Balloon Chat
Uncategorized Boards => Topic/Discussion Of The Month => Topic started by: Danny the Idiot on January 31, 2010, 10:14:50 PM
This month I thought we could discuss problem people.
This includes children and adults in lines, queues, shows, oudoors, indoors, before, during and after twisting, well basically anyone that you feel is a problem.
From that annoying Granny to irritating kids, what do you do to make your twisiting life easier?
Please do remember this is a public forum! :shock:
cheers
Danny
For rude parents that talk.
Something I found that works for me is arrange chairs in a semi circle for the parents to sit on.
This splits them up and gives the children a lap to sit on.
Note: I will arrange the chairs my self and invite them to sit down.
Fuzz
HOw do you handle annoying kids in a line
Litghten the mood..
Remember your the great entertainer.. dont let the child know that he/she is annoying you.
If that does not work.. .. make big joke of it all in front of the other children.. then the child will see that you can't be rattled and then he/she will get bored and stop..
I had a really unusual party yesterday and whilst I handled it okay I think there was vast room for improvement. I was there to do face painting and balloons for a 1st birthday party for the older children invited and where I was expecting more 6-7 year olds the majority were around 9 and some older!
It was going fine when I was doing the face painting but as soon as I started the balloons things got a little silly. It started with some children deliberately popping balloons and then wanting replacements. At this point I said I would make them one more but if I caught them popping those they would not be getting anymore. I then had a 9 year old obsessed with his tackle. He asked me to make a willy and when I refused he actually asked why :o Once he realised I wasn't going to do that he asked for an inflated balloon which he placed one end between his legs and the other he put in his mouth in a rather suggestive fashion. Shan't be letting anyone have a plain inflated balloon again in a hurry.
The final one I dealt with (obviously to the host Mum's approval as she commented positively on it) was a young man of about 10 or 12 who kept coming up when I had other children patiently waiting asking me for something and then running off again, coming back asking if I had made his balloon yet! I tried to explain to him on several occasions that I was not going to make his balloon until he either waited his turn without disappearing or if it got to a point where I didn't have anyone waiting for me. He did get his balloon eventually but only because it was a quiet job and I he caught a gap in my little clients.
BTW the job wasn't that bad, the rest of the kids and the adults were lovely and even though I had a couple of people ask for a fp or balloon for a toddler as soon as I explained why I couldn't they were completely understanding. I also was told that I was the best balloon lady several of the kids had ever seen even though I ended up doing such rubbish stuff as I haven't practised recently and couldn't remember the better stuff I know :|
I find trying to do face painting and balloons at a job now is too much, unless only 10 kids and 2 hours, as you want to do both skills well, and if your rushed your work suffers.
People cutting in line.
My lines get so long that I can't police them. Sometimes an adult will finally complain when it gets their turn that the people in front were allowing others to cut in.
Often its an ethnic group that will funnel kids in front of them that are of the same ethnicity.
Handing out tickets/numbers usually works best but then you get rude people coming up and wanting/demanding a ticket while you are working the line. I prefer just writing the number on their hand. Either way it takes time away from twisting for the crowd.
I'm thinking of hiring a young person to come and police the line for me.
Ideas?
Patricia
know the feeling Patricia, I can be quite often heard saying "is there a reason why my line is full of parents and the children are elsewhere?"
I seem to get it especialy at childrens centres etc, where Mums join the line while the kids do something else and then join when she gets closer to the front. With so many activities happening at one time its hard for them to fit it all in!! but if we complain it may be us that gets dropped, so I just laugh about it with the Mums... If I gave out tickets they would say I am here for 4 or 5 or even 8 and want that number of tickets... I will however only make for children present in this scenario and notall the 'cousins' at home
Pam
xx
I find that no mater how hard you try to be an entertainer as you twist, sooner or later you get into the "conveyer belt" mode, which can turn a fun job into something less than plesant, as you canot police the line. I know it is difficult, but I do stick to my guns in not making anything for kids who are not in the line, i.e if your cousins, brothers, sisters etc want something, they have to come and get it
Another problem that I have encountered is the kids, usually older, that get a balloon, take great delight in jumping on it, usually not that far from you, and demanding another, while you are still twisting for gthe younger crowd. You just have to be firm, 'cos once one gets away with it you open up the flood gate.
Sorry I canot give more positive help apart from be firm, but I do have a bit of magic advice that will end lines when you need to finish. I have a sign on display that clearly gives my finish time, and as that time starts approaching, I make it clear that that is when I wll stop.
Anyone asking you to do "only just one more" I will do so willingly, but I say as you have seen the sign, the organisers have only paid for me to work untill then, but I would be only too willing to stay on, but I must charge you proper money for anything I make.
The crowd soon diperse when asked for money !
T
Quotebut I must charge you proper money for anything I make.
Love it.
On a side note do the people see you as a Balloon maker rather than an entertainer?
If bread is being given out free then people queue to get a free loaf not to see the bread being made.
You queue to get your Face pained not to be entertained.
If you encourage people to queue all they see is the person in front getting the balloon rather then being entertained.
When you have people in a front of you and you entertain them all whilst making balloons and give them out regardless of whether they have been there 5 min or 1 hour you are then entertaining ALL the people not just the next in line.
Fuzz
Hi Fuzzy,
I have always been an entertainer, and book myself out as such, as I don't get much pleasure in keeping my head down and just makeing.
I love your analogy of the bread maker. They can have my bread as long as they enjoy watching me make it. I try to get my audience in a semi circle, watching the entertainment, rather than in a line, and I tend to work the crowd, rather than the person right in front of me.
I have some great gags and bits of buisness, which I hope to share with you when that topic comes up next for discussion. The person who gets the balloon is the most smiley person.
This is because I am a balloon entertainer. The difficulty is convincing the crowd that that is what I am !!!!!!!
Hi Kevin,
QuoteThe difficulty is convincing the crowd that that is what I am !!!!!!!
Now you're talking just need to look at the people & listen to decide if it is balloon bender maker or an entertainer.
Do you have set routines which you repeat, if so how often.
I do believe we set ourselves up for the problems.
Look at Birthday parties....
The prospect asks do you do balloons, will all the children get one.
Answer Yes.
If made at the party then the line problems start.
Personally I tell the prospect there is no entertainment value it making a balloon for all the children as after the first couple they all get board and run around and pop them
Better to have a big clear bag full of their favourites in different colours so the birthday child can hand them out at the end of the party.
Fuzz
Problem people....
People who use emotional blackmail to get what they want plus bullies that think because they are rude and loud they will get a balloon.
Kids that take a balloon and pop it within minutes.
crying babies
talking parents
over excited kids
None are really problems just hard work, every job has them in some way.
Just be fair and consistent
Oh yeah I just love the parents who come up whilst you are packing up and try begging/bullying/bribing you to do just one more! Even better when they tell their kid that it is because you are a nasty person because you won't! I just stand my ground and explain that if I were to squeeze them in then what about the kids I have already turned away and who went without a fight? I have had people force their kids to cry and who have called me some nice names :shock: