Parallels between Home Shows.

From Earls Court to Philadelphia, one thing is certain, your feet still ache and you are constantly whacked around the legs by visitors who have purchase the gotta-have gimmick that invariably is on a long pole and can't carry it safely as they are laden down with bags of literature for things they will probably never own.

The Philadelphia Home Show that opened yesterday for a week plus run was my first opportunity to compare a US Home Show, (post television programs like Trading Spaces) to my memories of visiting the Daily Mail Ideal Home Exhibition in Earls Court London.

There is always one "gotta-have" that you can't get in the shops available at these shows, many years ago I purchased a mini food processor that works by hand, which I still have and rate as a good deal for a few quid. So yesterday I was on the look-out just in case.

Philly is a smaller show, with booths and not the grand houses built in London, yet that is pretty much the only difference. For every room in the house and the garden there was something for everyone. Walking in to the entrance was a exhibit stand that contained a selection of grand clocks, mothers, fathers and all relatives in between. They also had a restored wooden bar that look out of the Queen Vic in Eastenders, compete with the canopy and glass racks a snip at several thousand dollars. The counter even had the long indent on the bar keeps side for the beer pumps to be located.

My favorite at these shows are the demonstrators, pruning shears that would cut through the toughest branches, pressure cookers that served up chicken and potatoes while you waited, blue mops that would magically clean any kitchen floor, by far the most popular gotta-have, indicates across Philadelphia kitchen floors will sparkle this Spring. The first demonstration we came across was for a hand held electric food processor, handing out delights on small spoons so we could savor the cream and fruit this marvel could make. Nothing like feeding your customers to get hold of their credit cards for the impulse gotta-have purchase.

The upside of visiting on the first day is that the exhibitor staff were motivated and engaging. If you have never manned a booth to talk to visitors before, try it for a day, then imagine doing this for over a week. From personal experience after running a booth at the Motor Sports Fair in Olympia several years ago for four days it is a tough job.

Both Taney & I agreed that the one booth that could have very easily sold us, was for Cutco the knife manafacturer. We have from the generousity of others a number of these knives, including a spreader which is one of the best knives we own. They now have a potato peeler that both of us can use (with one left hander and one right hander in the home, the left handed peeler is not the most versatile). An ice cream scoop, a cheese knife and pizza cutter. Cutco are not cheap, but quality comes with a cost. We walked away, no-sale for now!

The Philadelphia Home Show was a fun day out for us both, especially with China Town a couple of blocks away and Wong-Wong Restaurant a favorite of ours where dinner and a tip still comes in less than the minimum credit card payment of $15 (Seven pounds 60 pence there of there abouts, including soup, noodles, tea and soda).

Finally, we walked out with a bag full of stuff I doubt we will even read through, in something a little more fancy than a plstic bag.