A Saturday Guy - Finally

For the past 20 years I have, for the most part, earned my living selling cars. And while many may consider me, as a result to peg only slightly higher on the scumbag-ometer than a lawyer, I would argue that my industry is not so different from most in that within the ranks, there exists both good and bad. And in my opinion, there are always more good than bad.

I like to believe I am one of the good ones.

And while all jobs have both positive and negative aspects, one of the inherent drawbacks of the car business (or any retail business) is that to be successful, you must be open when others can shop. This includes extended daily hours along with Saturdays and holidays. As a result, those on this career path often are either late in arriving or completely miss out on a multitude of social and family activities that the non-retail world takes for granted, i.e. festivals, football games and regular dinners with one's family to name but a few.

A Saturday off normally requires substantial advance notice and a considerable amount of negotiation. Excessive grovelling and forgoing other scheduled times off are also not unheard of. And depending upon the importance of need for the Saturday, bribery is not out of the question.

As a result, Saturday's take on a unique aura for those like myself. We wonder what "Saturday People" are like, what they do, how they live. It has been a topic of many a conversation throughout automobile showrooms around the country since the days of Henry Ford. And I have participated in, conducted, speculated on and opined about it for a long, long time.

Well no more my friends. For as of this past Monday, I became a Saturday Guy.

I'm still in the car business but my role has changed. My responsibilities are more on a corporate level now and one of the unexpected perks of the job is, it's Monday through Friday. So today was my first day as a Saturday Guy.

I went for a run, which was not unusual.

But it wasn't 5:30 in the morning and I didn't immediately dash home, jump in the shower, get dressed, down a pot of coffee and head for the dealership.

Nope, didn't do it.

It feels a bit strange ... but I think I'm gonna like it.

“To change and to change for the better are two different things.” - German Proverb