In the car park at Westfield Knox City on Thursday I was watched by an old couple as I put Henry in the passenger seat or my car and buckled him if for the ride to the office.
I felt they were judging me as I buckled Henry in rather than tossing him on the back seat with other items from the newsagency.
It turns out they weren’t judging me. They are collectors and knew the collection Henry is part of. They were happy to see me treat Henry as I would a person. We chatted for a bit and they were happy to find out that we have more of Henry’s family available at the newsagency.
The experience was a reminder of how our behaviour outside our shops can be a reflection on the business. In this case I now have a couple, collectors of high-end plush, who could become regulars as a result something they saw me do in the shopping centre car park.
This car park contact could be worth easily $1,000 a year based on their annual collection investment.
It is easy to see what we sell as barcodes (SKUs the majors call them) when, often, they are more real and more emotionally valuable to our customers. It was a trill to see what Henry meant to this couple, to see they joy they have for others like him.
Bear.