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“What the heck?” he said as he looked out the passenger window of Noelle’s SUV. “Did you drag a snow machine over from one of the ski resorts?”
“Nope. A happy coincidence is all,” Noelle replied. “Makes a nice touch for the start of the Christmas season, doesn’t it? Snow always puts people in the Christmas spirit.”
“Keeps people off the roads too. People hate driving in snowstorms.”
“Maybe back in Boston, but in this town, we deal perfectly fine with snowstorms.”
“Residents maybe, but what about all those out-of-town shoppers?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about them,” she replied.
They turned onto the main drag, where the bulk of the shops and restaurants were located. First thing James noticed was the steady flow of people looking into windows.
“See? The town will do very well economically over the next few weeks, weather or no weather.”
“Yeah, but will they drive from downtown to the toy store?” That was the real issue. No one minded walking a few blocks; it was risking the roads that made people balk. Today, Black Friday, was the day retailers counted on to jumpstart their yearly profits. A healthy turnout was vital. “Conditions like this are one of the reasons why I want to push the online business,” he said. “Bad weather encourages people to stay inside and shop online.” Where there was a lot more competition for their attention.
Not surprisingly, she ignored his comment. “I wouldn’t worry too much. We’ve got things under control.”
She pointed ahead to where a bus stop had been decorated with a big gold sign that read Trolley to Christmas Castle Every Fifteen Minutes. “Like I said, we’re used to snow. There’s already a line too. Everyone loves to visit Santa’s workshop.”
The smugness in her voice begged to be challenged. “Crowds don’t necessarily equal sales. Half the people coming to see the foolish window displays at the Boston store never buy a thing. Not a very good return considering how much we spend on them every year.”
She gave him a long look. “If that’s how you feel, then why continue having them? Why not scale back?”
“Because...”
James frowned. Why did he continue doing the windows on such a grand scale? Not even his own father wanted to continue the tradition. Yet, every year, he saw the numbers, and then turned around and approved something equally lavish for the following December. It was the one budget item where he deviated from his own rules of business and he didn’t have a decent explanation.
“People have come to expect them,” he replied. That was the reason. He was preserving Hammonds’ reputation with the public. “Those window displays are part of the Hammond brand.”
“I’m surprised you haven’t figured out a way to support the brand in a less expensive way. Building brand new, custom animatronic exhibits every year is expensive.”
Tell me about it, he thought. “Cutting back would send a negative message to the public. They might equate it with financial difficulties that don’t exist.” James could imagine how the business press might speculate.
“In other words, it’s not always a good idea to mess with tradition.”
“Unfortunately, no.”
“You mean like Fryer and the Santa’s reindeer corral at the castle.”
Damn. She’d boxed him in. Quite neatly too.
Shifting in his chair, he tipped an imaginary hat. “Well played, Mrs. Fryberg. I see your point.”
“I thought you might, Mr. Hammond,” she said, nodding her head in return.
Neatly playing him, however, did not mean she was getting all her own way. “You still can’t have people leaving Santa’s workshop, and not reentering the store. The idea is to keep them around the toys as long and as much as possible.”
He waited for a response, half expecting another argument. Instead, she daintily flicked the turn signal handle with her fingers. “Fair enough. What about Fryer?”
“Fryer?” Parts of the other day were still a bit fuzzy. James had to think a moment about whom she was talking about. Finally, he remembered. “You’re talking about the giant stuffed moose eating up space at the rear of the store.”
“Elk,” she corrected.
“What?”
“Fryer. He’s an elk, and people love taking selfies with him. In fact, customers have been known to bring friends specifically to see him. Much like your window displays.”
So it was the moo—elk she wanted to save. Strange item to draw a line over. Then again, she did mention something about Ned Fryberg using the creature in his early ads and as he’d learned yesterday, his hostess had a very strong attachment to Fryberg history.
