As a consumer I believe we all have come to expect certain things. The power of the marketplace has switched from the business to the consumer. Any business living in the past will not last very long under this new system thanks to demands from consumers such as transparent business practices, ethical sourcing, and a steady supply of the things we expect each business to provide. ESPECIALLY when it comes to big business. Thanks to the power Yelp.com, TripAdvisor.com, consumer reports and a plethora of online review sites give us, we are now the ones to say whether a business is meeting/succeeding/or falling short of our expectations.
Yeah so there are a lot of small business' out there that can still get away with old business practices of the twentieth century but really, everyone should be shifting to the new role of finding out consumers wants and needs and how to best meet those wants and needs. Which brings me to a funny story...
Here I am, a consumer, 22 years of age looking for an inexpensive pair of sneakers to wear. I know that shoes tend to be pricey but regardless of price the shoes will be trashed within 1 year so I set my budget to $30 and head to the local mall which has over 41 stores that sell clothing, shoes, and more. Out of the 41, about 7 sell shoes exclusively. Now I know I won't be walking away with a pair of Chuck Taylor's or Nike's or even a pair of Sketchers. I just want a pair of flats at a reasonable price. So I head to H&M first seeing that they don't sell mainstream name brand shoes. I love the styles they have to offer but the largest they go is a 10.5 (I'm a 12, which I consider on the outskirts of standard). No biggie, there is still many stores to visit and the night is young. So I head to Aeropostale; they are having a sale so this should be great. No men's shoes. Next, Old Navy. No men's shoes. Tilly's? No men's shoes under $60. American Eagle? No men's shoes. You get the picture. So I give up on general clothing stores and head to the shoe stores. First Line, Off Broadway Shoes, Robert Wagne Footware, Shoe Palace, and basically everywhere else except the Crocs store.
I got smart and gave up looking and just asked as soon as I entered a store if they were selling men's shoes and if they had a pair of affordable sneakers. Nothing that I consider to be difficult to find considering I'm really not picky just have a budget to follow and money in my wallet ready to throw at the first person who can offer me a pair of clothe and rubber thingy's to put on my feet (maybe some thread too would be nice but not necessary if they slip on).
So I went through an entire mall looking for something that I guess doesn't exist. I would prefer not to buy online because I would like to try them on before buying. But I guess Wal-Mart gets my money yet again because they have exactly what I'm looking for... Is this the only business that can satisfy a want and need of basic footwear? Also, when did buying a pair of shoes cost over $100 if they aren't cheap and the cheap ones cost more than $50? This seems more frustrating to me then it needs to be.
To wrap things up, I think I could have spent my time doing something better like working, studying or relaxing to get ready to work and/or study. In a society advanced enough to have more than the basic needs (i.e. shelter, clean water and food) I'd consider this a tragedy. But this will only speak of the times we are living in rather than the blessings that we American's so often take for granted.
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