We love Dodos

The Fruitiques had a stall on Sunday at a craft market. It reminded us of the craft fair safari that is the fascinating world of spotting potential buyers and many non-buyers who come to our stall. We are grateful for anyone coming to visit our little world of crafts but we love some more than others! Which safari creature are you?

1) The Enthusiastic Peruser.
She, and she usually is a her, will hoot enthusiastically about a particular product. She swears she has never seen such a lovely well-crafted object in her life. The colour and the concept are brilliant. "What a great price". Ergo this must be a sure sale. But don't be lured into her web of congenial and complimentary quips of enthusiasm. She won't buy. She is a peruser and not a buyer.

2) The Fingerer.
She will examine, touch, rearrange your stall (WITHOUT PUTTING THINGS BACK IN THEIR RIGHTFUL AND CAREFULLY, 'THOUGHT ABOUT FOR 2 HOURS WHERE IT SHOULD GO' POSITION) and then move on without buying.

3)The Arnie
She will be quite encouraging. You'll be on the edge of your seat thinking you've made a sale and then the fateful words spurt out "I'll be back....once I've looked around" but you know deep deep down that she'll never be back. At least old Arnie Schwarzenegger always did come back.

4)The Dionne
Named after the famous Dionne Warwick song, these punters just 'Walk on by'. Actually I quite like these ladies. They have looked at your stall, taken it all in and know the items are not for them and just carry on walking. Some smile and some don't make eye contact. They know what they like and what they want and it ain't your stuff. Trouble is it's often the stuff on the stall next to yours that they do like and purchase!

5) The Teaser
They have picked it up; they have tried it on; they have asked their friend's opinion and they are teetering and then they wobble back from the buying precipice. They come; they tease; they bloody well don't buy.

6) The Blocker
I give you the blocker. They talk, talk, talk about their own crafting expertise but aren't really interested in your little bundles of effort. They are quite rare. Most people who talk about their crafting experiences are lovely and it's great to exchange notes. However, it gets too much when some individuals chat for 10 minutes, blocking access to your stall and preventing you from doing what little sales talk you can muster to encourage other punters to buy.

6) Raphus Cucullatus or The Dodo
It doesn't sound too complimentary of me to call this wonderful person a 'Dodo' but this extinct bird was rather lovely and very distinctive and precious. In our crafting world the Dodos aren't quite extinct but rarer than we would like. For you see these lovely ladies buy our wares. They see, they decide, they follow through and they buy. We love 'em. And we thank 'em all.