Buyer beware - seller, too
Cowgirl Sass & Savvy

Julie Carter

The holiday season, shopping frenzies, sales galore and all that goes with that. The crowds begin to swarm the retail outlets for the bargain of the century, but let me caution you about regular-looking cowboy types, wearing worn, tattered clothing, who are out to make a good deal.

Jess was an honest man, but he had been in the cattle business a long time. Long enough to know that when you go trading, a man needed every advantage he could get. That accounted for his apparel when he left the ranch.

Today's objective was to trade a saddle he didn't use for one that suited both him and his horse a little better. Both were big old boys. He also had in mind to look at a new horse trailer while he was in town.

The Western store, more than city block long, stocked everything from bling T-shirts to horse trailers. This prestigious place carried quality inventory and took pride in their customer service.

Jess walked in and, as luck would have it, the owner was standing by the front counter. Not a rookie at wheeling and dealing, the owner, under usual circumstances, would have immediately recalled an intervening commitment when he saw Jess coming.

However, this particular day, he was somewhat tethered to the spot by his own knee-high kid hanging to his leg.

"Need to swap you a wonderful saddle that I just cannot use for one that wouldn't be anywhere near this good, but would fit me," Jess said as he put forth the saddle he'd carried in the door.

The storeowner got a gleam in his eye, thinking today might just be the day he could make a good deal with Jess. "Let's see this old saddle you got."

Jess allowed that it wasn't really an old saddle - it was one he had won, but he just hadn't used because it was a little small.

"Well, we can't really sell trophy saddles," said the storeowner, "nobody wants something they didn't win themselves."

"Got that figured out," Jess said. "Took that burden off you. I would let your saddle man back there swap out the fenders on this new wonderful saddle for the fenders on one of your new saddles here in the store. Wouldn't cost you any boot or anything."

The light went on in the owner's head. This wasn't going to be any easy trade. His inventory in the story included top-shelf, expensive saddles. While he was figuring his next move, his kid pulled on his leg. "Daddy, I'm ready to go home."

The trade banter went on awhile, and they were getting pretty close to the finish when Jess threw in the comment that he needed a bunch of things from the other side of the store.

This was where the hats, boots and high-dollar clothes, tack and trailer accessories were displayed. The owner looked Jess over, noted that his hat was showing some "experience," and his boots had duct tape holding them together.

With that added information and the fact his kid now needed to go to the bathroom, he came down another hundred dollars on the trade.

They continued jarring a little longer and finally the storeowner set his heels.

Jess then pulled out his ace. He was also planning to look at a new trailer that day. The owner caved and offered a figure that Jess already had determined.

They shook hands and while they were walking up to the counter to write up it up, the owner asked him, "Now, what was it you needed from the other side of the store?"

"Two feed buckets and a pooper scooper," Jess replied.

"That's it?" blurted out the merchant. "I thought you were going to get a new hat, new boots and a trailer."

Knowing he'd been had, the owner wobbled on off, suddenly needing to take his kid home. The girls behind the counter wrote up the ticket and Jess told them, "Now, don't you all forget me in case I lose this ticket. I'll be back in a little bit to pick up my saddle when they get the fenders swapped."

The girls laughingly assured him no one in the store would forget him. In the meantime, Jess went on down the road and bought a two-horse-slant aluminum trailer from the competition.

He still had on his trading apparel, but that's another story.