True mom confession: I have never bought my kids ice cream from the ice cream man.
Before you pass judgment and think I am some sort of frozen treat Nazi or have banned my children from eating junk food, that’s simply not the case. I may or may not have eaten Blue Bunny banana split ice cream straight from the carton the other night and I let Miss A eat cheese puffs for dessert until her fingers were stained nuclear orange.
It’s just the ice cream man, our ice cream man, has horrific timing. He always drives by blaring his annoying cheerful ice cream man van music just as we are sitting down for dinner, and I have a difficult enough time achieving dinnertime Zen, thank you very much (shakes fist in the air). Either that or he cruises through our subdivision when literally the only money I have on me is 72 sticky cents, usually with a pony tail holder thrown in for good measure, in the cup holder of my car. This is a guaranteed formula for a whine fest since I have to deny the girls ice cream. It’s gotten so bad that I’ve actually shut our front door if I so much as hear the cheerful carnival type music in the distance, not that our front door and storm door really seal out the noise that much. Plus there’s something in me that just can’t quite fork over a couple of dollars for an orange push up out on our front lawn when I can turn around, walk into my house, open the freezer, and raid an entire box that cost less.
To make matters worse, the ice cream man has gotten fairly aggressive in his marketing techniques. The hubby bought Miss C ice cream from the ice cream man earlier this year and he handed the hubby his business card along with his change. It’s now posted on our refrigerator.
That’s right. I can have ice cream man on demand!
I think I’ll stay strong, and cheap, and buy them buy the boxload.
Our ice cream man taunts us. We can hear his music, but we can never find him.
Saves me money that way.
If ever in the B’More area, stop buy and hang on our porch! The ice cream man is faithful to show up at all the right times and worth every penny!! http://lovefeasttable.com/blog/i-scream-you-scream-we-all-scream/
-kristin
Friglet: Ours stalks us. Maybe he could give your guy some marketing tips.
Lovefeast Table: Thanks…And I love those pics…they really capture the essence of being a kid in the summertime!
Let me guess…Mr. Brian…who plays the same damn song over and over, summer after summer. My boys always want ice cream from him and they never eat it. He ain’t cheap either!
We don’t get the ice cream man so I don’t have to worry about this.
Ug how I hate the annoying ice cream truck in our neighborhood. I’ve trained my kids well though, they run straight to our freezer to get their own frozen treat!
Hugs,
Holly
Hey- nice commentary on those nasty ice cream men who work the streets.. they’re out to get our children, or should I say parents’ small change. You’re right, it makes little cents to buy icecream when you’re already stocked to the hilt with 12 flavors in the ice box!
Kay
I can totally relate to your ice cream man hesitancy! I realize the economy sucks right now, but the ice cream man’s prices have definitely skyrocketed! Plus, our ice cream man looks very much like he could be on America’s Most Wanted for some horrendous crime or another. Good for you for staying strong!
nuckingfutsmama´s last blog ..No More Training Wheels
Wow, I’ve read all these responses and see that once again, the Ice Cream Man/Woman has an image problem they’ve created and continue to develop with lack of uniformity, obnoxious music and no sense of community. Would it interest you to know that our company has purposely developed a Ice Cream Sidecar Motorcycle that is a franchise business. We are specifically in the business to change the image and operations of the traditional Ice Cream Truck. By using a motorcycle, we can keep our prices lower than the vans and jeeps. We don’t want people shutting there doors because they have to pay to much for that Neighborhood Ice Cream Experience. We have people here in Seattle that use the word “Creepy” in the same sentence as the Ice Cream man. “Creepy and Ice Cream shouldn’t be in the same sentence”.
Because we’re a franchise business, we have people that are paying money to be a part of our image and operations. We have our own custom sound so parents know that it’s us coming down the street. We’re changing the image of the Ice Cream Man as we enter new markets. “I believe people really don’t want to hate the Ice Cream Man, they just hate what he’s become, we’re going to change that”.
I tell people that we’re not in the Ice Cream Business, we’re in the Memory Business. Parents come out to our Cool Cycles and say you come back, we’ll send our kids out. Moms will let other mothers know about us and tell the neighbors they’ll support us but not the other guy.
I hope your readers haven’t lost the Romance of a Nostalgic Experience and Memory such as the Ice Cream Man/Woman. We’re working hard to change the image with our Cool Cycles and have listened to the common complaints and done something about them. Our next goal is to work with the large manufactures and dealers of the Novelty Ice Cream and have them set standards of their distributors. They should expect them to conform to an image other than the one they have today. They need to protect their Brand(s) by raising the Bar on who can distribute their products and what type of vehicles they use to present a positive image in the neighborhoods. I hope you readers continue to expect a change in the industry,
I do!
I’m so sorry for those of you who have had a negative experience with your Ice Cream man/woman.
I have recently been introduced to Cool Cycles Ice Cream, The Ice Cream Person is clean, well dressed and always professional….and….on a motorcycle. The Cool Cycles Ice Cream is a motorcycle with a freezer, umbrella and a tow behind freezer.
I get this big smile everytime I see them….I know the individual has great selection. reasonable prices and best of all…..a professional selling the Ice Cream…(not a creepy, crusty person that I feel uneasy with being around my children).
My Ice Cream person…..helps me feel at ease in my neighborhood, hopefully you can have a Cool Cycles Ice Cream bike in your neighborhood too.
Good luck
Cool in Seattle
Melissa
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