"sweet sawdust" wrote in message
...
Did a high end invitation only show this weekend. Great setting (
Governors Mansion and Capitol Building grounds) free food for all and
special VIP breakfast for invited participants. Lots of fancy dress and
Ky Derby Hats on the women and all the usual Ky Derby hoopla. The
general public was invited to a buffet breakfast and to see and buy from
the vendors (only 36 vendors invited) I had one family with three little
girls come by and the oldest kid about 10 yr old threw up in front of my
booth, causing an awkward moment. Every thing else went fine, decent
sales, nice customers most on the upper scale of income. Toward the end of
the show I had a mother and daughter come in to the booth, both clean but
not "well dressed", kid wanted every thing in the booth. She finally
settled on two items one $6 and one $8. The mother gently let the kid
know that she couldn't afford the $8 toy but could get the $6 toy, if they
didn't buy anything else at the show and skipped some other treat of the
day. (This was done quietly while I was with another customer so I
wouldn't know.) What should I have done?


What I did was offer the mother a "slightly damaged" $8 toy for $6 and
when she agreed (much to the little girl"s delight) and I had made the
transaction I knelt beside the little girl (in the mother's sight and
hearing) and slipped the $6 dollar toy in her pocket and told her it was
because she was such a delightful and cute child. I got a hug from the
girl a smile from the mother and a your a sucker look from SWMBO.

Tie in to wood they were wooden toys.

Considering the state of the world today, you set a great example for the
mother and child that there still are nice people around. I'd bet the smile
and the hug were the best payment you received that day.

Well done!

Vic