Viewing Category: Retail
Although I don't own any stock in Starbucks, I do drink an awful lot of their coffee as part of my morning wake-up routine. I've actually gotten a little sick of it. Their coffee is not all that good. Their pastries are, despite their tempting appearance, mediocre to the point of making me angry. What keeps me going back is the sense of energy, not the coffee. I think of the food and drink I buy as a kind of "social tax" I have to pay in order to be part of the community.
The seeds of discontent thus planted, I was keenly interested when I heard that Starbucks has their old CEO and founder Howard Schultz back at the helm through my Advertising Age e-newsletter. The cool thing about Ad Age is that they tend to write from the "brand perception" perspective; I was intrigued to learn that the changes that Schultz had in mind were related to customer experience, for example the complete lack of coffee smell at Starbucks (hey!) and that view of the barristas are blocked by the equipment (yeah, that's right). I found this article at The Washington Post regarding the malaise of Starbucks particularly interesting, because it drew attention to just what I was missing from the coffee house experience.
While I enjoy the story of scrappy independent coffee houses battling the Starbucks behemoth, what it really comes down to is that I want a place where I can hang out and have all my senses engaged in a comfortable (but not dull) fashion. I love the smell of good coffee. Unfortunately, the best coffee I've had in some time has been from the coffee maker of my cousin Ben in California. He went through many batches of Pete's coffee to find the magic blend of grounds and water to brew a fine cup. I need to do the same thing here, or find it somewhere.
One of the powerful draws of one's home town is, I think, those places where you can let down your guard and be infused with the sense of community pride. Food seems to tie into this feeling a lot of the time. It might be the familiar taste of Hellman's Mayonnaise in the chicken salad from that little market down the street, where you could get heirloom tomatoes way before they became "fashionable". Maybe it's the pizza parlor you went to as a kid, could be something about the crust that keeps you coming back, or the memories playing Asteroids back in the 80s after school, trying to stretch that quarter to a million points before going home. People recognized your face and knew what you liked, and in return you looked them back in the eye and smiled in recognition. That's a good feeling, and one of the most accessible sources of this in any town is the coffee shop. Coffee drinkers share the love for the beverage, and we exult in the smell and the ritual of getting our cup just right. It's just enough to pull you into a community without asking too much of you, the bare minimum of interaction to remind you that you are part of a greater humanity. At a great coffee house, you'll see the regulars and get a sense of their personalities by overhearing what they are ordering. The great barristas anchor the experience like bartenders, assuming that your coffee comes right and smells like a morning that you look forward to.
I'm actually on something of a regular waking schedule, getting up around 8AM and then heading to the coffee shop around 10AM. Ostensibly, the reason behind my daily coffee shop routine is to plan the day; the new version of the Emergent Task Planner arose out of a couple months of drawing it every morning over chai as part of the planning process. Another benefit has been seeing people I am getting to know every day. The staff is starting to see me as a regular, and that is an oddly comforting feeling. Although I have to pay the $3.00 Chai Latte Tax every day, it's a pittance compared to what I get in return: a cross-section of life, told through unguarded expressions and incidental overheard conversations. I have been surprised at what stories can be gleaned from just fragmentary observation; for example, I recently got the impression that one of the staff members had been promoted, which was later when we were chatting during one of her breaks. I had guessed this based on one observed 1-on-1 meeting between the staffer and another woman who seemed more senior, a glimpse of what looked like a form being returned, and the elevated sense of energy in the shop over the following days. It's been moments like that, plus the opportunity to connect with people, that has made my morning routine successful. As a result, I've been waking up naturally at around the same time every day out of habit for the past couple weeks.
It occurred to me last weekend that this regular routine could now be used to anchor another activity like going to the gym. Anchoring is similar to what television networks do with their programming; once they are lucky enough to have a hit show, they "bracket" it with other shows they hope will also be popular because people are already going out of their way to tune in. A general engineering principle also applies: if you have a process that you can reliably predict, you can use it as the basis for some kind of system function. In my case: I'm up, I'm already looking forward to going out, so why not hit the gym for 30 minutes before I have my coffee shop fix? I know I want to be stronger, and even just 30 minutes of some kind of muscle conditioning will be good for me.
So today, I went to check out two gyms: a Best Fitness and a Workout World nearby. I wanted to just get a "feel" for the places and what they offered, as I've never actually been inside a gym club before. What is deciding my choice is not the facilities (they were approximately equivalent) or the fees (they were also pretty much the same)...it was the sales approach.
I walked into Best Fitness and told the person at the desk that I was checking out gyms in the area, and they showed me around. I was assigned a staff member, and he walked me around the club. As we walked, he asked me some questions about what I was looking for, and I said I had once been on an exercise regimen and had liked feeling strong, but had gotten bored of it and was looking for some variety. He answered my questions about how I would get started, what kind of expertise was on hand, what their hours were, and so on, admitting that he'd just started there a week earlier, but had been a member himself. Seemed like a nice guy. After the tour, I was lead to a booth where I was obviously about to be sold. I told him I wasn't looking to join anything up front today, and he respected that. I learned, though, that in Massachusetts health clubs have 2-year contracts, but for some reason in New Hampshire it's limited to 1 year as some kind of protection measure. I asked him what the advantage of a club like this had over the YMCA, and he answered to the best of his ability without being disparaging. He didn't know if my health insurance would reimburse me for health club fees (some of them do, I believe, but I have a PPO that is only for big emergencies with a high co-pay). Since he wasn't sure, he lead me over to his manager, who was in another booth, and he gave me good advice on choosing a gym as I shopped around. It was an excellent interaction overall, and he told me to watch for flyers because their pricing changed all the time. Then I got a free one-week trial membership that I could start when I was ready, and was walked out the door. Low key, almost zero pressure, friendly, and genuinely helpful without being salesy. That is the way I like things.
Workout World is approximately the same distance away from my house, but has more traffic lights in the way, so it is a less likely final choice. Still, an acquaintance of mine said that he liked it for their machines, so I figured I should check it out. As I walked in, I saw a lot of enticing price-related promotions going on. My tour guide was a high-energy guy who had an engaging demeanor, showing me the machines and ticking off the advantages one by one. One thing I liked was how he got me on some of the machines to try them out. He pointed out the features that the gym offered, and the benefits they had. Everything was fine until the end, when he led me to the inevitable booth to sit down and go over pricing. The first thing he did was lay out the pricing, which was practically identical to Best Fitness. Then he told me how in Massachusetts you have two-year contracts, but TODAY he was authorized to give me just a ONE YEAR AGREEMENT (not a contract) for a signup fee of $299 plus $19.99 a month afterwards. Having just been to Best Fitness and having been told that New Hampshire doesn't allow more than one year contracts, I asked, "Isn't that just a NH state thing?" and he agreed yes, it was...his attempt to spin it as a "special deal for me" failed. After that it just got worse, with him going to get his manager and then I got the "professional" spiel full of plausibly-deniable promises and the "what can I do to get you to sign today" vibe. It was lame. I finally said, "I am 100% certain I'm not going to sign anything today. I'm just evaluating gyms, so thank you for your time, I really appreciate it." After shaking their hands and being walked back out to the door, I got the last bit of interaction with my original staff guide, and a card for a free day. I gave the guide a warm smile and handshake, as I genuinely was appreciative, and I got the same in return. However, just as he was turning away, I saw that smile come off as fast as a sandcastle being washed away by a fire hose. It was completely phony. While I had already been pretty sure, based on the poorly-executed sales tactics I'd just experienced and the traffic light situation, that I wouldn't be picking Workout World, it was this last interaction that clinched it. While they were higher energy than Best Fitness, I think I got an authentic interaction with people there, and that's the kind of place that I would rather spend my money.
I was reflecting afterwards that this kind of sales approach had to come from somewhere, and I'd be curious to know how independently each facility operates. Best Fitness seemed secure in its operational model, and had nothing to hide or to prove. Workout World seemed to resort to used car salesman tactics, applying every trick to spin their offering into a "deal" for me, so I would sign. Both of the Workout World staffers seemed to be conversant with Salesman 101, though they had not been able to read me accurately enough to just tell me what I needed so I could get on with my evaluation. It may have been the very inexperience of the Best Fitness staff member (he was only on the job for a week) that allowed him to deal with me as just a regular guy talking to another guy. And it is interesting that the two experienced managers had different approaches:
At Best Fitness, the senior staffer told me what I needed to know and kept the conversation in the realm of the best decision for me, based on observations he had made of other people who were in my position.
At Workout World, the senior staffer tried to manipulate the conversation into a selling proposition, using half-truths and obvious relationship-building ploys to create a false sense of helpful opportunity. Ultimately, he cared more about making the sale than having a conversation with me. They put as much effort as the needed to to maintain the facade, and dropped it as soon as they thought I wasn't looking.
Fascinating.
[I should add: this is just my experience with two individual sales experiences. Could just be the luck of the draw.]
This morning, I opened up my daily folder and blinked at the contents. A few bills. A statement from the bank. Some year old postcards from the vet. A few pieces of paper with some names on them. Fascinating. My Tickler File had delivered unto me a small mystery to unravel: what the heck was I thinking yesterday?
The theme, it turns out, was purging services that I don't want to pay for anymore: Comcast Cable TV, Tivo, Verizon Wireless, and a local bank. They cost too much for what I get out of them.
Disconnecting Cable TV
First on the block was Comcast. The plan was simple enough: get rid of cable TV, but keep the Internet. For one thing, I was sick of seeing a cable bill greater than $100 every month. Secondly...I was wondering if I could live without cable. I've been reading a book my sister gave me, PopCo, and Alice (the main character, a toy designer with a penchant for cryptanalysis) makes an observation that television gives people the impression that they've led an interesting life, when in actually they've just fooled themselves into thinking that. Yikes! And then there's this post by Kathy Sierra on Killing the Television, saying how TV was bad and addictive. On the other hand, some TV shows are good, especially the more recent ones, and I profess to believe that the shows I watch are indeed good for the brain.
On the other other hand, I do find myself wandering up to the TV and watching a few hours a day...it's just so easy to get into the groove and watch a half-dozen documentaries and dramas. I tell myself It's OK...you're learning about human psychology! You're learning about WWII! You're getting new ideas that spark new ideas! Well, as I finished GTD processing last night, I realized that the last thing I need is more ideas. I realized some time ago that running out of ideas is something I'm not worried about...so there really isn't a reason to keep the TV around except it...comfortingly easy.
Full of purpose, I called up Comcast and chatted with the surprisingly-pleasant female representative, who was happy to disconnect the cable, but pointed out that if I kept BASIC in addition to the Internet, the package ended up being 9 dollars cheaper than just Internet alone. Bastards...they try to hook ya! After some hemming and hawing, I decided to keep basic cable. It might be handy for watching things like presidential debates or catching the news occassionally when there's a reason to watch. So this drops my cable bill to about $60, from $100.
I felt an odd little panic at losing access to FoodTV, Bravo, the Cartoon Network...Kathy might be on to something here. Best to go cold turkey. I'll disconnect the television from the cable box later.
Disconnecting Tivo
The next call was to Tivo. This was surprisingly hard, or maybe not really surprising if you have one. Pulling the plug on Tivo was like giving away a favorite pet, or telling your best friend that you can't hang out anymore. What has Tivo done to deserve this? I want to save the $12.95 month-to-month fee if I'm not watching TV, of course, but I felt like a complete jerk as I surreptitiously dialed Tivo Customer Support.
"Dave, I understand. It's OK."
"Tivo, dude, you've been there for me for the past 4 years, I really wish I could keep ya around." I really meant it too...Tivo is my buddy!
"That's OK. What Ma Tivo will do for you is maintain your account for 3 months so you can get your head straight. And if we're meant to be together, you'll re-activate your account at the same month-to-month contract, and not have to sign to a 1-year contract like everyone else."
"Seriously?"
"Seriously."
Yep, that's what happened. After telling the Tivo rep that I wanted to suspend the service for a while, they told me that this has happened before, and Tivo will maintain the account active for another 3 months before cancelling it, no charge. Wow. Part of me thinks, "Those sneaky bastards...they are counting on me falling off the wagon!" But the other part of me thinks that Tivo is like the bestest most understanding friend ever, and I feel kind of WORSE about it.
But then I thought a little more about this. While Tivo is my friend, I could certainly say Tivo is like that roommate that sits on your couch all day. An interesting and pleasant person to be sure, going out of his/her way to record all your TV shows for you and hang out when you need to decompress. But ultimately...the trap is that you spend more time on the couch living through other people's lives than your own. If I want to go get new ideas, I should go out and meet ACTUAL PEOPLE in INTERESTING PLACES I've NEVER BEEN TO.
Still, I'm a little saddened. The end of an era, in the making.
Disconnecting Mobile Phone Service
I like having a mobile phone, but it's just costing me way too much. I have the minimum plan, $35/month, and I used the phone, like for 5 minutes a month. I would just make this phone my primary phone, but alas...the cell reception in my house is very spotty.
I went to the Verizon Wireless store to see phones and enquire about lower plans. I was subjected to a rather disgusting service experience, even though everyone was very friendly; it was just that the Verizon business model makes my skin crawl. From the design of the store to gerrymandering of packages and pricing, it's pretty clear that Verizon is in the business of siphoning as much money out of people through as many possible orifices as possible. I inquired about pay-as-you-go plans, and they told me that the starting pay-as-you-go plan was $50. I think they must have looked up my past records and figured that I wasn't a good customer to leech money out of anyway, so they were fine to cancel my account. They didn't even offer to do it for me at the store...they told me to call 611 from my mobile. A very weird experience: the retail store was geared only to moving product, not providing any kind of good experience. Maybe the thinking is the experience is implicit in having the phone, but all I could think of were sharks and Boston car salesmen.
So I am in the market for a new, cheap, pay-as-you-go emergency-use only mobile phone plan, as this current one doesn't expire until July 7.
Cancelling my Bank Account
I moved to a credit union last year that I like a lot thanks to its excellent online banking, low fees, and general friendliness. No fee checking! Easy account setup! Online banking that actually works! Compare this to Citizen's Bank NH, which is a fine enough bank, but just rubs me the wrong way. Like the Verizon store, it seems like there are dozens of fees lurking around every corner, and the online banking experience was, well, rather crappy. That was over a year ago, of course. The final straw was getting a YOUR CREDIT RATING IS IN DANGER IF YOU DON'T PAY YOUR OVERDRAFT, which was caused by their absurd $9/month checking fee siphoning away the $2.88 I had left in the account.
I went to a bank branch and got a friendly, if somewhat unapologetic response from the account handler. After explaining the situation, I mentioned this was the first bank that actually overdrafted my account with their own fee structure, and the woman said, "Oh, here in New Hampshire we all do that." The teller I had spoken to prior had suggested I try to get that last fee waived, so I mentioned this also, and the woman said, "I'll see what we can do." So I actually came away with six bucks in an envelope, but again...I didn't feel particularly valued as a consumer or long-time bank customer. Once you're out, you're out! I wasn't particularly impressed, but there's nothing in particular that I can really say other than the experience was underwhelming.
The experience at my credit union today was much more positive: deposited a check, got some help, and fixed-rated a portion of my home equity loan (which admittedly, I should have done a year ago...better late than never). The aura there is just so much more positive.
Got Things Done!
So today ended up being a day of errands, with some light project maintenance work and new business development. But they're OFF THE LIST. I also did some invoicing and made an appointment with the vet for the cats "comprehensive exam". Overall...a pretty productive day. And I have shaved about $100 off my monthly expenses.
The next hurdle is local and long distance telephone service. I looked at using Verizon's Digital Voice service, but it actually didn't seem like such a good deal. I tried using SkypeOut for a couple of calls the other day, and the quality was merely OK compared to the otherwise good Skype-to-Skype call quality. Vonage is a possibility, though I've heard some horror stories about their customer service. On the other hand, what telecomm doesn't have horror stories told about them?
I was at Black Ink in Harvard Square last week, and was drawn to this green cafeteria tray with matching cup. I don't know why...I just had to have it.
My sis says I can use it to control the size of the portions I eat, much as we theorized with Mr Bento. We actually both have them now, but haven't taken any pictures of it yet. I guess I just like things that hold food...weird! :-)
Here's another shot of the tray. I may use this as a photo prop for the bizarre asian snacks that I've been trying. There are so many...they all deserve to be celebrated (and then eaten). I haven't been shooting many pictures lately, but now that it's warmer I'm feeling more in the mood.
I was complaining to my sister about how my face felt like crap in the winter time, and she asked, "What kind of moisturizer do you use?"
"Moisturizer?" I inquired blankly. Sis scowled in exasperation.
So she got me some stuff from L'Oreal called Men's Expert Active Defense System Oil Controller Anti-Oiliness Moisturizer Anti-Shine Complex--really, that's what it says on the box! It was the least "girly" product she could find that was available outside of the scary department store counters with the lipstick and "creams of mysterious purpose". Anyway, the stuff she got me "mattifies skin" and provides "non-greasy, 24H hydration"...exactly what I need, apparently.
It sat in a bag in my living room for like three months before I stumbled upon it again this afternoon. Realizing I was feeling a tad "dry", I figured I would try it out. But I didn't even get that far, because when I took it out of the box I was floored by the coolness of the packaging. The tube of product (shown above, dramatically backlit) matches the box art, which has lots of tiny type and a blueprint of the packaging technology. The design reminds me of cool Flash sites of the 2advanced school of design.
Now that I've taken a picture of it, I might as well get on with it and try out the "active defense system against oiliness". I wonder if our boys in Iraq know about this stuff!
UPDATE: I finally used up my first tube, and had a terrible time trying to find more of it at the local stores. At first I went to the Moisturizers and Skin Care department, but this is actually targeted toward women and babies. I asked a salegirl at the third CVS I went to for some help. She gave me a quizzical look, trying to make sense of the oddity of a grown man looking for moisturizer (she must have been in her late teens if that). She couldn't find the stuff either. My sister told me later that it might be in the Shaving Department, where all the "manly" skin care products are, and indeed that's exactly where I found it. Whew. I also got some other stuff to try, but so far I like the ADS stuff the best. The other men's moisturizer, from lumen-something, looks like makeup. It works, but it isn't as fresh feeling as the L'Oreal product.
