Saturday, December 17, 2011

Accidental Salesman

      Today I was an accidental salesman for a few hours!


       Our Nature Center has a bookstore as many nature centers do. They have tables in the various malls at Christmas. Of course these tables are manned by volunteers. I volunteer a couple of times each season for a few hours. It's interesting because people come to you with all kinds of natural history questions or comments. They will have a bird that comes to their yard that they can't identify. Somebody else wants to know about bats. Another person is totally absorbed by craters. I find these interactions very positive and many times I learn something new. 


      However, I'm supposed to be there selling books? Sales are slow but the main objective is to get the nature center book store name out there and hopefully people will visit the nature center. Any books I sell in the process will be completely accidental!

8 comments:

  1. You look pretty good there, Red - and it's wonderful that you volunteer to help out.

    I guess the saying, 'We learn something new every day' held true for you today. :))

    I would have enjoyed visiting the Nature Center table.

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  2. Ur post reminds of a short story I once read where the person who comes to buy a book remembers neither the title or the author but only the red color of the cover :)

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  3. Hi Blue

    You may be the "accidental salesman" but this photo of you is so uncanny that it scared the "stuffing" out of me. You are the spitting image of my father when he was about your age!
    That should scare the "stuffing" out of you!
    Having said/written that could you send this photo to me as a jpg.peg so as I can send onto my sisters and brother, please.
    Now if you were my Dad, you would be able to sell ice to the Eskimoes! That book stall would be empty within minutes - there would not be tolerated any lookers - they would be scared shitless if they didn't buy a book!
    I trust I haven't given you any permanent brain damage or a bout of nightmares????
    You sure have startled me - ha ha.
    Cheers
    Colin
    ps: Dad like you also liked the cold weather!!!!!

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  4. I think children's books look good on you, Red. :)

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  5. That's HOW you become a salesman.....by the ability to answer questions and in which book to find them. Great pic of you too.

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  6. Great photo, but you look nothing like my dad. :-) Too bad for me. Your header photo is small today, I was wondering if you are working on your banner.

    So good of you to volunteer, whether or not you sell any books, you are making a difference.

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  7. DJan, I'm not working on my header. Thanks for the head's up on the picture.

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  8. You are a great volunteer..and it looks like you have a variety of books that will sell themselves! :)

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