Companies act just like individuals. They all have personalties, no doubt a reflection of the people at the top. At times they make clever choices, but at other times they do stupid things. Most of us at times do senseless things, but things that usually affect only us. When companies do it, it often results in serious consequences.
The plight of certain car companies illustrates my point. Through a history of misjudging the markets and building the wrong types of vehicles, some face serious down-sizing, possibly even bankruptcy. A friend with contacts in the industry insists that car companies manufacture only what consumers want, but in my mind they just won’t admit to making marketing errors. Maybe they haven’t noticed, but while they make excuses, two relative newcomers keep expanding and laughing all the way to the bank.
A week or more ago while shopping in Fergus, I noticed that a major store had turned the signs at the ends of the aisles 90 degrees, making them unreadable in the aisle. Neither could you see them as you approached the aisle. Last week I went to the store to ask about the signs and collect a product I had ordered. While standing under one of the signs, I met a friend and asked his opinion. His negative comments attracted the attention of a passer-by, who agreed.
I then asked for a senior management person, making the mistake of telling him I planned to do a column on “stupid things businesses do.” Before mentioning the signs, I asked about two products that had disappeared from the shelves. He told me I would have to call corporate headquarters. Things had not started well.
Then I asked about the signs. He quickly equivocated: “Corporate ordered the change; they did it at night when I wasn’t there; I’d move them, but I can’t do it myself.”
He explained they don’t plan on changing the angle of the signs, only moving them farther out of the aisle. He directed me to a small sign on the door, saying something to that effect.
When I turned to go further inside to pick up my order, he made the mistake of thinking I intended to “solicit comments from customers,” and ordered me out of the store. I not too courteously refused to go. Maybe someone should whisper in the ear of management that Fergus and the towns nearby have other places to shop.
My next quest for “stupid things businesses do” took me to the Scotiabank, in Fergus. I had gone in on a Thursday to deposit money – only to learn that they do not take cash after 4:30pm on Thursdays. Well, okay, I could use the automated teller, but a bank that won’t accept cash? With a little apprehension I entered the bank and asked the manager for an explanation.
She told me they stayed open on Thursdays from 4:30 to 8pm so people could do personal banking – things like arranging loans and doing similar business. The teller service ends at the usual closing time of 4:30pm. A sign on the front door differentiates between “teller hours” and “personal banking hours.” She also explained that people who can’t come in at regular times, or on Thursday evening, can also make appointments on other evenings. They haven’t decreased their service by closing teller windows; they have increased it by making available more personal banking hours.
Instead of ordering me out of the bank, she thanked me for my business. It seems nobody needs to tell Scotiabank how to do things the right way.