Yesterday was "Free Museum" day in my hometown, St. Petersburg, Florida. Our Museums of Art and History, Children's Museums and Experiences and the Salvador Dali museum were all open to the public for free.
Sounds like a good deal right? For everyone? That's what I'm wondering on the day after Free Museum day! The museums were packed...people waiting in lines outside the buildings. It's Florida, and it's May, so you figure out the temperature!
It looked like the gifts shops were doing a steady business and I have to think that the exposure for the museums would be a big benefit to holding a free day every year.
Yet...I see another side to this annual pilgrimage to the museums: STRESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
The staff was stressed...security guards were stressed. Parents and others unlucky to be close enough who had waited for an hour with the children were definitely S-T-R-E-S-S-E-D! The buildings themselves were taking on much more traffic and OOPS! sorry about that stain on the carpet.
So...is it worth it to our business...to give away our products and services for free sometimes? Your comments are appreciated...unless you are with a pharmacuetical company. We can get your stuff for free by watching your commercials and visiting our local doctor by telling them that we know for sure that your product will cure us from whatever disease it is that we don't have.
Sorry...I digressed...didn't I?
Oh...one more thing...is it really good customer service to have free days?
Check out the Dali Museum for yourself at www.salvadordalimuseum.org and get surrealistic!
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