Ideapad

Blogging since 1998. By David Wertheimer

Page 74 of 129

London town

Visiting London (as I just did; see previous entry) remains a complete delight: from the classic squares and buildings to the pleasures of meandering and willingly getting lost; to the politeness of Brits in general to the amusement of dealing with foreigners behind the counter in service-sector jobs, trying valiantly to mimic the good graces of their peers; to the tittering fun of remembering to use—and using correctly—indigenous terms like “quid” and “the tube” and “takeaway”; to the uniquely alien familiarity with the city’s pace and its trains and its maps and its taxis and its working environment, all so different, yet so similar; to, most importantly, my British friends, full of warmth and unfailing hospitality, whom above all other factors make me wish for return visits sooner than later, and whom despite the challenges of distance and infrequency are doubtless among my favorite people the world over.

So here’s to you, London town, and Mark and Arindam especially. I miss it already.

On the road again

I leave Manhattan Saturday for the first leg of a three-stop, two-week travel schedule. Destination: London, for Beauty and the Brand 2006, where I will be giving a presentation on leveraging the Internet to increase brand loyalty and sales.

If you’re attending the conference (or if you miss it) and would like a copy of the PowerPoint presentation, feel free to email me and I will gladly pass it along.

Local pricing and Petco

Chain retailers face a big decision when expanding into new markets: do they implement standard pricing or local pricing? Standard pricing is just that: a $58 shirt at Banana Republic is $58 whether it’s in New York, St. Louis or online. Local pricing allows for variances in market conditions, such as rent, traffic, competition, cost of living, etc.

Petco has chosen local pricing for its Manhattan stores. The result? Amy and I go out of our way to not shop there. And by “out of the way” I mean “drive to a pet store deep in New Jersey where poop bags are 55% less expensive than they are in Union Square.”

A basic pricing comparison:

Natural Balance Pet Food, 5 lb. bag

– At Whiskers in the East Village: $8.99

– Online at petco.com: $6.99

– At Petco Union Square: $9.99

Van Ness Grab Bags, 40 count

– At Petco (formerly NJ Pets), East Hanover, NJ: $2.99

– Online at petfooddirect.com: $3.08

– Online at petco.com: $5.99

– At Petco Union Square: $6.49

Frontline Plus, 3-month supply, small dogs

– From our veterinarian: $40.00

– Online at petco.com: $40.99

– At Petco Union Square: $62.99

Now, I live in a hot neighborhood in an expensive city, and I understand that Petco needs to pay the bills. I also know that my local Petco is constantly busy, which means the pet owners in my neighborhood are either less price sensitive than me or don’t comparison shop as much (probably both).

But what I really know is that Petco Union Square has product markup that exceeds 100% on some items. That’s just outrageous. Even my Food Emporium’s cereal, a notoriously expensive item in Manhattan, doesn’t cost twice as much as the Kellogg’s in my parents’ supermarkets (although it comes close).

End result? I don’t go to Petco much anymore. And long lines or no, that sort of reaction is something Petco’s new owners might want to consider.

Happy birthday

The Ideapad turns eight on Wednesday. Eight! When this page launched, Google was in beta, Netscape was still battling Microsoft prior to the AOL acquisition, and blog tools like Pyra’s Blogger had yet to be invented. Heck, even the word “blog” hadn’t been invented yet.

I am proud (and more than a little impressed with myself) that the Ideapad has endured, more or less continually, for so long. Some of the archives are a lot of fun, and a few things I’ve written have become lovely little remembrances. Thanks for reading, and for those of you that have been referenced along the way, thank you for indulging me. I hope it’s been as fun for you as it has for me.

Where we are in our lives

Me: “Where’s the Mets game?”

B: “It was a rainout. And I’m so glad.”

Me: “So Glavine gets an extra day of rest?”

B: “No no—so I do! Do you know how hard it is to watch baseball five straight days? And with the baby running around? That’s just too much time….”

Today’s liquor lesson

Whisky (or “whiskey”; see update below) refers to alcoholic beverages that are derived from grains and aged in oak casks. Scotch whisky (or simply Scotch) refers specifically to whiskey produced in Scotland, and which is distilled primarily from malted barley. Bourbon, in contrast, is an American whisky that is at least 51% derived from corn. Canadian, or rye, whiskey typically is 51% or greater rye alongside other grains. And, of course, those with small home distilleries and unspecified grain percentages have a name, too: moonshine.

I am far from a drinker, but I do enjoy a nice glass of Scotch on the rocks, Lagavulin in particular. And as of this past weekend, I’m going to start exploring the world of bourbon as well (Knob Creek was a good introduction). Just don’t reprimand me if you see me ordering it before dinner instead of after.

Update: the wise and observant Ken Schlager points out that the correct spelling (per AP style) is “whiskey” unless referring to “Scotch whisky.” Duly noted and repaired.

Southern hospitality

Without a doubt, Atlanta has the nicest taxicab drivers I’ve encountered in all my travels, domestic or international.

Imagine if any cabbie in New York offered even two of these nice touches, most of which I had on all three of my rides:

–Opening the passenger door

–A clean, spacious back seat without a partition

–Several of today’s newspapers

–Classical music playing quietly

–Pleasant and unintrusive small talk

–Asked permission to open the windows

–Noticed the passenger making a phone call and temporarily turned off the radio

Really, everyone is nice in Atlanta, even the normally disgruntled airport staff, who don’t have that oh-lord-why dazed emptiness in their eyes, and who actually say things like “pardon me” and “good afternoon” and “thank you.” I’m used to the aggressive rhythms of Manhattan but I can sure see the appeal in this.

I didn’t get to see much of Atlanta today, but I most certainly felt welcome.

Eerie

Part of me would rather not, but yes, let’s talk about how wholly unsettling a feeling one gets when one’s employee bursts into one’s office and asks, “Do you see the smoke uptown? I was told a plane flew into a building.” And the pit that swells in the stomach, and the emotions from 2001, very recently revisited, that flood back: the sounds, the smells, the confusion, the horror.

And let’s reflect upon the suppression of the horror, the forced effort to maintain an even keel, in order to investigate the situation, both out of curiosity and necessity, and to try to share the news and a bit of the shock with one’s curious visitors from Paris, yet with the least possible mention of previous events, to them or to any New Yorkers in the room.

And let’s layer on top of this the concept of heading to LaGuardia Airport for a business flight less than three hours following the discovery of said uptown smoke, amid rush hour, pouring rain, and the aftermath of a minor but very real hysteria, only 13 blocks north of one’s office, and the knee-jerk reactions that spew from the gut, conversations that bluntly go something like:

“I think you should just go to the airport and take your flight.”

“Oh? Would you have said that last time?”

And add to that the hour-plus car service delays, the need to hail an off-duty cab and cajole the driver into a last fare, the perverse feeling of trying not to miss a flight while not wanting to get on the plane, and the fact that Yankee pitcher and deceased pilot Cory Lidle was profiled in the New York Times five weeks ago…to showcase his hobby as a pilot, in a piece that includes this paragraph:

“A player-pilot is still a sensitive topic for the Yankees, whose captain, Thurman Munson, was killed in the crash of a plane he was flying in 1979. Lidle, acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies on July 30, said his plane was safe.”

So, yeah. Let’s not.

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