I don't consider myself a funny person most of the time. Once in a while, though — usually when I'm tired or otherwise stressed — I'll get in one of those moods, and inspiration (or just lowered inhibitions) hits. I'm sure most of you can relate the need to appease your inner actor or comedian.
If this moment happens in the middle of a store, then there's a chance that employees of said store will be amused, and they might choose to thank you by giving you free stuff. No guarantees, but it does happen.
Example #1: One chain restaurant that we eat at occasionally sells these giant crispy rice treats. Rather than buy dessert at the restaurant, we'll stop by this other restaurant (a semi fast-food place) and pick up one of these treats and split it between us. They sell the treats right by the cash register. One day the line was pretty long. We just wanted to get one of the treats and go; they didn't need to prepare a meal for us.
Then, I saw the sign on the second cash register, which was for call-ahead orders. It was empty. (A-ha!) So I picked up a take-out menu, which had the phone number for the restaurant. I called on my cell phone while I was standing in line. One of the young ladies picked up the phone behind the cash register.
I said, “I'd like to order a crispy rice treat. I'm waving at you right now.”
She was amused enough by this that she just gave me the treat.
Example #2: This one happened today. I ordered a smoothie at the Sheetz gas station. The touch screen allows me to add whipped cream on the top, which, being the whipped-cream kind of guy I am, I opted for.
I paid for the smoothie and waited. The lady who made the smoothie apologized that they were out of whipped cream. To which I let out this huge gasp of utter terror. (A bit like the terror that FMF must feel when he runs out of Moose Tracks® ice cream.)
After she found out that I wasn't really serious, she gave me not only a free drink card, but also a card for free food! Bonus!
Were these people obligated to give me something? Of course not, but it was a nice gesture. Some businesses just get it, and reward the customers they want to stick around and buy more stuff (one of whom, I hope, is me). The cost to them is less than the perceived value to me, since they mark up their products before they sell them to me.
That, and a nice (or funny) customer sure beats a cranky one, doesn't it? There's a better chance that something good will happen — translation: free stuff — if you have a light spirit around people.
Try it and see if you win.
Fun stories! I’ll have to try using humor and see if I can get so free stuff. 🙂
You have obviously heard the old saying you can get more bees with honey… Not only do you make the person you are dealing with feel better, but don’t you find that you feel better when you are friendly with other people? Even if it doesn’t result in free stuff.