I turned 25 last saturday and didnt realize my drivers license expired...the waiter informed me tonight at The Ale House...FML.

Is the DMV on Avent Ferry or anywhere in Durham open on Saturday mornings?

3/12/2010 7:07:19 PM

no

3/12/2010 7:12:53 PM

no

3/12/2010 7:20:34 PM

I realize this thread is about the DMV being open on Saturdays....which it is not. Hear me out, maybe I can offer some insight.

I am in outside sales, which is currently salary+commission, but will move into straight commission starting at the beginning of July 2010. I have been in this position since July 2009. I have competition from several direct manufacturing sales reps, large distributors, and local distributors. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of each:

Direct Advantages: Immediate knowledge of new technology, no middle man mark up, one shipping bill (paid by manufacturer or buyer of goods), access to larger range of non-commodity items, control inventory, have access to many distributors that can effectively sell their goods which increases market share, and set prices of commodity they manufacture.

Direct disadvantages: Typically have 1-3 sales reps per region (i.e. southeast, mid-atlantic, northeast, etc.) limiting the number of accounts they can successfully manage/cold-call, lack physical customer service or physical technical service available to or affordable for smaller users or altogether, are sometimes not trustworthy because they will go in behind their distributors that sell their commodity to one account in large quantities (i.e. they missed a big account, and have found out about it through a distributor selling their particular product) which leads to the distributor not selling their product anymore, have too many distributors selling the product ultimately driving the set price down through deviations, possibly rely on distributors to actually sell the product, and competition from other direct sources.

Large distributor advantages: have access to other commodities that go hand in hand with other manufacturers (poor example- grocery stores sell milk as well as cereal), get direct pricing, many locations regionally or nationally easing the shipping burden of buyers with multiple locations, personal service either customer or technical, many sales reps that are able to cover a broader territory, access to multiple manufacturers of the same commodity allowing to keep prices in check, service programs that smaller companies can't offer and direct providers can't match in price or value, and experts of many many commodities as opposed to one or a few.

Large distributor disadvantages: smaller local distributors creating price wars (think Michael Scott Paper Co vs Dunder-Mifflin), direct mfg's going in behind and stealing business, limited access to all of the mfg's (you won't find Harris Teeter name brands in Food Lion and visa versa), can't truly set prices because it's based on both supply and demand, territory management, and tough growth prospects in slower economies (this is true for direct as well really)

Local distributor advantages: Typically a good ol' boy setting where the seller and the buyer know each other for years (this does happen at all levels, but mostly at the local level), local folks are right down the street and can be used in emergencies, if the local guy buys at high enough volumes then there is no shipping charge to the end user, and access to both direct mfg's and large distributors.

Local distributor disadvantages: easily beaten in price, array of commodities, array of technology, lack of trained staff, low cash flow, etc etc etc.

This is what I have noticed in my six months, I am sure there are plenty more that need mentioning. The way I am setting myself apart as a sales person is this: I go after the big accounts right now while I am new. The big accounts, if I land them, will take care of me while I am new and building a customer base. The money made off of those allows me to focus free time on smaller accounts that get me higher margins. I build up big accounts, I would like to have 5-10 of these, then get 20-30 medium accounts. If I lose 1 or 2 big accounts, the 20-30 medium accounts keep me afloat while I go after new big accounts. I don't really waste time on small accounts simply because they basically pay for breakfast or something really small.

I will say this, if you can't get a big account in the first 6-8 months (assuming you have cash flow that you can ride this long) you could be in a world of trouble. If you can get one, it will really make going after the others a lot more enjoyable and less stressful. It's simply just very exhausting wasting any time on anything other than big accounts in the very beginning. You work just as hard on the medium sized accounts and see 1/3 to 1/36 of the money in my situation.

If you have any other questions, you can PM me. I hope this helps in the slightest!

3/12/2010 11:13:44 PM

is this really a FML situation?

3/12/2010 11:15:44 PM

It definitely isn't a shit your pants and get it done now type of thing

It can wait till next week

3/12/2010 11:15:50 PM

It's a bad thing if he plans on boozing it up all weekend in various establishments around Raleigh that serve alcohol and is prone to getting carded. If a server cards you and sees an expired license he's not allowed to serve you, even if you're 72 years old.

3/12/2010 11:17:04 PM

oh noes you cant get drunk for two whole days

grow up children

3/12/2010 11:18:01 PM

haha it would be more of an inconvenience for me than an actual FML situation. funny thing is, i get carded more at 28 than i ever did at 21.

3/12/2010 11:18:44 PM

Probably because you finally started shaving your moustache

3/12/2010 11:19:19 PM

hahhaahhaah that totally made me LOL

3/12/2010 11:20:02 PM

use your passport if they don't take the id
but i used mine for like 3 months before realizing it had expired, its not a big deal

3/13/2010 12:32:37 AM

FUCK FSU! GO WOLFPACK!!!!

3/13/2010 12:33:19 AM

For the life of me, I can't believe that anybody actually thought a state agency would be open on a Saturday. They've got ride-the-government-gravy-train, quota-filling-dead-weight bastards doing the job already...that shit ain't never gonna happen.

3/13/2010 1:22:04 AM

nobody at bars checks to see if your license is expired

3/13/2010 1:24:37 AM

^ unless you look underage and it might be a fake

3/13/2010 4:42:19 AM

^ ding ding- that is the first thing you are supposed to do- then DOB

I've seen people who aren't really even looking at the picture but just those two thing (it is pretty ballsy to use a fake I'd that doesn't look like you but it happens more than you think)

3/13/2010 9:01:31 AM

lol no

thats like asking if the courthouse is open

3/13/2010 9:52:35 AM

Well, it was only a FML situation because I was out with two MUCH older coworkers....we went to Ale House for a few beers after work and both of them ordered and then I got shut down...they asked if I wanted a glass of MILK instead, lol. Embarrasing as shit.

One of the guys I was with SWORE that some Drivers license offices were open on saturdays..but I didnt believe him, so I came to TWW.

[Edited on March 13, 2010 at 12:44 PM. Reason : .]

3/13/2010 12:44:21 PM

yes it is

3/13/2010 12:45:25 PM

this sounds like a first world problem

3/13/2010 12:45:50 PM

You know, if you actually go to NC's DMV website, you can find out where the DMV is, what times they're open, and what days they are open on.

http://www.ncdot.org/dmv/office_locations/?officeType=5&pickCounty=402&count=1

3/13/2010 1:31:49 PM

Yes, that was the first thing I did...but then again, I dont really expect the STATE to keep a website up to date.

3/13/2010 1:34:48 PM

Quote :

"DMV open on Saturday?"

lol

3/13/2010 2:29:08 PM

^^ There's a phone number... You could have called them.

3/13/2010 2:32:47 PM