Online Service Category Killers? I don't think so.

Google, eBay form advertising alliance

This article mentions the possibility of eBay and Google helping mom and pop shops compete with category killers like Home Depot and Lowes. How the heck would that happen?

It is news though, to see how eBay is teaming up with Yahoo (in the US) and Google (outside the US) to expand beyond its seller base. This news comes alongside the news that Google's CEO Eric Schmidt joined Apple's board of directors.

Grand Hyatt Kauai Hotel Review

My wife and I stayed a week at the Grand Hyatt Kauai in Hawaii and I wasn't terribly impressed. The building and location is beautiful, but our room wasn't great, and it was very expensive!

Check out the picture of the ceiling, it is in bad need of repair, and looks to have been that way for some time. The problem of a cracking and bubbling ceiling is likely due to a leak in the wall or roof, causing water to get under the plaster. Whatever the cause, it needs to be repaired before it causes more water damage.

Genki Sushi Restaurant Chain

I tried Genki Sushi for the first time a couple of days ago and was pleasantly surprised. It sort of seems like a fast food sushi restaurant with the conveyor belt and all, but the sushi quality was very good and the staff friendly and attentive.

If you happen by a Genki Sushi, give it a try.

Kauai Coffee Company

I got to tour the Kauai Coffee Company store yesterday and had a terrific time. They have a bunch of different types of coffee you can try, with some great displays about their plantation and how the grow and process their coffee. The coffee was very good, so I bought a few bags for myself and to bring home to the mainland as gifts.

A little information about Kauai Coffee Company:
* They have the largest coffee plantation in Hawaii - over three thousand acres.
* It used to be a sugar cane plantation.
* They have on average 200 visitors to their retail store daily in the busy season.
* The retail store employs six part-time staff members.
* Their packaging and shipping operation is 24/7 during the harvesting season, and they ship anywhere in the US.

They compete with other island growers like Kona Coffee.

For more information, check out their website:

Kauai Coffee Company Online Store

Long's Drugs

Here I am in Kauai, HI on my honeymoon and my wife and I have been looking around for a CVS. We didn't find one, but we did find a Long's Drugs. I liked it. We bought a few things, and what it really impressed me was that they sold locally produced items such as nuts, pancake mix, and jelly. We bought jelly to give to my step-dad, and when we were checking out, the cashier said that the jelly went well with peanut butter. Good!

Its been nice on this island as they have many other helpful stores, such as "Save Big", Sears, Quizno's, Jamba Juice, Starbucks, and Subway. We're trying to eat at as many "mom and pop" shops as they often have good prices and are very important to the local economy. We do shop for inexpensive items as much as we can at home of course!

Seattle's Best Coffee

Starbucks has changed the way coffee is sold, raising the price higher and enriching the experience of sipping a cup of joe. Now that Dunkin Donuts has been purchased by a group of management investors, you can expect them to burst across the nation as well as the average Joe's coffee supplier. So where does Seattle's Best Coffee fit in?

I'm sitting here at the airport waiting to get on the plane, and my wife (as of yesteray) just bought me a cup of coffee from Seattle's Best. First thing I noticed, it is EXTREMELY hot. Its already been about 10 minutes and the steam is still rising. The slogan says "Smooth-Roasted Since 1970", and their logo is very nice looking. Its amazing how far a little graphic design will go.

The coffee tastes good, but since its so hot, I think I may add some milk (1%) and sugar to cool it down so I can drink it faster. Our plane will begin boarding soon.

Just got back from putting in the milk and sugar and have to say that the "milk and sugar area" was pretty gross. Sure its a high traffic area, but they certainly could do a better job of keeping it clean. They milk was just out in cartons and the sugar was all over the place. Better luck next time I guess.

Eckerd Drug Store

Went to an Eckerd Drug store for the first time yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. I wouldn't say it was as nice as CVS, but it was nice. At least where I live in Massachusetts the CVS stores are very nice. The Eckerd Drug Store I went to was in Buck's County, PA, and I imagine it was representative of other Eckerd stores. I'll have to validate that.

AOL Gold Rush, Treasure Hunt, and SPAM

Truth is stranger than fiction. I wonder how the execs over at Time Warner missed the opportunity to create a reality show based on AOL's recent court awarded treasure hunt in a spammer's parents' backyard: AOL Digs Up Yard for Spam Gold.

It would have fit right in with their Gold Rush TV show. It would go head to head with the treasure hunters TV show.

While I don't support some of AOL's tactics, like their resistance to cancel accounts, but I do believe that they deserved this judgement. I am surprised the government didn't go after Hawke for email fraud too.

Google Coupons

Hello, my name is instoremarketer, and I use coupons. Looks like I'm not the only one:

New at Google: Local Coupons

Google is allowing local businesses to post coupons on their online listings. Smart move by Google, this will surely accelerate the usage of their business directory, maps, and local shopping features.

Boston Market Review

I went to the Boston Market off the Burgin Parkway in Quincy, MA last night and was surprised at how nice the appearance was. I hadn't been there is a long time and it had vastly improved. There were several other customers queuing up to order food, and I did the same.

I ordered a half chicken with green beans, squash, and the free piece of corn bread. The cost was $6.99, but I had a coupon so it came to $5.99 plus tax, for a total of $6.29.

The meal was good, but not great. I would have preferred if the chicken were less fatty, and the green beans fresher. Since I got my meal to go, the corn bread was a little soggy.

Compare this to the Common Market Restaurants' Fish'n Chicken. They have a half rotisserie chicken for $5.99 without a coupon. Their food is reliably good. Next time I'll go there instead.

http://www.commonmarketrestaurants.com/

http://www.bostonmarket.com/

Ladies Home Journal

I can't believe I'm still getting Ladies Home Journal. What a bunch of morons, wasting my time to cancel this garbage (I mean that it really is garbage) that is sent to me in the mail.

Took me fifteen minutes to find the 1-800 number 1-800-374-4545.

They told me they couldn't cancel, that I had to call eBags. The number was actually for ValueMags.com.

I will of course NEVER order from eBags again, for signing me up for some crappy magazine. Fools.

ValueMags.com - 1-800-303-0344.

Gillette Fusion

I've always been a fan of Gillette Razors, even before they bought or built Gillette Stadium. Ever since they sent me a free razor on my 18th birthday. Maybe that gift was thankfully received by me because my parents had gotten divorced when I was young and my father then passed away when I was in high school, so I missed having a father figure in my adolescence. Somehow shaving is manhood.

All this time I've had an incredible step-father, and truly consider him my father. He's helped be be the man I am today. When I was 18 though, I just couldn't open up to him.

So I've been through several generations of Gillette razors. Moreso, when I was studying at Tufts, the human factors department head, Professor Kreifeld, has worked on some of the early razors, trying to make them more ergonomic.

So I've graduated to the Gillette Fusion, thanks to the extra bucks promotions CVS had awhile back. It is a hell of a razor, but the blades don't seem to last as long as the Mach 3. I still have and use my Mach 3. Its kept in my dopp kit for travel.

This topic reminds me of the new gum commercial where the company sells less gum because their new product retains its flavor for so long. Everybody knows that inkjet printers, razors, water filters, and the like, make money through the consumable part of the program. The problem with that is the tug of war between the consumer and the manufacturer. Just look at what happened with Epson and the class action lawsuit against them.

My suggestion is for companies to improve their ongoing service relationships (cars, appliances, etc.) and reduce the price. This isn't a tug-of-war, its a win win. However it is a balance between quality and price. That's why I encourage everyone to give each other respect, be polite, and service your customers well. That's a good way to get paid.

Dry Cleaner Battle: Dependable Cleaners versus Zoots

As a professional, I try to dress appropriately. Most of the time I wear collared, button up shirts that require ironing. While I can iron and have many times, it doesn't seem efficient to do so.

So I use a dry cleaner. I used to have them put starch on the shirt when pressed, but now I skip it. I hear it shortens the lifespan of clothes by making them more brittle.

In my neighborhood, there are two chain dry cleaners: Dependable Cleaners and Zoots. Today I always use Dependable Cleaners, though I did use Zoots for a brief hiatus. My problem with Zoots is the general attitude they took towards me as a customer and potential vendor. In my humble opinion, they seem to think that by having a fancy name and some investors, they are very important people! (VIP)

Let me explain, I called on their corporate office to inquire if they had any need for a software service my company provides. I got routed to their CFO, and left a message. He actually called back, and in about 20 seconds without hearing me out that they had no need for my services and simply hung up. I was dumbfounded. Talk about professional courtesy. I had heard that they were founded by former Staples executives so I expected more. Word has it that several of their marketing executives has migrated on to Work N Gear, and are fouling things up there pretty bad.

Speaking of which Work N Gear has a great concept, but such awkward execution I can only wonder they have lasted this long. I hope that they can pull it together.

Dependable Cleaners on the other hand has a staff that is much more respectable and humble. My friends Randy and Trip worked for Dependable Cleaners when in high school, and the company always respected them and treated them well. As a customer, I've always been well respected there too. Believe me, that goes a long way. I think that Dependable Cleaners is a family owned business, so that might have something to do with it. In fact, I think one of the family members might own an interior design shop in East Milton Square, which for a long time I found ironic because of the "humble" appearance of Dependable Cleaners stores. They have since upgraded their look and it makes a huge improvement. I'll see if I can take a snapshot of the new look to upload here.

Do you have a favorite dry cleaner?

IKEA Tanda Outlet Timers

For some reason, IKEA only sells their Tanda Outlet Timers in-store, not online. They are great for conserving electricity. IKEA has the best price I've found, 2 / $5.

Here's what they look like. My e815 takes blurry pics so I hope you can see them OK:





I posted about this at slickdeals.net, an awesome place for finding and sharing good deals. If you've never been there, go now!

Click here for more programmable timer outlets!

PCs for Everyone is having another special free tax weekend

In my post about Massachusetts free tax weekend, I mentioned PCs for Everyone's involvement last year:

Are you going to buy that?: Sales Tax Holidays!

If you visit their website, there is no mention of anything going on. However, I just got an email from them about it:

All purchases made from PCs For Everyone on August 12th and 13th will be completely TAX FREE! The 2006 Massachusetts Sales Tax Holiday is happening August 12th and 13th. This Tax Holiday allows for most purchases to be exempt from state sales tax. In addition to the state sales holiday, PCs For Everyone will pay the sales tax on all non-qualifying purchases made on August 12th and 13th, making all purchases completely TAX FREE!

Too bad I don't need to buy anything!

CVS Bought Minute Clinic last month

As a follow up to the blog entry I wrote about Wal-Mart and Revolution Health, I found the news that CVS bought Minute Clinic last month:

http://www.duluthsuperior.com/mld/duluthsuperior/15027226.htm

I thought CVS should be getting into the quik-serv health services business, and they are!

How to lose customers with phone spam.

Computer Geeks and Vista Print will show you the way to lose customers! I never was a Computer Geeks customer, and I never will be. They actually have the audacity to call and leave automated voice messages over and over again. I just got one from Vista Print too. Time to fire up the VOIP black list and block them.

Phone spam is actually worse than regular spam in my humble opinion.

Retail Health Care

The former CEO of AOL, Steve Case, is now running a company called Revolution Health, and I support his cause, however, I'm not sure I agree with his tactics.

He was on the Charlie Rose show awhile back, and spoke about his new company. He mentioned the concept of quick stop health care centers in Wal-Mart. How did he convince Wal-Mart to this idea? Why does he think Wal-Mart has anything to do with convenience? To me, Wal-Mart seems about as convenient as an emergency room. Furthermore, would you want to go shopping where there are sick people hanging out? Sure Wal-Mart has a pharmacy (I really don't like their advertisements showing animated pills dancing around the screen!), but they also have a ton of other stuff.

CVS on the other hand, with their strong pharmacy and super convenience, seems like a better choice to me. Like AOL, maybe Revolution Health is going after middle America. Speaking of which, CVS just had a big jump in same store sales in July compared to June 2006. Way to go CVS.

Anyway, my point about health care here is that it does need a better retail presence. There are many problems with the health care system, but a solution needs to start with improved patient / customer care. This is where retail concepts could help. Start by improving the look and feel of doctor's offices to match up with the brand of the health insurance plan, and link that up with a strong online resource system. Getting customer buy-in of a solution like this would be a helpful step towards electronic medical records systems.

If a doctor's office is linked with multiple insurance carriers, why can't the carriers share the wall and floor space with their branding? Many insurance plans are partnered anyway. Furthermore, emergency rooms should be stocked with alternative resources, so that people do not have to wait 20 hours to get checked out for something that is not an emergency, and end up costing the insurance company mucho dineiro.

Online versus Bricks and Mortar

One thing I always try and stress is the importance of consistency between online and bricks and mortar as far as price, availability, and marketing. Granted, there is a much further reach to the internet than bricks and mortar stores, so it is perfectly acceptable that some stores have "internet only" deals, or "store only" deals. However, it would be nice if they provided for in-store stock checking, as well as pricing information for products, whether or not they are available in the store or online.

For example, Staples has a computer set up in their stores where you can check prices and order from Staples.com. Brilliant? But how come they stock the Linksys NSLU2 in stores, but have no mention of it online? And why is checking local store product availability so difficult (its actually impossible, you have to call customer service) with Staples.com?

Along the same lines, IKEA sells items in their store that are not available online.

Does anyone know of a brick and mortar store that also has an ecommerce presence that is doing it right? I'd love to know.

IKEA checks out at the register

I went to IKEA today to buy some outlet timers (aka plug times, program timers, programmable outlet timers). They have them for 2 / $4.99, which is the best price I've seen.

However, besides the fact that it took me forever to get through the maze of their store, the checkout line was atrocious. Each line had four customers deep before the register. The customers of course all had tons of product in their carriages - this is IKEA, and this is America, right?

The cashier in my line was helpless. She had no idea what she was doing. At least she was faring better than the shoppers in the self checkout lines who were getting no cooperation from the kiosks, requiring staff members in the end.

After I bought my Tånda (Tanda), I heard the cashier tell the customer behind me that she only takes credit or debit. That would have been fine if the customer hadn't been waiting in line for 20 minutes, whether or not it was posted.

I was highly disappointed with IKEA's management of the checkouts. Haven't they heard of queuing theory?

CompUSA Closing 15 Stores

The big news on the retail front is that CompUSA is closing 15 stores. This follows on the heels of OfficeMax and RadioShack closing many stores within the last year. Is Staples taking their business, or is the market leveling off?

CompUSA is one of my preferred computer stores, and I like it better for technology related items in general than say BestBuy. Its too bad to see them go this route, but I hope it helps them in the long run. What do you think about the closings?

Sales Tax Holidays!

Hooray! Many states have sales tax holiday weekends to inspire already addicted shoppers to shop even more.

Massachusetts is having a sales tax holiday next weekend, August 12th and 13th. Last year one of my favorite computer stores stated that they were going to remain open throughout the entire 48 hours of the weekend. Unfortunately, they didn't and I ended up wasting a trip to their store. I'm talking about PCs For Everyone. Despite their miscommunication, I still like their services and returned the next day to make my purchase. I just checked their website to see if they will be doing anything special for this year's sales tax holiday and read that they are actually closing their retail store - for good! Wow. That's really too bad, it was one of the only places you could go and buy quality hardware direct. Anyone know of an alternative?

I'm reviewing the items that I would like to buy during the weekend. Probably some books and maybe some clothes. Unfortunately we still have to pay tax on gasoline. :-(

Do you think people will walk to the store to save money on gas? Yeah right! No way. They'll spend $10 in gas to save $1 in retail tax. Such are the human factors.


Link to the Mass DOR Web page on the 2006 sales holiday.

Annoying car commercials

If you've ever been to Martha's Vineyard, you've probably seen the Boch compound. Personally, I find it ugly and distasteful to have such a large house. However, I'm sure that some people admire it somehow.

What does this have to do with annoying car commercials? That house was paid for (I assume) by sales of cars throughout the Boch car dealerships. This company airs the most obnoxious and annoying car commercials I have EVER seen. Whenever they come on the screen, the TV gets shut off. Please dear reader, do not encourage this type of aggravating nonsense by buying a car from them.

No love from Wal Mart

I have never been in a Wal Mart before, but today I went to two separate Wal Marts to see if they had the NSLU2. The first one is in Quincy, MA. It was pretty disorganized, and the staff were totally unhelpful. The second one was in Avon, MA and was more organized, and I didn't speak with any staff.

Neither store had the NSLU2, and I didn't find their prices to be that competitive.

Now I'm sitting on my couch watching the Charlie Rose Report and he is interviewing H. Lee Scott, the CEO of Wal Mart. Seems like an intelligent guy - especially since he has recognized the fact that a lot of people don't like the company he runs.