"Rehabilitating the Economy." The Bulletin, Jan.4, 2009.
I challenge you to find one nugget of useful information in that article. Blah, Blah, Blah. Things will get better, sure 2008 was bad but we're over the worse, no sense worrying about it, my neighbor is building a toolshed so the building boom is back!
There is another article over at Financial Armageddon that the website owner seems to think is really useful; the guy is usually pretty insightful, but when it comes to retail, he's a naif.
The gist of these kinds of articles are: work harder, promote more, give the customer what he wants, lower prices, advertise, be smarter.
Gee, I never would have thought of that!
Lower prices and sell more!
Especially the lower prices and advertise more.
Everyone who has never owned a store, or 'used to' own a store, or 'wants' to own a store will give you that advice. Everyone who has ever shopped in a store will give you that advice.
Do you suppose that no store owner has ever thought of those things?
Don't try to teach your grandmother to suck eggs.
It's slightly more complicated than that.
Advertise!
Advertising? What's that? Is that some new fangled technique?
Give the Customer what he Wants!
No...just for fun, don't. Don't give the customer what he wants. Oh, and when you walk, put one foot in front of the other. See? It's easy!
Work Harder!
Because we know you've just been sitting around. Couldn't be any other explanation for you to not be making money. This is America! Work hard and get ahead!
Sorry. But there are entire business magazines, entire business sites, entire business schools that are filled with nothing more than such empty advice. Often wrong advice. Stupid advice.
Think for yourself, use common sense, and doubt -- or at least, test -- the common wisdom.
I challenge you to find one nugget of useful information in that article. Blah, Blah, Blah. Things will get better, sure 2008 was bad but we're over the worse, no sense worrying about it, my neighbor is building a toolshed so the building boom is back!
There is another article over at Financial Armageddon that the website owner seems to think is really useful; the guy is usually pretty insightful, but when it comes to retail, he's a naif.
The gist of these kinds of articles are: work harder, promote more, give the customer what he wants, lower prices, advertise, be smarter.
Gee, I never would have thought of that!
Lower prices and sell more!
Especially the lower prices and advertise more.
Everyone who has never owned a store, or 'used to' own a store, or 'wants' to own a store will give you that advice. Everyone who has ever shopped in a store will give you that advice.
Do you suppose that no store owner has ever thought of those things?
Don't try to teach your grandmother to suck eggs.
It's slightly more complicated than that.
Advertise!
Advertising? What's that? Is that some new fangled technique?
Give the Customer what he Wants!
No...just for fun, don't. Don't give the customer what he wants. Oh, and when you walk, put one foot in front of the other. See? It's easy!
Work Harder!
Because we know you've just been sitting around. Couldn't be any other explanation for you to not be making money. This is America! Work hard and get ahead!
Sorry. But there are entire business magazines, entire business sites, entire business schools that are filled with nothing more than such empty advice. Often wrong advice. Stupid advice.
Think for yourself, use common sense, and doubt -- or at least, test -- the common wisdom.