When you grow up in a small town, small business is status quo. Every shop is owned and operated by a family. The coffee shop, the grocery store, the flower shop, the bookstore and all the restaurants. Now, on my last trip home I started to notice, they are dying. Into my small town (now 15,000 people) Big Business is creeping in. The Big Boys offering a variety of products at cut rate prices; that the little guy can't compete with. Buying power is definitely in their favour. I remember when we got our first Tim Horton's- now a small town staple. Don't get me wrong; I love Timmy's, but I can't help but feel we're losing something special.
Let's talk size vs value. A big business can afford to over-stock their shelves with every different variation of the product in that category. Ramming the aisle with decisions like; do I like the flamingo or the salmon colour? But the quality... There is no care in the choosing of the best product available. At the small business they have 2 shelves and can't afford to offer everything. The proprietor chooses a quality product because their choice reflects on their business. If you buy a dress from the Big Boys and it falls apart after 3 wears; we grin and bear it, cuz what else can we do? We knew when we got it- it wasn't built to last. But buy a dress from a little guy and if it falls apart- there's hell to pay. PAY!!! Marching into that store, waving the item like a flag of defeat. Which brings us to customer service.
It used to be that your local shoe store operator knew you. He knew your name, your size and what you did for a living. He would order special shoes for you, knowing you would wear them and love them. That was how you bought shoes. You went to see Bruno who asked you about your son's lacrosse season; he knew your Mother, and her order was ready if you saw her to let her know. It was like visiting an old family friend twice a year. Now, you Google shoes- click on a link and enter your email address. Or maybe you venture to a shoe store where the sales person's loud, elaborate and long winded stories have to be interrupted so you can get your size. And they don't offer half sizes, so they only brought the bigger size. Dropping the box into the floor and flinging a leg-less stocking at you- to prevent contamination- though there is clearly a street woman parading around in the display shoes.
So, what do we think about that? I know it's not right. How do we fight the Big Boy? At what point do we stand up and say; I want to be taken care of? I want someone to think about me as an important customer. In this mean and selfish sales environment, I am tired of feeling like asking for help isn't allowed. It should be the Big Boy's job to look out for the little guy, instead of squashing them. With all the anti-bullying campaigns going around, you'd think we'd notice it's not just a playground phenomenon. But for now, I guess I'll go to the mail depot to pick up my Amazon order, and stew over my new uke.
Let's talk size vs value. A big business can afford to over-stock their shelves with every different variation of the product in that category. Ramming the aisle with decisions like; do I like the flamingo or the salmon colour? But the quality... There is no care in the choosing of the best product available. At the small business they have 2 shelves and can't afford to offer everything. The proprietor chooses a quality product because their choice reflects on their business. If you buy a dress from the Big Boys and it falls apart after 3 wears; we grin and bear it, cuz what else can we do? We knew when we got it- it wasn't built to last. But buy a dress from a little guy and if it falls apart- there's hell to pay. PAY!!! Marching into that store, waving the item like a flag of defeat. Which brings us to customer service.
It used to be that your local shoe store operator knew you. He knew your name, your size and what you did for a living. He would order special shoes for you, knowing you would wear them and love them. That was how you bought shoes. You went to see Bruno who asked you about your son's lacrosse season; he knew your Mother, and her order was ready if you saw her to let her know. It was like visiting an old family friend twice a year. Now, you Google shoes- click on a link and enter your email address. Or maybe you venture to a shoe store where the sales person's loud, elaborate and long winded stories have to be interrupted so you can get your size. And they don't offer half sizes, so they only brought the bigger size. Dropping the box into the floor and flinging a leg-less stocking at you- to prevent contamination- though there is clearly a street woman parading around in the display shoes.
So, what do we think about that? I know it's not right. How do we fight the Big Boy? At what point do we stand up and say; I want to be taken care of? I want someone to think about me as an important customer. In this mean and selfish sales environment, I am tired of feeling like asking for help isn't allowed. It should be the Big Boy's job to look out for the little guy, instead of squashing them. With all the anti-bullying campaigns going around, you'd think we'd notice it's not just a playground phenomenon. But for now, I guess I'll go to the mail depot to pick up my Amazon order, and stew over my new uke.
RSS Feed