Many moons ago we were having breakfast at a cafe, when I was reminded of what a difference adding a little bit more makes.

My wife had ordered a banana smoothie and normally, when you buy a smoothie, that’s what you get – a glass of smoothie. However we were pleasantly surprised when the waiter brought not only the smoothie in the glass, but the milkshake container in which it was made with the rest of the smoothie which wouldn’t fit in the glass.

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Hey, how good was that! How often have you bought a drink which has been mixed in a milkshake container and seen them fill the glass and toss the balance of the drink in the sink? You’ve probably wondered why they’ve done that. And I guess that’s because they reckon you pay for a glass, and no more. In this case, what a difference that little bit extra made to how we felt about our meal.

It reminds me of my old grandfather, who was one of what Napoleon called “a nation of shopkeepers”. He had a grocery store in Bayswater, Western Australia more than 50 years ago and, in those days, most groceries came in bulk and were measured out to the customer’s wishes by the grocer. Whenever he had finished weighing or measuring the exact amount, he always added a little extra… a few more biscuits or an extra scoop of sugar. And the customers kept coming back.

It taught me that a little extra works wonders.