A Silk Flower to Save Pens
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Have you been to a bank and seen the work they do to keep pens from walking away. Banks try every thing to make pens available for their customer. Try a silk flower.
The reason that banks lock down there pens is not that they mind you taking a pen that has there name on it, it's that their customers constantly need them. As people take them, they run out and eventually they have a customer looking for a pen that does not have one they can use. Next thing that happens is the employees give theirs away and pretty soon, no one has any pens. This scenario is played out every day in small businesses.
There is a simple way to solve this problem. It's as simple as a silk flower. You see, in order for your pens to stay where they belong they need to be very conspicuous. The more obvious they are the less likely they are to take a walk. I have seen people do all kinds of things and most look pretty tacky. I have seen a bike shop use a old bent up spoke. A DQ that used a dirty spoon and Popsicle sticks. Chains and strings are the most popular. As a leftie, I find the chains the most irritating.
The most effective one I have seen is at a Great Clips. They attach a pen to a silk flower and plant them in a pot. The first time I saw this, someone had to point out to me that they were pens not a pot of flowers. This is a simple trick you can easily duplicate.
To do this you'll need pens (simple ballpoint pens with caps work best), sand, a nice pot, and some small silk flower stems. Choose the pot and the flowers that will match your decor. It's OK to spend a little money because in the long run you'll save money on buying pens. You’ll also need some floral tape (or green masking tape but floral tape works best).
Start by trimming the silk flower stem to about 3" long. Tape the stem to pen so that the flower is pretty close to the end of the pen. Continue taping until right before the taper of the pen. This will make your pen look like a stem when it is planted. Wrap it tight. Next fill the planter 1/2 way full with common sand (marbles or ball bearings are a cool alternate). Set the planter on the counter, where it won't get knocked over and then plant the pens. Make 12 but only plant 6. These 12 will last longer than you expect.
You can also expand on this by making seasonal pens to match a season. Own a restaurant, put a Flower pen in a bud vase on a table. There are lot's of great things you can do to make your pens usable but not losable. If the pens start looking a little worn out replace them. This pen saving idea will cost you less than $50 and you’re customers will appreciate this but they won't be so quick to throw it in their pocket.
Amazonfoliages.com is a great place to find a Silk Flower
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