S02.E16: ASL Sign Sales & Service

[wrestlesflamingos]

 

A sign-shop owner in Surfside Beach, S.C., clashes with Marcus over his business's future. Also: an update on a company from Season 1

 

[Kiss my mutt]

SC seems to be where it's at this season!

[Tara Ariano]

A sign-shop owner in Surfside Beach, S.C., clashes with Marcus over his business's future. Also: an update on a company from Season 1.

[Lola16]

I think the A in ASL stands for Attitude.  Arrogance.   A$$hole.  Maybe they should have called it AAA Signs?  This guy had foot in mouth disease.

[selhars]

ASL Signs -- still processing how that went down. Marcus clearly didn't like the guy's attitude.. But I'm still wrapping my head around it all. And I know ASL are his initials, but knowing (which he probably DIDN'T) that ASL also stands for American Sign Language, and the many people might associate it with that.....that alone would at least have me thinking about not just using the initials ASL Signs. But perhaps that's just me.

 

Now....POPCORN LADY -- I guess I'm still figuring that out too.

The packaging looked weak.  IF I order her popcorn online, how quickly does it get popped and immediately shipped to me. It looked like the product sat around in bags. Marcus even said, you can get popcorn anywhere, why would I buy her?

 

And did Marcus or her say ANYthing about the boyfriend. You canNOT do an update and not at least say whether he's still in the picture.

 

Also, I guess Marcus and the show wanted to focus on the deal, but as a viewer I think they should have asked, "you lost the Disney contracts....what the heck did you THINK would happen once they saw how you were doing business?" I still don't think she's wrapped too tight. MAYbe her business going down the drain woke her up, but I'm still not impressed. I do NOT think her mind is a steal trap, let's put it that way. The 'sharks' on Shark Tank have nothing to worry about.

Edited December 3, 2014 by selhars

[RadioActiveRich]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this show, but I have to say this episode felt a little like a ripoff. First we get the spoiled man-child who couldn't manage an adult conversation much less a business. I really hope this show doesn't turn out to be Marcus running around the country counseling personality disorders. This is supposed to be about businesses. Said another way, I'd rather the show be about what Marcus can do for business owners rather than "Hey we found another 40 year old adolescent running a business into the ground!"

 

To be clear, I am not looking for a "feel good" BS story line either. I want reality, but I want reality that has to do with demonstrating how to do things right. I already know how to leave crazy alone - Don't need a show about walking away from the people of Nuttyville.

 

As for the Planet PopCorn segment - I felt used. She was obviously trying to televise her turnaround for her own purposes. Her business is suffering because she's a loon who was (in my opinion) hiding money, stealing money, or simply trying to hide something from someone (ahem - IRS). While she may or may not have deserved a chance to regain her good name, I don't think it should have been put on the air as if she was entitled to ANY more of our time. Had she really turned the corner - she wouldn't lock herself in the bathroom every time someone asked her about Disney. This was an obvious ploy for sympathy and in my opinion one thing people DON'T need when they've accepted responsibility for their actions is sympathy. Moreover, sane / responsible people don't manipulate people or their perspective, which this lady continues to attempt. The verdict: Ummmm. Not so much.

 

Please, no more.

[rehoboth]

I saw the Planet Popcorn episode for the first time earlier in the day.  I thought it was obvious that she knew exactly where the missing money was when she was not the least bit concerned.  The worst part was not that she was might have been scamming the IRS but that she definitely was scamming her mother.

 

As far as ASL, I felt bad for the father and really, really bad for the girlfriend.  I'm sure the talented designer will be moving on.  I'm glad there was no handshake.

[attica]

felt bad for the father and really, really bad for the girlfriend.

 

How are we ever going to close the wage gap when so many women are willing to work for freaking free?!? God, that just makes me 1) angry for women everywhere; 2) anxious for the girlfriend. Because once "Ant" (srlsly, 'Ant'?) has a hissy fit about something she does (and I have no doubt he will sooner or later), she's cut off. No salary, no equity, and not much other legal recourse to his money -- to which she is fully entitled, if you ask me. She could sue, but suing is a dicier proposition than a divorce would be. Which is not to say I think she should marry this asshole, but she needs a lawyer looking out for her interests. Fortunately, she came across skilled and competent, so she could work anywhere.

 

And another thing, anybody who believes those crocodile tears of "this was the kick in the pants I needed" is an idiot.

 

....Which brings me to Popcorn Lady. I don't get why Marcus thinks giving her money now is a good idea. Second chance, blah, blah, blah. She doesn't have all those Disney type contracts anymore, how do we expect to grow the business? Online ordered popcorn? I don't see that as a stand-alone. She'd need an in with another going concern to get her corn promoted elsewhere -- if not Disney, then, supermarkets or gourmet food shops, or something like that. Maybe that's in the mix, but it wasn't shown to us. $50K isn't enough to open retail locations, either, I don't think, but they should totally do that.

 

Anyway.

 

One last thought: I now work in logistics, and I find it amazing every single day how little people understand setting up a work environment for productive work flow. Even super smart people I work have no concept of how to make work easier just by not having to do a thing 4 times. You know what I mean: get a task, rush through it so you can say you're fast, neglect several things because you think you should be ahead of schedule, have to go back and re-do the whole thing because the neglected things can't actually be neglected, which ultimately puts you behind schedule, all because you wanted to get whatever mystical brownie points you thought you'd get by being early. Being on schedule is no failing, folks. On time is good. Seriously, I have more problems with managing deliveries of shit I wasn't scheduled to receive for another two weeks, all because some yeehaw upline thought early = good. I will have room for it in two weeks. I have no room for it now. Which means I'll have to move it out of the way now, and move it again in two weeks. Not efficient. Not to mention a cock up to cash flow, since our payment terms are from actual delivery date, not scheduled delivery, so we have to pay for shit now with a two week delay in being able to monetize it. Ugh. /rant. 

 

Wait: what's my point? Oh, yeah, here we have another TP workplace that's not set up efficiently, and everybody's surprised when Marcus points it out. Not that I don't enjoy the televised herp derping, but it's weird to me how more business people don't have this skill. Or is it weird that I think it's weird? Hard to know.

[Josiah Bounderby]

Oh, I felt for the Planet Popcorn woman. Do I like her? Of course not. Is she some wronged innocent? Of course not. But that was one of the most soundly humiliating things I've ever seen anyone go through on reality tv. Her barely holding it together. Her dutiful presentation of all the ways she had changed her business. Seems to me that she would have taken anything Marcus offered her.

 

And Marcus loved this. A lot. He understands partnerships but on an interpersonal level, he is perhaps most comfortable playing the role of father. (I think his main focus as a performer at this time was to make sure he didn't look as if he were enjoying things too much.)

 

So...two days later do you think she sees Marcus as a valued business partner or as the motherfucker who fucked up her business?

Edited December 3, 2014 by Josiah Bounderby

[glowlights]

Maybe it's just because I was tired last night, but... this wasn't my favorite ep. The ASL segment seemed rushed (and rather pointless) to make room for Popcorn Lady, and the Popcorn Lady Is Reborn segment had me rolling my eyes. Pretty interesting that her daughter, mother, boyfriend and employees were nowhere to be seen. Pre-popped shelf inventory at $48 per tin? I can go to Target or CVS and get the same thing for way less. At least her mother's mortgage is getting paid. Honestly, it seemed more like a follow-up on an ex-con who wants a gold star because they haven't been caught stealing lately.

 

Although I was pretty entertained by the way Marcus went from zero to fuck you after the ASL guy said "you're late". 

 

(Why couldn't we have spent some time at Pirate Land? They have mini-golf! And kayaks!)

[Primetimer]

Lemonis withholds a check and revisits a first-season nemesis in a dog's-breakfast episode of The Profit.

Read the story

[attica]

From Sarah's write-up:

 

He wears tank tops in a customer-facing business where pit hair is really not indicated.

 

 

Oh! The pit hair! OMGnononono! Argh.

 

I'm wondering if the decision to include ASL was the producer's, not Marcus's. If ML wasn't on board with the choice, that might have been the reason he was done before he really started. (The Inc piece back a few months indicated that the casting decisions were made by both, which leads me to think sometimes a tv-rich environment might sometimes win over a business-rich one.) 

[camom]

I think Marcus realized early on that they guy really just wanted all of Marcus's sign business.  With a bad reputation in town, he unfortunately won't last.  He'll lose his dad's money and probably blame the girlfriend.

 

I'm one who thought the name ASL Signs indicated the business had to do with sign language.  I loved how the one guy said it and made it sound like "asshole."

[Josiah Bounderby]

This episode certainly looks like it was greenlit by a producer who thought the sign guy would be tv gold.

I want to say something like "that poor girlfriend," but she picked him. Him! Because she and the sign guy have this incredibly rich/twisted sexual life together? No, the answer is probably a banal one: once every 45 days he cries like a little boy in her arms and deep, deep down she knows that he can really change.

[selhars]

 

This is supposed to be about businesses. Said another way, I'd rather the show be about what Marcus can do for business owners rather than "Hey we found another 40 year old adolescent running a business into the ground!"

 

 Yes yes ditto this!

 

 

 

As for the Planet PopCorn segment - I felt used. She was obviously trying to televise her turnaround for her own purposes. Her business is suffering because she's a loon who was (in my opinion) hiding money, stealing money, or simply trying to hide something from someone (ahem - IRS). While she may or may not have deserved a chance to regain her good name, I don't think it should have been put on the air as if she was entitled to ANY more of our time. Had she really turned the corner - she wouldn't lock herself in the bathroom every time someone asked her about Disney. This was an obvious ploy for sympathy and in my opinion one thing people DON'T need when they've accepted responsibility for their actions is sympathy. Moreover, sane / responsible people don't manipulate people or their perspective, which this lady continues to attempt. The verdict: Ummmm. Not so much.

Please, no more.

 

 Yes, dittos again!

Edited December 3, 2014 by selhars

[Amarsir]

Interesting. I think I had a completely different take on this episode from the rest of you.  To me, Marcus and Anthony are very similar. Marcus just has a better pedigree.

 

First I disagree with your suspicion @attica and think this visit was very much in Marcus' interest. I see a lot of empire-building by him, making investments to build synergy. He knew he'd be paying himself if he owned a sign business, the same way he'd pay himself by owning a silk screening company. As synergy goes it's hardly as forced as selling a baseball bat factory's products in Camping World.  And he often goes into businesses saying "I wanted to get into the X business".  So I think the business type is very important.  And one guy saying "I sought your partnership for your business" is no less valid than the reverse.

 

Second, yeah Anthony kept butting in where he shouldn't. But every time he was corrected he apologized and backed off.  We've seen much worse from other owners where Marcus was more willing to stick around. And I laughed my ass off at him telling Marcus he was late because I know we've seen that before.  Again he doesn't have Marcus' polish for arguments but he also never said "I'm 100% in charge".  As a result I don't think he's any more or less of a control freak than your average business owner.

 

Third, they're likable and running a family business.  If they were married the single salary wouldn't be an issue. Yes I agree she should protect herself better until that point, but we also don't know where they're living and who pays the bills there.  The girlfriend should watch out for her own best interest but it's not our role to tell her how. A lot of couples share money in a way that wouldn't what their lawyer advises.

 

Fourth, who the hell goes so far out of their way to badmouth a guy that you look up his potential business partners on Facebook? That was so weird. If you don't like your sign, give him a bad review on Yelp. If the town was really that that small and his reputation that bad, how's business growing at 50% per year? Maybe that guy was right, or maybe he's a pain in the ass who's been sued by half the businesses in town. I didn't like the way it was set up as some kind of proof.

 

My overall impression is that Marcus agreed to come without realizing how well the business was doing without him and didn't see room to negotiate a big piece so he tanked it. I do have to agree that you don't want someone using the show simply for a sales call for much the same reason you don't want people on Shark Tank purely for free advertising.  But that's the screeners' problem and when you're trying to run a business I don't fault anyone for trying.

[Lola16]

 

Anthony kept butting in where he shouldn't. But every time he was corrected he apologized and backed off.

And did it again.  Like a child.  There was no growth.  No change.  He couldn't even chill out for a few days during filming.  Who would want to be partners with that?

[RadioActiveRich]

And did it again.  Like a child.  There was no growth.  No change.  He couldn't even chill out for a few days during filming.  Who would want to be partners with that?

 

EXACTLY! And look at how he talked to his own Dad! I guess he thinks his dad is HIS employee despite the fact that his dad's money is what got him started. This guy is a complete toad. Period.

How are we ever going to close the wage gap when so many women are willing to work for freaking free?!? 

 

Have you ever noticed that when people talk about the wage gap they're usually looking at the man who is paid well? What about all the men who are underpaid? Why aren't we comparing women to them? There is no study I've seen that definitively states that for every underpaid man there is an even more underpaid woman.

 

Personally I know men AND women who are overpaid and I know men AND women who are underpaid. My suggestion: Let's lobby for fair pay for all regardless of gender. That would be not only a better use of our time, but would actually fix the problem (if possible) without driving a wedge.

[attica]

First I disagree with your suspicion @attica and think this visit was very much in Marcus' interest. I see a lot of empire-building by him, making investments to build synergy. He knew he'd be paying himself if he owned a sign business,

 

I take your point, Amarsir, and I would just say that there's a distinct difference between "a sign business" and "this sign business." I stand by my suspicion.  :)

 

RadioActiveRich, that's some pretty spiffy strawman you've given me. But thanks for advocating for equal pay!

[Lola16]

 

Personally I know men AND women who are overpaid and I know men AND women who are underpaid.

So do I.  But by job title, and job type, within the same organization, I don't know of any woman who makes more than a similarly educated or experienced man.  My own personal experience has been that a male coworker doing the same job I have (with no discernible experience or education difference) has a higher base salary.  This is an experience shared by many of my coworkers and friends.

[eddy]

I don't understand why Marcus went back to the popcorn lady.  Does he feel sorry the show cost her the largest contract she had (Disney)?  Too many unanswered questions - where did $400k go?  Not much has been said about her "accountant".  He looked more like a bookkeeper than a CPA - either way, he had to know the books did not balance, and it's his job to keep her informed.  I think the owner, her mom and the bookkeeper worked together to reduce her income on paper and defraud the IRS.  Sorry Marcus, without more explanation given to the viewers, you made a bad deal.

I love the show.  But speaking of bad deals, who (after watching three seasons) would subject themselves and their business to the portrayals of a typical episode?  I'd say 20% come out looking good and with a good deal putting them on track (BBQ House, Lime Pie) - 80% are made to look like fools (Fish Market, Sign Shop, Popcorn Lady, Flower Shop, Coffee Roaster, etc.)  If you have your act together you don't need Marcus.  If you don't have your act together, there's a high probability you'll be in a lot worse shape for going on the show.

[Jesse]

That's why it's good tv, though -- half of them think they can get over on Marcus, and the other half don't know what their problems are. 

[Amarsir]

So do I.  But by job title, and job type, within the same organization, I don't know of any woman who makes more than a similarly educated or experienced man.  My own personal experience has been that a male coworker doing the same job I have (with no discernible experience or education difference) has a higher base salary.  This is an experience shared by many of my coworkers and friends.

We're going to get dangerously off-topic here but one of the prevailing theories about why a gap might exist is simply that men ask for raises and women don't. Studies suggest that female employees show more reluctance to self-promote and as a result don't get what they didn't ask for.

Obviously I have no idea about your case so you'll have to be the judge there.

[Amarsir]

And did it again.  Like a child.  There was no growth.  No change.  He couldn't even chill out for a few days during filming.  Who would want to be partners with that?

This seems to have been three successive days of shooting, not spread over weeks like other episodes. I doubt any of us could change our bad habits overnight.

Again I understand why someone would say he's too bossy to work with. But is he really worse than the bosses at Car Cash, Athan Motors, Key Lime Pies, PRO-FIT, or LA Dogworks? Even the cases where Marcus walked away he gave them more chances than ASL got. So that might be a sticking point for you or me but I just don't buy that this was the least offer-worthy business The Profit has visited in three seasons.

[eddy]

I agree - the ASL guy is not as bad as some others who got a deal with Marcus.  It could be just a personality conflict.  I personally don't get along with many New Yorker's because many are too abrasive for my West Coast upbringing.  That aside, it seems Marcus cut out when he realized the guy just wanted the potential $1.5M in sign business Marcus could refer.  Perhaps ASL should have contacted Marcus on the side to make a sales presentation rather than apply to be on the show.

 

It seems the kind of deals Marcus really wants are those where he can move a good product into broad distribution, own a good percentage of the company, and also get a percentage of each unit sold.

 

[Lola16]

We're going to get dangerously off-topic here but one of the prevailing theories about why a gap might exist is simply that men ask for raises and women don't. Studies suggest that female employees show more reluctance to self-promote and as a result don't get what they didn't ask for.

Obviously I have no idea about your case so you'll have to be the judge there.

In my situation, it's hard to know what your coworkers exact salaries are, you know the range based on job title and level but those ranges can be very broad (20-30K$).  I only found out in one instance because the male coworker complained to me that he felt his pay was too low.  Trust me, I did bring it up to management but got the run around and excuses.

 

The girlfriend in ASL knows she isn't getting paid and is accepting an allowance from her boyfriend/boss.  She uprooted her life to move from LI to SC for him.  Why she finds this acceptable or wise, I do not know.

This seems to have been three successive days of shooting, not spread over weeks like other episodes. I doubt any of us could change our bad habits overnight.

Again I understand why someone would say he's too bossy to work with. But is he really worse than the bosses at Car Cash, Athan Motors, Key Lime Pies, PRO-FIT, or LA Dogworks? Even the cases where Marcus walked away he gave them more chances than ASL got. So that might be a sticking point for you or me but I just don't buy that this was the least offer-worthy business The Profit has visited in three seasons.

It does take time to permanently change bad habits.  However, if a leader told me to shut up and let my colleague talk, if I wanted to show that I could listen, I wouldn't interrupt said colleague again within the same pitch.  To me that showed an unwillingness to change.  The guy didn't come across as wanting guidance.  Just business.  And that's not what Marcus wants to give.  If he really wanted the business, ASL should have played ball.  The fact that he couldn't control his run on mouth for 3 days, is a bad sign.

[Amarsir]

Both good points, @Lola16. I'll never understand why anyone on a reality show is so lacking in self-awareness as to not see how you're portraying yourself.

[selhars]

1) I have questions about the OTHER business owner who was a customer of ASL who contacted Marcus about a supposed lawsuit and ASL's supposed reputation in the area...I think HIS motivated was to screw Anthony, because Anthony has sued him to get paid. SO I don't know that I would have put him on air without vetted him A LOT first. Marcus said you don't sue customers. So you mean he'd never sue a business (client or supplier) that owed him money? Sure you pick your battles, and ry to work it out. But sometimes you sue to get paid.

 

2) IF ASL's rep was so bad, how were they still doing so much business?

 

3) I think Anthony also mis-read Marcus, and thought Marcus might see his attitude as part of his work. work work ethic. I DO think Anthony works HARD. They said on the show he does the installs scouts sites etc. With three sales people, how much PRE-sale interaction did Anthony USUALLY have with customers? Would he even have been on an appointment like the Pirateland meeting. Maybe so because it was a bug job, but it was MARCUS who asked him if he agreed with the other guy saying it could be done in a week, HE didn't jump in. Marcus PROMPTED that contradictory answer. 

 

4) True. Anthony was no where NEAR the worse owner attitude wise. But it's also amazing that he couldn't clean up or tone down his shit for taping on a frigging business show.

Edited December 5, 2014 by selhars

[camom]

 

I'll never understand why anyone on a reality show is so lacking in self-awareness as to not see how you're portraying yourself.

 

My opinion is that they don't see themselves the way the rest of us do.  They think we are going to find them smart/funny/hard-working -- whatever.  Many of them wander into the sociopathic arena, thinking they can outsmart everyone else.  I do wonder what they think when they see themselves on TV.

[attica]

one of the prevailing theories about why a gap might exist is simply that men ask for raises and women don't.

 

Putting the blame of oppression on the oppressed would be funny if it weren't so depressing.

 

I will note that it's not a 'prevailing theory'. It's one stat borne out by research.  Research which also bears out the reasons women don't ask: because they face professional backlash for doing so that their male counterparts don't -- worse reviews, hits to their professional reputations.  Women are socialized to not ask, to wait their turn, which (conveniently, to the paymasters) never arrives. Also, as Lola16 accurately notes, if a woman has no idea what her colleagues are making, she is in a poor position to effectively negotiate a fairer deal, regardless of her willingness to 'lean in.' All of which together is neatly explained with Occam's Razor: systematic sexism and women's accurate perceptions thereof. 

 

And anyway, most jobs (for both boys and girls) aren't set up so that workers have much say in their pay. Most companies peg raises to scheduled performance reviews, to pre-set levels of increases based on seniority or achievement, or both. I'm in management, and even I am bound the company's compensation schedules.  So a cashier at McDonald's or a night nurse or a sales associate at a retail shop can't expect to get anywhere by saying, hey, supervisor, I want a raise because I'm awesome at my job! He or she will get one when (or if) the company deems it. Even union workers' raises are handled by collective bargaining and allocated at the bargained amounts and times, rather than by individual request.

 

Bringing it back to the episode, Marcus raises his eyebrows at the girlfriend getting no pay. Anthony jumps in and insists he's got it all covered, all her needs are met, whenever she wants something, she just asks. Which, to the experienced observer of this kind of arrangement signals that should ever she says 'hey honey, how 'bout a paycheck' he'd be all 'What, are you saying I don't take care of you?' and get all butthurt, leading to her feeling like she has to apologize to him.  Am I reading in to the situation facts not in evidence? Maybe. But this dynamic is so entirely common, it's textbook. Utterly predictable. It's all about control, making it incredibly difficult for women to counter such emotional manipulation once in place. That's why would be better to have the pay question settled up front, like a prenup, if at all possible. And no lie, it's not always possible, seeing as many people are assholes like Anthony. I'm certainly in no place to judge the girlfriend for choosing as she does for the whatever reasons she has. I only mean to point out stuff I notice watching the teevee and what it makes me think.

 

If my framing ASL Signs as a synecdoche of The World is ridiculous, well, I've been ridiculous before. And on the internet, too! :)

[eddy]

Yeah - I wasn't too happy either with showing the scene where Marcus met with the customer who was unhappy with the work, didn't pay, and got sued.  Meet off camera, OK.  Meet on camera, not OK.  There are two sides to every story, and we are dealing with people's livelyhood here.

 

Did anyone check out the deleted scenes on The Profit website?  Marcus interviewed an ex-partner who now has his own sign shop.  Nothing good to say about ASL either.  But what really concerned me was the film crew took a close-up shot of the guy's work-in-process job board (apparently to show his business is doing well), and you could see the company names of all his customers!   As a business owner, I'd be pissed if I granted an interview in my office and they filmed and aired my customer info.

 

I love the show, but I think Marcus needs to dial a few things back.  Don't get me wrong, ASL did not deserve a partnership with Marcus, but the show can make it's point without hitting below the belt.  Let the owner talk and act foolish - but no need to bring in outsiders to gang up. Again, I think the upside potential for a business owner who goes on this show is outweighed by the high probabality you'll be made to look like a fool.

 

 

[attica]

As a business owner, I'd be pissed if I granted an interview in my office and they filmed and aired my customer info.

 

That sounds like an error, in that when they decided to not include that scene in the broadcast version, they wouldn't have needed to do the pixilation to blur that info out, and just forgot to do it when they posted it online. On the other hand, perhaps there are signed releases permitting it. If I were a customer of that guy's, I'd have something to say about it, for sure, but not everybody does.

[Amarsir]

 All of which together is neatly explained with Occam's Razor: systematic sexism 

"Systemic" behavior cannot possibly fall under Occam's Razor. Universal actions without an underlying rational cause requires vastly more assumptions than the alternative.

1) I have questions about the OTHER business owner who was a customer of ASL who contacted Marcus about a supposed lawsuit and ASL's supposed reputation in the area...I think HIS motivated was to screw Anthony, because Anthony has sued him to get paid. SO I don't know that I would have put him on air without vetted him A LOT first. Marcus said you don't sue customers. So you mean he'd never sue a business (client or supplier) that owed him money? Sure you pick your battles, and ry to work it out. But sometimes you sue to get paid.

Not a customer, but a pretty interesting example:

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/reality-bites-brooklyn-meat-company-featured-cnbc-show-slapped-lawsuit-article-1.1794138

 

(Marcus sued A. Stein Meats for control over the "Brooklyn Burger" brand.)

[RadioActiveRich]

Putting the blame of oppression on the oppressed would be funny if it weren't so depressing.

 

And that right there may be the thing that is truly holding us back. The idea that "blame" should be a factor at all is at the heart of the problem.

 

I have no doubt that MANY MANY people are screwed out of fair pay, but what I have a hard time with is that men are intentionally stopping women from being paid fair. Is it possible there are extenuating circumstances that perhaps the underpaid don't see? Sure. Is it possible that men are in fact (at times) chauvinistic and therefore just don't value women as much as men? Sure - at times. But the most likely issue here is that people are caught up in blame and nonsense where what we really need is to open up the lines of communication based on VALUE TO THE BUSINESS!

 

Having said all that, I do know women who are paid more then men in the same position. Those women have added value to the business that their male counterparts have not. Thing is - the men don't just automatically assume it's a gender bias. 

[Neurochick]

Bringing it back to the episode, Marcus raises his eyebrows at the girlfriend getting no pay. Anthony jumps in and insists he's got it all covered, all her needs are met, whenever she wants something, she just asks. Which, to the experienced observer of this kind of arrangement signals that should ever she says 'hey honey, how 'bout a paycheck' he'd be all 'What, are you saying I don't take care of you?' and get all butthurt, leading to her feeling like she has to apologize to him.  Am I reading in to the situation facts not in evidence? Maybe. But this dynamic is so entirely common, it's textbook. Utterly predictable. It's all about control, making it incredibly difficult for women to counter such emotional manipulation once in place. That's why would be better to have the pay question settled up front, like a prenup, if at all possible. And no lie, it's not always possible, seeing as many people are assholes like Anthony. I'm certainly in no place to judge the girlfriend for choosing as she does for the whatever reasons she has. I only mean to point out stuff I notice watching the teevee and what it makes me think.

 

 

I just watched this episode.  This, above bothered me the most, because a child was involved.  They have a child together.   Anthony could meet someone new, turn around and ditch his girlfriend and daughter.  If there isn't anything in writing, they're screwed.  Look at the businesses Marcus has visited that were run by couples who were once together and now hate each other, not pretty.

[selhars]

This is the first episode of the Profit where I really felt cheated. I agree the ASL part was rushed, just to get to Popcorn Lady -- and who the hell cares about her after that craziness of the the previous encounter. I can't believe Marcus invested with her. Advise her, help her, guide her -- but invest MONEY in her and to business WITH her...uh, HELL no! Did she really show you that she was that 'changed and enlightened about how to conduct an honest business? Really, Marcus. Come on.

 

This is also the first episode, I intentionally did not watch again as a repeat. So CNBC lost my viewership last night. I don't want to see that episode because I don't agree with how it was done. I've watched every other episode at least  twice. Most three times or more. That's how much I really like the show -- and Marcus. But this episode...no.

Edited December 7, 2014 by selhars

[Neurochick]

I wonder about the ASL episode and the girlfriend.  I wonder if there's some kind of scam going on and she's getting government assistance.  She's not getting paid, he's giving her cash.  Couldn't she claim that she needs something like WIC?  Maybe they don't even live together.  I'm not saying that I know, but the girlfriend was might calm about not getting a salary and doing most of the work.  Either something else is going on, or she's just silly.

 

Now, it's stupid to come on TV if you're doing that, but then again, lots of people are stupid and think they won't get caught.  

Edited December 7, 2014 by Neurochick

[rehoboth]

Good insight Neurochick about the possibility of government assistance.  On the one hand, he just started paying himself a few months before.  On the other hand, why would a seemingly intelligent, got-it-together woman leave herself so vulnerable?

 

As Judge Judy would say, these three are 'playing house' together and it seems like that situation never works out well for the woman.

 

As far as the other raging debate in this forum, some of the studies about pay discrepancies are for equal pay for equal work (which may or may not take into account experience, background, education and breaks in service) and many other studies are pushing equal pay for comparable work (administrative assistant vs engineer).  You can probably find a study to support whichever side you come down on.

 

Altogether, this was an unsatisfying episode.

[Zann]

Interesting development with Planet Popcorn. My personal theory is that the show nearly destroyed her business and Marcus felt some obligation to step back in.

[eddy]

Zann - That was my take exactly.  It's like Marcus felt sorry that she lost the Disney contract (likely because they realized her accounting is in shambles and very likely under-reported her sales to cheat them on commission).  But yeah - nothing I could see in their re-union that explained any of the discrepancies from the original episode, or why she deserved his investment now.  A real let down of an episode overall with so many un-answered questions.

[BronxBecky]

Very fishy on both parts. Up until now, for a reality show, The Profit had pretty solid integrity but this episode changed that to me.  

[selhars]

This is quacking like a duck. We're all having the same feeling about this episode.

[caligirl50]

And yet another douche owner.  I hope that girlfriend smartens up and gets away from him.

[nobodyyoucare]

In regards to the price of popcorn for a tin usually a tin that size from even a store costs about what she was selling hers for. That was a 3.5 gallon tin. This is gourmet popcorn not orville reddenbockers. Also the corn is popped for your order then shipped to you so it is fresh. Its actually a pretty decent deal compared to other gourmet popcorn I have seen in tins and bags.