Cutco Probably Asked You to Sell Knives. Now It’s Getting Sued.

Daily Beast ^ | October 18, 2017 | Katie Zavasaski

[pgkdan]

Paperboy used to stop by to collect the money and then punch the card.

I did that for years, only we tore a dated stamp off the customer's page in the book. Amazing how many people would hide in their living room when I came around to collect. Looking for a dollar a week and they stiffed me. My folks had to cover my loss almost every other week.

[themidnightskulker]

I had a Cutco girl come over to try to sell me some knives. she was very proud of their steak knives. She even sawed a 1 inch thick hemp rope in half and seemed very proud of it.
She then challenged me to do the same with one of my steak knives. I went to the kitchen and pulled one of my Chicago Cutlery knives out of the block, and sliced her rope with one quick, deft motion. (I’m a chef.)
With saucer like eyes she said that in two years of selling knives, she had never seen anything like that.
I ended up buying a chicken boning knife. It is still in a drawer around here somewhere.

[sheana]

I was the bar manager at a country club. Started out as a bartender. We had tips added onto our checks and the members knew it. I used to tell people they’d break a fingernail picking a penny up off the bar. lol

[captain_dave]

I bought Cutco knives in the 90s. Excellent product.

[golux]

You eat out every meal? How strange! And your handle is Uta Hagen of all people? I bet you are an interesting soul!

[schaef21]

***Cutco knives are expensive but the big set I bought FORTY years ago is still dangerously sharp. They are really good knives.***

My son sold them after his Freshman year in college...that was 1993.

We are still using them and they are still sharp.... although we’ve never sharpened them.

I’d say we’ve gotten value out of them.

[JimSp]

Love the story.

[Cobra64]

Not true. Buy a set.

[Cobra64]

Fantastic company. Incredible quality control and lifetime warrantee.

[trebb]

I have one Rheinland Cutlery knife as our “special” knife. Came razor sharp and the sharpener they provided with it keeps it (and our other knives) in good shape. Never had a Cutco knife but sharp and durable is what folks want - if they provided that, then folks shouldn’t be so upset about how much others paid for them - like some here have complained about.

[Mears]

Ditto —�And mine are 57 years old.

[T-Bone Texan]

Thank you for using the term “ghetto dwellers”.

It is a great phrase!

[pepsi_junkie]

Women, in large numbers, didn't drive back in the 50s or 60s. Or perhaps they did but the family had only one care and the husband often used it for commuting to the office. Either way, door to door sales made a lot of sense when many or most homes had someone that was sort of trapped there. Some of those women were surely like those today who watch QVC regularly. That is to say they enjoy the process of shopping even if not for something in particular (you can't choose what comes next on QVC). When a guy showed up with some brooms to sell, well, some sales probably just made themselves.

But a lot has changed culturally since then.

[pepsi_junkie]

Women, in large numbers, didn't drive back in the 50s or 60s. Or perhaps they did but the family had only one care and the husband often used it for commuting to the office. Either way, door to door sales made a lot of sense when many or most homes had someone that was sort of trapped there. Some of those women were surely like those today who watch QVC regularly. That is to say they enjoy the process of shopping even if not for something in particular (you can't choose what comes next on QVC). When a guy showed up with some brooms to sell, well, some sales probably just made themselves.

But a lot has changed culturally since then.

[RooRoobird20]

If you don’t have one already, get the bird’s beak paring knife. This is a new type of knife introduced last year.

It is a FIERCE little knife. I swear I think I could easily debone an entire cape water buffalo with this knife, it’s incredibly sharp and precise.

[JimSp]

I agree. Not true. More like, a $35 knife for $150.

A knife of Cutco quality seems like top of the world to people who are used to junk.

[cherry]

Olean?

[Agamemnon]

I sold fire alarms and smoke detectors made by Vanguard, a division of American LaFrance (the company that makes fire engines) door-to-door back when I was in college in Richmond, VA in the late '70's.

I spent many evenings and all day Saturday's sizing up neighborhoods for possible clientele, placing flyers in screen doors (never in mailboxes, however), and going to shopping malls placing flyers under windshield wipers.

Most sales calls were made as a response to a flyer, but if I felt the neighborhood looked like a receptive one - particularly those down on the South-side of Richmond, VA. (some customers are particularly fearful of house fires) and it was a Saturday during the daytime I'd walk up and knock on a door. I was never bit by a guard dog, and calmed them authoritatively, since I'd had dogs all my life.

So here I am a 6'4" blond haired white guy driving into "the projects" in his 1970 "deuce an' a quarter" (a Buick Electra 225 -- I swear at the time I was the only white guy in Richmond who drove one, and "the brothers" nodded approvingly) and I'd deliver my pitch in my 3 piece suit + tie + sample/demonstrator bag. Made a lot of sales.

I'd set up my flip charts and cassette recorder for the presentation. Most times I'd have to call back to the local office to let the customer discuss financing payment options for their purchase. No such thing as EBT cards to supplement a customer's income back then.

I quit the job when the district manager folded the business one night and split town with commissions to me and other left unpaid.

My mom bought Fuller Brush all the time and her brother, my uncle sold us a set of Cutco back in the late '50's. Still sharp today now that I own them.

It provides good direct sales learning experience and in my case an education in the school of "hard knocks". Did you know that the late Johnny Carson the comedian and former late night show host got his start selling door-to-door?

FReegards!

[Fightin Whitey]

Imagine trying to do that today. you’d be arrested, if you could even find anyone at home...

I was thinking assaulted or killed.

[robroys woman]

That was a very interesting post!

And my wife and I just watched a documentary about Johnny Carson on Amazon Prime and, yes, they did bring up his early years.

I own a movie that you might find very interesting, considering the old sales background you and I kinda share. It’s an indie movie called “Great World of Sound”. It’s about guys that are hired by a guy to sell “recording time” to “promising musical acts.”

It is based on the author’s father’s actual experience with a shady character (the guy skipping out reminded me of it), but what is cool is that the musical acts in this movie are real. They really thought they were showing up for an audition to get signed and “make it big”.

Because of my sales background the movie is truly fascinating. My wife thinks it’s boring...I think you’ll like it. :)