Well, it finally happened today at the gun show. Someone who had bought the cards a month ago, came back and actually DEMO’D them to me.

Little fat kid, about 8-10, just stood around while I was doing a demo to a bunch of kids. Sold a few, they left and he walked up to my table and just stood there.

“Seen the magic cards?” I asked.

“I got some last time you were here.”

I was flabbergasted.

“How do you like ‘em?” was all I could think of to say.

“I like ‘em a LOT!” he triumphantly dragged the GRUNGIEST deck of bent cards in the Universe from his jacket pocket, held ‘em out to me and said, “Knock on ‘em once. Do it again. Now I’m gonna knock on ‘em.”

These cards were so dirty and bent up that I’d have thrown them away YEARS ago. I really didn’t want to TOUCH them. But he was IN LOVE with those cards!

“Watch this!” he said, flipping the cards one way. “Looks like an ordinary deck.” (Yeah, a FILTHY ordinary deck!)

“Now watch this!” Flipped ‘em backwards and actually made ‘em all turn into 9 of hearts. He was really pretty good.

“Wow, you’re pretty good. Have you practiced a lot?” (As if I didn’t know!)

“All the time”, he smiled.

“I’ll bet”, I thot.

I said, “Hey, gimme those cards. I’m gonna give you a deck I’ve used but they’re in better shape than those you have.” I fumbled around under the table for my “magic” box got out an old box of cards and gave ‘em to him. “Lemmo throw those old ones away.”

He said, “I kinda like these. I’ve practiced with ‘em so much, I’m used to ‘em.”

Again I flat didn’t know what to say. “Well, take this extra box and if you ever get tired of those, you can use the newer ones.”

He walked away with the new box and the old cards. He was whistling!

Jon

Pitching does have its moments!! SETH

Great story. And a nice gesture.

I have SOOO many happy things happen when I'm doing cards. I can start with 1 kid and before I know it, I have a crowd, laughing and cutting up. And since most indoor aisles are only about 6’, so narrow that I never have a problem getting kids to come closer—they are usually leaning on the table from the start, trying to figure out how I’m doing the tricks.

The same day the kid showed ME how to do the trick, I had a crowd where at least one person from every family group bought at least one deck. So I sold 5 at one demo—a 1st for me. And a guy who couldn’t get thru the mob and had seen only the TCM came up, asked to see the tricks from the beginning and HE bought one. And so did his friend. Really a shocker for me.

Or I’m demo-ing the stripper to a father and the kid picks up a package with the cards and TCM in it and asks what it is and I sell the s trippers to the father and the cards to the kid. I sometimes wonder which of the two is more interested in the cards. Sometimes the kid is undecided and the father will say, “I know you want these cards” and buys ‘em, even before the kid says “yes”.

And when the kid walks past, say an hour after he bought the cards, he’ll take the package out of the sack and wave it at me. And I don’t know HOW many times I’ll be getting ready to eat and a kid will walk up, see the “IT’S MAGIC!” sign on the table and ask to see the cards. I’ve eaten MAAAANY cold nachos! Because it seems that once one kid sees ‘em, even if he doesn’t buy, another kid walks up and wants to see ‘em. If there are enough kids at a show, I could probably demo just the cards and never stop. And I mean NEVER stop!

I had an 11-yesar-old girl working with me last weekend who was ITCHING to do the cards. But I told her she needed to watch Don’s video AND practice before I’d let her do ‘em. I went on a break. As soon as I got back, a kid wanted to see the cards, took ‘em out of the box and MAN were they messed up! When I attempted the DL on the 2nd trick, there was no key card on the top. I looked on the bottom—no key card. What to do? WHAT TO DO????

“Well, there’s no Ace because….” I did the riffle where they were all Aces..”…they’re ALL aces!” And finished the demo and actually sold 1 deck. WHEW!!

“I thot I asked you NOT to play with the cards” I said, after the people had left.

“I know but I just want to do those cards!!!”

“Hey, next time, I promise you can watch the demo and learn the cards. But in the MEAN TIME…..”

Her mother had the space next to mine and heard us talking. “Do what the man says, daughter.”

“OK, Mom….but I just wanna do those cards!!!!”

Everybody loves ‘em!

Jon

Never leave an open deck out when you leave.Take them with you,Kids will open them evrytime.Before you start a new pitch tap the deck on the table and look at the top.you can tell right away if any cards are out or order.

Don

NOW you tell me!! But, as usual, you're right. Live and learn.

Jon

I haven't had any kids mess up the order of a deck (yet!), and I work my pitch so that the deck automatically resets at the end of each pitch. But once in a while, a few cards will get out of order somehow (probably during a shuffle). You can see it right away, and I just try to stay away from that area of the deck, and struggle through the demo as best I can. Usually I make it.

I also have two decks on the table at the same time, so that if one deck develops a problem, I can just switch to the other one, saying the first deck is getting a little sticky or dirty or whatever.

But as usual Don is right on the money -- a gentle tap of the deck will tell you right away whether you're good to go. SETH

When I began doing the cards a couple of years ago, during every demo, I ALWAYS, without exception, managed to get the cards out of order. So I ALWAYS had to put 'em back in order after EVERY demo. My WIFE could do it better than I and she'd really not watched Don's DVD very much. But eventually, Don and my wife got me straightened out and now, I will say I get 'em correct 99.99% of the time.

The problem in this instance was that the girl helping me sell strippers just could NOT keep her hands off the cards. And even tho she'd watched me demo, she didn't know the ENTIRE secret of the cards (Because, as you know, we don't really tell the ENTIRE secret during the demo.) So she didn't understand the idea of having them in correct order. And even tho I'd told her NOT to mess with them, she just couldn't keep her hot little hands off them.

I'll correct that problem if she ever works with me again because I'll ALWAYS take the open deck with me when I leave the table.

Problem solved.

And of course, the idea of a second deck is good too. In the above instance, it would have saved ME from that terrified feeling of "WTF DO I DO NOW?"

Jon

I have stopped a pitch and straighten a messed up deck right in front of the tip.Just stop spread the deck face toward you and put them back in order.I look at the tip and say " Excuse me...I'm cheating....I mean checking my inventory..."

They get a small laugh and I get the deck back in order.

Don

AND probably make 8-10 sales!

Jon

Hello Jon:

Great posts! You never know what to expect with kids...I always have a few laughs and sell a few decks..and that's what its all about !!!

Have a good season Jon

ROD

Thanks, I sure enjoyed the above stories!