo-jiggers to speak to you truthfully.

Ralph


----------



## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

JD3430 said:


> I'd like to be able to think that way, but when you are a beginner and only have a handful of customers, you need to keep them. Pain in the a$$ customers included.
> The other thing is that she's got 20 acres of hay that i can keep, fields for bush hogging and a big driveway for snowplowing.
> It's not just a hay customer.


You bet you want to keep her she lives close by.


----------



## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

endrow said:


> How much did you charge her maybe you overcharged her . I have guys who will call and describe the hay they need and tell me to bring a 5 ton load. They trust that I will price it fair and in line with the markets they will write the check and say thankyou . If price is to high hey will never call you again
> 
> /it is too high< TYPO S


----------



## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

Its better to have a piece of the pie instead of none


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

endrow said:


> How much did you charge her maybe you overcharged her . I have guys who will call and describe the hay they need and tell me to bring a 5 ton load. They trust that I will price it fair and in line with the markets they will write the check and say thankyou . If price is to high hey will never call you againit is too high


No, very reasonable $60 for a 850lb round bale
She pays $110 for. 700 lb medium bale PLUS delivery. That hay is nicer, though.


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

I'm about 75% sure the help whines about having to pull pieces off the round bales and she caves into it and buys square bales.
She mentioned this one time to me and I suggested she tell her help to shut up and get their lazy asses to work. 
She pays a stable helper $700 cash for 6 easy days of work. They only work from 8-3. And they sit around have the time drinking some kind of funky looking Mexican soda. Prolly got peyote weed in or or something. Lol


----------



## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

JD3430 said:


> I'm about 75% sure the help whines about having to pull pieces off the round bales and she caves into it and buys square bales.
> She mentioned this one time to me and I suggested she tell her help to shut up and get their lazy asses to work.
> She pays a stable helper $700 cash for 6 easy days of work. They only work from 8-3. And they sit around have the time drinking some kind of funky looking Mexican soda. Prolly got peyote weed in or or something. Lol


Forking hay off of rounds is no fun. The employees aren't wrong. Rounds bales are great for round bale feeders and that's all.


----------



## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

I have no problem forking round bales apart and i will work for 700 cash a week. Maybe im your solution lol.


----------



## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Sell her small squares and charge her $15 a bale and she'll love you long time.....


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

ontario hay man said:


> I have no problem forking round bales apart and i will work for 700 cash a week. Maybe im your solution lol.


I've done it many times and its child's play. It falls off in nice little sheets. Only drawback is its a little tough to "meter" the hay when compared to sm sqs. But when you're only paying the equivalent of $3/sm sq and you are complaining that your help isn't working most of the day while making $36,400/yr cash, I'd keep buying the round bales. 
It gave me pause to think, too. $36,400 a year CASH isn't a half bad gig.


----------



## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

JD3430 said:


> I've done it many times and its child's play. It falls off in nice little sheets. Only drawback is its a little tough to "meter" the hay when compared to sm sqs. But when you're only paying the equivalent of $3/sm sq and you are complaining that your help isn't working most of the day while making $36,400/yr cash, I'd keep buying the round bales.
> It gave me pause to think, too. $36,400 a year CASH isn't a half bad gig.


Hell....is she hiring?


----------



## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

Maybe you oughta deliver the hay and be the stable boy. You could make some good money.

You price per bale is good, esp for your neck of the woods. I am at $65/bale for good horse hay. Anything less and it goes to the calves, the steers or stays in the barn.


----------



## Farmerbrown2 (Sep 25, 2018)

Maybe she is buying from family or a friend so you are just here backup when they don't come through.

Next thing women + horse = crazy (imo) I would never marry a horse nut.

It's a free country people can do business how they want maybe she is worried that if she gets bad hay from you she doesn't want to make waves with you.

She might not want to make you mad and not have someone to take care of her property.


----------



## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Maybe....just maybe.....she fits into this matrix....for your viewing pleasure


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

PaMike said:


> Maybe you oughta deliver the hay and be the stable boy. You could make some good money.
> You price per bale is good, esp for your neck of the woods. I am at $65/bale for good horse hay. Anything less and it goes to the calves, the steers or stays in the barn.


It would be difficult to make hay if you work 6 days a week from 8-3, but not impossible.


----------



## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

you wouldn't have to make that much hay if getting paid cash 

I know what you mean though...


----------



## ontario hay man (Jul 18, 2013)

Lol that video is so true lmao


----------



## JD3430 (Jan 1, 2012)

PaMike said:


> you wouldn't have to make that much hay if getting paid cash
> I know what you mean though...


The thought crossed my mind. 
I would only have to drive 2 miles to work. 
Cash is nice 
I could find someone to do the job for me on Saturday (my son would do it) and have 2 days off. 
Could make hay weekends and after 3.....


----------

