Last weekend, I was participating in an art show with a local group of artists to which I belong. It is our annual show, and we were all quite excited to be able to hold the event after a Covid-imposed 2 year hiatus. Sales had been OK, perhaps a bit better than in past years, but not what you would call brisk. I was helping out at the main sales table when a nice lady asked me for a small piece of paper. I of course obliged. A while later, she comes back with her note-covered paper and informs me that she is “ready to buy”. I glance at her paper and ask if she means that she wants to decide among the paintings that she has listed, and calmly replies: “Oh no, I am buying them all”. OK, this is a first ….. Trying to not show too much excitement, I ask her how she plans to pay for her purchases, and she coolly replies “Credit Card”. My heart sinks, because we aren’t equipped to handle credit card sales (I know, it’s 2022, but this group is very traditional and this kind of situation has never happened before). I inform her that we will accept a check if someone in the group will vouch for her, or cash of course. There is no problem vouching for her, but there is the slight problem that she doesn’t have her checkbook with her, nor her debit card to get cash from a nearby ATM. That could have been a problem anyway, as I had added up her selections and the total was over $600, more than most ATMs will allow you to withdraw …. So I was silently glad that I hadn’t gotten too excited, because I could see this “dream transaction” slipping away…. As we are discussing possible solutions, the lady suggests that she could go home and get her checkbook, but understandably she doesn’t sound too thrilled at the prospect. She confides that she picked the paintings because she just fell in love with them, and eventually convinces herself that the only solution is to go home and get her checkbook. She assures me that she will come back. While she is gone, the member who vouched for the lady, and who incidentally had invited her to come to the show, says she knows her personally and she is an art collector, so she is not surprised by her actions. About an hour later, the lady returns with a box of packing materials and her checkbook, and I proceed to write up her purchases while others are busily packing her newly acquired treasures. We agree to have separate receipts and checks for each artist, and as she is writing one of the checks out, she looks up at me and says “You know, I feel really bad paying only this much for that piece. It’s worth a lot more. Can I add $20 to the amount?” As I had already written out the receipt, I ask her if she would like to talk to the artist and share what she had just told me. So I call the artist over and enjoy watching her receive compliments from the lady, as well as a cash tip. They are both happy, as am I! Talk about win-win-win! As we near the end of our transactions, the generous buyer casually asks me if I am an artist. Of course I say yes, and point to my display of paintings right behind us. When she sees my name, she says “Oh, I almost forgot, there is one of your small paintings I wanted to get too! “ So she wound up buying 8 paintings in all, from 5 different artists! I hope she enjoys them for many years to come! Has anything like this ever happened to you? Do share in the comments!
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AuthorMy name is Claire Bureau. Archives
March 2023
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