The blog post by Joel Rollins the other day, entitled “Ya Gotta Buy In
Sometime,” was on the money. It also reminded me of an episode from my
retail days.

Back when camcorders were both analog and expensive there was an old guy who
used to come into our store regularly who was serious about buying one. So
serious that he had made a chart on a piece of paper comparing all the
features and benefits of the cameras on his list. He would show up about
once a week, take his chart out of his pocket, unfold it like a road map,
ask some questions, and jot down some more notes. He’d then fold it back up,
put it in his pocket, and bid us good day. Not the strangest thing I’ve ever
seen on a sales floor (not by a long shot), but still quite odd.

He carried out this ritual for nearly a year. His fact sheet became as dog
eared and tattered as an old treasure map. To all of us he was just one of
those “odd ducks” although everyone treated him well and did their best to
help him. After all, maybe one day he really would buy one, and a
two-thousand dollar sale was nothing to sneeze at.

Finally, one Saturday he arrived, and triumphantly told one of my salesmen
which model he had decided to buy.

“I’m sorry” said the salesman, “That model was discontinued last week, and
we’re out of stock.”

“I see, thank you.” Said the old gentleman, who then departed.

The following weekend, he was back with a clean new sheet of blank paper,
and he started taking notes again.