I noticed a customer yesterday rifling through copies of the latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens. On offering to help I found out that she was looking at the colours of the free wrapping paper with the magazine. She wanted the purple, a colour in short supply in our shop. SI helped her, going through a stack of BHG she had not seen.
While we were looking for the paper, she told me that she liked newsagencies because they were how shops should be. She likes personal service, friendliness and great magazine range. She specifically said that she would not be able to look for the wrapping paper she likes at a supermarket.
We found the purple paper. She was happy and I was happy to have shared the experience. I also gave here a couple of spare wrapping paper sheets we had.
The experience reinforced for me the value of engaging with customers. The amount we made from the single magazine sales is not that much but the personal enjoyment was considerable.
I saw the lady around ten minutes later and she made a point of saying goodbye. She told me again how much she loves the shop. Her smile stayed with me all day.