Boss Swap
You're Not The Boss Of Me!
Commentary By Alisa
March 9, 2005
Mr. Hot Shot USED Car Dealer
Is there anything lower on the food chain than a used car salesperson? I don't think so. Personally, it makes no difference if you sell me a used Ferrari, I go for the soft sell and if I want a used Ferrari, I'll go to a Ferrari dealership, thank you very much.
So anyway, this guy, Stuart Silver, runs a high-class low rent used car dealership. And get this, he employs only men because he doesn't understand how to deal with the smarter gender, or as he puts it, "they're not up to the job."
Wait, there is one woman employee and she doesn't handle any of the sales.
Ms. Laid Back Boss
Kari Caden runs an all female promotional firm called Caden Concepts dealing with promotional giveaways complete with company or personal logos etc. along with her sister Lori. Non-competitiveness is encouraged as well as a lot of personal time for important things like shopping. Once a week, the employees get an hour's massage to keep them happy. They are a very contented bunch and seem to get on extremely well. This is my dream job, except that it lacks competitiveness. "Everyone here is friends and family" according to Kari, so how can you boss the women around? "I don't pit each other against each other" as Kari puts it. She was probably a business major and never went near the English/American language.
Everyone shares everything including meals, happy times and the kind of camaraderie that only women know and understand. There is no dress code and why should there be? They do a mainly mail order business.
The interesting thing about this company is that it started as a cottage industry and is now making over $10 million a year. Kari and her sister run the organization and it all looks like it's running smoothly.
The Switch
Stuart reads "the Journal" and is aghast at the revelation that all the women have PMS at the same time. He would like to know when that occurs, and it's quite apparent that he does not wish to be there at that time. Who can blame him? He is terrified of all these women. They are scary creatures. However Stu wants to take the challenge because he believes that he can be good at any venture.
When he finds out that the employees of Cadin Concepts do not have to show up until 10 AM he cannot believe it. He checks his watch as each of the ladies arrive. However, we do find out later (thank you, producers, you conniving bastards) that some of them do show up as early as 8 AM. It's like the rest of these contrived shows. "Wife Swap" is notorious for showing half-truths, no, make that half lies so this show is most likely following that format.
The weird thing is that at his used car dealership, he allows his men to gamble by playing blackjack, just to encourage that competitive spirit. So basically, it's okay for guys to do their shit, but women are way off base by exercising their rights.
Kari, on the other hand, shows up at the car agency and smells the testosterone, but that ain't all. She goes to the bathroom of this "classy" dealership and has to run for her life after she gets a whiff of the stench. The floor is filthy, the place is lacking paper supplies and the place reeks. Her belief is that if you're a prospective customer and need to use the toilet; this is not the place for you.
The guys' verdict, "At least she's pleasant to look at." Need I say more?
Sales Meetings
Kari holds an impromptu meeting on the lot with the guys. One man absolutely refuses to even look her in the face, never mind her eyes. He is a true misogynist. No matter how many times she steps in front of him, he averts his gaze. What a jerk.
Fortunately, Kevin, the assistant manager is on her side.
Stu, on the other hand is in a stew. All of these women flouncing in at all hours and they might just be hitting their PMS. He wants to impose some rules and that is not a bad idea. The women comply and things start running like a well-oiled machine. Contrary to his beliefs, the women are anxious to do well. In Trump-like fashion, he divides them into two teams - pink and blue - and they are urged to compete against each other.
He has his own idea of the "blow-up bullfrog" which he's very proud of. It is accepted with a lot of praise. However, his wardrobe needs some toning down. This guy's idea of dressing casually is in a dress shirt without a tie. He even attends ballgames like that.
He takes everyone out to dinner and they notice that he has a sense of humor as well as intelligence. Good for you, Stuart. He also installs a time clock and a camera that keeps track of what the employees are up to every moment of the day.
Final Words
At the start, Stuart is ill-at-ease. He wonders, "I don't know if you can say to a woman, 'boy, that's a great set of double Ds." In his defense, Stuart turns out to be a terrific guy with great ideas once he loosens up. He creates a more structured working environment and the ladies don't seem to object. In fact, they do better than they've ever done in their sales before.
Kari has managed to brighten up the bathroom with flowers and a general clean-up, but the guys don't really feel that she has contributed a lot. She has also changed the signs in front of the car agency from blue to red. That's a shame, because I want to give her credit for really trying. She's made "cosmetic changes" that were much needed. The fact that she smelled mildew and dirty feet in the lunch room didn't help matters.
The motivational speaker that she hired really went across like-well, you put in your own ending, mine would be too politically incorrect.
Car sales have gone down by 50%. This is death for car salesmen.
In my estimation, men are a lot harder to train than women. You can take that remark anyway you like, just don't take it to the bank.
Lasting Changes?
The first thing that Stuart did was remove the flowers from the bathroom. He must have felt threatened. There goes the "luxury pee" which was Kari's idea.
Kari's company has taken a lot of Stuart's concepts to heart, implemented them and put them to good use.
I found this show to be a lot of fun and much more entertaining than "Wife Swap." However, I don't know if I wouldn't be bored after more than 8 or more shows.
Alisa loves the Ocean, granola and winemaking. When not busy with that, writing is her biggest thrill, well almost. She can be reached at california_girl100@yahoo.com
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