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Getting Paid And Other Vents

How would you handle these situations?
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Sabrina59
Posts: 468
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2009 6:05 pm
Location: Arkansas

Getting Paid And Other Vents

Post by Sabrina59 »

Our karaoke show has been a struggle, to say the least. Hubby and I don't know a lot of karaoke people in town and we haven't had a previous show, so we were starting out from scratch. The owner of the deli had just purchased the franchise and wanted to bring karaoke in since she is a karaoke singer herself.

The show started out real slow, as you can imagine. We made a couple of signs; one for out at the street, one to hang on the building by the back door (which is a main entrance to the parking lot). I also made flyers for her to put up and quarter sheet flyers to hand out. I've been on every web site I could think of where folks can leave comments about business establishments and mentioned the karaoke night. No charge to her for any of this. One night I saw her using the quarter-page flyers as scratch paper. :evil: I haven't made any more for her.

Since our regular bar has karaoke on the same night we do, I didn't want to put the word out there, but we started mentioning it to some of our closer friends.

The first issue was payment. We told her that we wanted $100 a night (which is a really good deal for her) but we would start at $75. Since the business was new to her we didn't want a karaoke night to be a hardship. This was also supposed to be for a three hour show since the deli closes at 8:00.

So the first issue was payment. She "couldn't" pay us the night of the show because she had to see what her sales were before she knew whether to pay us the $75 or the $100. But, even on nights that sales were great she never went above $100 of course. :x Then she decided she wanted to pay us every other week and we were okay with that.

This lasted for about three months then I'd had enough. I tend to be very nice and non-confrontational, but my patience had worn out. I told her that the karaoke show was part of her overhead, period. I also suggested she look around and see what other KJ's, who brought in their own equipment, were charging. It was significantly more than what hubby and I charge. Bottom line, she has to pay us $100 a week, regardless of what the deli makes. (She's not the brightest light bulb in the pack ... she had mentioned to me that karaoke nights were her best nights.)

I also told her we wanted the check on the night of the show, every other week. Prior we would have to wait until the next day and call her. If the deli was busy we would couldn't pick up the check until later. Sometimes it was as late as Sunday before we could get paid for the Thursday show.

On top of everything else, we also have to pay full price for our meals and drinks. Our show starts at 5:00 and runs pretty much as long as people are there singing. The latest we have closed down is 12:30, but we usually close it up around 9:30. Unless hubby gets off work early enough for us to eat at home or elsewhere, we are stuck buying our meal there. She was even charging us $1.95 each for our drinks when we had our own glass there. A couple of times I have taken ice water from home in my "jug" and she still tried to charge me for a drink.

She has an obnoxious five-year-old brat who is almost always there. He runs around, especially if there is another child in the deli. Lately he has started screaming while people are singing. He used to grab our song slips and pencils and draw on them. Granted, it's not much but it's still money out of my pocket that he is wasting. We now have them up by us instead of on the tables with the books.

There is a meet-up karaoke group in the area. I contacted them and invited them out to the show. Some of their members were becoming regulars until one night the brat decided to "play fight" with the organizer of the group. The organizer was laughing and playing with the child, but that was the last night any of them were at the show. I've had a couple other people tell me that "he" is the reason they don't like to come to the show. The franchise has a web site where people can make comments about the different stores. I'm about ready to make a few email addresses and start complaining about the brat.

She wanted to start a Friday night show as well because some folks said it would work better for them. I told her were agreeable to that and would charge half-price for the first month. At the end of the month she could determine whether to keep Fridays or not. So, we were there for two Fridays. When we got our check it didn't include any payment for Friday. When I asked her about it she said that I had told her I wouldn't charge for Fridays. Wrong! Then, in her intelligence, she went on to say that the deli couldn't afford to pay for another karaoke night. I felt obligated to finish up the Fridays but on the last night I told her that we would not continue the Friday show unless we were paid $100 a night, and $50 more if it went past 10:00. She chose to go back to just one night a week.

For the last few weeks she hasn't had the karaoke sign out. Hubby has been putting it out when we got there but I told him not to last week. My contention is that we are getting paid regardless. If she wants the show to grow she can at least put the damn sign out. Doesn't the establishment usually pay for advertising the show? So far, all of our regulars have come in because of the sign or are people that Matt and I know. She has not been personally responsible for bringing anyone in.

Last Thursday night she had to leave early because "it had been a busy day and she was hurting". The real reason, in my opinion, was because she had some friends in and they had all been drinking all night. She was more than a little tipsy! Hubby asked her for the check and she said to come back Friday. When he called her Friday she wasn't in a very good mood (hangover?) and was really short with the hubby, but we were able to go get the check. We went to the bank to deposit it, and discovered she had put the wrong date on the check so we couldn't deposit it until today.

Hubby was pissed, to say the least, and is ready to pull the equipment. She knows we are there every Thursday, and she knows we are paid every other Thursday. Is it too much to ask that she have a check ready to hand to us when we are packing up? We always have to ask for the check, and it is never ready beforehand.

My attitude right now is to milk this as long as we can, or until we leave the area, which might be within a couple of months. I hate to walk out on our regulars. I feel a loyalty to them, not the deli owner. Not only that, it's a good venue for me to practice new songs and sing some slower songs that wouldn't go over well at the bar. Also, since I lost my job the extra income is rather nice. At least it pays for my smokes. :lol:


Thank you for allowing me to vent. I feel much better! :oops:


Sabrina the Cat
Bigdog
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Joined: Wed Jan 31, 2007 2:15 am

Post by Bigdog »

I would have answered sooner but I had to put my clothes in the dryer... :lol:

She falls in to the same catagory as stupid bar owners. She is demonstrating her standard MO. It will not get better. Find another job, soon.

She has no clue as to how to run her business in it's best money making capacity. BRAIN DEAD.

This is you...:mad: This is bar owner.....:sleep: Get used to it because it pertains to everyone of them. Trust me...
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Sabrina59
Posts: 468
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2009 6:05 pm
Location: Arkansas

Post by Sabrina59 »

I completely agree with you. It got to a point where I didn't even want to be there. I wasn't enjoying the show ... and I'm sure the customers could tell. If the KJ isn't enjoying what they are doing, the customers will pick up on that real quick.

So ... I gave myself a kick in the a$$ and decided that I was there to make sure the crowd had a good time. I can put on a happy face in just about any situation.

I really do like our regulars and want to put on a quality show for them. She can ... well, I just won't say cuz some of you think I'm a lady and I don't want to tarnish that image. :lol:

Everything is really up in the air right now. We don't know if we are leaving the area or not, it all depends on who buys the place we are renting. (It was foreclosed and reverted back to the original owner since she held title). If we have to move we are leaving the state. So right now I am content to deal with the situation.

She mentioned the other night that in about a year she wants to lease the space next to the deli, open part of the wall, and turn it into a "game room" with a stage, pool table and video games. It would allow for a larger crowd, but then we'd have to deal with unattended kids and teens playing pool and video games while people are trying to sing. IF we are still here and IF she does do that, I think I'd have to tell her to unplug the games during the show. The only upside is that the music could be at a better level.

That reminds me, quite a few times she has asked us to turn the music down because she can't hear people placing their orders. The music isn't that loud to begin with!! The night her daughter came over and demanded we turn the music down so she could talk to her BF on the phone was just about the final straw! I, not the hubby, was about ready to pack it up and bring everything home. She saw my expression and came over to ask what was wrong. We stepped outside and I told her I do not take any orders from a kid. Kid hasn't done it again.

She would have been better off buying a bar. She has Beer Pong every Friday night (with her 17-year-old daughter working :shock: ), has local bands come in and airs pay-per-view fights with a cover.

She continues to say that business isn't good, but yet she let's her little brat run rampant in the place. Last week he was spitting in a straw and slinging it at a friend of his sister. Sister was sitting there any said nothing! I, being me, told him to stop, which he did. But I'm not there to babysit!! If I saw that going on I certainly would not be back.

Sorry ... didn't mean to start venting again. :oops:
Sabrina the Cat
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Bigdog
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Post by Bigdog »

Nobody wants to go out for the evening and contend with unattended rugrats.

Don't count on anything she says about current or future plans. She's whacked.....she doesn't get it or have a clue.

The kids run the place not her. NOTHING BUT TROUBLE. She doesn't deserve to have you making money for her in any way.

I'd walk...make that run... :lol:

This whole thing reminds me of some office jobs my girlfriend had to quit.

They prided themselves on a "Family Atmosphere."

Family atmosphere is a code word for...we bring our kids to work so everyone else can babysit them & the dog all day long. :evil: :twisted: :lol:
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Bigdog
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Post by Bigdog »

You could move here. :idea:

Low cost of living and karoake on almost every block.


One more thing....Master Po's expert guidance... :cigar:
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Sabrina59
Posts: 468
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2009 6:05 pm
Location: Arkansas

Post by Sabrina59 »

I see a couple of problems with that ...

1) I don't know where "here" is; and

2) From some of the stories you have told in this forum, your part of the country scares me!! :shock:

Although I must admit to having a desire to attend one of your shows incognito. 8)

Also ... wouldn't I then be your competition? Then you wouldn't share your secrets with me. :(

Oh wait, I wouldn't be your competition ... I'm not good enough! :lol: :lol: :lol: :wink:
Sabrina the Cat
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Bigdog
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Post by Bigdog »

:nonod: :cry:

I'll help you :wink:
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Sabrina59
Posts: 468
Joined: Wed Feb 04, 2009 6:05 pm
Location: Arkansas

Post by Sabrina59 »

Awwww ... now I feel the luv! :oops:
Sabrina the Cat
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spotlightjr
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Location: southwest Florida

Post by spotlightjr »

Damn Sabrina,

I just noticed these posts by you at the end of May and wondered how you wound up. I feel so sorry for you and your husband. Its almost impossible to have a good attitude and stay upbeat all night doing karaoke when you put up with what you do.
This lady sounds very disrespectful and non-appreciative of the work you do. The rate at which you charge for karaoke could also hinder your business relationship with her as well.
Please take Bigdog's advice and get the hell out of there. You have tried and tried and tried to get this lady on the same page as you but cant make it happen. She is taking "full" advantage of you and will not soon change her ways. I know money is important but at what cost?? Some business owners just don't get it.
I wish you luck all on your future endeavors but get the heck out of there NOW!!!
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