Christmas Gift Afternoon (and My Failure at Marketing)

Michael at Christmas Gift Afternoon

Christmas Gift Afternoon is probably my favorite event so far.  It is a December fundraiser for the school in which pupils can come in at a set time to buy Christmas presents.  The school hall is set up with tables of presents on display and multiple wrapped versions behind them.  Every present is £2, and pupils may buy two gifts total.  They can then label the gifts and take them home.

I helped out with this event and really enjoyed the festive atmosphere.  You are surrounded by presents and lots of mums who've come to help sell or wrap presents.  We were each given Rudolph ears to wear.  The organizer even wore a run light up Rudolph nose and offered mince pies and shortbread tree shaped biscuits to us, and the head teacher (principal) even came around in his holiday tie with cups of tea.  A nice way to feel the holiday spirit.  I chatted with some really nice mums.

My favorite moment was seeing Michael and Anna walk in together, smiling.  They headed straight for my table to say hello.  They were so sweet, looking very tidy in their uniforms.  I pointed Michael to the waterproof camera/phone pouch that I'd quite like as a Christmas present.  He tried to buy it for me on the sly.  I saw him also take Anna over to another musical tie table.  (John would later be the recipient of said tie, his favorite gift.)

I manned a table with (in order of popularity): water bottles in blue or pink (most popular), Maltesers, a musical Santa tie, gloves, an ice scraper, and a shoe shine kit (very unpopular).  I enjoyed studying the children's purchase behavior.  The color and height of the water bottles were very attention getting so they got a lot of "play"--eyeing, touching, talking to a friend about it.  The Maltesers may have caused salivation in more than one buyer.  I was asked a number of times about the shoe shine kit.  Typical interaction:

Pupil:  Excuse me, but what is this, please?
Me:  Oh, it's a shoe shine kit.
Pupil:  What is a shoe shine kit?
Me:  It's for making your mum or dad's shoes nice and clean and shiny.  There's some polish, a mitt...
(Pupil starts looking around in disinterest.)
Pupil:  Thank you.
(Walks off)

After the fourth incident, it occurred to me that I was being too product focused and not consumer focused.  Why would a kid be interested in clean shoes?  I should know that.  I teach marketing, but clearly am not in the mindset leveraging my skillset.  My helper neighbor was brilliant.  Trying to peddle the last of our wares, she'd ask the kids if their mummy or daddy like to keep their shoes looking nice.  A better angle, a better sale.

Another interesting thing.  A boy and his younger brother accidentally walked off with gloves without paying.  I asked my neighbor if they paid her, and she said she didn't think so.  A few minutes later, the two boys came back and apologized realizing their mistake.  They were so polite, forking over the money.  I would like to tell their mother that she's raised some nice kids.