Hi Folks,
I’ve just returned from the Harrogate show. It was brilliant!
I was on my own all weekend
, but in terms of takings it was one of my most lucrative
. The most popular product line was a set of the first 8 Cobra magazines for just £20 a set (which is what I normally get after paying the postman – some issues are quite heavy).
I enjoyed loads of customer conversations – many about you know what!!!! The first was with a couple who purchased the latest Kit Car and Cobra magazines (for Mr Filby I presume) then announced they were happy Python builders. They then ripped into me alleging I was unfair on ‘poor ole Vince
’. As it happened, the very next couple in the queue were the couple I reported upon in the July 2003 issue (they said they paid a £634 deposit to Vince but didn’t get their goods). They spent the next 20 minutes telling me to ignore the previous protest
and went on to say how pleased they were that I had the courage (and the balls) to keep warning people off.
About an hour later, another disgruntled couple told me their tale of Python woe; then proceeded to ask me specific questions regarding what I knew concerning certain details relevant to the Sri Lankan side of their ‘problem’. Whilst I was answering; a chap interrupted and complained that I was speaking a load of bollocks and that he was another very happy Python bunny. He hadn’t heard the start of the conversation and was bemused at the fact that his ‘testimony’ hadn’t moved the couple one iota. Interestingly he scampered off after finally saying (please read carefully) that he’d received everything and was delighted BUT that he was to receive the rest of his parts in a shipment due in October. I would liked to have finished speaking to the bloke but he was in ‘rant mode’ (he could speak but not listen – one way only).
Some while later, Sally Mitchell approached me to ask if I’d lay off knocking ‘poor ole Vince
’. We spent quite a while discussing Vince’s virtues (and associations and history) until Sally’s eyes welled with tears
. She went scampering back to the Which Twit stand after she realised that I’m not affected by crocodile tears. She’s a past master at it!
As I said; it was a fabulous show
– well attended and by-and-large was damned good for the industry
. The aforementioned conversations were, for me, the icing on the cake. I sold literally all the stock I’d taken to the show bar just a few magazines that were thinly covering my display stand at the end. I’ve never come so close to actually running out of things to sell.
I’ve never been recipient of so much praise and encouragement either. Shows like that make being a publisher worth while
.
Den.