IMAGINATION 437The old gentleman finally pulled down some shirt boxes and began
laying out shirts that were not even similar to the shirt for which I had
asked. I told him that none of these suited, and as I started to walk out
he asked if I would like to look at some nice suspenders.
It is proper for a salesperson to try to interest a customer in wares
for which they make no inquiry, but judgment should be used and care
taken to offer something which the salesperson has reason to believe
the customer may want
I walked out of the store without having bought either shirts or
ties, and feeling somewhat resentful that I had been so grossly mis-
judged as to my tastes for colors and styles.
A little further down the street I went into a small, one-man shop
which had shirts and ties on display in the window.
Here I was handled differently!
The salesperson asked no unnecessary or stereotypical questions.
He took one glance at me as I entered the store, sized me up quite
accurately, and greeted me with a very pleasant "Good morning, sir!"
He then inquired, "Which shall I show you first, shirts or ties?" I
said I would look first at shirts. He glanced at the style of shirt I was
wearing, asked my size, and began laying out shirts of the very type and
color for which I was searching, without my saying another word. He
laid out six different styles and watched to see which I would pick up
first. I looked at each shirt and laid them all back on the counter, but the
salesman observed that I examined one of the shirts a little more closely
than the others and held it a little longer. No sooner had I laid this shirt
down than the salesman picked it up and began to explain how it was
made. He then went to the tie counter and came back with three very
beautiful blue ties, tied each, and held it in front of the shirt, pointing
out the perfect harmony between the colors of the ties and the shirt.
Before I had been in the store five minutes I had purchased three
shirts and three ties, and was on my way with the package under my arm,
feeling that here was a store to which I would return.