Purchasing What You Weren't Going to Buy

By C. MacDonald

It's funny what you remember. Years ago, I was in a Sunnyvale shoe store with my mom. A 3-year-old girl couldn't take her eyes off my mother, who was wearing a hat with a yellow ribbon around it. Finally, the child said, "Oh, Mary Poppins!" The girl's grandma smiled and said that was her favorite movie.

That cute experience reminded me of the time I went into that same store just to look--with no intention of purchasing anything.

There were these big, comfortable-looking shoes, which looked like they were off Mickey Mouse at Disneyland. I felt they at least deserved trying on, even though there was no way I was going to buy them.

I tried them on and they fit real good, so I walked around the store, trying them out. They were wonderful. It felt like I was walking on clouds. However, something just didn't seem right. Where was the salesman telling me how great they looked and how long they would last?

Glancing behind me, there was the salesman, not saying a word, not trying to sell me anything. "Man, these shoes must really be bad," I thought, but, oh, how good they felt!

Still, the salesman said nothing and a few more trips around the room left me wondering if I was giving up a good buy. Another glance at the salesman and he finally seemed to understand. "I'm sorry but this is my first day on the job and I can't recommend those shoes because I don't really know if they are any good," he said.

That heartfelt expression shocked me. The sheer honesty of the gentleman sealed the sale and I walked out of the store a much happier, yet poorer man. I had purchased the shoes I wasn't going to buy!