Christian retailer Danni Schneidt-Hill hosted an unusual CSI sale event at Promises "His" Coffee & Cottage Shoppe in Malta, Montana, on Thursday evening, Oct. 29.

Schneidt-Hill told Christian Retailing the Crime Scene Investigation event as a “very fun, life-encouraging event.” She said it required little effort to launch but built awareness for the store and turned out to be a “super successful night.”

 Promises staff came up with the CSI event to kick off the fall holiday season, get rid of old merchandise and inform guests of the store departments and variety of products.

 “We started seven weeks ago and had a suspect picture in the paper every week with suspect questions about each gallery and what they may have used to commit the ‘murder,’” she said. “The week of each suspect revealed, we added a ‘body' to that gallery with the clues posted next to it on the floor taped off with CSI crime scene tape, so as the weeks added up, by the end, we had seven suspects and seven out of eight bodies highly visible and marked with clues and the suspect's picture. The suspects have been employees, good store customers, community alliances we've built ... the more, the merrier to develop a huge community interest in Promises.”

At the reveal party, the store scattered clues throughout the sales floor. The clues were 50 percent off stickers on any of the store’s one-of-a-kind merchandise. The seven bodies each had a Door Buster Get-A-Way with the Bargain promotions for $5.

When the guest went to pay for their merchandise, she was presented with a CLUE Sheet and based on the product, she could choose the suspect, where the crime was committed and what was used to commit the crime. Each person also received a CSI appreciation gift of a keychain/flashlight to shine God's light into a dark world. At the end of the night, the store drew a "winner." The store also served apple cider, carameled apples, scones and other goodies.

In addition, Promises had a people's choice wreath/centerpiece contest going on at the same time. The winner received a $100 certificate to Promises. The Who Done it winner also received a gift basket and shopping certificate.

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