It was rush job so the only hotel he could get in to was a Travelodge... but it was okay, it was a new one!
He'd been over the road for his tea - (Two for One and the Marstons Inn) and was coming back into the Travelodge.
The foyer wasn't a particularly nice place - very small, locked door, security screen for the receptionist, that sort of thing. But there was a vending machine and the Double Deckers caught Richard's eye.
'Hang it all,' he thought, 'I haven't had one for ages, I'm having a Double Decker.'
80 pence it was and Richard happened to have a pound coin in his pocket. He put the coin into the slot, made his selection and the chocolate bar dropped into the tray, shortly followed by a clunk as his change was dispensed.
He retrieved his chocolate bar and then scooped the coin (which he assumed was a 20 pence piece) out of its receptacle. Imagine his delight when it turned out to be the very same pound coin he'd put in just a few seconds earlier.
It was a real Fawlty Towers moment. 'I'm ahead,' he crooned to himself, 'For the first time in my life, I'm ahead.'
The he surreptitiously hid the coin and slinked up to his room, all the time expecting the receptionist to clamp a hand on to his shoulder and demand that he paid for the Double Decker.
Later, when he'd calmed down, Richard was reflecting on his good fortune and how good it made him feel... after all, it was such a tiny thing to have such a big impact.
But it's true of customers interactions, too. Little things = Big things in the minds' of customers. It's the little touches that people remember and so Richard resolved to get better at the little things which have the largest impact.
Not that he's going to buy everyone a Double Decker!
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