Published on: November 13, 2009
There was a great story on the
Wall Street Journal “Digits” blog yesterday about the Apple Store, keyed to the opening of its fourth unit in New York City. Some excerpts:
• Nearly 10,000 people submitted job applications, said Ron Johnson, senior vp of retail, “and about 220 will staff the store. A staircase, similar to the Fifth Avenue location, leads downstairs to the service area, which he said will be able to accommodate up to 100 customers at any time.”
• “Apple’s retail stores have been the most successful among similar stores by consumer-electronics companies and have been a key part of the company’s branding strategy. Services like the Genius Bar, where staff can help field product-related questions, encourage customers to keep coming back even after the initial purchase. Its new stores, both significant and standard, will be larger, to accommodate the width of three product-display tables and bigger Genius Bars.”
What this tells you is that even in a recession, Apple continues to grow and excel through a culture of service that differentiates it from virtually every other competitor in the industry.
No lowest common denominator thinking here. The result is that in a time when we might expect to see bread lines, there are a lot more iPhone lines.
Good lesson to learn.
Interesting research out of Australia suggesting that while both low-fat/high carb diets and high fat/low carb diets can be effective in helping people to lose weight, people who eat more carbs tend to be in a better mood - “less angry, depressed and confused after one year than those who ate fewer carbs.”
This strikes me as interesting on a couple of levels.
One, I’m nor surprised. Few things in life are as comforting...or as cheering...as a terrific bowl of pasta.
Two, this sort of illustrates to me the whole weight loss conundrum. We focus on diet extremes, not moderation. It is all highs and lows and tactics, not the development of long-term good habits that will serve us well without having to engage denial in one area and over-indulgence in another.
On the other hand, if this were not the ways things worked, then there would not be so many sales of books and foods in the diet category.
Wines of the week:
2006 Icario Rubi Delle Rietrose Toscana, which is wonderful melange of 70%Sangiovese, 10% Merlot, 20% Teroldego ... and at about $14, a terrific deal on a deep and satisfying wine.
2008 Groth Sauvignon Blanc, which is soft and refreshing...maybe a little light for this time of year, but nice nonetheless with seafood. About $13.
Once again, Michael Sansolo and I want to thank you for all the book orders. The funny thing is that we committed to each other that we would sign all the books sold to MNB users...and suddenly, that seems like a much more daunting prospect than we originally thought.
But we’re not complaining. Not even a little bit.
Finally, someone sent me an email this week saying that “bronchial infections seem to be the new black.” I know exactly what she’s talking about - I’ve had one for more than a week, and while I’m grateful it isn’t the flu, it’s really beginning to wear me down. I can’t help but feel that I’m off my game a bit...and if so, I appreciate your patience. Hopefully I will emerge from the weekend a better man.
That’s it for this week. Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you Monday.
Slainte!