One thing I have realized since leaving my prior employer is just how we are perceived in the world. They (DG) serve the under-priveleged, rural areas of the populace; thereby -by association, it seems- they and their leaders are perceived the same: Less Than.
I will say my 10 years there was ‘interesting’ – it was tough at times, great at others. I had incredible times to work with some of the best minds in retail; however, I mention the company name to people I work with now, and I can see the grimace. It’s unfortunate. To some extent, my most valuable time in my career (operations/leadership/growth/execution/vision) feels like the most damaging (cheap/little-league/tacky). 16k stores can’t be wrong, but it always feels that way now.
As an outsider to them looking in, it’s very easy to join that train of thought.
Ultimately what matters is breadth of knowledge and passion. These are things no one can teach. Don’t judge – learn to appreciate and collect wisdom and different perspectives from unlikely sources. You will be surprised, I promise.
Just my thought for the day that I wanted to put out there …
I’m sure you’ve seen the ads lately – specifically Facebook and Wells Fargo. I call them “We’re Sorry” ads. Really? Here is Facebook’s:
What strikes me is the blame – “we were special. Then ‘something happened’ – as if it wasn’t their fault. Um – they sold the ads, they let it happen. “Something Happened” is a spin on their issues. And, as I’m sure you’ve heard … on Facebook, you aren’t the customer you are the product. “Something Happened” is not an answer or excuse, it is the eventuality of the platform. Nothing Will Change as their model is built on the very thing that they are apologizing for.
And, then, Wells Fargo.
“We know the value of trust, we were built on it.”
Um … try this: “We knew the value of trust, we ignored what we were built on.” So they change the music mid-way, and promise us they have changed.
Both of these ads are just bad – bad in overall messaging in that they admit they have blown it and are asking for another chance. I continually see them of late, and have to laugh. We are now seeing apologies and promises to ‘do better’? Wow.
“We know our smokes cause cancer. We’re sorry. We will do better”. Okay – I know there is an argumentative fallacy in that last quip, but not too far off of an analogy.
Truly look beyond the witticisms, music, and production value. Do you really trust them?
Walmart is definitely sweating over Amazon – most retailers are. Latest stat I read was Amazon only held 14% of sales – so there is a much tougher road ahead. I hate that, but it is forcing retail to think creatively about the platform and new solutions. I think it is great for the consumer and it is fun to be a part of this as my career.
But Walmart?
The commercials are really cute and fun with the music and crap – but bottom line: they STILL CANNOT DELIVER.
I ordered online about a year ago, for ISPU (In-Store Pick Up) – and no dice. I showed up to pickup the video game I ordered for Elyce … had to walk to the back of the store, wait for help, and it had not been processed. Meanwhile, the product was on the shelf about 10 feet from us as we were at the ISPU desk waiting for resolution. Never Mind.
Fast forward to 2017.
Hearing a lot of news about WMT upping their game, getting things right, making it easier. Let’s give this another shot.
It was a Sunday about a month ago, I went to walmart.com to order groceries. Can’t pickup today – try tomorrow. No thanks – what the hell is the point? You’re spending all of this money on ads, painting your buildings orange, have signs all around the parking lot … but NEXT DAY? I was in Seattle recently … Amazon does TWO HOURS.
Okay, tried once again. Ordered some oil and a filter for the SUV (yes, I change my own oil. Long Story. And I’m Frugal, not Cheap). I digress. So ordered at about 10am on a Sunday for ISPU. No email stating ‘order complete’! But I had to go to get groceries and figured it would be ready by the time I was ready to check out. Nope. So I bought the stuff from the shelf, with my groceries. Got home. Changed oil. Ate dinner. Watched TV. Still no email. Cancelled order. Forget this crap.
Oh – and the cute cashier smiling on the commercial was not what I experienced at my Walmart – at any time. One was eating lunch with her mouth open, the other was missing many teeth (nothing wrong with that – just not the commercial), and the other time … well, I couldn’t find anyone for a while.
Tablets will be coming soon to a restaurant near you. Now you won’t have to speak to waitstaff to eat out, and you will even be able to ignore those accompanying you at said dinner while playing tablet games at the table. Ugh.
But seriously – Applebee’s and Chili’s are both saying this move won’t result in layoffs of waiters/waitresses. Sure. With turnover as high as it is in the sector, they won’t need to – they just won’t replace them as they leave. Seriously – to think they would be foolish enough to keep that kind of overhead seems a bit silly.
Personally, I think this was just a matter of time and is a small sign of the inevitable in so many similar sectors. I’m okay with it – it’s just evolution and the future. But I can’t help but wonder how, in 20 years, this will affect the sector and similar ones out there …
