While I was at the grocery store last weekend, I noticed several new wines featured on an endcap. One in particular had an attractive label design and a price tag in the $9 range, so I figured it was something decent like a cabernet or malbec. Upon closer inspection, though, all I could find was […]

I once heard that adding bright lights to an area results in a significant reduction in crime. Simply put, criminals don’t like hanging out in the spotlight, even if nobody seems to be watching. Yet it seems like cities are much more interested in putting up surveillance cameras. Is this really the best approach? Here’s […]

If you’ve ever scrutinized a food package in the US, you may have noticed that weight measurements are typically stated in both ounces and grams. Since the US is one of the few places that doesn’t use the metric system, it makes sense to provide both units of measure. But when I was in Canada […]

When someone has purchased from you before, they probably trust your brand enough to forgive minor hiccups in the buying experience. For instance, say you’re searching for some type of canned goods on Amazon, and the first few results are from third-party sellers who charge huge shipping fees. As a seasoned veteran, you know enough […]

Over the weekend, I used the CTA website to check for delays on the Brown Line train service. While I was on the site, I noticed a featured story about CTA’s new train cars, which are apparently being tested in a few limited areas. The story, and the press release it was based on, included […]

About once a week, I receive a big, glossy brochure inside the daily paper. The brochure is for a luxury condo building located about a mile south of me. Inside the document, you’ll find pictures of the outside of the building and the views from the condos, plus photos of happy owners. But there isn’t […]

Online store flyers drive me nuts. Instead of being a convenient way to view all the specials at once, you generally get an overly complex and frustrating hybrid of print and online media. Here are some of the issues I frequently see when flyers are presented online: – You’re forced to view one or two […]

Over the past few weeks, two new restaurant concepts have opened in Chicago’s River North area. While you’d never know it based on the restaurant names and branding, these two restaurants are each being operated by veteran Chicago restauranteurs. For whatever reason, they’ve elected to make the new brands totally unique, without any reference to […]

Over the past year or so, it’s been interesting to watch the methods that my local CVS has chosen to market their in-store coupon dispensing kiosk. Here’s what they’ve tried: – Printed signage around the kiosk – Light-up signage above the kiosk – Signage on the floor in the shape of footprints, leading from the […]

I like my coffee strong, so I’ve always purchased dark roast beans or grounds. However, it amazes me to see how many light and medium roasts are available at retail. Since these cost just about the same per ounce as the dark stuff, why don’t people just buy dark roast and use fewer scoops? This […]