Marketing 101

One would think that business people would be well versed in the psychology of dealing with potential customers, if in fact they would like to be successful. Unfortunately the exact opposite seems to be true. Here are two anecdotes for your "enjoyment".

When we were in New Hampshire, we were lucky enough to be able to stay with friends that we have know since they lived in Switzerland. One afternoon after visiting a museum, Joe and I decided to buy some wine for our hosts. I asked the museum guide if there was a wine store in the area and there was, so he gave us directions. We drove to the store which appeared to have a good selection. While in Alaska we had purchased wine in a wine store which was called "Cupcake" and "Layer Cake" Shiraz which had turned out to be something that we both really enjoyed. When the young man working there (it turns out he was the owner's son) asked what we were looking for, I mentioned "Cupcake" and "Layer Cake". Wrong response for two million dollars! I was informed that I could probably find what I was looking for in the grocery store. I had decided to keep looking on my own without this gentleman's help when the owner, his mother, approached me. She asked what I was looking for and again I was given the helpful hint to go to the grocery store. I wasn't too happy but managed with Joe to select four bottles of wine. When I got to the counter to pay this woman again told me that the kind of wine I was looking for was normally sold at the grocery store! At that point I lost it. I asked her if I looked like I couldn't afford the wine I was purchasing. I also asked her if I looked like a Mad Dog 20/20, Boone's Farm or Ernest & Julio Gallo wine carafe purchasing kind of person? To say she was shocked was an understatement. Instead of saying "Well if you normally like "Layer Cake" you might like blah, blah, blah she chose to play the snooty wine connoisseur. Bad move.

Today, though took the cake. We had experienced difficulties locating the campsite we wanted to stay at in Cape Cod. After finally arriving, I wanted to try and make an appointment to get my hair cut so that we would know how many nights we would need to stay here. Well as soon as Joe turned the engine off, there was a guy knocking at his window. It seems he sells some kind of protective coating that you can use on automobiles, eye glasses, jewelry - the list is endless. He was dying to use this stuff on the Earth Roamer and would give Joe a deal. He was so persistent that I was getting truly po'd, really irritated. I wanted to book my appointment and reserve our site without this guy's pushiness. After I walked away from him, he sent his girlfriend over - at that point I said I didn't want a demo, period. Ixnay on the high pressure, buddy. I guess he felt he could wear me / us down. In the end it was almost comic with me simply walking away - Joe unfortunately didn't have that luxury. So now we are have the Earth Roamer treated tomorrow..... I hope we don't live to regret this!

Sammelsurium or simply "Stuff" volume 10

You really meet a wide range of people when you stay in RV parks, many of them really well-traveled. I always enjoy a short chat but am trying to be more "Zen" when it comes to the people I feel are trying to interview me and cannot buy a clue when they have over stayed their welcome. I have really lowered my standards / expectations about what is acceptable to me as I was well on the way to a heart attack not to mention impossible to be around - I can own my own junk, believe me. So now I can say "Well at least the bathroom is clean, too bad the roof leaks" or "It is a well-maintained park, too bad the laundry facilities date back to 1942". Trying to focus on the positive.

Funny enough, although I am trying to take the high road, there are things that really make me shake my head. In an RV park in Upstate New York we were grilled about our dog's health and had to prove she had a rabies shot (not a problem, we're prepared). Imagine my surprise when I went to check out the restrooms and showers - let's just say the Health Department wouldn't have been amused. Maybe their questions about the dog's health were to make sure she wouldn't be getting sick due to the sorry hygiene standards.

Funny enough in this age where a lot of people do yoga or work out, most RV parks don't have any space available to exercise. Plenty of people power walk in the RV parks but that's a little difficult in inclement weather. So far we have only stayed in two "fitness friendly" parks - one in British Columbia and one in Kennebunkport, Maine. I could see this as a real marketing niche.

Lastly, we are really lucky to be able to afford this long trip through the US. However it is really sad to see how many RV parks and grocery stores are collecting food for the local food pantries. It is sobering to see just how many people are suffering. Truly tragic.

Boston "More Than a Feeling" - One More Thing

Being on the road makes it hard to keep up with one's normal beauty regiment. Sometimes I've been lucky and have found a good hair salon or cosmetician. Other times the services I've received have been less than satisfying - I guess as a customer that is just traveling through I don't deserve the same level of attention a regular customer would be paid. When I was in Boston I was badly in need of having my eyebrows waxed but hadn't had the opportunity to locate a cosmetician. One day as I was walking past Macy's I saw that "Benefit" cosmetics had an eyebrow bar. Once Joe was back from Boston I decided to walk over and have my brows done. I walked into the cosmetic department and was given a chair right in the window. My brows were quickly waxed and then I was told I should also have my upper lip done! Great, that made me feel pretty...... I was a little embarrassed but agreed. So there I was in the window of Macy having my upper lip waxed for the world to see - have to admit this was a first.

Boston, "More Than a Feeling"

I'm not sure how many of my friends know that "More Than a Feeling" by Boston is my absolute favorite song. No matter how down I'm feeling, the minute I hear this song I am in a great mood. I recently had the opportunity to visit Boston and the city itself had the same effect on me as the song. There is so much to see and it is a real dog friendly place. One of the first things I did was take Nera for a walk on the Boston Common. There I saw a sign which said that dogs are allowed to be off there leash from 6am to 9am in the morning. As Nera has discovered squirrels (I don't know why but you never see them in Switzerland) during our time in the US and was happy to have the opportunity to chase them - although her chance of catching one as a 10 year old partially lame dog is less than zero - this was a perfect place for us.

Then one day while walking with Nera I saw a Chinese spa. I decided to book a foot massage for myself as a way to relax. Well if it was possible I would marry the Chinese man that gave me my massage so that I could enjoy this everyday. I was so relaxed after the hour that I felt I actually looked different. Not only was it a perfect massage, as he didn't speak much English I wasn't subjected to the endless smalltalk that normally takes place during a spa treatment. When I left the spa two different men actually asked me if I wanted to go for coffee not to mention dinner. I didn't take them up on their offers but I have to admit that it was an ego boost.

Lastly I was walking through Boston with Nera on the way to the wharf area. I noticed a film crew and stopped to ask a policeman if any famous people were on the set. He said that while Kevin Bacon (one of my all time favorite actors) and Jeff Bridges would be in the film, they weren't on the set. I said I was disappointed and he then asked "Well what about me?" What about him indeed! He was an extremely good looking, Italian body builder kind of guy and I was so embarrassed I started blushing. This was of course all in fun but it was really a pick me up.

Thank you Boston for showing me a good time!

My Dog, My Child

I was recently watching a segment on "Good Morning America" about the new designer disposal diapers for children. Apparently a white diaper is no longer good enough, not enough of a fashion statement for today's children and their mothers. Manufacturers are now producing diapers which look like denim or camouflage pants not to mention different feminine patterns for girls. For the really over the top you can go on-line and custom design your diaper or even have photographs printed on them. The last option strikes me as more than a little creepy to tell you the truth.



Imagine my surprise when I realized this trend had also taken hold in the world of doggie poop bags here in the US! The old black or dark brown bags are no longer good enough for man's best friend, no sir. During my time in Boston I had booked Nera in for a day of grooming and doggie daycare. As the people at the doggie daycare were nice enough but not the world's most organized people during my dealings with them on the phone, I decided to stop by the day before to make sure that everything was okay. I had spent 30 minutes on the phone discussing everything from Nera's personality traits to what kind of shampoo she preferred (oatmeal apple, kiwi, something floral) only to receive a second call the next day to review all of this information. While I was there I decided to buy more doggie poop bags in order to make sure I always had a supply. (While they are supposedly provided on the Boston Common, the containers were always empty). Imagine my surprise when I saw that one can buy pink floral bags, camouflage bags, biodegrabable bags etc. - the list goes on and on! Apparently our dogs are more a refection of our identity than we think. Unfortunately for Nera I chose to stick with the run of the mill brown bags - I didn't want people making assumptions about me based on my choice of doggie poop bags.

Embracing My Outer "Unfashionable-ness"

I am someone who loves to shop and who likes to look nice or as my mother would say "put together". Both of these things are difficult, if not impossible, when traveling in the Earth Roamer. I can certainly shop but space to store things is really at a minimum. Also, as one doesn't have the same facilities to maintain and store clothes, Jack Wolfskin, Columbia, Patagonia etc become the labels of choice. Still, I am attracted to malls like a moth to a flame after all the time we've spent in the wilderness or small towns. Shopping, though, is also problematic because going into a store in my RV-wear makes me very self-conscious - you do need to look like you belong in the store, at least in my opinion. Imagine my surprise as to how positive the shopping experience can be based on two recent experiences, one at the Talbots in Sioux Falls, SD and one at "Milli" in Toronto. At Talbots I was waited on by a woman who did her level best to tell me I looked fine, had a nice figure (although not true due to my packed on menopause weight) etc. At the end of my visit I had purchased a few nice, wearable items and had fun in the process. It was really a pick me up. Then the "Milli" experience. "Milli" is a very upscale Toronto ladies boutique which carries a lot of the labels I just love in Switzerland - Marc Cain, Akris Punto, Strenesse, the list goes on. A good comparison would be Grieder in Zurich. Well the owner, Milli herself, plus all of her employees seemed not to notice that I was wearing RV-wear not to mention Birkenstocks! In fact you would have thought that I was the most fashionably dressed woman they had all ever seen. I did buy very nice things but 100% impossible to wear in the current version of my life. Well, not a problem for the "Milli" staff! Everything was steamed, packed and mailed off to Switzerland! Now I know why this woman is so successful, she meets everyone of her customer's desires and needs not to mention sees beyond the current package.

Sammelsurium or simply "Stuff" Volume 9

In the past week we have been in an RV park in Toronto and two in Upstate New York. All three of these places have beautiful park-like grounds, but that's where the "beautiful" ends. I have seriously never been in filthier bathrooms in my life - no details to spare the squeamish. Add to that the fact that in Toronto the laundry room appliances were so filthy you couldn't set your clothes top of them, no exaggeration. When I complained I was told that the scheduled renovation hadn't taken place as scheduled - so this is an excuse not to maintain what you have? A better one would have been laziness and lack of interest by the employees as the RV-ers are a captive audience.

I had regularly heard about the people who claim President Obama is a Muslim, that Muslims in general are violent terrorists, that President Obama isn't a citizen, that gay preople aren't the same as the rest of us and somehow evil etc., but I had never met one. Well, imagine my surprise when I came face to face with a person such as this in a spa in Toronto. The spa owner innocently - or so I thought - asked if I like President Obama and I said I did. She them said "You know, he's a Muslim". I said that actually he is a Christian, not that there is anything wrong with being a Muslim. Wrong answer as she just wouldn't let up so I stopped responding. Then she started on the topic of gays. Again I said I have no problem with gays, in fact the opposite is true. Well again the verbal version of water tortue ensued. I again didn't engage and was happy when the appointment was over. As a paying customer, it's hard for me to see how this behavior equals a successful business strategy - I felt slimed. Another example of people not having a filter and failing to acknowledge social etiquette boundaries. During our travels through the US National Parks not to mention the small tourist towns along the way, we have been surprised to find young adults from all over the world working at Parks concessions, in small grocery stores, in bars etc. These people are from Moldavia, the Ukraine, Bulgaria - the list goes on. When I asked a bartender (an American) in Keystone, SD why there are so many foreigners working in these jobs, he said Americans are lazy and won't take just any job. Now that seems to be a pretty simplistic explanation to me, but I wonder if this is true or on the other side, if Americans have access to these seasonal jobs. One reads so many things about illegals taking jobs from Americans (something I believe to be false, most of these people work for far less than the minimum wage not to mention no benefits) but these people I've mentioned are here legally, many employed by the US government. It would be interesting to understand more about this. There has been a lot written about "Obamacare" and how it should be repealed. Well people who think it should be repealed need to take a drive through small town America. In every town we have visited, there has been a fundraiser for someone with breast cancer, liver disease - whatever - that does not have health insurance or the savings to cover their medical care. It isn't possible to have enough bake sales, silent auctions, bbq's to cover health care costs for the uninsured. It's time to dump the sound byte talking points and embrace reality.