Brought to You by the Letter "W"

"W" for: "What the hell?!"

So today I have been doing my rounds, trying to drum up quotes from various different local t-shirt printing businesses in hopes of finding a perfect, close-by alternative to Mr. Rockets' printing needs.  What was the first thing I noticed?  A glaring lack of websites.  All that seems to be available are simple phone-numbers.  And I thought to myself, "Self?  If I were a t-shirt printing business (one of the more lucrative textile operations out there in this day and age), what would possibly be more important than a well-done website, showing off all of my previous accomplishments and impressive client list for all of my new potential customers to see?"

I did not answer the obvious question.  I'm not crazy.

It's just that you'd think presentation would be everything, even to the people printing your business' product.  I mean, if they're not willing to show you what their finished product will look like, and provide examples, how is one supposed to go out on a limb and dish over the Mr. Rockets Apparel Co. Family Fortune?  Let me tell you, it won't happen unless it's a fully informed decision!  At Mr. Rockets, presentation is absolutely key, and the website is one of our highest priorities!  That's why we have our resident computing mastermind, Emil, working around the clock to make this experience unforgettable from the get-go!

But I digress.

So I formulated a list of top 10 prospects, ordering them mostly from word-of-mouth and online user reviews.  I decided that my first call would go to the bottom of the list, where I would get a feel for what number to expect from my top targets.  Let it be noted that I called this bottom prospect 3 days ago.  I have not recieved a response on my quote yet.  I'm starting to wonder if I will, in fact, get one.

Onto door number 2!  Answering machine!  Alright, I left a quick message at about 10:00 this morning.  They said they had a guarantee that a phone call would come my way within 2 hours of leaving the message.  It is now... 1:30pm.  Mabye that lunch meeting of theirs is taking extra long.  Hey, at least it's not 3 days late, am-I-ight?

Third time's a charm, they say!  Things were going well with this third prospect, up until she told me they only print on one side of a t-shirt.  I laughed, but inside I felt she was not kidding.  One side?!  That's gotta be a joke of some sort.  It's a screen print, full sized on the front and a small crest (being done by Dacosta as we speak!) on the back top.  I KNOW it can be done.  She must have been a new employee or something.

Seven more to go!  The day is young!  I will continue my quest to discover the perfect local alternative to all of Mr. Rockets Apparel Co. printing needs, by braving the currents of horrible salesmanship and misinformed employees, even if it kills me!

Once more into the breach,

-Dan.