Best Buy Boulder

Best Buy is opening a new store in Boulder, Colorado, and tonight was a special event for their preferred customers. Earlier this year, I had performed magic for after-hours event at a Best Buy in Broomfield, and the management brought be back for an encore performance at their new store.

This type of work requires a performer to be aware of what the management really needs. Yes, they want me to perform magic, they want me to astonish their guests, and they want me to turn their evening into a special event.

But the real reason we are all there is to sell merchandise.

If I build a large crowd and hold them spellbound with a 30 minute performance I’ll look like a superstar, but if those customers leave without buying anything, then Best Buy has wasted their money hiring me.

So with that in mind, tonight I keep the magic short. I thank the customers for coming, remind them of the special discounts (one day only!), and encourage them to look around (lots of cool things at great prices!).

If I see that they are on a mission to buy, I skip the magic all together and lead them directly to a sales rep or to the product they were looking for. Once they’ve found what they are looking for, I may do some magic for them on their way out.

The best people to perform for in this environment were those who I call the tag-alongs. These are people who aren’t there to buy anything, but are there, instead, to accompany someone who is buying. Sometimes this is a friend waiting for his or her friend to buy a TV or game console. Or it may be a spouse waiting for his or her spouse to decide which computer to buy. These people are great to perform for because they have nothing else to do and because I can entertain them without interfering with the sales reps.

After tonight’s performance, they asked me back for their official grand opening, so tomorrow I’ll have a busy evening with Best Buy and the Chateaux at Fox Meadows back to back.