Late for Show: My Embarrassing Lesson Learned

[pkd09]

In 55 shows I have NEVER been late. Usually I am a little earier than expected. But for some reason today I kept thinking my show was at 3 p.m. I never double checked the time (lesson learned) on her host card. As I am packing up the car to leave, she calls me. I figured she just needed to double check something. Talk about embarassment. I apologized profusely to everyone (especially the host) as they watched me walk in the door. The host was so gracious and understanding. I will always double check my time regardless of how sure I am of the time. Planning to order the host a little something special for my tardiness. HOW EMBARASSING!!!!

 

[raebates]

{{{big hug}}} You poor thing. Bet that never happens again. I'm obsessive about double-checking my time for shows.

 

[PampMomof3]

It is VERY embarrassing! How late were you? I've done it ONCE before and will NEVER do it again! But I will be signing a girl who was at the show so you never know how it'll turn out!!!

 

[GeorgiaPeach]

Planning to order the host a little something special for my tardiness.

You might even want to order Season's Best CB for everyone that attended the show.

I had a friend move to the Washington DC area. Her first show was with a member of her new church (husband was a minister). She got stuck in rush hour traffic, got lost, and then ran out of gas. The host's husband came and picked her up. Everyone helped her carry her stuff in and set up. She was so upset and on the verge of tears (I, of course, would have been crying long before that point!!) but did the show and they were all very nice.

See....it could have been worse

 

[PampMomof3]

OMG Lisa! I would have been crying long before then too!!!

 

[DebbieJ]

Oh no!! I was worried I was going to do it today. I never schedule Sunday shows, but I did this month for double points. So I just wasn't thinking in a normal timeframe and I kept checking and checking and checking the time and was so nervous. I didn't calm down until I got there. Then THREE guests showed up early. They were totally nice though and it was fun chatting with them. One of them ended up booking a show.

 

[JaimeQ]

I on the other hand almost felt like the biggest idiot I was almost an hour early for a show yesterday... I was rushing to get ready and finish up things for the show hopped in the car and got almost to the host's home (only a few blocks away) and looked at the clock it was 11:30 and I thought to myself what am I doing her show it as 1!!! I got home and my hubby was all whats wrong? I said "what time am I doing that show today?" he said"1" I said exactly..... he's all I thought you knew that and where just going ealier to set up and what not..... talk about duh!!

 

[PamperedK]

I always go to my shows at least 30 minutes early! I tell the host I'm coming an hour early so she knows to expect me. I need that time to pre-chop and set up.

 

[chee65]

This happened to me once. It was with my new recruit of all things. I thought the show was at 6pm and it was actually at 3pm. I was cleaning my fish tank when she called. When she asked me what I was doing, I said well, I'm cleaning my fishtank before I go to her show. She panicked and said WHAT!.... My show starts at 3pm it was already 2:30pm and she's 30 min away. I couldn't believe it. I quickly dressed and took off. I was so embarassed, I apoligized to EVERYONE. It's a good thing that some of the guests were at another show of mine and knew I was there extra early. So they all understood and we laughed about it in the end. She ended up with a great show and some bookings. So it turned out okay. Now I double check times just to be sure.

 

[dianevill]

I'm so sorry this happened, but people make mistakes, and it sounds like you recovered. I would give all the guests a SB, too.

I haven't had this happen to me, but I am so paranoid that it will. I try to schedule all my shows for 7 pm during the week, 1 pm on weekends. That way I won't have to remember! It does happen, though, where a host wants/needs a different time, and that's when I go into panic mode the day of the show, even though I have it written down (plus, I send out the invitations for my hosts, so whenever someone has a different time than the usual I question myself as to whether I put the right time down).

I did a Tastefully Simple show once where the consultant didn't show up. I called her house and the husband answered. She was shopping. He called her on her cell phone and she came right over, in her sweats. Luckily she had her product in her trunk from a show the night before. We didn't have a lot of samples (only the stuff that I made), but it didn't matter. I still had a great show for/with her - $700ish.

 

[pkd09]

Yes you can bet I will never do it again. The show was to start at 2 pm and she called me at 2; I arrived at 2:15. Everyone was very gracious (especially the host). For some reason I was thinking the show started at 3 pm. I have another show tonight and I have looked at the time at least 4 times just to make sure. Paranoid??? - you bet. I will never forget it you can be sure. Nice to know it has happened to others.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

I have eliminated the problem of being late/early, by only having set times I do shows....Weeknight shows are at 6:30 or 7 (they choose), and Saturday shows are at 11:00am, or 12 noon (again they choose) - that's it! The only exception I make is for Bridal Showers - I will do those afternoon/evening on weekends. I am so terrified of not being someplace at the right time (I'm perpetually late in my personal life) that I had to do this to ease my stress level!

Oh - I also do lunchtime office shows - those are always at Noon.

 

[dannyzmom]

LOL - it happens to all of us at one time or another. I was driving up to a show an hour away - in the pouring rain during rush hour and when I was about 20 minutes from her house I realized I had left my TTA with all my tools in it....AT HOME. I pulled over, had myself a good cry, then called her and told her of my dilemma, went home & got it and headed back up to her house. I got there at 7:30 for a 7pm show. There were only like 4 guests there and they were kind about it. Then the power went out a few times during them demo AND when the food was in the oven. OY. Ultimately it was a pretty mediocre show sales-wise but I did end up recruiting one of the guests (she never did qualify but did submit a few hundred in orders)...but boy oh boy...it was quite an experience!!

 

[ChefNic]

I was late to a show on an Air Force Base.
It was about a 45min - 1 hour drive. My husband was driving me since it was far away, and I had never been on that side of town...
We left the house late... as my husband always does ((Grrr)... then we had to swing thru a drive thru to eat, or else I would have starved by the middle of the show...we got off the exit on the interstate, and it was a funny spot, when we got back on the interstate there was no way to take the split to veer off on the other highway... so we had to go a few miles out of our way to take the next exit and turn around... We were going as fast as possible...!! Then we had to check in at the entrance, show ID, car registration, etc... took at least 15 minutes...
The show was to START at 6... I got to the house at like 6:05!!! Luckily I was doing EASY recipes, my husband helped bring everything in and set up while I was prepping the food...and the guests were LATE!!! WHEW!
NOT FUN!

ANother time...I got to the host's house right on time...but she HADN'T gone to the grocery store yet!!! and she was still cleaning her house!! So she gave me cash, I went to a grocery store I was unfamiliar with...bought the food...I couldn't prep anything anyway without the food... AND DID HER GROCERY SHOPPING FOR HER!!!! I was LATE! But it wasn't MY Fault!

We can all look back and laugh now...but at the time it certainly isn't funny!
It's stressful!

 

[chefmary]

I feel your pain!

I remember one show I had scheduled early in my career, when my children were younger. Since my DH was traveling, I called my regular babysitter who lived 2 doors down. As the time for her arrival came and went, I called to see what was up and there was NO answer! So, I walked down the two doors, knocked and knocked, but again, no response. Called my host, who was a good hour away and told her that I was afraid I would have to cancel, since my children had no babysitter. She told me to put the kids in the car and bring them with me! She set them up in her basement so they could do their homework and was just as nice as could be. The show started about 30 minutes late and the kids fell asleep in the car on the way home. It was quite a stressful night, but it would have been worse if my host hadn't been so gracious.

 

[D_Patel]

I had a show i got to on time The host was in the shower hadnt cleaned her house yet and still didnt go to the store to get the ingredients.
So the show started over a hour late !

 

[Paige Dixon]

I had a show that I forgot to bring catalogs/receipts to.

Another that I had forgot to bring the bag of refrigerated groceries to (I grabbed everything, but left the refrigerated stuff in the refrigerator).

The worst was when I had a show cancel and I was thinking to myself all week "no show Friday night". Well, it was Sat's show, not Fri that had cancelled. Crap! My tools were all still in the sink dirty from my show the night before, and I hadn't made the recipe ahead like I usually did. And I had cancelled my babysitter. Luckily I grabbed a huge stash of batter bowls and handed them out to the guests who waited for me, that helped a little. Oh well, what can you do except try to do better from now on?

 

[nikked]

I did this twice in a row WITH THE SAME GROUP OF PEOPLE (one booking off of the original). So embarrasing. I offered free shipping to everyone ACTUALLY at the show (if they were outside orders, it didn't apply) before I was...some people actually came in later!

They are still hosting with me and laughing with me about it...at least I hope it's "with me" and not "at me"!

 

[Paige Dixon]

Wow, I thought I was the only one! So happy to not be!

 

[pkd09]

Isn't it great we can all talk about it and laugh about it. Just to show we are all Pampered but certainly not Perfect!!

 

[ChefTS]

Don't you hate it when that happens?I was very nervous about my first show. I had practiced everything I was going to do from start to finish twice. I was providing all of the ingredients and paper products. It was in a retirement home's activity room, and I knew there were going to be at least 30 people. I was doing two recipes and since there were so many people, I was doing two of each recipe. (I already had one of each prepared before hand.)

So, I got everything packed up, arrived, set things up, then realized that I had LEFT ALL OF THE REFRIGERATED INGREDIENTS AT HOME!!!

Thankfully, my husband was able to bring everything over, and in plenty of time to get things started. It was almost a relief, because I was just expecting something to go wrong at my first show! So I had a great icebreaker with the crowd. There were about 35 people there, and most of them were grandmotherly types who just thought I was great! It was a wonderful show (over $900 in sales), and ever since then I always make a check list of what I need to bring, and check it off as I leave.

Now for my "I was late" story.

The host had given me fairly detailed directions, because mapquest couldn't find her house. I wound up taking the wrong exit on the interstate, so was trying to follow her directions while I was going in the wrong direction! It was raining and cold, and I was 1/2 an hour late. I only had a few minutes until the official start time of the show.

The worst part was that I had totally "misread" the crowd that would be there. I was dressed fairly casually (capris and nice top) and all of her guests were dressed very nicely. I made clubhouse chicken squares and turtle fudge skillet cake and her guests were more interested in the three onion goat cheese tarts in the SB. I felt very out-of-place with that group of women, and really did a poor job with my demo. I was flustered anyway because of being late getting things started. Sales were still pretty good for that show ($500+), but I still think of it as my worst one just because of how everything seemed wrong for the crowd.