I found this interesting article.
Why Zappos Pays New Employees to Quit—And You Should Too
Eli and the Red Jimmy Spencer 23 Car
Eli loves his red #23 car. It was lost for around a year. About three weeks ago Lindsay found it, and it made him so happy. Even after three weeks, he still thanks God every time he prays for mama finding his #23 car. He takes that car everywhere he goes and is destined to lose it again.
The other day I was a little depressed and wanted some extra appreciation. I decided to take that #23 car and put it in my pocket.
Then I asked him, "Do you know where your #23 car is?"
He said, "I don't know where it is."
I said, "You better find it."
He despeartely tried to find that car for around 15 minutes. I then told him, "You must have lost it." He started to cry. I felt so bad for him.
He quit moping around and crying about an hour later. An hour after that I pulled the car out of my pocket and said, "Look what I found. Your red #23 car!"
He jumped up and down. "You found it! You found it, daddy!"
I was his hero. I hope he thanks God for me finding his red #23 car now.
Just in case you think I am an evil dad, everything after the first paragraph was made up.
The other day I was a little depressed and wanted some extra appreciation. I decided to take that #23 car and put it in my pocket.
Then I asked him, "Do you know where your #23 car is?"
He said, "I don't know where it is."
I said, "You better find it."
He despeartely tried to find that car for around 15 minutes. I then told him, "You must have lost it." He started to cry. I felt so bad for him.
He quit moping around and crying about an hour later. An hour after that I pulled the car out of my pocket and said, "Look what I found. Your red #23 car!"
He jumped up and down. "You found it! You found it, daddy!"
I was his hero. I hope he thanks God for me finding his red #23 car now.
Just in case you think I am an evil dad, everything after the first paragraph was made up.
A Comic Retailer Perspective
I think I put a link on here to an article I had published on Newsarama earlier this year.
Besides the comments that ripped me apart that I did not rebut, I found a post at another site that ripped me apart. I decided to reply to it. I must be in a feisty mood.
Here is my reply to the post. You can also read it at the website in question since I made it a comment there.
****
I just ran across this post.
I do agree with your thoughts. It isn't just my job to just stock things. I have to sell them. I was arguing that it was a poor business plan for the publisher to depend upon retailer to create demand for their product. I do not depend on my customers to bring people into my store. It is nice when they do. It is my job to create demand for our store just like it is a publisher's job to create demand for their books. I was not arguing that retailers should not push books. I actually mentioned a book that I pushed and also one that one of our workers push. I do not think I am the passive clerk (nor are my employees) that you describe.
I think the difference between your role as a retailer and mine is that I also decide what to order. I also will not push a book that I think sucks even if I overordered it. It might hurt my short-term bottom line, but I think it helps out in the long-term if I do not push crap on my customers. They can be assured that I will only push books that I personally enjoyed or I think they will enjoy. I expect my employees to do the same. I have reprimanded one once for pushing a crappy book (and they thought is was crappy) because we had a lot of it in stock.
I am going to choose one or two books every week to push. I am going to do that based on whether I liked the book, not on whether I overordered. If the publisher did not create demand and the book was not the lucky one out or two of the 50-90 books we receive every week that I decided to push, then they will just sit on the shelf. That will prevent #2 or #3 from being ordered like issue one was ordered.
I agree with you that a store that is just clerking is not a store worth going to. But a publisher that is just publishing probably will not create any demand for their books and will be out of business very quickly. Too often publishers create books and think there job is done. They also need to create demand. Most companies have people that work in marketing. There is a reason for that. It isn't just enough to provide something; you also have to tell others that it is there. Those publishers who do not heed the words of retailers like me will be out of business quickly if there business plan for creating demand is to just publish the book and expect retailers to push that book.
Besides the comments that ripped me apart that I did not rebut, I found a post at another site that ripped me apart. I decided to reply to it. I must be in a feisty mood.
Here is my reply to the post. You can also read it at the website in question since I made it a comment there.
****
I just ran across this post.
I do agree with your thoughts. It isn't just my job to just stock things. I have to sell them. I was arguing that it was a poor business plan for the publisher to depend upon retailer to create demand for their product. I do not depend on my customers to bring people into my store. It is nice when they do. It is my job to create demand for our store just like it is a publisher's job to create demand for their books. I was not arguing that retailers should not push books. I actually mentioned a book that I pushed and also one that one of our workers push. I do not think I am the passive clerk (nor are my employees) that you describe.
I think the difference between your role as a retailer and mine is that I also decide what to order. I also will not push a book that I think sucks even if I overordered it. It might hurt my short-term bottom line, but I think it helps out in the long-term if I do not push crap on my customers. They can be assured that I will only push books that I personally enjoyed or I think they will enjoy. I expect my employees to do the same. I have reprimanded one once for pushing a crappy book (and they thought is was crappy) because we had a lot of it in stock.
I am going to choose one or two books every week to push. I am going to do that based on whether I liked the book, not on whether I overordered. If the publisher did not create demand and the book was not the lucky one out or two of the 50-90 books we receive every week that I decided to push, then they will just sit on the shelf. That will prevent #2 or #3 from being ordered like issue one was ordered.
I agree with you that a store that is just clerking is not a store worth going to. But a publisher that is just publishing probably will not create any demand for their books and will be out of business very quickly. Too often publishers create books and think there job is done. They also need to create demand. Most companies have people that work in marketing. There is a reason for that. It isn't just enough to provide something; you also have to tell others that it is there. Those publishers who do not heed the words of retailers like me will be out of business quickly if there business plan for creating demand is to just publish the book and expect retailers to push that book.
Bush Diplomacy - Bully Negotiation Tactics
I get so frustrated with Bush's unwillingness to talk with other nations that are different than us, especially when our leader claims to be a Christian. The whole mindset of "I won't talk to you until you change" seems to be completely contrary to the Gospel.
This came up this week when Bush spoke at the Council of the Americas. In the speech he stated:
"Until there is a change of heart, and a change of compassion and a change of how the Cuban government treats its people, there is no change at all...The regime has made empty gestures at reform ... If Cuba wants to join the community of civilized nations, then Cuban rulers must begin a process of peaceful and democratic change and the first step must be the release of all political prisoners."
He has laid forth that Cuba must take a step in the direction he wants them to take before he will talk to them. It kind of goes back to the whole Hannity Gospel in which people should not associate with those people who have different opinions than them on "important" issues. If they are not like us, we will not talk associate with them or talk with them. I just do not understand it. I want to be able to view things from both sides, but being unwilling to talk to someone who might be different seems completely foreign to me.
Talking does not hurt anything. Cuba is a legitimate nation whether we recognize them or not. Through talking we can possibly bring change to both groups that will benefit a shared interest rather than living in isolation from one another despite living so close to one another. It just does not seem to be the way a Christian should interact with their neighbor.
On a personal level, if we have problems with a person, those problems will always be there unless we talk them through. Problems just do not go away when we refuse to talk. It is not beneficial for both parties involved to say that I will not talk to you unless you change. People need to sit down and iron out their differences. It's the only way to have a healthy relationships, both with our spouses and with other nations.
This came up this week when Bush spoke at the Council of the Americas. In the speech he stated:
"Until there is a change of heart, and a change of compassion and a change of how the Cuban government treats its people, there is no change at all...The regime has made empty gestures at reform ... If Cuba wants to join the community of civilized nations, then Cuban rulers must begin a process of peaceful and democratic change and the first step must be the release of all political prisoners."
He has laid forth that Cuba must take a step in the direction he wants them to take before he will talk to them. It kind of goes back to the whole Hannity Gospel in which people should not associate with those people who have different opinions than them on "important" issues. If they are not like us, we will not talk associate with them or talk with them. I just do not understand it. I want to be able to view things from both sides, but being unwilling to talk to someone who might be different seems completely foreign to me.
Talking does not hurt anything. Cuba is a legitimate nation whether we recognize them or not. Through talking we can possibly bring change to both groups that will benefit a shared interest rather than living in isolation from one another despite living so close to one another. It just does not seem to be the way a Christian should interact with their neighbor.
On a personal level, if we have problems with a person, those problems will always be there unless we talk them through. Problems just do not go away when we refuse to talk. It is not beneficial for both parties involved to say that I will not talk to you unless you change. People need to sit down and iron out their differences. It's the only way to have a healthy relationships, both with our spouses and with other nations.
Cancerous Moles are...
Well, I received a call from my doctor today. The mole they removed the other week was cancerous. It's the best kind of cancer one can have (Melanoma In Situ). Lucky me. I go to see the dermatologists next Wedensday. They will probably want to cut out some of the surrounding area on my face and remove any other scary moles. It really does not seem like a big deal, but prayers are appreciated.
Just thought I would let the whole world know. If you felt that I should have called you personally, I probably did and you did not answer and this is not something I want to leave on an answering machine. ;) (Although that is true for a few.)
I just have to figure out how to rearrange my schedule for testing, a full-time job, being a full-time student, and going to as many of my boys baseball games as I can.
Just thought I would let the whole world know. If you felt that I should have called you personally, I probably did and you did not answer and this is not something I want to leave on an answering machine. ;) (Although that is true for a few.)
I just have to figure out how to rearrange my schedule for testing, a full-time job, being a full-time student, and going to as many of my boys baseball games as I can.
David Blaine Holding His Breath
Last night, I came home from work, plopped in front of the television because everyone was asleep, and ended up watching David Blaine break the record for holding his breath. It was a rerun of the afternoon Oprah show.
He held his breath for over seventeen minutes. I was pretty impressed. I woke up this morning believing that it had to be an illusion. I think he tricked Guiness, Oprah, and everyone else into believing that he held his breath. The things that made it seem like a trick of illusion is that he had his own $200,000 globe hauled all the way from New York for the trick (specially constructed illusionary device?). He also did some messing around with his feet prior to the illusion (trick of diversion?). Oprah even asked him after the feat about him messing with his feet beforehand. He stated that he was strapping them in. Somehow, he left the tank or had some trick of air fed to him. Maybe the specially constructed tube has an air pocket where his head is. I do not know the trick, but he should be congratulated on tricking most media outlets and the rest of America.
It was a great show as you thought he was going to give up right before he broke the record (something that a great illusionist would do to bring more attention).
In the end, I think David Blaine tricked America. It was a great trick though. I cannot figure it out. Nor can I find any website that has it figured out.
Maybe he really did it, but I doubt it. I guess I am too skeptical of an illusionist. He should of had a different day job if he wanted us to believe his stunt-like world records are real.
He held his breath for over seventeen minutes. I was pretty impressed. I woke up this morning believing that it had to be an illusion. I think he tricked Guiness, Oprah, and everyone else into believing that he held his breath. The things that made it seem like a trick of illusion is that he had his own $200,000 globe hauled all the way from New York for the trick (specially constructed illusionary device?). He also did some messing around with his feet prior to the illusion (trick of diversion?). Oprah even asked him after the feat about him messing with his feet beforehand. He stated that he was strapping them in. Somehow, he left the tank or had some trick of air fed to him. Maybe the specially constructed tube has an air pocket where his head is. I do not know the trick, but he should be congratulated on tricking most media outlets and the rest of America.
It was a great show as you thought he was going to give up right before he broke the record (something that a great illusionist would do to bring more attention).
In the end, I think David Blaine tricked America. It was a great trick though. I cannot figure it out. Nor can I find any website that has it figured out.
Maybe he really did it, but I doubt it. I guess I am too skeptical of an illusionist. He should of had a different day job if he wanted us to believe his stunt-like world records are real.
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