Rude and wrong (a minor rant)...

This is a minor addendum to my show posts, but applies beyond this one show so I thought I'd splice it off on its own. We all signed a contract stating that we would not begin breaking down our booths until 6pm Sunday...that is, after the show "closed." This would appear to be a very simple and bright line rule...and clearly one that we had all agreed to as we all signed individual contracts to this effect.

So why did one dealer pack and leave shortly after 5pm? Worse, why did another half dozen to a dozen begin packing at 530pm? Personally, I think the later began packing because the first had packed and left. That is, if everyone else "obeyed the rule", they would have...but once one dealer blatantly violated the rule, others felt it was somehow ok to do so as well.

I know I am probably a bit snippy about this, but I really think that packing up a booth before a show is closed is unbelievably rude...to the promoter, other dealers and, most importantly, to the customers/public. As two dealers near him were busily filling their booths with packing boxes and putting their books away (and 540pm), my friends at First Folio were conducting a final nice sale. While others near me were packing up, I was negotiating with a new client to take a rather exceptional item on consignment. Would either of these things have come to pass if we had been packing up our booths...clearly no.

The contract we all signed clearly stated that anyone who packed up early would not be asked back next year. I doubt, very much (and for several reasons), that the promoter will actually oust people for packing early...but it is almost too bad. I really do not think that the half hour to forty-five minute "lead" in packing made that much of a difference to anyone in getting out...and, most importantly, it is just really rude to customers. It is worse as at least two dealers who I really like a great deal where among those I saw packing early. I still love them...but really hope to never see them bailing early.

I really do not mean to upset anyone and am in no way saying that I have not/do not do inexplicable things now and again...but this is just one of those things that I don't understand. You sign the contract, you man your booth, you try to give customers the best experience you can. I just really think that packing early is rude and wrong.