Combat Shopping

Please, everyone quiet now.  I’d like to get the meeting started.  I think everyone is here.  Our VP of marketing would like to join us, but she is unavailable today.  Thanks to everyone for coming to our holiday creative ideas sales meeting.  The objective today is to get as many ideas as we can for marketing and sales plans for black Friday.

Look team, each year we lose a little more in-store sales to online shopping.  Our job is to disrupt this trend.  We aim to make this year’s “black Friday” the most successful and profitable ever.  We need ideas that will bring customers into the store.  We’ve got to make them want to come into the store.

First, I’d like to set the ground rules for our meeting.  This is an ideas meeting.  We are open to all ideas.  Nancy will write done all our ideas and we can rank them later.  No suggestions are bad.  I encourage you all to think “out of the box”.  Criticism is not allowed.  There is value in ideas that may not seem realistic or practical.  They might provide a spark that could lead someone else to a great idea. So don’t hold back.  Let’s get any and all ideas.  Who can throw something out to get us started.

            John, can you start us off.  Well sir, what if we had animals in the store.  Kids love animals.  The kids will beg mom to bring them to our store.  Pandas are cute.  Maybe sheep or goats. Kids adore lambs.  We want to advertise a big sale.  How about a hippo, that’s big.  A hippo would get a lot of attention.

I like that thought John.  Good way to get us started.  You’re on track with our objective to get shoppers to come to the store and think big.  Nancy, be sure to write that idea down.  Also, Nancy, make a note to check with legal on animals in the store.

Janet, do you have a thought?  Well sir, how about we set up an area in the store for snowball fights.  Bring in real snow. We could give mittens away, with our logo on them of course.  Let the kids go at it, burn some energy while the parents shop. 

Good though Janet. Nancy, be sure to write that down.  Also, Nancy, make a note to check with legal on signed waiver for childcare.

Carol, the look on your face tells me you might have something for us.  Well sir, I was thinking along the lines of a fight.  We hire a bunch of women to act as customers and wrestle for merchandise.  We send a few out at 30 or 40 minute intervals.  One fake customers grabs an item off the rack, and the second yanks it away and runs toward checkout.  Let them fight, pull some hair, even smack each other around a bit.  We create panic.  Soon real customers panic, they’re frantic.  They have to grab items quickly before they’re all gone.  It’s a mob.  Chaos will breed combat shopping.  They stop thinking.  Mob mentality.  They just grab stuff and run to checkout. 

Excellent idea Carol.  I like it.  Chaos is our friend.  Nancy, be sure to write that down.  Also, Nancy, make a note to check with legal on workmen’s compensation for temp employees.