Sunday, October 03, 2004

Field-Testing The Merchandise

I have a set of the oven mitts I sell-- in fact, that's one reason I'm selling them, because they are so superior that I use nothing else-- and I have a whole bunch of my own dishcloths too. But I've never had the opportunity to field-test the scrubbers. They sell so well that I've never felt I could afford to spare one for my own personal use. Earlier this year I developed a soap sack for use in the shower or bath, because customers asked for them. I've been selling a bunch of those too in a cross-promotion with The Spirit Goat, a fellow Gardeners' Marketeer that sells goat's milk soap. And I've never field-tested one of the soap sacks either, although my customers tell me they work very well, especially for using up those pesky ends of soap bars.

So tonight, as I was bathing the kids, on a whim I decided to field-test one of my soap sacks, if for no other reason than I conjectured it might keep them from playing find-the-submarine with the soap, dissolving the entire bar into the water.

The kids were fascinated when we first got it wet and started working up a lather. The organic cotton side began turning green (it's supposed to turn green when washed) from the center out, and as we lathered it the green spot expanded. The lather even worked its way through the nylon scrubby side. Another plus was that the kids actually lathered themselves up without having to be reminded several times.

So the soap sacks, much to my relief, really do work as advertised. The customer, as I discovered, is always right.