How do people treat you knowing you are a "scrapper?" - Page 4

Originally Posted by GeorgeB

There is quite a few female scrappers at my scrap yard. They are every bit as good, ans sometimes even better than the guys.

Some of them I feel may be single parents, or widows trying to make extra income. Just like the guys, they work their butts off for every dollar.

Most of them have no issues in lifting scrap metal, while others strain trying to get it off their trucks. They do get a lot of respect though.

I've met plenty of female scrapper, the one that got my attention was educated and had a couple of degrees. She was employed as a Social worker then when she discovered her clients were making more money a year than she. Packed in here cushy Government job and went scrapping.

You can't fault ambition.

Regards
Gustavus

I guess I'd like to add one more item , I am a crafts men, and good at it , but i had a run of customers that took advantage of me I'd work and wait for my money - wait - wait ... i went broke & i believe some of those cust who used me allot liked keeping me down (there slave) so to say.
Scraping set me free of them and any customer who wants to take advantage . Scrap is my life's price and since i am used to being self employed all my life, i find scraping to be calm work But at times hard . to very hard . I will not work for less then scrap these days. I am also proud of all my new metal expertise

I think its because there are many who give most a bad name. but here is the truth I have a nice man cave and a working hot tub to relax in and it was dirt cheap .most came from e-scrap. 55 in vizio lcd tv paid 10 dollars. baught new power board and installed .works great.ps3 slim 10 dollars.works perfect wont play disks. all my games are downloaded. ipad2 64gb 20 dollars .the charge cable it came with was bad I replaced. when I tell people how much I pay for things doing e-scrap there amazed. but I live in college town . lot of potential .but yes I get looked at funny sometimes but I don't care .it paid for my jeep in full

there is nothing more satisfying then going to the dealership and asking what is the cash price and mean it lol

Most folks treat me just fine. I tell them I do ewaste recycling, and recycle metal. Actually now that I think about it..Only my local Goodwill has ever said anything nasty..to them I am a trash picker, even tho I showed up in nice clothes, explained what I did, and tried to purchase their broken electronics.

Judge not lest ye judged..or sumsuch. Kicker was..they said it to my wife..LOL. Karma will get that GW matter of fact it has, their donations are down and the local thrift stores who don't judge folks, their donations are up!

Anyhow, seriously, with the exception of the local GW most folks get excited when I tell them what I do, an ask all kinds of questions, an usually end with.."Do you take..?" LOL.

So yea..I'd say 95% of the folks I interact with react favorably when they hear what I do.

Sirscrapalot - Don't judge me and I won't punch you in the nose. - Me

I am just to messy other wise might be ok , But even I am getting depressed looking at my inventory . BUT I keep trying to organize and that might happen if i stop finding stuff .

Still I like how whan you put your time in to a load it pays off for your efforts it's real

Originally Posted by TheRecycler

Its all about your approach (be professional) so even if your job is to clean poop, you make it look good. Same for scrapping.

You can say this all day, but it's not always true. Some people will look down on you no matter how you dress, act, etc. Because to them it's beneath them. When I went into my good will I was decked out in nice clothes was quite professional with my sales pitch ( I've been doing retail/selling/etc most my life..I know how to dress an act) an I was treated like crap. Because to that lady an her staff..I was beneath them.

I know folks who drive trucks for a living OTR and tow trucks, an people look at them like trash, even though these folks make **** good money, dress nice, etc. But the in some minds..trucking/scrapping/towing = trash.

I just say screw it an move on. Judge me not lest ye be judged. More people should remember that.

To quote Mick's tagline.."People may laugh at me, but that's ok. I laugh all the way to the bank." Frown on me all you want, at the end of the day, I'm my own boss, my bills are paid, and I don't answer to some corporate desk jockey.

Sirscrapalot - Society wants me to conform, it just makes me rebelling all the more sweeter. - Me

Bonus quote! While I don't agree with Apple or Steve Jobs on many things..this I do..( An yes it can be applied to us scrappers, it's crazy to think we can change the world..but who knows..stranger things have happened.)

“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” - Apple Inc/Steve Jobs

I know this is an old thread but i feel compelled the chime in when i started hauling scrap iron my parents figured i meant i just wanted to take the appliances out of the shed and basement and they were happy with that. After cleaning out the yard I kept going and they were starting to get worried i was becoming "a junk man" but i pointed out that my dad bought and sold at flea markets for years and they let off a lil bit. Eventually they liked the fact that i could always scrounge up extra cash at the end of the month and even more that every scrap run turned into coca cola cigarettes and gas money. Now my mom will make pickups smaller items for me from clients while she is in town and this summer my step dad actually went out every day with me to haul scrap he actually enjoyed doing it we would be out hauling untill dark then go grab a bite to eat and get home about 11pm in the summer (had a yard that if it was light outside they were working) so yeah even my wife goes with me when she feels up to it and the kids help me in my basement "workshop" tearing stuff apart it has definitely become a family affair now that its winter we are pretty much strictly ewaste and applainces which i plan to sell the good parts off of on ebay

At first most of my family and friends gave me a hard time about it. Most people think the same way, but I LOVE what I do. I make good money at it and its only getting better. With that being said I DONT CARE WHAT PEOPLE THINK ABOUT ME!!!!!!!

Thanks to Carhuntr for bringing this back to life. A little twist to stereotypes. I did not know how my parents felt about my previous professional until I started scrapping full time a year ago. Shortly after starting I had a great opportunity in education. When I told my parents I decided not to pursue it they said good and they thought I made the right decision. So Parrothead, please do not tell my parents I am back in education, they think I am still scrapping.

I have to admit that this locality (including myself) has always considered "junkmen" as lower class; someone who couldn't make a living otherwise.
I inherited a farm and the prestige that goes with it, farmed it for 45 years while also driving schoolbus, mailroute, logging on my own land and enjoying it all. In later years I figured I had better get rid of much farm machinery of my own that was sitting in the trees and that's what got me started. Neighbors with old machinery and junk asked if I'd take theirs and it is endless. I torch what I need to get it loaded and haul some pretty big stuff on my 16 ft trailer. I load with a Gehl skidsteer and enjoy running it. I'm sure I'm not as respected in the commuity as the guy who farms 1000 acres and drives new pickups but I'm proud of what I do and actually can't keep up with the demand. I always remark that "I look like a junkman so I may as well be one". I have a beard....LOL. My wife and I are both professional musicians and perform weekly with a band. Those people who look up to us and admire us in that profession would probably ignore me if they saw me hauling hog feeders, twisted tin and barbed wire down the road with my coveralls on and a stocking hat. Reminds me of Jesus who was thought of as "Just the carpenter's son". Haha.....we're a simple class of people aren't we? My Prime Rib supper that I'm going out for tonight will taste just as good in my mouth as it does to my banker. Remember the reason for the Season !!!

Around my way, most people think of them as no class,poor,un educated rednecks. I have a friend that does it part time picking stuff from curb trash and give away items. I don't see anything wrong making a couple hundred dollors extra a week picking up someone's junk. If I had a truck, I would try it myself. This forum just may get me into it.

well the "uneducated" stereotype around here at least is not really a stereotype. Most of the old scrappers around here that i have run into were guys who parents lived through the depression, and collected scrap just to put food on the tables. The children dropped out of school back then to help and then took over the business. They may not have had a "formal" education but Hello if they couldn't make something from nothing.

But what people today don't seem to realize is that school is now mandatory and that scrap has grown so much that it has become a profession that people choose to pursue and not just necessity! I for one did it because if i tell my boss to go to Hello i'm looking in the mirror and i can be fired and rehired a dozen times before lunchtime. I have no masters (accept for wife and kids lol) if i want to have a family day i can do it without getting in trouble with the employer. That in itself is the biggest freedom i enjoy with scrap metal. I was home schooled for the most part so i was not trained for "worker bee" status i don't see the point in working for 10 an hour when what i do in the hour makes the employer 100 bucks after expenses.

Like said, I wish I was able to do it. It would be nice to get a little extra cash and I think I would enjoy the hunt. Maybe this summer I could hook up with a truck. I did it for a little time way back but stop doing because I didn't know what I was doing. Wasn't able to find enough stuff to make money. I'm sure I could do ok at it now with the info of you good people. The extra money would be great for upgrading my Quad.