Jupiter had an eye infection; I took him to the vet and a week later wrote a thank-you note and had it in my hand when I returned to Latitude 44 in The Junction.
Yes, I had a map of the Nile to be mounted in a manner that I could jot notes with an erasable marker.
Of course I lay down the envelope, then the map, and MaryAnn turned over the envelope thinking it was their inbound mail left lying on the counter.
Bug surprise to her to see "Dr. Paul Walker" on the face of the envelope. Gasp! "Our VET!" or words to that effect.
Seems that Latitude 44 used to be sited quite close to where the Mississauga Animal Hospital now is, and MaryAnn has been a client; much respect for the Mississauga Animal Hospital.
Sigh.
I feel such a part of a community!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Another Toronto day, another Toronto Dollar, ...
So back I went to the Junction this mid-morning.
There's Good news and Bad news:
Dropped my frame work off at Latitude 44; they seemed nice. They accept T$, and charge only half what the other store (that didn't get around to doing the work) said, and they (Latitude 44) said it'd be ready in an hour.
Which it was.
The Bad news is that while I was waiting, I dropped by The Other Chris(TM) at the BIA and purchased $T40, treated myself to an excellent flavoured cappuccino at Agora (they also have the absolutely cleanest washrooms in the city), and sauntered down to Pandemonium, where the nice man took about $T50 off me TWICE, because on my way out the store he noticed I'd bought math books, and in showing me the window display airily dismissed two shelves of World War 1 history books (say no more, squire).
Well, the point is that by the time I got back to Latitude 44 I had to pay $T5 and $cdn5, rather than $T10, which sort-of defeated the whole idea of paying for the framing in T$.
Moral of the story: When you are doing business with nice merchants who accept T$, you can never have too many T$. Be warned!
There's Good news and Bad news:
Dropped my frame work off at Latitude 44; they seemed nice. They accept T$, and charge only half what the other store (that didn't get around to doing the work) said, and they (Latitude 44) said it'd be ready in an hour.
Which it was.
The Bad news is that while I was waiting, I dropped by The Other Chris(TM) at the BIA and purchased $T40, treated myself to an excellent flavoured cappuccino at Agora (they also have the absolutely cleanest washrooms in the city), and sauntered down to Pandemonium, where the nice man took about $T50 off me TWICE, because on my way out the store he noticed I'd bought math books, and in showing me the window display airily dismissed two shelves of World War 1 history books (say no more, squire).
Well, the point is that by the time I got back to Latitude 44 I had to pay $T5 and $cdn5, rather than $T10, which sort-of defeated the whole idea of paying for the framing in T$.
Moral of the story: When you are doing business with nice merchants who accept T$, you can never have too many T$. Be warned!
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Weird situation
The store shall remain nameless, because I don't want to embarrass anyone yet, but they had agreed to take $T, so I drove out there mid-week to get something fixed.
"No problem; it'll be ready tomorrow".
"Friday will do" I said. "Emmachisit"
Turns out to be $T20, or $cdn15. So much for supporting T$ and treating them at par.
Well, I couldn't make it Friday, so I drove out there today, Saturday. Gas, parking fees etc. What I do to support T$!
Wasn't ready.
Hadn't even been started.
I wanted it back, but no thanks - not the broken glass.
I'll buy a sheet of glass on Brown's Line (more gas etc) and do it myself.
Scratch that business, in a manner of speaking.
But beyond that, how do you feel about businesses placing a surcharge on the use of T$. It's their business, so they can do what they want, right?
But a surcharge hardly seems to in the true spirit of the thing .....
"No problem; it'll be ready tomorrow".
"Friday will do" I said. "Emmachisit"
Turns out to be $T20, or $cdn15. So much for supporting T$ and treating them at par.
Well, I couldn't make it Friday, so I drove out there today, Saturday. Gas, parking fees etc. What I do to support T$!
Wasn't ready.
Hadn't even been started.
I wanted it back, but no thanks - not the broken glass.
I'll buy a sheet of glass on Brown's Line (more gas etc) and do it myself.
Scratch that business, in a manner of speaking.
But beyond that, how do you feel about businesses placing a surcharge on the use of T$. It's their business, so they can do what they want, right?
But a surcharge hardly seems to in the true spirit of the thing .....
Monday, September 10, 2007
Junction Arts Festival, September 8-9, 2007
http://www.junctionartsfest.com/2007/
Leon Emmet of Hairy Tarantula was kind enough to accept my irascible self as a means to promote T$ during this two-day event. I attended Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
Highlights
I spoke with dozens of people, store merchants, stall holders and consumers about the merits of T$ as a means of supporting the local community.
I made new contacts with local consumers and received an invitation to bring T$ to the Kensington Market.
I ended up with $T225 less than when I started. Of this I sold $T120 that I can recall, and most of the rest I spent locally or gave to people to spend locally.
I laughed a lot and had a lot of fun.
Again, I feel that a Street Fest is a difficult place to exchange dollars; it is a great venue to discuss T$ with passers by.
Hours
I was on the street from 11;00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturday, and from 11:30 a.m. to about 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Maryan took over the stall on Sunday afternoon.
Flyer
We printed 400+100 flyers for the event. Leon will use any excess at the BIA office and in his store. I fell behind schedule and did not get as many logos as we had hoped. Nonetheless by Sunday we had on our printed list the following vendors:
· Global Aware Kensington Kensington Market
· Big Daddy’s DVD Shop 3044 Dundas Street West
· Pandemonium Books & Music 2862 Dundas Street West
· Pascal's Baguettes and Bagels 2904 Dundas Street West
· Latitude 44 Gallery, Framing & Decor 2900 Dundas Street West
· ($T not applicable on consignment artwork)
· Hairy Tarantula Games and Comics 2949 Dundas Street West
· (10% off all books bought with $T during festival)
· Agora Mediterranean Market Café 3015 Dundas Street West
· Panache Art Gallery & Custom Framing 2946 Dundas Street West
· (10% off all purchases made with $T during festival)
· Ian's T-Shirts (at Hairy Tarantula for festival)
Merchants
Thanks to Leon Emmett’s work-in-advance, we had several merchants listed who, we could tell consumers, will accept T$. I spent T$ at Pascal’s and Agora, and plan to spend T$ at Panache this week.
Pascal’s
Saturday morning there was some initial hesitancy on Pascal’s part to accept T$. I countered this by repeated trips buying coffee for stall holders. A coffee/juice/pastry shop is a good target when conversing with residents and consumers.
By Sunday Pascal was keeping two sets of bills in one till, and trying desperately to make changes from his stash of T$; he became frustrated when he couldn’t make $T14 change for my $T20 note. With or without a float, merchants might be told that they can make change in $cdn, to reinforce the view to consumers that T$ are valued at par with $cdn.
Agora
Agora accepted my T$. I made several lunch trips here.
The Food Chain
In a startup location such as this, the immediate (first week) problem seems to be starting the circulation. Eateries, such as Pascal’s and Agora are easy sinks for T$. It is hard to see Pascal making many trips to panache to get his pictures framed using T$, but easy to see staff from panache making several trips to Pascal’s for coffee.
I would support a 100% reimbursement guarantee for eateries as ‘everybody has to eat’, and they provide a sure receptacle for T$. Of course in an area like SLM, some eateries can pass their T$ on to stall holders.
One might locate at most two prime T$ sinks in any location to serve as receptors of T$, and cut a special deal with them.
New merchants
I dropped a flyer at Vesuvio’s because, of course, the manager was busy. We might go back and harvest the manager this week.
I spoke with Wandee, manager of Young Thailand. (I had eaten there last week). She seemed quite receptive, and agreed to meet with us next week.
“Clive” of Global Aware Kensington market quite threw me off my feet by accepting T$ unsolicited. I tracked him down and reimbursed him. He suggested that Kensington Market is ripe for T$, with many aware merchants. Sunday morning he bought his $20 back ad promised to grab his coffees from Pascal’s.
Clive referred me to Petra of “Ten Thousand Villages”. I gave her flyers (Junction & SLM) and my business card and asked her to contact me. www.tenthousandvillages.ca has stores across Canada. My friend Linda Polsson is part of a chain of volunteers who receives, sells a crate of goods once a year in Prince Rupert BC.
Thoughts
We might have contracted with, say, Pascal to purchase an urn of coffee at our stall, giving away free coffee (Pascal isn’t out of pocket because we paid for it) to encourage people to stop by and chat. My limited experience with fests is that people stroll and browse, but won’t stop unless there is something tangible.
I will have laminated a strip of T$ that we can place on the table. I stuck some notes with adhesive tape and of course lost them (tearing) when removing them.
Several consumers baulked at the “Jennifer” notes; these are confusing to consumers, and we ought to rethink them. It is hard enough getting consumers to stop and talk, harder still to have them accept and use “funny money”. The task becomes nigh impossible when they are confronted with a third kind of note. Worse yet; The Jennifer notes are different colours from T$ - the $T10 is blue whereas the $J10 is brown.
Photos
I took photographs of every storefront between Keele & Quebec. We can use that with the BIA list to hand-deliver a brochure to each Dundas Street merchant over the next two weeks.
Monday, September 10, 2007
I returned to the Junction at lunchtime. The BIA was closed, so anyone wanting to purchase T$ was out of luck. I bought back $T160 from Agora and $T100 from Pascal’s. Interetsing. I sent out $225, but those two eateries had retained $T260, and I know that at least one of them made change, so they took in a lot more than I gave out.
Panache appeared closed, so I could not get my picture re-framed.
http://www.junctionartsfest.com/2007/
Leon Emmet of Hairy Tarantula was kind enough to accept my irascible self as a means to promote T$ during this two-day event. I attended Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
Highlights
I spoke with dozens of people, store merchants, stall holders and consumers about the merits of T$ as a means of supporting the local community.
I made new contacts with local consumers and received an invitation to bring T$ to the Kensington Market.
I ended up with $T225 less than when I started. Of this I sold $T120 that I can recall, and most of the rest I spent locally or gave to people to spend locally.
I laughed a lot and had a lot of fun.
Again, I feel that a Street Fest is a difficult place to exchange dollars; it is a great venue to discuss T$ with passers by.
Hours
I was on the street from 11;00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Saturday, and from 11:30 a.m. to about 2:30 p.m. Sunday. Maryan took over the stall on Sunday afternoon.
Flyer
We printed 400+100 flyers for the event. Leon will use any excess at the BIA office and in his store. I fell behind schedule and did not get as many logos as we had hoped. Nonetheless by Sunday we had on our printed list the following vendors:
· Global Aware Kensington Kensington Market
· Big Daddy’s DVD Shop 3044 Dundas Street West
· Pandemonium Books & Music 2862 Dundas Street West
· Pascal's Baguettes and Bagels 2904 Dundas Street West
· Latitude 44 Gallery, Framing & Decor 2900 Dundas Street West
· ($T not applicable on consignment artwork)
· Hairy Tarantula Games and Comics 2949 Dundas Street West
· (10% off all books bought with $T during festival)
· Agora Mediterranean Market Café 3015 Dundas Street West
· Panache Art Gallery & Custom Framing 2946 Dundas Street West
· (10% off all purchases made with $T during festival)
· Ian's T-Shirts (at Hairy Tarantula for festival)
Merchants
Thanks to Leon Emmett’s work-in-advance, we had several merchants listed who, we could tell consumers, will accept T$. I spent T$ at Pascal’s and Agora, and plan to spend T$ at Panache this week.
Pascal’s
Saturday morning there was some initial hesitancy on Pascal’s part to accept T$. I countered this by repeated trips buying coffee for stall holders. A coffee/juice/pastry shop is a good target when conversing with residents and consumers.
By Sunday Pascal was keeping two sets of bills in one till, and trying desperately to make changes from his stash of T$; he became frustrated when he couldn’t make $T14 change for my $T20 note. With or without a float, merchants might be told that they can make change in $cdn, to reinforce the view to consumers that T$ are valued at par with $cdn.
Agora
Agora accepted my T$. I made several lunch trips here.
The Food Chain
In a startup location such as this, the immediate (first week) problem seems to be starting the circulation. Eateries, such as Pascal’s and Agora are easy sinks for T$. It is hard to see Pascal making many trips to panache to get his pictures framed using T$, but easy to see staff from panache making several trips to Pascal’s for coffee.
I would support a 100% reimbursement guarantee for eateries as ‘everybody has to eat’, and they provide a sure receptacle for T$. Of course in an area like SLM, some eateries can pass their T$ on to stall holders.
One might locate at most two prime T$ sinks in any location to serve as receptors of T$, and cut a special deal with them.
New merchants
I dropped a flyer at Vesuvio’s because, of course, the manager was busy. We might go back and harvest the manager this week.
I spoke with Wandee, manager of Young Thailand. (I had eaten there last week). She seemed quite receptive, and agreed to meet with us next week.
“Clive” of Global Aware Kensington market quite threw me off my feet by accepting T$ unsolicited. I tracked him down and reimbursed him. He suggested that Kensington Market is ripe for T$, with many aware merchants. Sunday morning he bought his $20 back ad promised to grab his coffees from Pascal’s.
Clive referred me to Petra of “Ten Thousand Villages”. I gave her flyers (Junction & SLM) and my business card and asked her to contact me. www.tenthousandvillages.ca has stores across Canada. My friend Linda Polsson is part of a chain of volunteers who receives, sells a crate of goods once a year in Prince Rupert BC.
Thoughts
We might have contracted with, say, Pascal to purchase an urn of coffee at our stall, giving away free coffee (Pascal isn’t out of pocket because we paid for it) to encourage people to stop by and chat. My limited experience with fests is that people stroll and browse, but won’t stop unless there is something tangible.
I will have laminated a strip of T$ that we can place on the table. I stuck some notes with adhesive tape and of course lost them (tearing) when removing them.
Several consumers baulked at the “Jennifer” notes; these are confusing to consumers, and we ought to rethink them. It is hard enough getting consumers to stop and talk, harder still to have them accept and use “funny money”. The task becomes nigh impossible when they are confronted with a third kind of note. Worse yet; The Jennifer notes are different colours from T$ - the $T10 is blue whereas the $J10 is brown.
Photos
I took photographs of every storefront between Keele & Quebec. We can use that with the BIA list to hand-deliver a brochure to each Dundas Street merchant over the next two weeks.
Monday, September 10, 2007
I returned to the Junction at lunchtime. The BIA was closed, so anyone wanting to purchase T$ was out of luck. I bought back $T160 from Agora and $T100 from Pascal’s. Interetsing. I sent out $225, but those two eateries had retained $T260, and I know that at least one of them made change, so they took in a lot more than I gave out.
Panache appeared closed, so I could not get my picture re-framed.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Goderich Diary
Today I'm heading off to Goderich to take part in a two day workshop spread over two weeks. You'll see full reports elsewhere.
I use a "shopping list" when I'm going on a trip, so that I don't forget to pack my camera, toothbrush, and all that.
I'm taking $T512 with me (a nice number, two raised to the power nine) to exchange with other workshop members. I have a map of Goderich, and have printed out as much information about the workshop as I can. I'll travel by train to Stratford, armed with plenty of books, as usual. Scott Hamilton will collect me (I hope!) and we'll chat as we drive to Goderich.
I use a "shopping list" when I'm going on a trip, so that I don't forget to pack my camera, toothbrush, and all that.
I'm taking $T512 with me (a nice number, two raised to the power nine) to exchange with other workshop members. I have a map of Goderich, and have printed out as much information about the workshop as I can. I'll travel by train to Stratford, armed with plenty of books, as usual. Scott Hamilton will collect me (I hope!) and we'll chat as we drive to Goderich.
What I learned
It is easier to give than to exchange.
It's tough to stop people and get them to swap. It's easier to stop them and give. "Would you like $1 off your drink?" Some are interested, but nine times out of ten, if it isn't an instant gift of a coupon, they don't want to know.
I trapped two LOL going into Main Squeeze. "Would you like a dollar off your purchase?". "No, we're just going to get some soup". ???!! "You can get a dollar off just by exchanging five dollars for five dollars". No, sorry. They smile and move in.
Giving can be a mistake
When you hand out $1 or $5 in an unusual currency, people treat it as worthless. They find it hard to believe that it is worth $1.
I feel the same way.
I'll hand out $T1 quite happily, but wouldn't dream of tossing a loonie in a busker's hat, and yet I enjoy the clarinet and the violin.
Giving can be a mistake
I gave $T5 to a handyman who had been busy next door for an hour. He asked what it was, I told him and suggested he refresh himself, on me. He darted back out of The Main Squeeze and grabbed a second $5 from my hand; "Gimme another; I just gave mine to my client.
I was struck dumb. I'm down ten of my dollars; he has made a good impression on his client. The Main Squeeze made $30 off him.
It's tough to stop people and get them to swap. It's easier to stop them and give. "Would you like $1 off your drink?" Some are interested, but nine times out of ten, if it isn't an instant gift of a coupon, they don't want to know.
I trapped two LOL going into Main Squeeze. "Would you like a dollar off your purchase?". "No, we're just going to get some soup". ???!! "You can get a dollar off just by exchanging five dollars for five dollars". No, sorry. They smile and move in.
Giving can be a mistake
When you hand out $1 or $5 in an unusual currency, people treat it as worthless. They find it hard to believe that it is worth $1.
I feel the same way.
I'll hand out $T1 quite happily, but wouldn't dream of tossing a loonie in a busker's hat, and yet I enjoy the clarinet and the violin.
Giving can be a mistake
I gave $T5 to a handyman who had been busy next door for an hour. He asked what it was, I told him and suggested he refresh himself, on me. He darted back out of The Main Squeeze and grabbed a second $5 from my hand; "Gimme another; I just gave mine to my client.
I was struck dumb. I'm down ten of my dollars; he has made a good impression on his client. The Main Squeeze made $30 off him.
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Saturday, August 04, 2007
I Worked 90 minutes outside The Main Squeeze.
My first real foray into exchanging Toronto Dollars for Canadian Dollars.
Early Saturday morning, the district seems quiet. Tourists take their time strolling along Front Street.
Some of us are heading to The St Lawrence Market, I can tell.
Some of us are heading home from The St Lawrence Market, I can tell.
As I walk along Front Street I think to purchase whatever Toronto Dollars are held at C'est What, but they are closed until 2pm.
No problem, I tell myself, I'll buy some at the market, but the Toronto Dollars stall is unmanned and the Smoke And Gift store has none; the lady shows me the inside of an empty envelope.
My real purpose was to collect the carton of sweatshirts that were delivered to The Main Squeeze yesterday; spending time exchanging is still an experiment. What will happen?
Here I am modelling the sweat shirts in front of the ATM machine, part of Paul's service to the community.
Here I am showing what you can buy (ice creams) or rent (mail boxes) with Toronto Dollars at The Main Squeeze
I give Garth $10 in single Toronto Dollar notes and ask him to hand one to each person who spends Toronto Dollars this morning. That means I'm down $10 before I start. A slightly depressing thought.
I am unsure of my spiel. People are hurrying past me at 9:30 to get to the St Lawrence Market with their empty bundle-buggies. Don't want to miss out on the Good Stuff! Other people hurry past me heading home, their bundle buggies loaded. Want to get home before the food goes "off"!
Very few people want to stop. Young couples walk hand-in-hand, yuppies are led by their cell-phone off into the distance.
Some people say that they already have Toronto Dollars. After a while, desperate for some interaction of any kind, I offer them a one dollar note. Anything to feel that I have promoted Toronto Dollars.
On lady stops to ask what I'm doing. I tell her that I'm exchanging Toronto Dollars for Canadian Dollars, and that she can get a Toronto Dollar back when she spends Toronto Dollars this morning at The Main Squeeze. She smiles, tells me she is homeless, and move son. Toronto Dollars isn't supposed to be 'charity' or 'for the homeless", but I am so tempted to give her $5 and ask her to buy herself some soup at The main Squeeze. She looked dressed too neatly to be truly homeless.
Garth has to run out to get waxed paper; that means he'd have to close the store. That would mean I had nowhere to drive people, so I may as well go get the widest roll of waxed paper they have. I leave my bag and set off to Dominion. They have only one size roll, twelve inches, and I know it is way too narrow, but I buy it anyway. The Market Square Shoe Repair takes Toronto Dollars, but they are closed so I can't drop off my wallet to be stitched.
I've had no breakfast, so duck into the north market for a pastry. The first stall I come to sells meat pies. At eleven o'clock, they would do as well. I get a surprise when the stall-holder greets me by name. Who is he? Where have I met him? I don't recognize his face at all! After a while he points to the name tag I am wearing around my neck. Duh!
On the way out of the market, the guy holding the door greets me by name. Smarty!
I realize that just by wearing my Toronto Dollars sweat shirt I am an ambassador, a walking billboard for Toronto Dollars.
Back at The Main Squeeze I play around with my pitch. One that starts "Would you like to get a free dollar …" picks up some interest, and I find that introducing a one-second pause after the word "dollar" grabs people's attention.
It is as if the mind needs a pause to assimilate the fact that a stranger is offering a dollar, but when I run it all together "Would you like to get a free dollar off any purchase at The Main Squeeze this morning", no one pays any attention. I spend the rest of the morning with "Would you like to get a free dollar (pause) off any purchase at The Main Squeeze this morning" and get some conversations going.
Two ladies stop by and tell me that they use them all the time. They ask if they can buy some, and I sell them $20 each. Hardly a conversion. I'm not achieving my goal of getting coloured paper into the hands of first-time consumers.
The blind man with the stick comes back, and once again I tell him that I'm there, and that I'm moving out of his way. He comes back after a while with a blind lady with a Labrador, and they ask what I'm doing. I tell them. They ask why, what are the benefits, and I tell them that the local community benefits. I am glad of a chance to discuss Toronto Dollars.
I've been watching the handyman. His scene is a cross between the bug-killer van in Men In Black and Murray from LSUC. His work completed, he watches me, and I approach him. I have decided to give him five Toronto Dollars as a treat for doing, presumably, good work. What is it? I tell him, and he darts into The Main Squeeze. I feel good.
Sixty seconds later he darts out and says "Gimme another one", and takes a Five Toronto Dollars note from my hand. "They are not free!", I tell him. I know, he says, but I gave mine to my customer.
I feel bad.
Now I am funding Les's promotional schemes. He tells me he has Les Bucks, but when I ask to see one (not to have one), he says he has run out of them.
Ho hum!
Later, from Garth, I learn that he did $30 of business at The Main Squeeze, so my investment of, it turns out, $10 generated $30 of business. That's not good, but it is a start.
Who knows when, or whether, Les's customer will use her Toronto Dollars, or indeed if she will throw them away.
I started the day with $T82. I ended the day with $T24, so I passed on $T58; ten to Garth. I don't know whether he handed them out, or whether they went straight into the till; forty to the two ladies; ten to Les.
What did I learn?
My first real foray into exchanging Toronto Dollars for Canadian Dollars.
Early Saturday morning, the district seems quiet. Tourists take their time strolling along Front Street.
Some of us are heading to The St Lawrence Market, I can tell.
Some of us are heading home from The St Lawrence Market, I can tell.
As I walk along Front Street I think to purchase whatever Toronto Dollars are held at C'est What, but they are closed until 2pm.
No problem, I tell myself, I'll buy some at the market, but the Toronto Dollars stall is unmanned and the Smoke And Gift store has none; the lady shows me the inside of an empty envelope.
My real purpose was to collect the carton of sweatshirts that were delivered to The Main Squeeze yesterday; spending time exchanging is still an experiment. What will happen?
Here I am modelling the sweat shirts in front of the ATM machine, part of Paul's service to the community.
Here I am showing what you can buy (ice creams) or rent (mail boxes) with Toronto Dollars at The Main Squeeze
I give Garth $10 in single Toronto Dollar notes and ask him to hand one to each person who spends Toronto Dollars this morning. That means I'm down $10 before I start. A slightly depressing thought.
I am unsure of my spiel. People are hurrying past me at 9:30 to get to the St Lawrence Market with their empty bundle-buggies. Don't want to miss out on the Good Stuff! Other people hurry past me heading home, their bundle buggies loaded. Want to get home before the food goes "off"!
Very few people want to stop. Young couples walk hand-in-hand, yuppies are led by their cell-phone off into the distance.
Some people say that they already have Toronto Dollars. After a while, desperate for some interaction of any kind, I offer them a one dollar note. Anything to feel that I have promoted Toronto Dollars.
On lady stops to ask what I'm doing. I tell her that I'm exchanging Toronto Dollars for Canadian Dollars, and that she can get a Toronto Dollar back when she spends Toronto Dollars this morning at The Main Squeeze. She smiles, tells me she is homeless, and move son. Toronto Dollars isn't supposed to be 'charity' or 'for the homeless", but I am so tempted to give her $5 and ask her to buy herself some soup at The main Squeeze. She looked dressed too neatly to be truly homeless.
Garth has to run out to get waxed paper; that means he'd have to close the store. That would mean I had nowhere to drive people, so I may as well go get the widest roll of waxed paper they have. I leave my bag and set off to Dominion. They have only one size roll, twelve inches, and I know it is way too narrow, but I buy it anyway. The Market Square Shoe Repair takes Toronto Dollars, but they are closed so I can't drop off my wallet to be stitched.
I've had no breakfast, so duck into the north market for a pastry. The first stall I come to sells meat pies. At eleven o'clock, they would do as well. I get a surprise when the stall-holder greets me by name. Who is he? Where have I met him? I don't recognize his face at all! After a while he points to the name tag I am wearing around my neck. Duh!
On the way out of the market, the guy holding the door greets me by name. Smarty!
I realize that just by wearing my Toronto Dollars sweat shirt I am an ambassador, a walking billboard for Toronto Dollars.
Back at The Main Squeeze I play around with my pitch. One that starts "Would you like to get a free dollar …" picks up some interest, and I find that introducing a one-second pause after the word "dollar" grabs people's attention.
It is as if the mind needs a pause to assimilate the fact that a stranger is offering a dollar, but when I run it all together "Would you like to get a free dollar off any purchase at The Main Squeeze this morning", no one pays any attention. I spend the rest of the morning with "Would you like to get a free dollar (pause) off any purchase at The Main Squeeze this morning" and get some conversations going.
Two ladies stop by and tell me that they use them all the time. They ask if they can buy some, and I sell them $20 each. Hardly a conversion. I'm not achieving my goal of getting coloured paper into the hands of first-time consumers.
The blind man with the stick comes back, and once again I tell him that I'm there, and that I'm moving out of his way. He comes back after a while with a blind lady with a Labrador, and they ask what I'm doing. I tell them. They ask why, what are the benefits, and I tell them that the local community benefits. I am glad of a chance to discuss Toronto Dollars.
I've been watching the handyman. His scene is a cross between the bug-killer van in Men In Black and Murray from LSUC. His work completed, he watches me, and I approach him. I have decided to give him five Toronto Dollars as a treat for doing, presumably, good work. What is it? I tell him, and he darts into The Main Squeeze. I feel good.
Sixty seconds later he darts out and says "Gimme another one", and takes a Five Toronto Dollars note from my hand. "They are not free!", I tell him. I know, he says, but I gave mine to my customer.
I feel bad.
Now I am funding Les's promotional schemes. He tells me he has Les Bucks, but when I ask to see one (not to have one), he says he has run out of them.
Ho hum!
Later, from Garth, I learn that he did $30 of business at The Main Squeeze, so my investment of, it turns out, $10 generated $30 of business. That's not good, but it is a start.
Who knows when, or whether, Les's customer will use her Toronto Dollars, or indeed if she will throw them away.
I started the day with $T82. I ended the day with $T24, so I passed on $T58; ten to Garth. I don't know whether he handed them out, or whether they went straight into the till; forty to the two ladies; ten to Les.
What did I learn?
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