S06.E05: Jungle Jumparoo, The Caddy Girls, Red Dress Boutique, Sun-Staches

[yeswedo]

 

Entrepreneurs include the owner of an all-female golf caddy company, a couple who believe they have come up with a better, safer way for kids to bounce, and a trio who pitch to the Sharks their fun spin on a classic faceware accessory. Also: an update on Mark Cuban's $2 million investment in the Los Angeles Haunted Hayride during Season 4.

 

[cooksdelight]

The dress company lady... the "acorn"... did anyone think her head was going to spin off if she didn't get an offer? That woman scared me. But the prices on the dresses is very attractive.

Golf cart girls... been there, done that when I worked for a large corporation that sponsored a golf tournament and there's no way I'd touch that with the proverbial 10-ft. pole.

[OpieTaylor]

hee hee, yeah, the acorn lady was very tense!  Sometimes Mark Cuban puzzles me - why wouldn't he put the funny glasses on? 

[HoosierJen]

Maybe I just missed something, but what was so special about the lady's online clothing business? Granted, the dresses were cute and very reasonably priced, but it looked just like any other store to me.

[cooksdelight]

I went to their website to see what they have and their site has a message that due to their appearance on Shark Tank, they have been overwhelmed and will email people when the site is back up. I think the packaging is unique, with a hand-written note (how long they can keep that up is anyone's guess) and the clothing comes with accessories.

[starri]

So, the woman invents the Hooters of golf, finds that a scalable business?  I mean, I have a little interest in golf as Mark, but going of my research sample, my father, he's more there to either to hang out with his friends, talk business, or spend quality time with my stepmother, who would repurpose her clubs for another purpose if he tried anything like that.

 

I mean, if the acorn woman is successful, good for her, but something seemed a little off about her.

 

Those guys with the novelty sunglasses seemed really pathetic to me.  I mean, if they're making money off the cheap plastic things, more power to them, but they seemed desperate.  I wonder what exactly Daymond saw in them, except to make some quick money off a fad.

[zxy556575]

Tastes are tastes, but those are some ugly-ass red dress clothes. Is wild-eyed Acorn the designer? I didn't really understand what it is she does that she needs to train others to do, for an online store. And yes, the site is very slow. They either haven't had time to install whatever new hardware/bandwidth they bought with their $1.2M, or they didn't buy enough.

 

Golf girls...hm. The logo bothered me, as did their knee socks. You can be attractive women who are also good golf caddies without dressing like Britney Spears. Theirs isn't the kind of business I can't see getting much of a bump from the Tank, in that it's so local.

Edited October 18, 2014 by lordonia

[Primetimer]

The future's so bright for one of the companies on this Shark Tank episode, it has to wear shades. Stupid, bleak future.

Read the story

[Miss Scarlet]

The Acorn couple creeped me out. She also kept making crazy eyes at Robert once he and Mark were the last two Sharks still "in". I also don't see what's so special about their business. There are tons of similar boutiques in every city. 

 

I think the real reason none of the Sharks (except for Kevin) wanted to invest in the female gold caddy company is because they don't want to support a business that is based on sex appeal. It wouldn't look good in their investment porfolios and some (like Laurie) may be uncomfortable with it on a personal level. I am uncomfortable with it for those reasons too.

 

Mark refrains from trying a lot of products. I like him, but he can seem like he think he's above the show/products sometimes. I don't think he ever intended to invest in the sunglasses. He was just messing with them. Daymond had so much patience with those pitchers. I expected him to say he was out every time they came back with a new number. I was surprised that he did make a deal with them.

[cooksdelight]

I am afraid I'd be like Mark if I were a shark. I cannot invest my hard-earned money into something unless I am into and somewhat knowledgable about the item. I can usually tell if something might be a hit, and other times I scratch my head.

[Juneau Gal]

Right after last night's show ended, I went to check my Facebook page. A friend had just posted a picture of herself from Disney World wearing novelty glasses that looked exactly like the type the guys were pitching on the show. More power to them if they hooked up with Disney.

[buttersister]

The Red Dress people got me a little (dead daddy stories do that) and good for them getting a deal. Their (incredibly slow) website came back up last night and, much to my dismay, was filled with the fugly. One King's Lane has been sending thank you notes and lovely wrapping for some time now, so good for them borrowing from the best and miraculously leveraging social media (really, Sharks? Don't embarrass yourselves thinking that's a new tactic.)

[KaveDweller]

I think the real reason none of the Sharks (except for Kevin) wanted to invest in the female gold caddy company is because they don't want to support a business that is based on sex appeal. It wouldn't look good in their investment porfolios and some (like Laurie) may be uncomfortable with it on a personal level. I am uncomfortable with it for those reasons too.

 

I was surprised that none of the Sharks mentioned this, as opposed to only commenting on the risk of men being inappropriate.  Every time the woman said she hires attractive women to caddy, I cringed.  I would have told her I didn't invest in businesses that discriminate against unattractive people.

[Kromm]

The Red Dress people MUST have done this mostly for the publicity.  I mean there's no way they needed the Sharks for this, with the possible exception of Daymond--who wasn't even close to interested.  Even giving up 20% of their company probably made the appearance worth it for them.

[BoogieBurns]

Acorn-girl really seemed like she could be a Duggar. 

[needschocolate]

Like the sharks, I don't see how a kid would be interested in in that jump toy long (forgot what it is called) enough to get a parent to buy it.  A kid has two options, hold on to the bars and jump on the side of the inner tube or hang from the bar in the middle.  That would amount to about 15 minutes of fun a day for a couple of weeks.  At least on a trampoline, a kid can do somersaults, jump with friends and all those other dangerous things they warn you against on the box.  Plus, you throw a few blanket over the sides and a trampoline becomes a great fort. 

 

I was surprised that the glasses guys get people to pay close to $10 for those glasses, but they were clever looking, and I might buy a pair - for $5.  I did feel a bit sorry for them - Daymon made them an offer, they countered with an offer for Daymon and Mark to go in together (it was a crappy offer too), then Daymon says that he is closing the book and he puts the book down.  I assumed that meant Daymon was out - they probably made the same assumption because they then made an offer to Mark only.  then one of the other sharks chided them (paraphrasing) - "Daymon made you an offer, so you counter to Mark" They looked so lost at that moment - like their ship was sinking and they didn't even know how to begin to bail the water out.

 

They are always asking the entrepreneurs to say how they came up with their valuation.  Just once I would like the entrepreneur to reply "Well, we need $300,000 but we only want to give up 5% of the company."  I don't think most of them try to figure out what the company is actually worth, I think they have an amount they need and they have an amount they are willing to give up, and that is what the offer is based on. 

[bilgistic]

I've never made any effort to disguise my contempt for breastaurants -- your Tilted Kilts, your Hooterses -- which are basically sub-standard eateries for pervos who lack the courage of conviction to just go to a strip bar. Gol-lee, I'd love to go to the Spearmint Rhino, but that might not sit too well with the other fellas in the Men's Fellowship group at church, so I'm just gonna head to Twin Peaks to leer at co-eds while I shove a plate of flavorless wings into my gaping maw. But that's just my opinion: Meghan Tarmey looked at the same exploitative model and thought, "How can I adapt this for golf courses?"

 

A resounding yes to all of this. And the fact that this mess is packaged as wholesome is even creepier. What, your kid goes with dad on his weekend and they high-five each other the whole time? There are lawsuits galore from Hooters "girls", so don't stand there and tell me that this is a good idea, lady. It smacked of an escort service. At Myrtle Beach, which is about the saddest place one could get an escort.

Edited October 19, 2014 by yeswedo
added quote tags

[Miss Scarlet]

I've never made any effort to disguise my contempt for breastaurants -- your Tilted Kilts, your Hooterses -- which are basically sub-standard eateries for pervos who lack the courage of conviction to just go to a strip bar. Gol-lee, I'd love to go to the Spearmint Rhino, but that might not sit too well with the other fellas in the Men's Fellowship group at church, so I'm just gonna head to Twin Peaks to leer at co-eds while I shove a plate of flavorless wings into my gaping maw. But that's just my opinion: Meghan Tarmey looked at the same exploitative model and thought, "How can I adapt this for golf courses?"

A resounding yes to all of this. And the fact that this mess is packaged as wholesome is even creepier. What, your kid goes with dad on his weekend and they high-five each other the whole time? There are lawsuits galore from Hooters "girls", so don't stand there and tell me that this is a good idea, lady. It smacked of an escort service. At Myrtle Beach, which is about the saddest place one could get an escort.

 

ITA. I was so disappointed to see this pitch. Every time I think the world is moving the slightest bit away from stuff like that, I see something like this. Sigh. Like the recapper, I was disturbed that none of the Sharks called them out for this. I wonder why? Maybe it's because this is still seen as a viable business model by a lot of people and they didn't want to get into an argument about it or discussion of it, since it's controversial? A lot of women claim that this is actually part of the feminist movement, because these women are making their own decision to do this and feel "empowered" by it? I completely disagree with this notion, but I actually had a female professor in graduate school argue with me that this is the "new feminism" and women have "this power" and should "use it". Puke. 

[Jesse]

I'm curious that the American Heart Association hasn't put the kibosh on Red Dress. Maybe they've begun to focus on "Go Red for Women" because it was too hard to hold the trademark on Red Dress?

[Rabbitica]

I looked at the Red Dress website just now...yikes, I have to agree about the clothes. I can only assume that since they're based in Athens, they market more to a young, sorority-girl type who would 1) like these clothes and 2) be able to make them look halfway decent.

How sad is it that after 6 years in the south, the Caddy Girls just seemed mildly offensive to me instead of wildly offensive? Maybe I've just given up. Thanks for reminding me not to throw my hands up about this stuff. I am glad she didn't get a deal.

Edited October 19, 2014 by yeswedo
removed duplicate text

[bilgistic]

I'm an eighth-generation North Carolinian and was raised Southern Baptist. I love my family and heritage (while I'm not religious), but I'm a staunch feminist, and shit like The Caddy "Girls" raises my hackles something fierce. Diff'rent strokes. Golf pun.

Edited October 19, 2014 by bilgistic

[KHenry14]

I've been at a number of golf outings that had girls involved, trust me the Caddy Girls were demure by comparison. Yes, it's loathesome, but I can see a market for it. Especially that they do the job of a caddy rather than just be eye candy.

The sunglasses guys seem like dopes, but if they do get the licenses, I can also see them making some decent money.

[TheOriginalDonald]

If I was a shark I'd ask Meghan how many of the caddies had either golf scholarships (they DO exist) or otherwise played for an NCAA school, as such ladies WOULD know the rules of the game.

[Amarsir]

Like the sharks, I don't see how a kid would be interested in in that jump toy long (forgot what it is called) enough to get a parent to buy it.  A kid has two options, hold on to the bars and jump on the side of the inner tube or hang from the bar in the middle.  That would amount to about 15 minutes of fun a day for a couple of weeks.  At least on a trampoline, a kid can do somersaults, jump with friends and all those other dangerous things they warn you against on the box.  Plus, you throw a few blanket over the sides and a trampoline becomes a great fort. 

 

I was surprised that the glasses guys get people to pay close to $10 for those glasses, but they were clever looking, and I might buy a pair - for $5.  I did feel a bit sorry for them - Daymon made them an offer, they countered with an offer for Daymon and Mark to go in together (it was a crappy offer too), then Daymon says that he is closing the book and he puts the book down.  I assumed that meant Daymon was out - they probably made the same assumption because they then made an offer to Mark only.  then one of the other sharks chided them (paraphrasing) - "Daymon made you an offer, so you counter to Mark" They looked so lost at that moment - like their ship was sinking and they didn't even know how to begin to bail the water out.

I thought the sharks were unfair to those guys on valuation. Based on their numbers, Daymond's 25% would get him paid back in a year and a half even if he did nothing.  I'm sure Daymond will help to boost their sales, but the valuation doesn't reflect any growth.  So I would have countered with something like this:

 

"Daymond you said you'll get us to $20m sales, and I believe you.  So here's my offer: 20%, but if we're not doing at least $15m annually within two years, your share drops to 10%".

 

That way you're putting some of the pressure back on him.  If they grow like Daymond says, 20% is fair.  If not, 10% is still not unreasonable.

[Amarsir]

I've been at a number of golf outings that had girls involved, trust me the Caddy Girls were demure by comparison. Yes, it's loathesome, but I can see a market for it. Especially that they do the job of a caddy rather than just be eye candy.

I was forced to play golf just last Friday.  (Not my thing, but social obligations.)  Without question, it's the kind of environment where guys are still allowed to "be guys".  They take a few hours drinking beer, smoking cigars, playing golf, and making obnoxious comments.  Then go back to being professionals, husbands, fathers, etc.  It's not the height of gender relations, but I also don't think it foretells the downfall of society.  Men aren't going to stop liking attractive women any time soon, and if the women participate voluntarily and rules are followed, there's nothing wrong with that.

 

Were I an investor I would very much worry about harrassment however, as it only takes one bad apple to ruin an employee's experience.  Unfortunately I think that's a risk anyone takes.  (Including a female caddy associated with the course. Or the "cart girl" driving around.  And I should say, the clients who would do that might also be jerks to a young male caddy, albeit differently.)  But what I think "Caddy Girls" could do is have structures to protect the employees.  Support them if they decide to leave a group. Blacklist bad customers from any caddy on any course, not just the club they're at.  Etc.

 

My biggest problem was that it's hard to scale.  Locally, she can get to know women who are knowledgeable and might be interested in the work.  Nationally, she would probably have to rely on job listings and do Skype interviews or something.  It's harder to do.

[zxy556575]

The sunglasses guys seem like dopes, but if they do get the licenses, I can also see them making some decent money.

 

I wasn't sure why it took 3 dopes to create a novelty sunglasses company.

[Pjxf99]

I was surprised none of the sharks mentioned that women also play golf and might not be all that interested in having a caddy in a pretty pink skirt.  Is there a parallel business of hot hunky caddies for women? I know she said these women were knowledgeable about golf but this just seems one step away from a girl standing next to guy in a bar and chalking his cue when he plays pool (you can take that literally or metaphorically).  Oh! And they cheer!! Yaaay golf! 

 

Excuse me while I puke. 

[Lola16]

The issue I have with the Caddy Girls is in a business setting.  I played golf at an old job with my male coworkers.  I would not be thrilled if I had to put up with Cart Girls and Caddy Girls.  It's hard enough to be taken seriously in business by some men, that wouldn't help.  And it might be intimidating to other women if they knew they would be subjected to 'babes' on the course.

 

While some may see no harm in it, I disagree.  I also worked somewhere where one of our lead counsels held meetings at lunch at a local strip joint.  Boys will be boys right?

[Skittl1321]

I've never been to a golf course that had over sexualized cart girls. Usually they were just high school girls who needed a part time job.  They wore polo shirts and khaki pants.  The idea of a cart girl was just to have someone who would sell drinks along the course.  In fact, all the people I know who were beer cart girls (a typical summer job while I was growing up, I wasn't one because I couldn't drive stick) worked with beer cart guys.  It was nothing like these Caddy Girls who seemed to be selling a pretty girl to look at.

Edited October 22, 2014 by Skittl1321

[BoogieBurns]

It was nothing like these Caddy Girls who seemed to be selling a pretty girl to look at.

 

Do the ladies get fired if they start to be less pretty? 

[Skittl1321]

That's a really interesting question.

I would assume they would stop being assigned.

I don't really understand how businesses like this get around hiring laws. But lots of things are appearanced based so it must be legal.

[EllieH]

 

I've been at a number of golf outings that had girls involved, trust me the Caddy Girls were demure by comparison. Yes, it's loathesome, but I can see a market for it.

 

I'm not a golfer, but I did volunteer at a previous job's company charity golf tournament a few times.  That course didn't have female caddys, but there were these girls driving around in a cart giving out tequila shots (I think they were one of the sponsors?).  They definitely were there as eye candy for golfers and dressed accordingly.

[Amarsir]

I know she said these women were knowledgeable about golf but this just seems one step away from a girl standing next to guy in a bar and chalking his cue when he plays pool (you can take that literally or metaphorically).  Oh! And they cheer!! Yaaay golf! 

As opposed to the functional role of cheerleaders at a basketball game? Or the spokesmodels at an auto show hired for their advanced engineering degrees?

 

I remind you that one of the businesses pitching in season 1 was "College Hunks Hauling Junk". The site isn't overly sexualized, but the name certainly implies that looks are relevant.  That's just something people play on.

[raiderred1]

Ah the Caddy Girls.  I'm a staunch feminist, too and flashes of Hooters went through my mind when they came out.  Many moons ago I was hired to work at a swanky golf course/country club near my hometown in Texas.  I THOUGHT I was hired just as a young high school student between junior and senior year, but soon started getting tips from old creepy guys for bringing their carts and clubs up to them.  Good lord, I didn't realize it until a few really started to hit hard on me and then I was completely creeped out. I only worked there for a month.  It has been 20 years since then but I had flash backs of it when watching this episode.  I have always been of the belief that if it is good for the goose it's good for the gander but women are just not that worked up over young hot guys or should I say we are very realistic in our expectations. It is sooo sad to see an old ugly guy with a fat wallet thinking he is king shit when he has a pretty young thing paying attention to him.  Dude, you are sooooooo paying for that shit! 

I know a guy that is in his 40's and married and wanted to open some type of "Hooters" version bar down in Houston.  My husband and I just rolled our eyes and laughed and laughed.  He'll lose his ass on that investment, or at least I hope he does. He's a total douche and has zero respect for his wife.

[CouchPotatoNoLife]

I was surprised none of the sharks mentioned that women also play golf and might not be all that interested in having a caddy in a pretty pink skirt.  Is there a parallel business of hot hunky caddies for women? I know she said these women were knowledgeable about golf but this just seems one step away from a girl standing next to guy in a bar and chalking his cue when he plays pool (you can take that literally or metaphorically).  Oh! And they cheer!! Yaaay golf! 

 

Excuse me while I puke. 

Not that I support breastaurant type businesses, but if they do get only male golfers that can still be a very successful business. Now that I think about it, a lot of businesses appeal primarily to either men or women.

 

Also not sure if there is a business of hunky male caddies, but there is the famous College Hunks Hauling Junk, which is just hunky males that help women move stuff

[TheOriginalDonald]

I was surprised none of the sharks mentioned that women also play golf and might not be all that interested in having a caddy in a pretty pink skirt.  Is there a parallel business of hot hunky caddies for women? I know she said these women were knowledgeable about golf but this just seems one step away from a girl standing next to guy in a bar and chalking his cue when he plays pool (you can take that literally or metaphorically).  Oh! And they cheer!! Yaaay golf! 

 

Excuse me while I puke. 

 

 

HEY SMAILS! $1000 you miss this putt!

As opposed to the functional role of cheerleaders at a basketball game? Or the spokesmodels at an auto show hired for their advanced engineering degrees?

 

I remind you that one of the businesses pitching in season 1 was "College Hunks Hauling Junk". The site isn't overly sexualized, but the name certainly implies that looks are relevant.  That's just something people play on.

IIRC they were pitching College Foxes Hauling Boxes. Robert was the only one interested but they declined his offer

[Kel Varnsen]

I don't really understand how businesses like this get around hiring laws. But lots of things are appearanced based so it must be legal.

I imagine it would be no different than cheerleaders or runway models or reality shows or any other job that almost exclusively hires hot women. That said if guys are paying $150 to hang out with a hot girl for a few hours I am not sure who is being exploited.

 

Also I really think those glasses guys would probably back out of the deal before it is signed. I mean the exposure for them is huge. And just once when a owner talks about their projected growth and a Shark asks about they expects to double their busness over the next year, I really want their answer to be "by appearing on shark tank of course".