this and that

     I awoke from my marketing daze when I read about shopping bots. Hey, that’s great. How exciting and useful. Now I can hunt a lot faster for bargains on books and cd’s at bookfinder.com and CDpricecompare.com. I’ve got 14 minutes to get this post in for the noon cutoff. What to write next. Ok- ebay is super. Love it, how else can I get my friends and family to get me stuff I want for Christmas in an easy fashion?    

     One caveat about ebay is that as Forrest Gump would say “you nevah know whut you gunna git”. I bought some sports bras stating they were “Victoria Secret anti shock”. I spent $10 each for 2, but when I got them, they were dollar store crappy ripoffs that I immediately donated. What was my recourse? I could have given a bad comment in the feedback. But what would be the possible outcome of that? That seller had my name and address, could have been a freakazoid that would flip out, drug me and make me eat my own brains ala the Silence of the Lambs prequel, Hannibal Rising. So I took the hit on that one, and sent them bad luck telepathically. Overall, the internet has saved me lots of money on comparison shopping, the aggravation of going to a loud mall, plus I love getting stuff mailed to me.

     I say this because I’ve called it with local businesses not understanding the market, and folding soon after opening. Once such occasion that I made a bet on with a friend, and won, involved a pizzeria around the corner from me. I won’t use the real name, I’ll call them Ding Dong Pizza. So, I see a new shopping strip open with a sign saying “Ding Dong Pizza coming soon”. Alright! I’m stoked, can’t wait, seeing how I can live on pizza. I must correct that- good pizza. Finally the joint opens up, everything is nice and new, and all the menu items look super. I order a personal size pizza with jalapeno extra topping. My friend and I were the only customers, there were 6 employees standing around staring at each other, but it took 15 minutes to make the pizza. I take one look at this tiny pizza that cost $7. The jalapenos cost an extra dollar. There were exactly 2 pieces of jalapenos, one of them being the end piece. I told my friend, “I bet you 50 bucks these *&%$ers will be closed in 3 months, at a huge loss to the owner”. What went wrong here? Looking around the place, they had way too much supply, no customers ( no demand), and obviously the price point was incorrect. They should have gone for “penetration pricing” at least to get things going, not to mention, no adverstising. Anything related to marketing, they did it wrong. Almost 3 months to the day, there was a “for lease” sign in the window and the lights were off.

     The following month, a new pizzeria moved in, selling New York style pizza. 2 slices and a fountain soda for $8. I’ll give it to them, it’s real NY pizza, but charging NY prices in the vicinity of horse farms. I couldn’t help myself- I told the owner (another NY’er) “these prices are too high for Texan’s, at lease start off at $5 to get them in here, and show them real pizza”.  They are still open, but appear to be hanging on by their fingernails. I know the elasticity of demand would skyrocket if he dropped the prices at least for a bit.

     Dunkin’ Donuts is coming to Texas, Y’all! Get ready for guaranteed proper coffee, not that liquid muck they sell to bandwagon riders at Starbucks. Not to mention incredible donuts (which will be available to those whose enjoy a good donut after the customary cut off time here in Texas of noon for most donut shops). Then, you’ve got a low fat egg white sandwich that is delish. How can all us fine Americans from coast to coast enjoy all these fine products with little deviation? Franchising!

     Another great aspect of retailing, is being able to shop at the same store coast to coast knowing you’ll find your favorite beauty and clothing brands. This is quite helpful for traveling. I recently went to a wedding in Maryland, and had noticed the night before that the zipper on my gown was broken. I was able to exchange the dress a the local Macy’s, saving the day. The store was 10 minutes from the hotel, and to add to my customer experience- they steam ironed the dress right there for me. Just another bonus for me, and customer loyalty for them. Well, at least while they are still in business, they still have me.

     OMG! Chapter 12 is the cure for insomnia. I can’t find a single thing to relate to in this chapter. I understand the necessity of it. “Marketing channels and supply chain management”? How about- “how to get your stuff out there, and the problems that come up when you don’t know what’s going on with your stuff”. I felt like I was being punished by having to read this. Actually, read and re-read it between lapsing into mini-comas. The minutiae of these issues, combined with “The Big Bang Theory” replaying the time travelling machine ebay purchase episode for the 6th time, can only mean one thing. I am not meant to be having fun tonight.

   Okay, I guess I need to write something to show I read this. Supply chain management- managing all of the activities by supply chain managers to ensure the product gets to the consumers. Then what channels are the most successful to get to who wants them. Ug. Common sense people, hire people for your business that are awake, and have a working brain. If it’s not selling, backtrack, find the problem and fix it. Snow boots not selling in Key West, you don’t say! I find this all unbearable. Now where do I put my requisite links? Let’s see here, nepotism- that could throw a monkey wrench into marketing if they’re there because of name alone, and other areas of commerce. Need help with your channel marketing, you don’t even need to speak to your employees, hit the internet for guidance, buy the complete breakdown, and hand them out. I’m going to eat some chocolate cake now, I feel like I deserve it.