I'd buy ALL my shower curtain rings from Del Griffith

This is absolutely a real job. Del is selling to the stores and the supermarkets and everywhere else that stocks these products.
Del isnt selling shower curtain rings to customers buying one set at a time for their house. There is no money in that. He would spend all day travelling around to sell $10 of product.
Just think about the process of making these rings. There is a factory somewhere cranking them out. They get delivered to stores. The customer buys them from the store and brings them home. Who organizes everything between step one and two? The factory has to get their product out there and sell it to stores.
If you opened a shower curtain ring factory tomorrow, who would you be selling these rings to? No one, unless you employed a guy to getout there and find stores that care to buy them at your price.

It's part of the charm of Del's character. It works to a tee.
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I grew up in NYC area during the late 1960's, early 1970's, we had salesman's come to our house all the time. We had a milkman salesman deliver bottles of milk, got our dry cleaning brought to us and I still remember the starch smell from my dad's shirts, we had an Entenmann's salesman come to the house three times a week. I remember their crumb cake was still warm. Had a Electrolux and Kirby vacuum salesman. We had a blinds salesman who came every now and then. We even had a traveling caged rides for us kids in the summers, which no parent said no to the salesman and operator as well as Good Humor man in his ice cream truck. But of these things stopped around 72 or 73 and eventually sold these things directly to Pathmark, Blue Jay's, King Kullen grocery stores. I remember my mom saving S&H green stamps, Montgomery Ward, Woolworth's, 5 & 10's, Han's Deli but no shower curtain rings salesman.

It's a comedy for pete's sake. It's not meant to be realistic. It's just a joke

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I
'
m a real kewl kat
.

I want to set the record straight. I happen to be a very successful shower curtain ring salesman operating in the Dubuque and environs area so, yes, we do exist! I hope, in fact, to start making enuf to get married before I turn 40. I find this thread to be very demeaning & upsetting.
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What's more to the point, why did these people he sold the shower curtain rings to owe him a favour? I suppose he gave them a discount.

To the OP, I can't really believe that this is an issue, do remember that 1987 pre-dates the internet too, we used to need salesmen to hock a lotta stuff 'back in the day'. If it helps, I recently met a guy from Germany that sells mailboxes, mind you that's Germany, who knows what those whacky europeans do over there.
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He isnt selling shower rings door to door. He is mostly likely selling in bulk to those five and dime stores that you refer to. Who do you think handles the transactions between all those stores and the shower ring manufacturers?

It is absurd, that's what makes it funny for me.
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I don't really think so. I could maybe understand some fictional version of Fuller, Watkins or encyclopedias but shower rings are ridiculous. They really didn't have alot of dollar stores back then but you could still get shower curtain rings at the five and dime or discount marts for almost nothing.

Maybe not in real life, but this is a movie so it's all right. Plus it plays into the scene later where they make travel money by scamming the rings off on people as luxury earrings.

Sales is a very real job. Once upon a time people would sell encyclopedias door to door and made a living at it. Hell, the Fuller Brush man is legendary. One of my first jobs was selling Rainbow vacuum cleaners.

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The 80s were a different time. Jobs that are considered menial now were once considered good careers.

Remember, they can double as great luxury earrings!

I think it was simply for comedic effect. Obviously Del has to be somewhat good at it considering he's literally living out of hotels
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You are correct.

Youre right. It "fits" his character. I think that's the important thing we are missing. It "explains" Del perfectly. It really does add to his character development.
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I remember when I was really young my Dad had a cellular phone salesman come to the house. He was wearing a suit and had tons of giant cell phones to demo. My Dad got the 'compact' one that was about the size and weight of a brick. I'll never forget that for some reason. Was probably about 1989 or so.

You do know this was made in 1987? Not many cell phones around back then Im afraid, I reckon youd make more money out of selling shower curtain rings.
Yes, I am aware, but those big cell phones were kind of taking off back then during that time. I've just never heard of anyone selling shower curtain rings. Now, maybe
bathroom
or
household appliances
in general, but just not the shower rings. lol
I don't know, it always annoyed me, but I do admit it fit the context of the film, especially when he sold them as earrings.