5th Ave in 1919

Fifth Avenue in New York City first opened as a thoroughfare on August 2nd, 1824.

In its early years, 5th Ave was a residential area which began to attract the well-to-do of the city.  Later retailers and other businesses began to crop up along the street.

The area from 49th to 60th became the haven of many fine retailers.  Retailers located on the Avenue have included: Saks 5th Avenue, Lord & Taylor and Bergdorf departments stores along with boutiques of Gucci, Prada, FAO Schwarz, Tiffany & Company, Versace, Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Cartier.

I visited the Clackamas Town Center in Happy Valley, OR today.  As I was walking from the parking lot to the mall, I saw something that just did not seem right.

If you have read this blog, you know that I am an avid bicyclist.  I average about 4000 miles a year on my bike and use them for fitness, recreation and commuting.

So as I walked towards the mall doors today, a set of bicycle lockers caught my eye.  These lockers are secure and weather-proof containers where you can park your bike when you visit the mall as a shopper or worker. I am glad to see the mall encourages bicycle use.  Of course, this is Portland and encouraging bike use is expected.

But what was odd about the lockers was how they were placed.  These bicycle lockers have lockers on both sides of the unit.  But in this case, the unit was shoved up against the wall so that only half of the lockers could be used.

  I could not figure out why the mall would go to the trouble of purchasing the lockers but installing them in such a way that only half of the capacity can be used.  There does not seem to be any space constraints.  As you can see in this photo there is plenty of space on the walkway to move the lockers away from the wall so that they can be fully utilized.

Great idea, poor execution.

I am not always as philanthropic as I would like, so when someone makes it easy to be generous, I appreciate it.

Case in point, I was out for a drive yesterday in the Columbia Gorge and thought it would be great to grab some food and head out on a trail for a short hike and picnic.  Stopping at a Safeway, I quickly grabbed a few things for lunch then I headed to the cashier.

While the cashier made quick work of my purchase, I entered my Safeway Club card.  After entering the card number, the reader asked if I wanted to make a donation.  I punched “yes.”  The next screen explained the donation would support the local schools and I could give $1,$3 or $5.  I hit $5.

Simple as that, I had made a charitable donation just as the cashier finished ringing up the order.  I handed him $20 and waited for the change.  Turning back, he pointed out where there were additional mustard and mayo packets for my sandwich (a small thing, but a nice touch) and then he thanked me by name for my contribution to the local schools.

Nicely done.

Not “politically correct” but “personal computer.”

I saw this sign attached to the entry display windows of my neighborhood Sears store today.

I know this type of advertising drives corporate marketing and corporate visual merchandising departments bonkers.  Not very sophisticated but I did see two groups read the sign as they entered the store.

While watching a recent tv show on my Comcast cable service, I saw an ad from the same company.  The smiling Comcast employee (or actor portraying one) proclaimed “The whole culture of the company is shifting to customer service!”

As early as 2004, the American Customer Satisfaction Index reported that Comcast had the worst customer satisfaction score of any company or governmental agency in the United States.  Comcast even beat out the Internal Revenue Service in the race to the bottom.  Comcast repeated the achievement in 2007.  There is even a Wiki page reporting on the Criticism of Comcast.

The Comcast statement raises several questions.  What was the culture before this change?  Why is this shift occurring?  What is driving this shift?

It is unfortunate when a company has to advertise that they are increasing their customer service rather than demonstrating it.