One of the few downsides to shopping at Trader Joe’s is that some products get discontinued due to slow sales, or because the seasons are changing and their main growing location can’t produce them anymore. Whether you blame weak consumer demand or mother nature, the fact is that certain things won’t be available for awhile […]

Traditionally, the “Black Friday” weekend that begins the day after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest shopping periods of the year. And even in today’s uncertain economy, the anecdotal evidence suggests that a lot of people decided to shop online and in stores during this always-busy period. Personally, I only spent a few minutes near […]

In any business, some customers will be overly demanding, have a bad attitude, or exhibit other behaviors that make them unprofitable. Most business strategy folks would advise “firing” these unsavory customers once you identify them. But there’s another aspect to these misbehaving customers that is often overlooked. Specifically, their actions can worsen the experience for […]

When dining out, it’s very common to receive a portion that is far too large to finish in one sitting. For restaurants that have a large percentage of customers who are on vacation or tend to visit before a movie or other event, this means a lot of food is left behind. While some restaurants […]

While traveling last weekend, I went to a great sushi place. They had one really strange practice, though. Apparently, regular customers can reserve not just a certain dining time, but also the exact table they want. This sounds fine, except that nearly half of the tables were marked “Reserved” when I arrived. And those same […]

Last weekend, I had a really great hotel experience, and a really bad one too. The odd thing is, I was in the same room the whole time. So what changed from one night to the next? Simple: a bunch of really loud and obnoxious people stayed in the room next door during that second […]

I don’t have a Starbucks loyalty card, but I noticed an interesting sign directed towards Starbucks cardholders. The sign was located in one of Starbucks’ airport locations, and basically said that they couldn’t accept the Starbucks card or provide any related benefits at that particular store. I’m pretty sure that all the Starbucks in airports […]

I got a flu shot this year, like I typically do. Back in college, the flu shot saved me from a nasty flu-like illness that put dozens of students in the hospital, so it’s been an easy sell since then. But it always amazes me to see how stubborn some people are about getting the […]