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Life insurance salesman also sells peanuts

Contributed by: Kathryn Richert on 4/10/2008

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From the northwest corner of Market and 20th streets, Larry Collier gets his fill of street brawls and cheering crowds while helping purple-clad fans get their fill of a salty treat that's synonymous with a 200-year old sport.

Yes, Collier is the guy who yells,"Get your peanuts" at Coors Field. Actually he's one of many peddlers who stand outside the Colorado Rockies field selling snacks and drinks before fans enter through the gates and into a world of higher prices.

With vendors lined up less than a baseball pitch away from each other, it's easy for fans to find their salt fix - what's harder is getting fans to stop at your cooler, when your cooler is one of twenty.

It helps when Rockies hit homeruns. When crowds flock to a sold-out stadium, like they did during last season's October to remember, there's enough dough to go around - upwards of $500 profit in four hours, Collier said.

On rainy days or days when the Rockies hit a dry patch, it's not as easy, said Collier, who is at almost every home game.Collier, 51, doesn't rely simply on the Rockies bandwagon fans or luck to sell.

For one thing, he relies heavily on location, location, location. He likes his "family-oriented" corner a block away from the field and safely across the street from the bars. While he prefers this to being right in front of the stadium, which is too infiltrated with vendors, he said, he does have his eye on the south side of 20th and Blake streets.

Unfortunately, he'll have to wait his turn because there's an unwritten code among peddlers that you can't step on someone else's territory. The ex-minister who sells on the corner Collier is eyeing has been around for a lot longer than Collier. Collier learned of vendor etiquette four years ago when he paid $85 for a peddler's license to supplement his income as a life insurance salesman.

He's been selling insurance and peanuts ever since - two occupations that are surprisingly similar, he said.

"They are both sales. One is more aggressive selling..." he said referring to his peanut peddler role.

Despite already knowing a thing or two about sales, he's picked up a few more tricks during his peanut selling days. He said he is always fair. He doesn't jack up prices during opening games or playoffs, he doesn't wear sunglasses so he can make eye contact and he fills his Ziploc bags to the brim with peanuts.

He's also learned people are followers. Generally if one person at the front of a group of pedestrians stops, then more will line up behind, Collier said. If the people at the front of the group don't stop, it's less likely others will.

He's seen weirder things than the follower trend, however. "It gets crazy out here," he said."You see some of the strangest stuff."

At this season's opening game, he added being propositioned by two women and a man to his growing list of oddities. His favorite part isn't the entertainment provided by intoxicated fans, however, it's seeing how excited kids get for their favorite team. He tries to make his best impression on them.

"They're gonna remember dad buying their first bag of peanuts," Collier said. "They're gonna remember that guy with the silly grin and silly sign."

That guy on the corner of 20th and Market.


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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Kathryn Richert

Centennial , CO

Kathryn Richert has posted 2 stories and 0 comments since joining on 4/10/2008. Kathryn Richert 's average story rating is 5.
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