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Frequently Asked Questions
If you wish to file a formal complaint for
investigation by our crack staff, please email them at How do I reserve/pay for a table? (The number 1 asked question) Due to complaints received at the 2017 show, the following policy has been established: TABLE HOLDER GUIDELINES The hosts wish to maintain the highest quality show experience for all who support this fundraiser. To this endeavor the following table holder guidelines will apply to all those with confirmed table reservations. All items must be maintained within the six foot by three foot table parameter. No items are allowed to protrude or extend outside the six foot by three parameter of the existing table. No one shall use any means to expand their table area, including but not limited to adding additional platforms, easels, and or other devises to increase their table / display space. Easels are acceptable if they are placed within the six foot by three foot table space provided. The hosts must assure adequate spaces for the free unimpeded flow of foot traffic, in the attendee and table holder aisles to accommodate those with disabilities, using walking assistance devices, or have difficulty walking. The hosts maintain complete discretion to these guidelines in the interest of show quality and safety. All persons may continue and are encouraged to place additional items, which may not fit on your table, on the stage free of charge.
"I can't make the show this year. Can you try and find for me or let people know I am searching for..." NO! Every year the show hosts get emails from collectors asking us to search for items on their behalf. We are show hosts, not a concierge service for those too lazy to get out of their parent's basement and come to the show! We encourage everyone to join us. There are plenty of great people to meet, and we frequently hear from attendees how much fun they had interacting with fellow collectors. So, unless your probation terms /ankle monitor restricts you from attending, please do not ask us to shop on your behalf!
What do you mean you no longer take checks??!!??? How am I supposed to pay????? Unfortunately, because of a few people, we are no longer accepting checks for table reservations. The old adage of, "The checks in the mail", has happened once too often. As of 04-02-2016, the only accepted method of payment will be by PayPal. If you don't have a PayPal account, go to www.paypal.com and sign up for one. There is no cost to sign up. Or, choose the option on the PayPal
What do you mean I don't have a table this year? I always have a
table!
What! Just because I didn't sign up, you should have contacted
me and let me know When the website is updated to show who's reserved tables for the following year, we reference the sign up list from the show. We frequently have long time collectors who don't reserve tables for the following year. Sometimes it's because they've gotten out of the hobby, lost interest, or gone to that great patch show in the sky. As mentioned elsewhere in these FAQ's, we have lives outside of Porky, and can't watch out for everyone!
What do you mean you cancelled my table reservation? I signed
up and even put 2017 was the epitome of frustration, trying to track down table holders. Between people who made reservations, then didn't pay, or respond to emails, to totally illegible emails and phone numbers, we're at our wits end. Of the 104 tables available for the show, only 16 people put down their email addresses. Of those, 7 were illegible and came back as undeliverable, and the ones we had on file came back as undeliverable. We don't have time or patience to track everyone down. Remember, it's up to you to follow through with payment!
How do you guys get away with using the image of "Porky Pig" in your advertising??? Special thanks go to Warner Brothers, for allowing us to use the "Porky Pig" image for our Claremont Police Explorers fund raiser, royalty free. We greatly appreciate their support of "The Porky Show" and the Claremont Police Explorer program!
How big are the tables? Tables are approximately 3' x 6'.
Why don't you guys get a bigger hall?
Show space for Taylor Hall
is Donated by the City of Claremont for the The Porky Show. The
going rate to rent the hall is $4,000 a day, which for us, is cost
prohibitive. All proceeds, that exceed costs for the show, are donated to
the Claremont Police Explorers program. If we had to rent a larger
hall, there would be nothing left for the Explorers. Actually, they
would owe us, which defeats the whole purpose. If anyone could find
us a larger exhibit hall, and is willing to make up the monetary
Why don't you do two shows a year? All of the hosts of the show are unpaid volunteers. We host the show either because we are collectors ourselves, or because we have friends in the hobby and want to stay close to those friends. If you've never hosted a show before, you wouldn't believe how much work is involved in the logistics of organizing a show. Planning for next years Porky begins even before the current show begins. We have to consider the location where the show will be held, tables for the show, a sound system, who's going to set up the hall, table reservations, food and drink, and a host of other items. All of us are unpaid volunteers, from all around the state, and it's a huge commitment we make to insure the success of the one show a year.
Why don't you add more tables? We've rearranged the show both on paper and at the hall and 104 tables is all we can squeeze in. Believe us when we say, if we could fit in another 100 tables, we'd be more than happy to do so.
Why don't you guys take this show on the road or when is Porky coming to my area? Again, all of us have lives outside of Porky. While some of us are retired, others are working full time jobs, or other jobs after retirement. Porky is a labor of love, and for us, one show a year is more than enough.
Why can't I get a table at the last minute after I failed to plan ahead? Lack of planning on your part, does not constitute an emergency on our part. Historically, Porky has always been a sellout, regardless of how many tables we have. Since we began offering tables via the internet, things have changed dramatically. For the 2014 show, tables sold out nine months before the show. For the 2015 show, tables sold out a full twelve months before the show. The old saying, "You Snooze You Lose", has never been more appropriate!
Why can't you guys secure us a hospitality suite at the Double Tree Hotel for us to meet the night before the show? Again, we host this show to raise money for the Claremont Police Explorers. All of the proceeds from the show are donated. The hosts receive no compensation. If we were to rent a hall at the Double Tree, it would take away from what we are able to donate to the explorers.
Why don't you guys do a car show in conjunction to your patch show? None of the hosts of the show are car collectors. While we do appreciate the cars that are displayed and the effort that has gone into their restoration, the primary purpose of the show is patches, badges and other police memorabilia.
I don't like the guy whose table is next to or across from me, why can't you move him or me? Great question! This is why we don't assign tables to our table holders. Every table holder has selected his or her own table themselves. Even though the table holders select their own tables, come the day of the show, there are still complaints about who has the table next to, across or in the vicinity of them. Our advise? Suck it up! You chose your table. If you don't like someone, keep in mind it's only for a few hours. In other words: Live with it!
I don't like the way another collector treated me at the show and I want the hosts to talk to him about being rude! Another great question! Refer to the last few sentences in the above answer: If you don't like someone, keep in mind it's only for a few hours. In other words: Live with it! If you don't want to do that, try to become friends!
Another collector reserved ten tables! There's no tables left for me, and that's not fair! Why don't you guys limit the amount of tables someone can have! You guys do ask the difficult questions! Basically, it's a free market. Some collectors reserve a certain amount of tables to display their collection, and even more tables to sell items they have. Still others are reserving tables not only for themselves, but for other collectors or organizations. Sometimes it's not readily apparent to the average person as to why someone is reserving as many tables as they are.
What do you mean the show for next year is sold out? This years show was only last weekend! I always have a table at Porky! Isn't there some way you can squeeze me in? Since table reservations went on-line in 2012, the show has been selling out earlier each year, with the 2015 show selling out one week after the 2014 show! A sign up list was available at the check in counter at Porky's and the 2015 show was two thirds sold out the day of the show. In 2016, all the tables were sold out by 10:00 on show day. Multiple emails were sent out beginning the Monday after the show advising collectors to reserve their tables now and not wait. Many of these emails were returned as undeliverable. Others we received no response to, or the email address we had on file was no longer valid, and we hadn't been provided with an up to date email address.
If the email address wasn't good, because I failed to update your records, or my handwriting was unreadable, why didn't you guys call me or contact someone who knows me to let me know that tables were selling out? Again, we have lives outside of Porky. We are in constant contact with one another, and try to contact past table holders to see if they want a table for next years show. If possible, we try to make phone calls. We don't always have phone numbers or a way to contact people, other than by email.
Why do I have to pay for my tables now? Why can't I wait until the day of the show and pay you at the door? Every Porky is a sellout, and has a waiting list for tables. Even though tables are paid for in advance, there are people who reserve and pay for tables that don't show up the day of the show. These tables could have gone to people on the waiting list. Waiting until later would only make the situation worse. Also, the earlier the tables are paid for, the sooner the hosts can get on with other things in their lives!
How do I get on the waiting list for a table? How does the waiting list work? If all the tables are sold out, and you want a table, you'll automatically be placed on the waiting list. The waiting list is first come, first served. If a table holder decides to cancel, we'll give them the name of the first person on the list, along with that person's email address and/or phone number if we have one. It's between them to work out the actual sale of the table. If the first person on the list doesn't want the table, they'll be removed from the list, and the person selling their table will be provided with the next person on the lists name and email, until the table sells.
What? I have to sell my own tables? Why can't you do that for me? Again, we have lives outside of Porky. Once you've purchased a table, it's yours. If for whatever reason you can't attend the show, it's up to you to sell it. We'll provide you with contacts from the waiting list, but the rest is up to you.
I wasn't able to make the show because (Fill in the Blank) happened at the last minute. Can I get my money back for the table? All table sales are final, and there are no refunds. Again, Porky has always been a sellout, and if you had notified us in advance, we may have been able to help you sell your table to someone on the waiting list.
You're pretty rude with the answers to some of the FAQ's. Couldn't you be a little more polite? A lot of these were answered tongue in cheek. If our answers offend you, you probably should find another hobby, like collecting Barbie dolls or something.
As more Frequently Asked Questions come up, we'll pick the most common ones and post them here. Check back often!
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We realize that we
can't please all of the people all of the time.
