It was one of those dreary February Saturdays, late afternoon, with nothing much going on, and nothing much to do. I was so bored I found myself lying back on the couch watching a basketball game. It wasn't even a good game, two mismatched teams that had inevitably turned into a second half blowout.
That was when the doorbell rang.
I turned off the TV, got up off the sofa and answered the door. Standing outside in the chill was a short redhead, bundled up in a jacket and carrying a folder full of papers. "Can I help you," I said.
She smiled and said, "Hi, my name is Anna, and I'm here on behalf of the United Way. We're selling magazine subscriptions to raise money for local charities, and if I can have a moment of your time, I'd like to show you what I have available."
Magazine subscriptions? Oh, brother. On the other hand, I could see her shivering a little bit in the gloom. Time to be nice. Besides, I was bored. "It's chilly out there. Why don't you come on in, and show me your stuff? It's a lot warmer in the house."
"Oh, thank you very much," she said. "I've been out there for a while, and it's really starting to get cold."
She stepped into the house, and I offered to take her coat. She put her folders and paperwork on the coffee table and slipped the jacket off and handed to me. I hung it on the doorknob, and got my first real look at her as she sat down on the sofa.
She was about my age, late 40's, and the years had been good to her. She had that redheaded complexion, with a light dusting of freckles and the kind of face that was attractive with or without makeup. She was built more on the sturdy side, but had a chest that drew attention immediately. The top she was wearing advertised it well, showing a nice bit of cleavage, especially when she bent forward to start getting her sale papers in some sort of order. It was a nice view.
She went into her sales pitch about how the magazine companies and the charity were splitting the money from the subscriptions 50/50 and that I could write off half of the cost on taxes. She had a good smile and did a nice job of trying to sell her product.
I interrupted her. "I've never seen a magazine sale like this one before. Usually it's been college kids trying to collect money for school, or scam artists. Not that you are one of those, of course," I added hastily.
She laughed. "No, I'm not a scam artist. And, I'm a little older than those college students."
"It looks good on you," I said.
"Why, thank you. Anyway, this was my idea. A lot of people think that they get pressured at work to donate since they're practically forced to sign a card either giving money from their paycheck, or saying no to it. A lot of bosses are involved and people are worried that if they don't donate, they go on some sort of bad-list. Because of that, collections have been down lately. We're trying to collect money in more friendly fashion."
"And how are you doing so far?'
Her face fell. "I haven't had any luck so far."
I sighed. "You know, fewer people are getting actual magazines anymore. You can get just about everything online, and sales and circulation are way down."
"I'm finding that out. I've been walking the streets here without a nibble."
I felt bad for her. She was a good-looking lady, and I hate seeing good-looking ladies all frustrated. "Tell you what. You might get a nibble out of me."
She brightened. "I decided while I was freezing out there walking up your driveway that I have to start offering premiums. They'll start kicking in once you get to a certain level. How does that sound?"
"Well, let's see what you have to offer."
She spread things out. "First off, do you get any magazines delivered right now?" I shook my head. "That's good. That means there's plenty to choose from."
She opened a brochure. It was a big one, and had to be unfolded. When it was unfurled, each of us had a corner of the flyer. The way we were sitting on the couch and looking at the glossy list of magazines, I got a good whiff of her perfume, and an even better view of her cleavage. Both hit my like a ton of bricks. I shifted around a little because my interest was becoming evident and I didn't want to alarm her.
The list had just about every magazine still in print, and the subscription prices weren't even jacked up. What the hell, why not help out the pretty lady. "Tell you what," I said. "Sign me up for the standard guy magazines.
Sports Illustrated
,
ESPN: The Magazine
, and
Time
."
She let out an excited, "Yes!" and got out her order pad. She started writing down my selections. "My first sales ever. Thank you very much." She finished, and smiled at me.
"I thought you said something about premiums?" I asked.
"Actually, those start kicking in when you get to the fourth magazine subscription. Three is about what I figured I could sell without the premiums. And it looks like I was right."
"Okay. If I get a fourth magazine, what's the premium?"