Convenience and Savings

How far will you go to save a buck? I've seen TV news segments of the couponers who have basement storage shelves full of non-perishable foodstuffs and household products worth thousands of dollars for which they've paid little. The Groupon website is still active with their specials. The big box stores like Staples and Home Depot etc. etc. have daily or weekly adds with coupon or discount specials to attract customers. 

In the old days a customer was a buyer, hence the definition "1. a person who purchases goods or services from another; buyer; patron." And a buyer spends cash or credit for goods and services. A customer is different than a shopper, as in "1. A person who shops. 2. A comparison shopper." And nowadays the emphasis has shifted toward the customer/shopper, but the goal of any business is to attract and find a buyer. In fact, businesses emphasize "customer or brand loyalty," and hence -- coupons. Sales have become known for what they are: The retailer raises the price then announces a "sale" -- discount percentages usually. But "sale" is tired and overused and doesn't attract buyers the way coupons seem to. 

Coupons are guaranteed discounts wherever the product may be found. And different stores have different prices based on their markups for moving high turnover products.So brand, not necessarily store loyalty, is the goal. It's like Sears today. At one time they only sold their own brand of appliances, Kenmore, yet today they sell a half dozen others as well. And "post-sales" what is really called recurring revenue, is the king of business. Hence brand loyalty and other techniques, such as upselling their product maintenance contract, or providing technical support for software (Microsoft and others), on a subscription rather than One Time Charge (OTC) basis, has become the norm. 

Most advertising I see such as the Acme and Shop Rite print ads in our Sunday Times, now all show actual savings to be accrued from the purchase. Like Kohl's, famous for its 10, 20 or 30% discounts shown in dollars and cents on their receipts. We've waited for Kohl's to open at 5 am during Christmas for their sales. Because -- we know what we'll be saving. What we spend is almost secondary to what we save.

But the real clincher for any sale or coupon to succeed is proximity of product to customer, location, even if on the web we are sold on the short number of days it takes to deliver our items. And ease of use, as on the web, and convenience, are the aces in the whole for retailers. For example, we like Target and their prices etc., but they are located in Hightstown, 10 miles away. Our Acme is less than a mile, and our Kohl's at Hamilton Marketplace, with over 40 stores, banks and restaurants is 2 miles away from our home. So guess who like's Jersey Mike's (subs), Chilli's, Longhorn and Ruby Tuesday now over our old favorite Mannino's Italian restaurant further away? And who do you guess does all their craft shopping now at Michael's, gift shopping at Bed, Bath & Beyond and Pier 1 Imports? And all our card buying at Hallmark? And we also have multiple Dunkin Donuts, Subways, Taco Bell, Broad Street Diner, McDonald's and other restaurants all within 2 miles of us. So proximity (location) equals convenience, equals brand loyalty equals sales, equals recurring revenue.

And the world goes round. And I'm willing to pay more for convenience; not like buying beer at the new Vet's stadium to a captured audience, but buying gas at our local no name station because it's only a few long blocks away. 

So convenience is as good as a sale, and as good as a coupon. Why do I want to drive another couple of miles to save pennies on a gallon of gas, or a few quarters on a meal further away in town?

How do you shop? For a sale? by coupon? Or by convenience?


Best, Rod
Copyright 2014 
Surviving Bipolar Disorder in the modern age . . . a journey of Hope for the afflicted.

My poetic memoir Episodes available at www.amazon.com/episodes-rodney-richards/dp/0615914705/  

"Rebuild America" with Jobs Part One

VP Joe Biden just performed an excellent White House whiteboard lesson on http://www.whitehouse.gov/whiteboard   It was on the need to build/rebuild world-class roads, railroads, and transit infrastructures, something I've long heard lip service too, but seen no action on til now. And these millions of necessary jobs for infrastructure will always be needed.

Biden showed three of the largest commerce-generating projects in our history: the Erie Canal from NY to Ohio built in 1808; the Transcontinental Railroad completion in 1863, in the middle of the Civil War, yet indispensable to linking our diverse and far-spread states; and President Eisenhower's 1956 Interstate Highway System - where would we be without them? And these systems, as great as they are, are in disrepair and close to failure in parts. Biden cited his State of Delaware's roads in 16% of poor condition. Magnify that nationwide. 

That's one need for jobs: our roadways are in need of expansion, whether widening them, or new loops around or thru major cities, like I-295 around my state capital Trenton, or I-495 around Boston, and others - but more are needed - and think of the jobs! And then there's public transit - from as simple as concrete neighborhood sidewalks, to as complex as high-speed rail and subway systems. 

I just drove thru my adjacent development of private residences, with maybe 10 cross streets and a hundred+ homes. Some of the worst streets had been paved or patched in wide swaths; sidewalks for walkers were present throughout (and I love to see residents walking, or running, or walking their dogs - extra eyes on the neighborhood peace and security), and white-painted pedestrian crosswalks were at each STOP sign! Rare in 99% of neighborhoods, but I think they should be mandatory. 

Crosswalks are mandatory as a safety feature, forcing drivers to look more carefully before proceeding, and enforcing NJ's basic driving law - The Pedestrian Right Of Way -- unfortunately, as defined, only in crosswalks! Municipalities with funds can invest in the white-painting equipment, and train new hires who don't need specialized skill - and pay a decent outdoor-laborer wage. Yes, outdoor workers should earn more, like in construction, road building, utilities public works etc. Have you worked outdoors on a hot sunny day in your garden or cutting lawns?

And local roads. I don't know about you but the 25 foot-wide street in front of my home has enough space for one car to pass thru when cars are parked on both sides of it, but not enough room for two cars to pass. All future streets should be wider, for traffic to pass each other and for on-street parking on both sides. That one rule would promote cleaner and neater and safer development, especially when neighbors have parties/get-togethers where cars clog the streets. And convenient parking, and more parking garages in towns and cities are critical to attracting visitors and commerce.
And all these new shopping centers and neighborhoods require public-private partnerships between developers and government.

And then there's major roads and county roads that also must be made wider and safer, with either swaths of pullover lanes for car breakdowns, or mandatory shoulders for better traffic control getting to also around left-hand turners, and for walkers and bicyclists when no bicycle lanes or sidewalks exist. And part of that shoulder when not for parking should have the marked bicycle lane to encourage fewer cars and for safety. This also allows for double-lanes 10 or 20 years from now, and then those roads can be re-configured again to resume their wideness. And the jobs to do all this! Imaging the millions needed! All from implementing simple, uniform, transportation and development rules uniformly, in every jurisdiction. Every.

The same principles apply, a shoulder for example, and wide and long on and off-ramps apply to Interstates (47,000+ miles), and interconnected National Highway roads (160,000+ miles). "Passenger transportation [in the U.S.] is dominated by a network of over 3.9 million miles of highways [and local roads] which is pervasive and highly developed by global standards. Passenger transportation is dominated by passenger vehicles (including cars, trucks, vans, and motorcycles), which account for 86% of passenger-miles traveled.  As of 2003, there were 759 automobiles per 1,000 Americans. Bicycle usage is minimal with . . . 856,000 American workers nationwide)." (Wikimedia)

And how do we pay for all these road workers and materials? One, we have a federal surtax on gasoline gallons sold which is 18.4 cents per every $3.59 spent on a gallon! You mean to tell me we can't increase that to 25 or 30 cents as we continue to improve refineries and take actions to lower gasoline costs nation and worldwide? And the States also add their gasoline surtax, in New Jersey it's 10.5 cents per gallon, so surely this must be increased as well. It's been the same for almost decades. This idea that we shouldn't pay taxes for what we use is ill-conceived and foolish, and surely the Motor Fuels Tax is the fairest, emblematic of taxing the users of the roads equally. And why put our magnificient NJ Transportation Trust Fund in jeopardy? Really there's no excuse for not raising, and spreading out, funds needed for what every single one of us enjoys. I mean, if you really have a problem with unfairness of the Motor Fuels Tax, issue discount cards to those in lower income brackets to use when fueling up

Next issue I'll talk about railroads and subways, the one (railroads) in jeopardy of disappearing in some respects, and the other (subways), needing dramatic increases in coverage for larger cities. If you've ever used New York City (MTA) or Washington DC (Metro) subways, you'd know they were as different in quality as night and day, you'd know the needs exist not just for expansion and new creation, but for overhaul and re-creation as well.

My next part will speak about these critical necessities.

Best, Rod
Copyright 2014 
Surviving Bipolar Disorder in the modern age . . . a journey of Hope for the afflicted.

My poetic memoir Episodes available at www.amazon.com/episodes-rodney-richards/dp/0615914705/   

 

Email subscribe to my Blog at the bottom of this page or subscribe thru NetVibes (see right side). Both free of course, thanks to Blogger by Microsoft...

Seth Godin - Author and Blogger Worth Investigating

Seth Godin seems to be a positive pragmatic guy, with oodles of interestingly written tips and advice for living and for would-be entrepreneurs and authors. And he's eclectic, using whatever works. Just Google his name or go to www.sethgodin.com to check it out, and I would recommend subscribing to his daily Blog. Usually very short but to the point with a point to make. Dynamic, and usually on target - you should enjoy and learn.

Here's a sample from his free eBook "What Matters Now," highlighting Tom Peters 19 Es of Excellence -- universal truths and values, worthy of any social conscience as another:

Enthusiasm! "Be an irresistible force of nature!
 

Exuberance! Vibrate—cause earthquakes!

Execution! Do it! Now! Get it done! Barriers are baloney! Excuses are for wimps! Accountability is gospel!

Adhere to the Bill Parcells doctrine: “Blame no one! Expect nothing! Do something!”

Empowerment! Respect and appreciation rule!

Always ask, “What do you think?” Then listen! Then let go and liberate! Then celebrate!

Edginess! Perpetually dancing at the frontier, and

a little or a lot beyond.

Enraged! Determined to challenge and change the status quo! Motto: “If it ain’t broke, break it!”

Engaged! Addicted to MBWA/Managing By Wandering Around. In touch. Always.

Electronic! Partners with the world 60/60/24/7 via electronic

community building of every sort.

Encompassing! Relentlessly pursue diverse opinions—the more diversity the merrier! Diversity

per se “works”!

Emotion! The alpha. The omega. The essence of leadership. The essence of sales. The essence of marketing. The essence. Period. Acknowledge it.

Empathy! Connect, connect, connect with others’ reality and aspirations! “Walk in the other person’s shoes” — until the soles have holes!

Ears! Effective listening: Strategic Advantage Number 1!

 

Experience! Life is theater! Make every activity-contact memorable! Standard: “Insanely Great”/Steve Jobs; Radically thrilling"/BMW.

Eliminate! Keep it simple!

Error-prone! Ready! Fire! Aim! Try a lot of stuff and make a lot of booboos and then try some more stuff and make some more booboos—all of it at the speed of light!

Evenhanded! Straight as an arrow! Fair to a fault! Honest as Abe!

Expectations! Michelangelo: "The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” Amen!

Eudaimonoia! Pursue the highest of human moral purpose—the core of Aristotle’s philosophy. Be of service. Always.

Excellence! Never an exception!

If not Excellence, what?"

A great question. If not striving for excellence in all things, what are you striving for? Survival? mediocrity? Nothing particular? 

Best, Rod
Copyright 2014 
Surviving Bipolar Disorder in the modern age . . . a journey of Hope for the afflicted.

My poetic memoir Episodes available at www.amazon.com/episodes-rodney-richards/dp/0615914705/   

 

Email subscribe to my Blog at the bottom of this page or subscribe thru NetVibes (see right side). Both free of course, thanks to Blogger by Microsoft...

 

Every Day is "Improving Our Lives" Day

An article by Shana Rappaport copied here: 
"VERGE, as we often say, is what sustainable business should be about: systems thinking, radical efficiency, innovation, busting through silos and, ultimately, moving the needle on challenges like energy and climate. It should also be about improving lives — a metric that’s admittedly elusive. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try".
 
I was reminded of this yesterday, Human Rights Day, which commemorates the United Nations’ adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It got me thinking about the whole “improving lives” part of VERGE. How do we ensure that this is part of the conversation, central to our actions and not merely a happy outcome? How do we make sure that VERGE is not just about technology for technology’s sake, and that we’re effectively addressing some of the world’s most pressing social challenges as well as its environmental ones?

Take sustainable mobility — hyper-efficient vehicles, alternative fuels, smarter roads, the data layer and the apps that allow so many new products and services. How much is all this is actually expanding access to mobility for those who don’t have it? For example, is access to reliable public transit really improving, or do we merely reliably know that “the bus is late”?"  Source: The Verge: founded in 2011 in partnership with Vox Media, and covers the intersection of technology, science, art, and culture. Shana Rappaport 12/11/13

Human Rights Day is observed by the international community every year. It commemorates the day in 1948 in Paris when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The formal inception of Human Rights Day dates from 1950, after the General Assembly passed resolution 423 (V) inviting all States and interested organizations to adopt 10 December of each year as Human Rights Day.

 

When the General Assembly adopted the Declaration, with 48 nation-states in favor and eight abstentions, it was proclaimed as a "common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations", towards which individuals and societies should "strive by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance". Although the Declaration with its broad range of political, civil, social, cultural and economic rights is not a binding document, it inspired more than 60 human rights instruments which together constitute an international standard of human rights. Today the general consent of all United Nations Member States on the basic Human Rights laid down in the Declaration makes it even stronger and emphasizes the relevance of Human Rights in our daily lives.

The High Commissioner for Human Rights, as the main United Nations rights official, and her Office play a major role in coordinating efforts for the yearly observation of Human Rights Day. (From 12/11/13 Human Rights website)

Best, Rod
Copyright 2014 

Surviving Bipolar Disorder in the modern age . . . a journey of Hope for the afflicted.
My poetic memoir Episodes available at www.amazon.com/episodes-rodney-richards/dp/0615914705/   

Email subscribe to my Blog at the bottom of this page or subscribe thru NetVibes (see right side). Both free of course, thanks to Blogger by Microsoft...

Who Dares Chain-up the Hand of God?

Who dares chain-up the Hands of God? Only the foolish. Only those who have forgotten their God and forgotten the purpose for which they were created -- to know Him, to love Him, and to serve humankind. And to know Him is to see His Face on every stranger, to care for our loved ones and family and sacrifice what we have - our time, sweat, and material goods -- for their happiness. Which, in turn, pleases our souls and prepares them for Paradise.

I am incensed over Israel's war machine bombing innocent and guilty Gazans alike. How dare Israel? That's what we said when Russia took over Crimea, and now we say nothing? The laws of "might makes right," and "A tooth for a tooth" were abolished by His Holiness Christ almost 2,000 years ago. How can we allow these smaller Hitler's to unleash such violence? Too many Jews are acting exactly like the hypocrites they were in 33 A.D. But this is the new millennium! And how they, of all the people on the earth and the utter suffering they endured, should know and do better! We've learned how to solve disputes without violence, through fairness and compromise. Our hippie mantra in the '60s is still valid today -- "Give peace a chance."

We know we feel better inside and out when we help our neighbor, when we please our boss, when we perform that random act of kindness by escorting a damp woman shopper to her car with our umbrella in the middle of a downpour. But how soon we forget, and ignore others needs and wants -- needs and wants exactly like ours, all of us longing for a place to call home, a decent and fulfilling job, the freedom and security to mingle on city streets without fear of robbery, or rape, or death at the hands of a criminal madman or an irreligious fanatic. Israel thinks that's what they are protecting, but instead they are creating such hate that their utter destruction will not be enough to satisfy it.

Who can begrudge paying taxes for electricity and water, and a home and schools for our children, defense and a civil society?  Do we expect to pay nothing for true liberty? What is freedom but to sit calmly down for breakfast at the diner every morning and be welcomed by the wait staff with a smile and a cup of coffee? Or to browse the aisles at Shop Rite or Acme and feed ourselves and our family from a myriad of food and drink choices? Or to attend Mercer County College in the evenings and learn Business Law to aid in one's profession? Or even to learn Philosophy or Information Processing?

What do we expect? To pay nothing? to have life's benefits handed to us simply because we exist? To be supported by the government when we truly need it here in America, yet starve to death in a poor third-world country? All as an outcome of our happenstance place of birth? What human heart can ignore and overlook such suffering in the world without at least attempting to make life a little easier for their own children, coworkers and friends?

Yet we allow a few megalomanic individuals and war hawks in power to control their country's resources to the extent of only providing for themselves and their elite family and cronies. Who are these people? Are they even human with human hearts? Why haven't they been dethroned and smashed from power, and imprisoned for their crimes against humanity? 

The answers are precisely why we fight war - and the only legitimate reason - to free those under oppression from its yoke of untold suffering. Unnecessary suffering - if only we care enough to act and not debate endlessly what will be politically correct. How can we stand by and let Gaza, Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Ukraine be torn to pieces by an invading force of indoctrinated soldiers and thugs? How can we provide safe haven for conscientious-objectors and defectors from the evils of fanaticism and Communism that have proven, over and over again, utterly deficient in the Middle East, Russia, China or in any country? We have the U.N. Peacekeeping Force, now weakened by effete isolationists and lack of funds, that has the expertise and program experience, as shown in Desert Storm and Kosovo, to set right these outrageous incursions and civil wars, to draw new borders if necessary and bring stability and peace to the regions. We have the International Criminal Court to hang these monsters and send them out of our world forever as the Iraqi government did with Saddam Hussein. 

Such institutions are the new Hands of God in our lifetimes if we would just reach out and grasp them.

And to those who say this New World Order doesn't work, will never work, and that national sovereignty at all costs is the solution to this modern world's civil, social and economic problems, I say again -- how foolish of you. How ignorant of true reality. How close-minded and close-hearted to the potential of a truly unified humanity.

No person, no organization, no people, no country can thwart the divine Purpose, the divine Will. And the divine Purpose is surely for His creatures to exist and live on a peaceful and unified planet. 

How can it possibly be otherwise?  

Best, Rod
Copyright 2014 

Surviving Bipolar Disorder in the modern age . . . a journey of Hope for the afflicted.
My poetic memoir Episodes available at www.amazon.com/episodes-rodney-richards/dp/0615914705/   

 

Email subscribe to my Blog at the bottom of this page or subscribe thru NetVibes (see right side). Both free of course, thanks to Blogger by Microsoft...