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Tips and stories to add value to you and your organisation

The Bobble-Head Story

17 October 2016

This is a story about awareness.

A few days ago I walked into a geeky sort of shop to buy geeky sorts of things for my daughter’s birthday. After choosing a few fun items I went to the counter to pay and saw on it a cardboard box, full of Guardians of the Galaxy bobble-head toys. 

They were exactly what I had been looking for, so I asked politely if the shop assistant would open the box and show me one, so I could buy it.

‘No I can’t do that,’ came the reply, ‘we need to unbox them and price them and put them out on display.’

‘But I want to buy one!’ I protested, ‘so could you find out the prices for them now please?’

‘No. We are not ready to sell them.’

Startled at this lazy refusal to help me give them my money I paid for my geeky stash and left the shop. About 20 paces away I stopped and thought dammit… you’re a shop and you have what I want to buy and my daughter would love one.

So I hastened back to the shop, marched up to the counter and politely  (and firmly) explained to the lady that it would take a moment to open the packaging, extract one toy, tell me how much it was and allow me to purchase it. She was about to protest, when her supervisor heard me and intervened and pointed to the price list, which was already on the counter.

Grudgingly, the assistant did what she was paid to do, and after two minutes our transaction had been completed. I left the shop for a second time …wondering that running a shop must be hard work, so why make it even harder for yourself by not selling an item that a customer is willing to buy, because he’s turned up ten minutes earlier than you would have liked? 

This is a story about awareness …what thoughts does it spark in your head? 

Next week: In Or Out Of Control?