Monday, May 12, 2008

An Officer and a Gentleman

What a day we had on Saturday! Nonstop sales, tons of traffic, lots of gift wrapping...can't really complain.

However, it was at the very end of the day, just before closing, that the excitement really started.

The story began to unfold when two soldiers on leave walked into the store. One had a girlfriend, the other alas did not. The three of them had a great time looking around and acting like kids. After a while, the soldier with the girlfriend rushed over to Mary Ann and asked her to ring up a Star Theater and book without his girlfriend seeing it....and could we wrap it too? It was perfect because just a few minutes later, the girlfriend walked up with two items and exactly the same request. So we were frantically ringing up and wrapping without the two catching on to what was happening.

All the while, our poor lonely, but very handsome soldier played one of the thinking games on his own....taking in the whole situation.

We successfully closed the transactions and the group of friends left to have an ice cream next door. It couldn't have been more than 5 minutes later that the solo soldier came back in and asked Mary Ann what flavor of ice cream he should get...supposedly, the line was long and he wanted to know what was best when it was his time to order. She told him that she loved their strawberry ice cream and he left to place his order....or so we thought.

It wasn't long before that same cute soldier appeared in the doorway with a HUGE strawberry ice cream cone which he presented to Mary Ann. It was all very "Officer and a Gentleman" I'd like to say that he picked her up, put his cap on her head and carried her out the door....but that's not what happened.

To be continued...

Saturday, May 3, 2008

It's slightly overcast here at Mulberry Toys today, but we've really been rocking. I never get tired of overhearing the conversations between our customers. You know the kind I mean. The conversations in which they speak so glowingly of Mulberry Toys. "This store has the best stuff!" or "Oh, I haven't seen a toy like this in years!" I overhear things like this all the time. Of course, it helps that I'm kind of lurking around. I am really good at that. I recently made a new soup recipe and took it to church for a special luncheon. After several people commented on the deliciousness (not sure that's a word, but it should be) of my soup, I decided to make the rounds and discover what other comments were being made. If I got to a table and no one was talking about it, I would casually say, "Hey, did anyone have the Creamy Chicken Soup?" And then the raves would begin. Yeah, I am really good at lurking. Not in a creepy, "keep her away from my children" kind of way. More like a "Wow, this lady is so nice and is such a wonderful conversationalist" kind of way. Michelle and I would love for you to stop in and visit with us. You'll love Mulberry Toys. Great toys...great conversations...everyday!

Vanessa