Small Change

I know it looks like it could be fixins for lunch.
And it was, but you might be surprised as much as I was as to what it was.
Give up?

Change. Small change.
My small change back from my purchase of the Grana Padana cheese in the left hand side of the photo.
That's right.
The other day when I bought some Grana Padana cheese in the market from from someone different than my normal GP stall just to mix it up a bit sometimes, and I gave the man my money, he asked if instead of my .50 centesimi that I was owed back, if I would like this package of mortadella, or bolgna as we call it in the States.
Obviously I said yes, Perche no?, why not.
This is not the first time this has happened. Once before I received a small sampler package of mini wurstel, or hot dogs as we, Americani, are so fond of calling them.
At first I thought how odd and then it dawned on me how clever it actually was.
More than likely he didn't lose any money on the deal, he had more small change to use for the others who said, no grazie, and on top of it all he got his customers to try a new product in hopes of upping the amount of euro out my pocket and into his again next time if I liked it. It's not always easy to increase your sales in the market stalls, so any clever marketing technique is worth a try.
I know it is a small thing, but I found it kind of fun. Instead of handing out all those little samples like they do at the grocery store where most folks sample it and then walk away and never buy the product, that includes me, he covered a few bases at once and helped the small change crunch while he was at it.
You never know I just might buy some next time. Just wish there wasn't so much plastic packaging, but then that's another topic for another day.