tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70936293871287664842023-11-16T06:12:54.592-05:00Plunge into LifeSometimes a little plunge goes a long way.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.comBlogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-12977486082196387572010-05-31T21:33:00.003-04:002010-05-31T21:56:36.790-04:00Paying for Bags: Maybe a Good Idea?It's a truism: air travel ain't fun. <br /><br />Perhaps a couple of decades ago or so, flying was a relatively pleasant experience. Back then, security checks were generally quick and easy, packing whatever you wanted was commonplace, and need a pack of playing cards? well the airline often provided them (and newspapers, and blankets, and peanuts...) at no charge. <br /><br />Now, you have to get to the airport at least an hour early in order to ensure you can get through the security line on tine, many airlines charge you for <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2010-06-01-airlinefees01_CV_N.htm">checking your bags</a>, and playing cards?, well, you're lucky if you get a morsel of food for free, let alone 52 pieces of glossed paper with markings on them for a time killing game of rummy.<br /><br />One positive side effect of all this, however, is that, scientifically speaking, flying lighter helps reduce the expense of fuel and thus making the trip more efficient. It reasons to say that every ounce of weight that is kept off the plane means the less amount of fuel that is needed to keep the plane flying. Pack less, save fuel.<br /><br />As consumers, we have to keep in mind that despite the annoyance of paying for bag fees, perhaps we're making a small dent in the amount of fuel being burned. And burning less fuel is always a good thing...Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-21884329882933678322010-05-11T22:26:00.004-04:002010-05-11T22:53:01.087-04:00Cookie WarsI have a soft spot, sweet tooth, special love, whatever you want to call it, for chocolate chip cookies. I generally eat them at least once a day.<br /><div>Over the past couple of years I've gone back and forth in trying to find just the right cookie that accomplishes multiple personal goals. When I buy cookies, I look for ones that are:</div><ul><li>Affordable: I'm not a cookie snob, per se, just looking for something I can enjoy. I am, however, always interested in saving money when I can, so I don't necessarily need to go with the high end luxury brands</li><br /><li>Tasty: Again, basic chocolate chip cookies satisfy me just as much as the fancier brands, so as long as the cookies taste good, I'm on board.</li><br /><li>Packaged Properly: This has been the Holy Grail of my search. I hate having to buy cookies that come in plastic cartons that are not recyclable. It's just such a waste, environmentally speaking and it's something that I would like to avoid where possible.</li></ul><br /><p>Now for my thoughts on a few of the major brands that can be found in most markets...</p><p>Nabisco's Chips Ahoy and Keebler's Chips Deluxe, among others, are guilty of having wasteful packaging. For each brand, a thin plastic sleeve surrounds a rigid plastic carton. Quite shameful. It's unfortunate, too, because I happen to enjoy both brands of cookies, and they both fall on the cheaper end of the cookie spectrum (I think Chips Deluxe may be the cheapest of all major brands), but I just don't want to have to live with the guilt of throwing away packaging that will sit in a landfill for thousands of years just so I can get my sugar fix.</p><p>Fortunately, I have found two options that are affordable, tasty, and packaged properly:</p><ol><li><strong>Famous Amos</strong>: These cookies come in a cardboard, recyclable (or at least biodegradable) <a href="http://www.famous-amos.com/images/choc-chip-box.gif"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 164px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 233px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://www.famous-amos.com/images/choc-chip-box.gif" /></a>box and a foil bag which is at least tolerable. The cookies are really good, and the price is a bit higher than Chips Deluxe and Chips Ahoy, but not dramatically so.</li><br /><li><strong>Trader Joe's Crispy Crunchy Chocolate Chip Cookies</strong>: Though I don't necessarily think these are the best tasting of all the cookie options, they are satisfying, they don't break the bank, and they come in a recyclable (and/or reusable) plastic bowl, which is a pretty good alternative to the non-recyclable packaging mentioned earlier.</li></ol>So if you're like me... a cookie lover with a conscience(?)... I'd suggest Famous Amos and Trader Joe's brand cookies. But if you have any feedback about other brands that meet these criteria that I should try out, feel free to drop a comment. That'd be sweet!<br /><p></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-53387439083225070312010-03-30T22:44:00.003-04:002010-03-30T22:54:39.931-04:00It's Been a WhileSo... it's been a while since I last put fingers to keyboard and uploaded my thoughts for the world (or at least a few people, maybe) to see. Not sure why I took the hiatus... perhaps the creative side of my brain just shriveled up around the end of 2009, or, more likely, perhaps with a new baby in the house, I've decided to focus more time on him. <br /><br />But whatever the case, I'm back. At least for now.<br /><br />It's also been a while since I shopped at LL Bean. Admittedly, I am a big fan of this store, but I haven't bought much from them in the past couple of years because I felt that their selection has gone a little flat. Seems like the same stuff year in and year out. Nice clothes and other goodies, all of great quality, but not much in the way of new and exciting.<br /><br />I decided yesterday to stop by my local LL Bean store to check things out and do some shopping. But not only that, I brought back two long sleeve shirts that I bought there at least a couple of years ago because both shirts developed holes in them from wear and tear. The store took them back, no questions asked, and I got store credit in exchange.<br /><br />That's really tremendous. Those shirts didn't owe me anything, though I did find it quite odd that they both gave out around the same time. At any rate, I am very appreciative that LL Bean took them back and gave me credit towards my purchase yesterday, which wound up covering about half of what I spent on new clothes. That, my friends, is true customer service and an honorable way of doing business, and I will certainly continue to stop by in the future. Hopefully it won't be a long while till the next time...Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-67427522343214562752009-11-22T10:50:00.003-05:002009-11-22T11:07:01.087-05:00Kudos to HPAfter months of informal searching for a new laptop to replace my dying desktop, I finally came across a great price on a laptop, courtesy of Office Depot. Spending a few hundred bucks on anything will almost certainly cause sticker shock, but I must say, I'm quite pleased with my HP G60-530US laptop. <br /><br />But there's another reason I'm quite happy with HP: packaging.<br /><br />Yes, packaging. When I opened up my laptop from the cardboard box, I expected to find the laptop surrounded by foam packaging. Instead, I was treated to rigid cardboard. <em>Recyclable</em> cardboard. As a "treehugger" at heart, this really made my day! <br /><br />Typically, when a product needs to be kept secure in a box, foam is, unfortunately, the go-to packaging protection. So seeing cardboard surrounding my new laptop was a pleasant surprise. <br /><br />Otherwise, there was only a small amount of plastic used to protect the charging cord. Not bad.<br /><br />Thank you HP, not only for a great laptop but for your determination in using recyclable cardboard for your packaging. This subtle distinction did not go unnoticed by this consumer.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-55489573838914886242009-11-15T08:13:00.003-05:002009-11-15T21:30:37.956-05:00Attention College Grads: Ignore the Job Reports!I remember back when I was in college (give or take, oh, about 10 years ago), I would read reports that projected which occupations would be the fastest growing over the next few years. These reports still pop up regularly today, with predictions and statistics and dialogue about which jobs will be most highly in demand. Problem is, with the nature of a dynamic economy that we have, I can't see how it's possible to predict which jobs will be hot even just a couple of years out.<br /><br />Take, for instance, <a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/20091115_Teacher_shortage_has_become_a_glut.html">this story by the Associated Press </a>that was published in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The gist of the article is that there is now a glut of teachers looking to get jobs in schools across the country, when just a few years ago a shortage of teachers was predicted. Whoops.<br /><br />In my mind, all of the demographic predictions, economic analyses, and expert opinions can't give a definite answer as to which careers will be in most need in a few years. I think college students and recent grads, heck, even seasoned workers, need to determine what they want to do and go out and do it and do it the best they can, rather than trying to follow these ever-changing predictions and simply trying to ride the next wave of hot jobs. <br /><br />Think about how many people wanted to be a real estate agent just a few years ago. Now it's one of the most challenging fields to get started in due to the housing crunch. Jobs in "green technology" were pretty much unheard of just a few years ago, now there seems to be a strong growth in these positions. And consider how many law school students are graduating and can't get jobs since law firms are suffering as spending on legal matters has dropped precipitously.<br /><br />In a nutshell, the folks producing these job-prediction outlooks should get new jobs...Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-7255331288109606882009-11-14T11:00:00.009-05:002009-11-15T23:50:16.600-05:00Internet Annoy-vertising on Philly.comI have been a long time reader of the Philadelphia Inquirer to keep in touch with Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey news. For a couple of years I read the hard copy of the paper, but gradually grew weary of using all of that paper day in and day out. So I have since become a daily peruser of thenewspaper's online portal, Philly.com, which is much more environmentally friendly, and free for anybody to read, which is also nice.<br /><br />It's a widely known fact that newspapers are bleeding subscribers due to the ease and efficiency of the Internet and its virtually infinite number of news sources. And it's also widely known that newspapers are having a difficult time making a profit in this changing world of news production.<br /><br />So I empathize with the fact that newspapers are looking for new, creative ways to make money. But two of the Inquirer's latest undertakings on Philly.com, are quite annoying.<br /><br />First off, when you click on to Philly.com, you don't realize it, but a pop-under ad often sneaks behind your browser. This in and of itself is annoying, though a fairly common practice across the internet, unfortunately. I frequently get ads from Netflix, for example, in this manner, and promptly ignore them. But the more annoying fact about these pop-unders are that they consist of a list of low rate ads, the likes of which you might see on Facebook's platform. Here's an example of one recent ad (out of six) that popped up:<br /><br /><blockquote><p>'See How a Mom Drops 53Lbs!'</p><p>See how a mom of 3 drops 53lbs by obeying this 1 old rule... Learn more [link]</p><p>[ad accompanied by a cropped photo of a thin woman's belly exposed between tight white shirt and tight jeans]</p></blockquote><br /><br />My suggestion: at least provide some ads of value if you're going to sneak them in there. Perhaps post ads for local houses for sale, sporting event tickets, or other specialized deals, rather than ads trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator of internet surfers.<br /><br />The other flustering thing that Philly.com does revolves around their sports articles. Click on a link to an article about, say, the Philadelphia Eagles' next game, and a video automatically starts playing when the page opens up. Most of these videos start with a commercial and then contain generic clips or photos of recent games. The main business page also does something similar when clicking on that page. I think it's a sensible idea to have videos incorporated into the site, but I would prefer them to start only when I click on them, and also make the commercials less intrusive.<br /><br />I do hope that the Inquirer and Philly.com are able to find a way to earn a profit off of their news production, I just hope that they can find a more user-friendly way of appealing to loyal readers by avoiding intrusive ads and videos. Just my 2 cents.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-81249135960386966442009-10-25T00:01:00.003-04:002009-10-25T00:27:18.101-04:00What's Missing at Supermarkets?Supermarkets have become a scientifically formulated masterpiece in the art of getting more people to spend more money. <br /><br />Aisles are arranged in such a way that you are directed past oodles of products you may never need, just to get a bottle of milk. But perhaps, just perhaps, you see something that you might like, and you decide to buy it, even though that's not what you came to the store for.<br /><br />Endcaps promote products to seem like they're on sale, even though they may not be; but the sheer appeal of that endcap entices shoppers to at least take a look, and at most buy 10 whatever it is that's being promoted. <br /><br />Cheaper versions of a particular item are often placed on the bottom shelf where people don't look as frequently, and instead go for the higher priced item in the middle. <br /><br />And so on and so forth.<br /><br />But I think that anybody who has ever shopped at a supermarket on a Sunday morning will tell you about how aggravating it is to check out and pay for all this food you've dumped in your cart. There are 10 check out lines that are up and running, but each line has six people in it and each person has a cart full of Doritos, string cheese, and marshmallows that all need to be unloaded, scanned, bagged, and reloaded into the cart. Can't get much more inefficient. <br /><br />So couldn't there be a way to make this process more efficient and build in a register right in the shopping cart? That way, you grab your box of Count Chocula, scan it, and drop it into your cart. Then, when you're finished, you roll up to the front register, pay your bill, bag your goods, and you're off. <br /><br />Well, that's my simplistic, unrefined idea. Whether it's doable or not, I don't know. But the fact is that an otherwise satisfactory shopping experience can be totally destroyed by standing in line for 10 minutes just to have the honor of handing over your money to someone else. In other words, it's an aggravating way to end your pleasant morning. <br /><br />Streamline the check out process, make people happy, make more money. That's my suggestion. Now go enjoy your Twinkies.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-63739340390843256502009-10-18T23:12:00.005-04:002009-10-18T23:28:18.404-04:00An Idea for Music at the GymSo here's a wacky idea I had when I was at the gym today.<br /><br />The gym I belong to pumps in music over the loud speakers, presumably a satellite feed that also gets fed to its other locations around the nation. Meanwhile, 75% of the people working out at any given time have their earphones pumping out music from their mp3 players. The music being played varies from rock, to 80s, to hip-hop, etc. Generally it's stuff everybody has heard. <br /><br />My idea involves the following steps:<br /><br />1. Each gym member selects his or her top 5 musical artists, and then the artists' names are punched in to a computer. Perhaps these names can be updated over time, but that's besides the point for now.<br /><br />2. When the gym member scans his or her card in, the computer takes note of this and recognizes the member's musical preferences. The computer would also be able to be set on whether or not the member is wearing an mp3 player during his/her workout. <br /><br />3. If s/he is NOT wearing an mp3 player, the computer would aggregate the music that this member chose, along with the music that all the other non-mp3 wearing members chose, and then play selections from the bands selected, particularly if there happens to be a common theme between the bands or genres preferred. <br /><br />Essentially, it's a quasi-personalized radio station that is designed to play music that is popular amongst non-mp3ers who are working out at any given time. That way, the members who are not listening to their own choice of music get to at least hear stuff they may like rather than random stuff that doesn't necessarily appeal to anybody or only a few people. It's kind of a version of target marketing. <br /><br />Pretty complicated concept now that I think about it. But these are the things I think about as I pause between reps at the gym. Mental workout, I suppose.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-36898286526318979432009-10-10T22:27:00.003-04:002009-10-10T22:48:56.844-04:00Dove Soap Dives into Soapy SemanticsOn a recent trip to a BJ's mega-jumbo-cavernous Warehouse, I wandered to the toiletries section to pick up a package of soap bars for my wife. She specifically requested Dove soap and I happened upon 4-5 options from Unilever's big brand name.<br /><br />As I was scanning the packaging on each type of soap, I noticed a peculiar play on words that had me wondering, "Are these marketing people serious? Or perhaps it's just a joke?"<br /><br />Some of the soaps had: "Moisturizing Cream" emblazoned on the cartons.<br /><br />Other soaps had: "Hydrating Lotion" depicted on them.<br /><br />Ummm, okay.<br /><br />Last time I checked, hydrating is synonymous with moisturing.<br /><br />Ditto for lotion and cream.<br /><br />Knowing enough about marketing to be dangerous, my hunch is that this is some sort of A/B split test to see which words sell better. Otherwise, perhaps it's just the Unilever marketers trying to liven things up for us bored consumers. Whatever the case, they might want to clean up their semantics...Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-92050171577191649392009-09-14T07:54:00.006-04:002009-09-14T08:06:54.803-04:00Husband and Wife Die... Let's Count Their Money?I came across an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer about <a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/20090914_Cops__Knife_clash_claims_NE_couple.html">a couple who apparently killed themselves in a knife fight</a> over the weekend. Pretty sad and gruesome news, and I feel terrible for the kids who have lost both their parents. Definitely not something you want to hear about.<br /><br />Speaking of things you don't want to hear about, I was really baffled by some of the extraneous details that were included in the article about the deceased, Robert and Sophia DiAndrea. Please feel free to tell me if you think these are really necessary bits of information, and tell me if you've ever even heard a news report talk about these types of things before (these are actual statements from the article):<br /><br />-Robert was a $44,860-a-year supervisor of water conveyance systems for the Water Department, hired on May 27, 1997, city records show. <p>-Hired by the school district on Oct. 23, 1993, Sophia was a fifth-grade teacher who made $81,617 a year, school records show. She had worked four years at Anne Frank Elementary School, at 2000 Bowler St., an eight-minute ride away.</p><p>-The DiAndreas bought their home for $138,000 on Jan. 31, 1997, city records show.</p><p>Do those details seem bizarrely out of context when talking about a husband and wife who died? I just don't get it. The rest of the article is well-reported, giving a snapshot into their lives, but the financial data seems to come out of left field. Would the journalist have reported how much they both made if it were not public information? Or what if they were a low-income couple? Maybe it's me, but I don't feel the need to count someone else's money after a vicious ending to their lives.<br /></p>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-91535627201118516672009-09-11T22:15:00.004-04:002009-09-11T22:43:01.590-04:00Why Best Buy Might Want to Reconsider Its Own NameA recent commercial for Best Buy pointed out something that I noticed recently about the big box electronics store. But what they pointed out isn't exactly something I'd call a selling point or a sensible marketing message.<br /><br />Their latest commercials feature a hapless customer standing on a podium in front of a stadium full of energetic Best Buy salespeople who want to help answer questions. One of the responses to a question posed by the customer is that 'Best Buy will match any competitor's prices'. And herein lies the problem.<br /><br />On two recent occasions, I was shopping for electronics products. First was a digital photo frame for a birthday present for my wife. I went to Best Buy and bought the frame that I thought my wife would like. The next day I did some price surfing on the internet and found out that Wal-Mart's price beat Best Buy's price by at least 20% (I apologize, I don't remember the exact prices). When I found this out, after having already bought the frame from Best Buy, I went back and got a credit for the difference in price back to my account, but only after having to stand in a long line at customer service. Not a good way to start.<br /><br />Then, I recently was looking for a Flip video camera to have on hand for when my son was born (3 weeks ago tomorrow!). I shopped around the prices, and, lo and behold, Wal-Mart beat Best Buy again, this time by about $10. Not a lot, but it made my decision that much easier. Mind you, I'm not normally a shopper at Wal-Mart because I'm not a huge fan of their stores, but hey, if I can save a few bucks... why not?<br /><br />My point here... if Best Buy were really trying to do a service to its customers it wouldn't offer to match any competitor's prices... it would truly offer the "best buy" in the first place.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-80892990396727828372009-09-01T22:20:00.005-04:002009-09-01T22:38:09.197-04:00Why Women and Cell Phones Don't MixAt least once a day, I am privy to this delightful situation:<br /><br />*RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGG*<br />(insert most annoying ring tone you can think of)<br /><br />That goes on for about 5 seconds. Then it's a woman's voice:<br /><br />"Oh, is that my phone ringing?"<br /><br />Then it's a mad scramble to try to find the phone in the depths of the abyss otherwise known as the pocketbook. (Have you noticed how big women's pocketbooks have gotten lately? Whatever happened to discrete, dainty purses?? Sorry, I digress.)<br /><br />Phone is found, then it's:<br /><br />"Oh! It's (insert name of person she talks to every day)!"<br /><br />"Hello? Hello? HELLO???" <br /><br />Pause, look at phone.<br /><br />"Oh I missed it."<br /><br />This kind of annoying nonsense probably happens at least 19,000 times every second somewhere around the world. <br /><br />I would love it if somebody could explain to me a rational reason as to why no woman can carry a cell phone in her pocket, or on her belt loop, or elsewhere on her person, and not stash it deep inside the bag. Quite frankly, it's never a man who hears his phone ring and goes through this routine of not knowing if it's his phone or where his phone is. Or, let me clarify that... if it is a man who goes through this routine, he's usually 70 years or older, in which case we'll let him pass because he's earned the right to lose his phone at that age. But no excuses for young or middle aged women for these shenanigans!<br /><br />Let's get some cell phone etiquette classes, shall we?Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-70919419676718950702009-08-25T19:44:00.003-04:002009-08-25T20:16:06.147-04:00Magazine Inserts: Missed Marketing OpportunityI subscribe to a few magazines and come across dozens more every month. One thing I've noticed is that there seems to be a major missed opportunity with magazine inserts: marketing to subscribers.<br /><br />When you subscribe to a magazine, you get the same blow-in inserts as the newsstand version. Why? Wouldn't it make more sense to, perhaps, thank the subscriber for reading the magazine and give him a value added bonus? Or a tailor-made message exclusively for subscribers? Just something that separates the subscriber base from the newsstand base, and gives a more personal, rewarding quality for the most loyal readers. <br /><br />My thinking is that subscribers shouldn't be subjected to continuous "Subscribe Now!" postcards when they already do receive the magazine every month. Printing those kinds of cards are pestering to subscribers and generally just a waste of paper. And a missed marketing opportunity for the magazine publishers.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-91548850943648189472009-08-24T11:32:00.005-04:002009-08-24T20:00:17.486-04:00Learn from the BossLast night I caught about 15 minutes of a concert on TV featuring Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. I've never seen "The Boss" live and while I do like a good many of his songs, I wouldn't say he's necessarily one of my favorite musicians. That said, I think there's a lot we can learn from this rugged rocker and superstar.<br /><br />The biggest thing that I noticed about this performance was that he was loving every minute of it. He had a huge smile while singing the lyrics to "Rosalita", he was ripping it on guitar, and dripping in sweat. The crowd was having a blast and singing along. He and his band are legendary over the past few decades for putting on concerts that last three hours or more and getting the audience involved the whole time. Even though I wasn't there live, I could feel the energy the whole time.<br /><br />As I watched his performance and thought about our daily lives, I realized that if us average Joes were to have one tenth of Bruce's energy, passion, and happiness when doing our jobs, this world would be a much better place. Unfortunately, most of us (myself included at times) just mail it in and don't go all out like he does, but maybe we should all give it a shot. Our daily interactions would improve, we would be happier at our jobs, and we would likely live fuller lives. <br /><br />Now <span style="font-style: italic;">those</span> would be some Glory Days.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-64479264459080699922009-08-18T17:03:00.003-04:002009-08-18T17:33:12.760-04:00More Crabby Customer ServiceToday I had the privilege of having lunch with my lovely wife after she went for an ultrasound for our overdue baby (41 weeks and counting!). Being in Northeast Philly, we decided to go to an old haunt that we haven't visited in a while-- Chickie's & Pete's on Roosevelt Boulevard. For those of you who have never been there, it's a sports bar that specializes in sandwiches like hot roast pork, as well as crab legs, and crab fries with cheese dipping sauce. Good food, plenty of booze, and always a packed house during any weekend or televised local sporting event, but pretty quiet for a weekday lunch. <br /><br />So we opened the menus and found a lunch special page. For $8.99 you can get a sandwich, a choice of one side (e.g. fries), and a beverage. Without specifically asking for the lunch special, I ordered a soda, a sandwich, and fries, which I said I would split with my wife since the baskets of fries are quite large. My wife got a sandwich and soda. (Okay, so we didn't fare too well on the healthy eating options scale, but hey, we might not get back there for ages, so why not splurge today, right?)<br /><br />The meal is served, we scarf it down and enjoy it all. Then we get the bill. Now, mind you, I/we probably could have been more specific when ordering, but the receipt listed each individual item we ordered separately, as opposed to it showing one (or arguably two) lunch specials. As a result, the total cost came out to about $21, rather than $18 ($8.99 x 2). So we pointed this out to the waiter and he says "since you split the fries it doesn't count as a lunch special," or something to that effect, and that if we had specified the lunch specials, we actually would have gotten two baskets of fries (which would have been way to much for us). In sum, we paid more for less. <br /><br />I wasn't in the mood to argue over a couple of bucks, or call over the manager and make a big scene, so I just let it be. But common sense, or a customer-first attitude, would have sparked one of two options in this young man's brain:<br /><br />1. When we ordered, he saw that we were looking at the lunch specials page, so he should have asked if we wanted the lunch specials, or he should have said, since you're both ordering sandwiches and sodas and one basket of fries, you can get another basket of fries added on, all for about equal or less money. <br /><br />2. Or, that not having had happened, he could have said, "Yes, you are correct, let me fix that bill for you." <br /><br />Neither logical situation crossed through his head, so instead we wound up leaving annoyed, and he wound up with a less generous tip than he otherwise would have earned. So it goes with customer service. <br /><br />Next time, when I take my wife AND soon-to-be son there, I hope it will work out better!Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-90060296657569631132009-08-13T20:02:00.005-04:002009-08-13T20:21:02.321-04:00Good Customer Service Is All Bark AND All BiteToday I had an interesting chat on IM with my friend who had a negative customer service experience, and we discussed just how important it is get good customer service in order to be happy with a what you're buying.<br /><br />Here's his scenario, briefly:<br /><br />My friend's wife signed up for a dog training class and, despite what it said on their website that the trainer would follow up within a week of ordering a class, the trainer never called them to confirm the order. So right off the bat, the company didn't make good on their promise to reach out to the customer. Meanwhile, they were scrambling to find out whether or not the class was still on, or get any other information they might need in order to attend. Two months went by and not a word from the dog trainer left them too far in the dark about the class. A simple phone call would have put them at ease and made all the difference in the world. <br /><br />To me, when my initial interaction with a company, non-profit, or other organization is negative, I get extremely down on them, and they have a long, uphill battle to win me back. In our chat today, I likened my friend's situation to that of meeting the first salesperson you talk to at a car dealer. If he or she greets me with a frown, or pressures me into buying, or doesn't know the product line, or just generally ignores me, you can bet I'll take my business elsewhere if at all possible, even if it was just a bad moment for that salesperson who is otherwise dynamite. I easily get turned off by poor customer service, and it's tough to win me back, and I suspect that most customers feel the same way. <br /><br />On the flip side, this past week I've been shopping for a new car insurance provider in order to save some money on my current auto policy. I communicated with three different companies, and each person I dealt with at each company was extremely friendly, knowledgeable, and interested in helping me through the buying process. One would think that this kind of positive attitude would be commonplace for a business when dealing with a customer that is looking to spend money, but unfortunately, it's often anything but.<br /><br />Even though good marketing or word-of-mouth can bring a person to the door, a good customer service representative is crucial to bringing along and potentially closing the sale, whether it's for a dog training class, a new car, or a new auto insurance policy. It's really the engine that keeps the sale going.<br /><br />Gregg, if you're reading this, good chatting with you today, and I hope the dog training class turned out to be a success in spite of an *ahem* ruff start.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-68386355410347417212009-07-03T11:19:00.003-04:002009-07-03T11:39:25.417-04:00Stolen Credit Card... UghA heads up to one and all... you never know when some lowlife can try and steal your credit card. It happened to my wife just yesterday in fact.<br /><br />She went to a matinee movie with her two nieces and nephew (aged 11 and under), and paid for the tickets with the credit card that she and I both use regularly. Just another day out and about the town.<br /><br />Turns out, when I got home from work (which was before my wife got back) I got a recorded call on my answering machine from the credit card company saying that my account was frozen due to suspicious activity. <br /><br />I immediately followed the prompts and found out that about $350 worth of fraudulent charges had been placed in a short period of time, all after my wife had charged her card at the movies (the AMC Neshaminy 24 Theater in Bensalem, PA, for those of you wondering).<br /><br />The credit card company subsequently closed the account and is now looking into the mischief, once I confirmed that we had not made these charges. <br /><br />So the lesson learned is that this nonsense can happen anytime, anywhere. My hunch is that the young girl that swiped the card either copied the numbers down, or took a cell phone photo, or texted the info to somebody and then calls were made in rapid succession to try and get "free" stuff. I can't verify this, but hey, be forewarned. Whatever the case, hopefully they catch the idiotic culprits and put them in their place... jail would be nice!Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-83599460607271081702009-06-29T08:06:00.003-04:002009-06-29T08:19:28.223-04:00Getting a Handle on Reusable Bags<a href="http://www.care2.com/greenliving/when-your-reusable-bag-is-no-longer-reusable.html">Interesting article</a> on Care2 recently that discussed what to do with your reusable bag once it becomes unusable, like when the handles tear off. In short, the author suggests sending your broken bag off to ChicoBags Company, which in turn has the bags cut into strips for rugs. It's a great suggestion, and definitely something to consider should that come to fruition for any of us, since recycling is always an excellent option.<br /><br />I just have to wonder if, however, after all of these decades (centuries?) of using bags to carry things... isn't there a better way to make a handle so it won't break off so easily? <br /><br />Gravity being what it is, I understand that the heavier the items you're carrying, the more stress it puts on the bag that is holding them (see, I learned something in physics class!). But just for that reason, I have to ponder whether or not we can develop either a better implement to help us carry things to and fro, or stronger handles so that they won't rip off of the bag so easily. In other words, if bag handles keep breaking, reusable bag or not, we're wasting a lot of resources in this defective design.<br /><br />Despite my in-depth knowledge of physics (!), I'm not savvy enough to develop a new design to make it easier to carry things from point A to point B. It's just not my bag, baby. That's why I ask all of those physicists out there to unite and develop a better bag handle to help the world out. You'll be doing the world a lot of good!Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-91286391574191076062009-06-19T23:31:00.004-04:002009-06-19T23:58:35.570-04:00Land Rover Ad LaughableHad to laugh when I saw an ad for Land Rover while reading the Philadelphia Business Journal today.<br /><br />Here is the advertisement's headline:<br /><br />"75% of all the vehicles we've ever sold in this country are still on the road"<br /><br />Alright, well that's relatively benign.<br /><br />Subhead:<br /><br />"Now that's a long-term investment."<br /><br />Ok, I just bought a new car this week (full disclosure: NOT a Land Rover), and the minute I drove off the lot I literally chuckled to myself and said, "well I just lost 20% of my money in a matter of seconds." It's sad but true.<br /><br />It is common knowledge that cars lose a huge percentage-- generally considered to be about 30% of their value-- in depreciation during the first year after purchase. So why would an advertiser try to pull the wool over our eyes and say that buying a Land Rover is "an investment?"<br /><br />An investment, lest we forget, is supposed to be something that makes you money over time, not loses money. Cars are inherently not an investment. They get beat up and lose their luster compared to newer vehicles, thus they are not worth as much as when you buy them new. <br /><br />Sorry Land Rover, you're not fooling anyone. Or at least you're not fooling 75% of us, but I guess somebody out there is buying your message.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-13705589075458938882009-06-10T07:52:00.003-04:002009-06-10T08:03:57.102-04:00Ozone Layer: Old News?Just was thinking that I haven't heard much about the hole in the ozone layer that was so widely publicized just a few years ago. Perhaps I may have simply missed any recent stories about this important environmental topic, and it seems like it would be more talked about in these days of growing environmental consciousness.<br /><br />A quick search for "ozone layer" on the Google News tool shows few articles in recent weeks that focus on the ozone layer, other than with a passing mention of it. <br /><br />I would imagine that the status of the Earth's ozone layer has only gotten worse over the years, which means that we should still be alerted to how it is doing. However, like any news story, hearing the same bad news over and over gets to be a drag and people tend to tune it out. But a periodic reminder might not hurt...Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-44919665264643174812009-05-31T21:48:00.005-04:002009-05-31T22:01:04.901-04:00What if...What if... every child was required to visit a sewage treatment plant, a mine shaft, a landfill, and a slaughterhouse? <br /><br />Pretty gruesome, yes, but that's the whole point!<br /><br />Unfortunately I think most Americans are so far removed from the processes that make our lives comfortable that people just take things for granted without thinking of the consequences of their actions. <br /><br />It's easy to toss a plastic soda bottle in the trash can, rather than recycling it, because it just gets sent off on a garbage truck and you don't have to worry about it anymore. It's just gone, move on to other things in your life, right? But set your eyes, ears, and nose on a 100 acre landfill, and you'll quickly see that everything that gets tossed has to go <em>somewhere</em>, not just magically vanish into thin air.<br /><br />I certainly can't sit here and say that I'm a perfect saint when it comes to sustainability, but I think by actively taking notice of what I do and how it affects my surroundings puts me way ahead of most people in this country, and perhaps this world. We are all lucky to have what we have and I'm proud of the fact that I live during the most advanced time in history, but at the same time, I realize that there's a long way to go in order for us to live at peace with our world. Hopefully it's not too late, but what if... it is too late???Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-70495401051632101272009-05-15T23:48:00.003-04:002009-05-16T00:02:10.229-04:00The Little Things Go a Long WayStopped by my local dry cleaners today to pick up clothes that my wife dropped off about a week ago. I'd say I make an appearance at this dry cleaner about once every 2-3 months... in other words pretty infrequently.<br /><br />It's a family owned business and I've never really chatted with the owners, just drop off, pick up, not much to it. <br /><br />But today it was a little thing that went a long way. A younger fellow, possibly the owner's son, greeted me with a hello. I returned the greeting and said I'm sorry, but I don't have my receipt slip with me today. <br /><br />He promptly took out a book that he has people sign when they don't have their slips, presumably to serve as a record for who picked up the clothes and when in case there's any dispute. I've had to do this in the past because I often lose the slip, so I'm used to it by now.<br /><br />But I noticed that right off the bat, he flipped to the section labeled "S"... as in the first initial of my last name. I was shocked!<br /><br />He scribbled out some things on the notebook lines, including my last name and the date. He then proceeded to give me the book to sign and then went and flipped the switch for the rotating clothes hanger and took them off without even flinching.<br /><br />This small little sequence really amazed me! I barely knew this kid, yet without me telling him my name, giving him a credit card or any other type of identifying information, he already knew who I was and didn't hesitate to process the transaction. Unreal!<br /><br />I must say, that's true one-on-one marketing right there. It was quick and personalized service like you rarely see anymore, and all from a fellow who I've hardly said two words to in the past. But that little moment I'll certainly remember, for the sheer simplicity yet effectiveness of it.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-24567401861430301512009-04-30T21:50:00.003-04:002009-04-30T22:10:41.106-04:00Sometimes I Just Don't Understand PeopleI enjoy playing basketball. <br /><br />I'm not an all star on the court, but I can hold my own. Put me on the floor with a group of guys who can run really well, and I'm happy be the role player and let the other guys shine. Put me on the court with fellas who are average at best, and I don't mind taking the spotlight. I just like to play, get some exercise, and win as much as I can.<br /><br />Over the past year I've played with three different groups of players. Two of them were pickup games (two separate groups, we'll call them group A and group B), and the third was a paid league at a local gym with refs, scorekeepers, team records, and playoffs. Unfortunately, I will no longer be participating in the latter group.<br /><br />In all three of these groups I hardly knew anybody before starting to run with them. Each group contained a wide mix of players, old, young, good, not-so-good, you name it. But the league players turned out to be absolutely obnoxious. And I can't figure out why.<br /><br />Logic, in my mind, would state that if you're playing in a paid league, you would want to work hard to jell as a team and support each other. That never happened... if you did something wrong, a teammate would get in your face about it. You would also think that since the games were shorter than the pickup games (roughly 30 minutes worth of playing time in a league vs. 1-2 hours in pickup games), that you would want to get the most out of your run, and try to be very efficient. That didn't happen either. Half the time, the players are yelling at the refs for bad/missed calls, or showing up late to the game, or crying like babies because they don't get the ball enough. This behavior totally boggles my mind.<br /><br />In my two groups of pickup games, I NEVER heard any serious arguments or borderline fights break out. Yet in practically every game of the paid league, a screaming match would break out (usually directed at the refs) or somebody would play rough and cause guys to jaw at each other during stoppages in play, all while the clock was running. Meanwhile in pickup games, yes there would be trash talking, but it was all good natured and light hearted, even if you didn't know the other guys that well. If you fouled somebody, you called it and moved on. Slightly bump into a guy during a league game and it was grounds to yell for a foul or start swinging elbows. Unbelievable.<br /><br />Sometimes I just don't understand people...Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-6317621769742856312009-04-15T09:06:00.003-04:002009-04-15T13:41:53.801-04:00Stretched Thin by Social NetworkingThis social networking craze has gotten a little out of hand.<br /><br />As sensible and easy as it is to connect with others online, I've become stretched thin by all of the social networks I've signed up for over the past few years. Now I'm at the point where I find that most of the ones that I'm signed up for I rarely, if ever, even find time to look at. Here's how stretched thin I've become when it comes to online social networks:<br /><br />-LinkedIn: This may have been the first social network site that I started using. However, I don't think I've ever gotten much of value out of it, but I can see how it could be valuable for things like finding a job or researching somebody's background.<br /><br />-MySpace: I used this for a few months and grew out of it. I don't think I've updated my page since sometime last year. Too hyper and shallow for me.<br /><br />-Twitter: I signed up for this recently, and have had several fleeting moments of interest in it, but for the most part I don't have time to get bombarded with messages all day, so it's pretty much fallen by the wayside.<br /><br />-Ning: I'm signed up for 3 separate Ning networking sites, none of which I check with regularity. One site has a ton of members signed up for it, but is basically dead quiet. Another has lots of chatter but I don't know anybody. And the third just got started up so we'll see where it goes.<br /><br />-Plaxo: Somebody recently sent me an email to sign up for Plaxo, and so I did, and so goes another page that just sits there and I don't look at. <br /><br />-Facebook: Right now, FB is the clear leader for me, though my interest in it is starting to wane. I enjoy the games on there and occasionally catching up with friends, but for the most part, reading about how people don't feel like going to work/class/relative's house is just not all that intriguing to me. Good site to kill a few minutes while relaxing on the couch.<br /><br />As you well know, there are literally thousands of social networking sites available on the internet, but I just have to wonder at what point this whole system will either collapse or radically change in some way. Most people I know enjoy using one or two of these sites, but the return on investment of time put into them seems to decline after a while. Plus the fact that you have to tip-toe around what you say because it could come back to haunt you makes them a little less inviting. Let's see what the future holds for social networking, and hopefully it develops in a positive direction. In the meantime, I'm going to go check my good old fashioned email...Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7093629387128766484.post-40165537696665151652009-04-14T22:04:00.005-04:002009-04-14T22:23:19.520-04:00Power to the People...The other day I heard a snippet of a report on NPR about how poor the drinking water can be in Pakistan. I don't recall the exact statistics they presented, but the number of kids getting ill because of filthy drinking water was astronomical and the doctors there can't do much about it. <br /><br />Situations like this one that was depicted are truly deplorable, especially to think that the main pollution in the water in places like Pakistan come from man made chemicals, untreated sewage, and other preventable sources. It's no wonder that angry citizens rise up and riot and overthrow governments in various corners of the world. While I never can condone violence, I can at least empathize with the plight of those that have to live in these filthy conditions day in and day out.<br /><br />Interestingly, however, it seems that those groups who do rise to power do absolutely nothing (for the most part) to help their fellow citizens, but instead run off with their newfound power and leave the people behind. I, personally, would think that if these people overthrew the government, the first thing they would want to do in order to gain MORE power would be to help their countrymen. By having a safe, happy, healthy citizenry behind you, by default you become a more powerful person since you're their leader.<br /><br />An example of this is right here in America. While poverty does still exist in this country unfortunately, it's safe to say that most people have all of the basics building blocks (like running water, ample food at affordable prices, shelter, etc.) at their fingertips to live a healthier life than those citizens of Third World countries. And as a result, American citizens can strive for more prosperous livelihoods. In doing so, they, in turn, help strengthen the country by contributing to the well-being of society.<br /><br />But in a place where people can't even obtain the basic elements of life, the ability to move up in the world will always be out of reach since most people's time and energy is spent just trying to get by. <br /><br />So the lesson here, in my viewpoint, is if you want to gain success as a leader (be it as a leader of a country or just at your job), your best bet would be to empower others along the way.Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03845593450338809109noreply@blogger.com0