Recession Busters – Idea #1 Courtesy Tax

I am sure many retailers are thinking of creative ways they can drive additional revenue from social media marketing campaigns to blow out sales. In an age where low consumer confidence is making the buyer more frugal and cost conscious, it is the retailers, grocers and luxury sellers that are seeing the bottom line effect.

We have developed a way to bring in additional revenue and reward those consumers that show common traditional courtesy.

We would like to implement a courtesy tax. There are several ways to tier this tax including:

1. A percentage of total sale
2. A flat fee
3. A retro-active fee based on the amount of time courtesy is not demonstrated during the transaction.

This should be left at the discretion of the consumer.

What would be considered a discourteous act that would prompt this fee. When one is checking out of a grocer or retailer, the cashier is there to assist by pricing the items, bagging, accepting and processing coupons, initiating the payment process and providing a courteous and warm customer experience. Should the customer be on the phone, blue tooth, IPod or other device that would draw attention away from the transaction, cause a delay in the process or show an overall lack of respect for the cashier, that individual would be assessed a Courtesy Tax.

That is not to say that this individual cannot end a critically important phone call for just one to two minutes to engage in this age old activity of friendly human interaction, but if they feel their lives are at such critical mass that rudeness is a luxury they can afford then the tax is justifiable.

On the opposite side, we feel that friendly and courteous interaction between the customer and cashier should be rewarded. Some places provide a cash discount if the consumer brings their own bags. We would like to provide a small token of thank you with a discount for courteous behavior. We would like to thank Kevin D’Aprile for assisting with this wonderful idea rewarding positive behavior with a smile and a few cents of savings.

Given the expansion of mobile devices and the increase in common disrespectful behavior running rampant, we feel this could have a tremendously positive affect on the bottom line revenues for retailers.

If implemented, it is a win for all parties. For those that chose selfish behavior, you are neutralizing your actions by providing financial security so your favorite stores can remain open. For those that take life with a smile, we want you to know we care and want to pay it forward with a small discount.