I laugh at the absurdity of it all. The fashion, the frenetic pace of progress, the sloth, the texters and their obliviousness to others, dogs with sweaters, the originality of now ubiquitous tattoos, ear lug plugs, the popularity plague of Canada Goose coats (if Canada ever needed a uniform...), the veneer of shallow Yorkville, vehicular perfectionism and the morons behind the wheels, men who spit while talking to women....the list is endless.
I rarely laugh out loud at what I observe. It's usually just a sly smirk or a happy hmmff. Sometimes a head shake and an apres chuckle. It makes Toronto more lovable when you`re able to laugh at it, or with it.
The other day, at our local hardware store, a laugh was generated by someone else....by design and on purpose. It wasn't just for me, but for everyone. On the counter sat three clear plastic bags filled with air. Each one made a statement about the contents and the price, as follows: clean air $22.99, not so clean air $12.99, and not clean air $2.99.
You could argue that the hardware store was making a point that Toronto air is in jeopardy. I don't think this is the case as Toronto air seems mighty fine to me, though I'm not here in July when things could get uncomfortable. In Beijing this would not be a joke. I think the 'Just For Laughs' crew at this Toronto hardware store was being playful, and you know what? It's a business strategy that works. I went there on a utilitarian mission to buy things that are necessary, but not fun. I left with a huge smile and some blog fodder. My experience in this store was memorable. How often do you leave a store with a bad feeling, or perhaps worse, no feeling at all? Ambivalence...I trip over it every day on my retail excursions.
Our independently owned hardware store in question is 'the only gay hardware store in the village', to steal a Little Britainism. It's not the Home Depot. The Home Depot has no sense of humour. Most big box/small brain retailers don't. In fairness to Home Depot, and their ilk, it would be ridiculously difficult to incorporate humour corporately. Humour is more of a peculiar individual characteristic, and not something that can be institutionalized, replicated or enforced easily. It's also dangerous when mismanaged.
This gives our friendly neighbourhood hardware store an advantage. Their selection of goods can't compare to the big boxers. Their prices can't compete. They have the advantage of location, and they know their customers. I can walk to my hardware store in five minutes. The nearest Home Depot is 3.6 km away. Is it worth paying a little more for convenience? Yes, absolutely. More important than proximity, our hardware store has personality. I'm not paying any more for a laugh as that's a free gift from the store owner to the customer.
The price of a laugh is free, but I ask you, my dear readership of four and a half, what is the price of not laughing?
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