Made You Look

Loyalty Card Castrophe

I just don't get why grocery chains insist on keeping up this shopper, loyalty, bonus, call it whatever card customer annoyance practice going.  The scan drill slows down the checkout process and provides mountains of data that I suspect the store never uses.

Most consumers have accepted these "discount cards" as a way of doing business.  Of course, I haven't.

I resent the deliberate mark-up then discount down system of the cards.  I find the entire process annoying and a terrific waste of my time.  If a grocery store would like my loyalty, help me get out the door quicker.  Trying to convince me that I save bundles of dollars because I shop at a store just doesn't work.

You scan everything sold.  You know what sells at a store and what doesn't.  Face it, your systems aren't smart enough to take advantage of my individual preferences yet. Your help is barely smart enough to know the difference between endive and escarole.

To get the edge on the competition:

1. Teach the help to smile
2. Move customers out through the check out as fast as possible
3. Keep the carts tuned for high speed pushing
4. Advertise " No card game with us" everyone gets low prices.

Begin by Writing the Ending

My conclusion is:  Weave your story after you have decided upon your main points to summarize.

I read from left to right.  10 points.

I count by starting with one.  10 points.

I write from the beginning and move toward the end.   No points.

When writing an article or composing a speech, the seemingly logical place to start is at the beginning.  An innocent assumption that is a bad practice, beginning at the beginning makes your writing job much harder.  In the pursuit of brevity and impact for capturing the attention of distracted readers or listeners, creating your summary points first will keep your writing focused on the best path to get to the take-away message at the close.

Every thing preceding the conclusion is case building material just like a courtroom summary. 

Fluff is best saved for peanut butter and Wonder bread.

Covey said it best with, "Begin with the end in mind."