NPR: Romney's Inner Business Consultant Comes Out

Romney's Inner Business Consultant Comes Out

One-time business consultant Mitt Romney showed off his famous appetite for data Tuesday, in the midst of a campaign photo op.

While shaking hands and posing for pictures in a Des Moines shopping mall, Romney and his wife Ann wandered into a business that refills toner cartridges. The couple consulted for a moment over what model of cartridge their home printer uses, then Romney snapped up a price list. "I didn't know how much you wanted to know about it," said the surprised counter clerk.

Romney quickly scanned the list for his model (HP-56 from Hewlett Packard). "There it is," he said. "Nine bucks and ten cents. "Wow, that's a lot less than we pay for a new one." On his way out the door the former venture capitalist said, "That's a good business."

Romney's curiosity might have also carried him — and the scrum of photographers following him — into a beauty salon, but his wife steered them away. "That's the last place I'd want to have a camera watching me, when I'm getting my hair done," Ann Romney said.

- Scott Horsley

8:51 AM ET | 12-12-2007 | permalink

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