Kenari

So occasionally on bulletin boards and things there will be job offers. There was one in the Culinary Club the other day, and I responded. The upshot of it was that I got to stand in a Whole Foods grocery store today for several hours, pouring and handing out a locally grown and brewed herbal beverage called "Kenari"
Yep, I was one of those people standing at the entrance of a store when you come in and offering you samples.
I was surprised by how many people actually took and subsequently bought the stuff. It was CRAZY expensive for the amount in one bottle, and yet, people seemed to have absolutely no problem shelling out. Maybe it was the neighborhood, I don't know.
What I do know is that the position avails itself very well to people watching. It's almost like being a fly on the wall, or at least, as close as I've gotten in a while. There were people of all different sorts. One person was "allergic to sugar" whatever that means, another refused to touch a product if it didn't have a kosher stamp on it. There were some people who clearly came in the store just for the samples, notably this one big black lady with her little son. They walked around, she trying things as he watched, and all the while trying to convince him to try them. They were such a fun pair! And then there was another lady with one of those really infectious smiles. The kind that absolutely transforms the owner whenever they put it on. Now she could have sold anything!
It was odd, too, I noticed that if you falter in telling people the ingredients, they immediately lose interest. If they know you're not with the company producing the product, they lose interest. If there is a person at the table, making positive comments, then more people are likely to come, or if people see other people leaving your table contentedly, they are more likely to approach.
These are only a few of the things I noticed- but I also noticed my back slowly starting to ache, and my smile fading with time. It's an exhausting job, and it took a lot out of me, especially as I'm not one of those people who is energized by meet-and-greet type environments. But hey, I learned a bit about selling, I got to be in a new environment, and I got well paid: an afternoon well-spent.
here's the website... i guess i should go check out what i'm associating myself with... oh, college, how I love you with your varied experiences. Anyway, here is their official website, but you'll get a better idea of who they currently are out of their facebook page.
over 'n out.
E.O.