I tweeted about this yesterday afternoon but the experience has stayed with me. I asked an employee at a major kids toy store for a recommendation on a desk lamp that was also a docking station for iPods. He stumbled over his words for a second and then said he had sold a few and some of the lamps had been stolen from the store so therefore they must be good. I finished my purchase of other items and walked out of the store before it struck me. Perhaps this was the best endorsement that the employee could give. The store had multiple security zones so theft was an apparent issue. I could have used my smart phone to go online and read customer reviews and rankings of the product. The employee could have asked an associate for additional information. But at the end of the day, the employee summed up the value of the product perfectly. If people were going to enough effort to steal the item from the store there was clearly a market for the item where the lamp could be moved quickly and for a worthwhile profit.

What recommendations do you give? What is compelling? What is memorable?