{"id":634,"date":"2008-08-11T10:33:25","date_gmt":"2008-08-11T18:33:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/?p=634"},"modified":"2008-08-11T11:39:11","modified_gmt":"2008-08-11T19:39:11","slug":"so-how-did-you-spend-your-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/2008\/08\/11\/so-how-did-you-spend-your-weekend\/","title":{"rendered":"So how did you spend your weekend?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mceTemp\">\n<dl id=\"attachment_652\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"width: 310px;\">\n<dd class=\"wp-caption-dd\">\n<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-634 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('\/outgoing\/www.regnordman.com\/2008\/08\/11\/so-how-did-you-spend-your-weekend\/p8080113\/');\"  href='https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/2008\/08\/11\/so-how-did-you-spend-your-weekend\/p8080113\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/p8080113-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('\/outgoing\/www.regnordman.com\/2008\/08\/11\/so-how-did-you-spend-your-weekend\/img_0045\/');\"  href='https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/2008\/08\/11\/so-how-did-you-spend-your-weekend\/img_0045\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/img_0045-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('\/outgoing\/www.regnordman.com\/2008\/08\/11\/so-how-did-you-spend-your-weekend\/da441\/');\"  href='https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/2008\/08\/11\/so-how-did-you-spend-your-weekend\/da441\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/da441-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('\/outgoing\/www.regnordman.com\/2008\/08\/11\/so-how-did-you-spend-your-weekend\/img_00511\/');\"  href='https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/2008\/08\/11\/so-how-did-you-spend-your-weekend\/img_00511\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/img_00511-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-652\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-652'>\n\t\t\t\tReg and Amanda wedding\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('\/outgoing\/www.regnordman.com\/2008\/08\/11\/so-how-did-you-spend-your-weekend\/img_0088\/');\"  href='https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/2008\/08\/11\/so-how-did-you-spend-your-weekend\/img_0088\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/img_0088-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-658\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-658'>\n\t\t\t\tMarni.Brock, Amand,Me, Michael\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('\/outgoing\/www.regnordman.com\/2008\/08\/11\/so-how-did-you-spend-your-weekend\/img_0090\/');\"  href='https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/2008\/08\/11\/so-how-did-you-spend-your-weekend\/img_0090\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/08\/img_0090-150x150.jpg\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-667\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt>\n\t\t\t\t<dd class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-667'>\n\t\t\t\tmeg &#038; marni&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8211;Lisa, John and Sue\n\t\t\t\t<\/dd><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The lack of reading posts has a simple answer. I got married. My partner Amanda and I decided Sunday (Aug 3)\u00a0 that 8.8.08 seemed like a good day to get married.\u00a0 It turned out that a lot of other folks felt the same!<\/p>\n<p>Friday August 8 &#8217;08 was the busiest day for weddings for 10 years in BC!\u00a0 The pastor we knew was on holiday. After lots of dialing (hey I am the head-set guy) I found a marriage commissioner. She only had two weddings that day &#8211; &#8220;if you can have it at 3 PM and not take too long, I can squeeze you in&#8221;. My cousins offered their view patio on the\u00a0 New West Quay (They could be home by 2). We both had busy work mornings booked. Things were looking up.<\/p>\n<p>The sequence of events was sort of like that prisoner statement, &#8221; Nothing like facing a firing squad at dawn to make you focus on your last dinner.&#8221;\u00a0 (forgive me)<\/p>\n<p>Marriage license &#8211; check (but someone needs to talk to the BC vital statistics about their redundant web services with a brutal implementation of Adobe Forms).<\/p>\n<p>Rings- a lesson &#8211; one shopping mall, eight stores (mostly chains)- I was a motivated buyer (not a wide range of sales approaches- mostly poor to terrible). \u00a0 Only one sales guy (Chinese)\u00a0 gave us the right answers, no pressure, just a lot of yes we can do that, by that time, and in 90 minutes &#8211; the buy was done &#8211; fair price and I made no ask for a discount &#8211; he earned the deal.<\/p>\n<p>Flowers &#8211; Do people not want the business? Just because we were not booking this a year in advance should not diminish the value of our dollar. Three stores &#8211; closed, in the middle of the day?\u00a0 People, this was cash in the drawer this week. My faith in <a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('\/outgoing\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Canada');\" class=\"zem_slink\" title=\"Canada\" rel=\"wikipedia\"  href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Canada\">Canadian<\/a> retail salesmanship, never high, was disappearing.\u00a0 Eventually a small Chinese grocery store &#8211; florist (little bit of everything)- was johnny on the spot with exactly what we needed.<\/p>\n<p>Dress- The dressmaker was home in the Balkins, so it was the local Chinese alterer who stepped up to the plate!\u00a0 She finished 3 hours before the ceremony.\u00a0 Another under promise over deliver service person.\u00a0 A back-up dress was found after much searching in the major ladies retailers &#8211; finally in a marked down section. Amanda was very happy with her find (It will be stunning on the next cruise formal night) , yet dismayed at the decay in fashion retailing. Unless you want to look like <a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('\/outgoing\/www.amywinehouse.co.uk');\" class=\"zem_slink\" title=\"Amy Winehouse\" rel=\"homepage\"  href=\"http:\/\/www.amywinehouse.co.uk\">Amy Winehouse<\/a> or a high school prom queen,\u00a0 in what used to be &#8220;good&#8221; stores, any search is disappointing. It&#8217;s not only the new owners of the Bay that have a huge task ahead of them.<\/p>\n<p>Guests &#8211; My sons were all working &#8211; Joel in New Zealand made four days notice tough. Kyle was catering two weddings,\u00a0 which had been booked a year in advance ( With nine days notice he could have worked around it).\u00a0 But the youngest and oldest (Brock and Michael)\u00a0 put in early shifts and were able to watch their Dad get married, and do the pics (http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/reg_nordman). My sister, Marni, canceled her trip to the Okanagan (She was married 7.7.07).<\/p>\n<p>Feast?\u00a0 What else than a well written up Asian restaurant. <a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('\/outgoing\/www.greenbasilthai.com\/');\" title=\"Green Basil Thai\"  href=\"http:\/\/www.greenbasilthai.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Green Basil Thai<\/a>. Great service, friendly staff and delicious flavors.<\/p>\n<p>A sales\u00a0 lesson in this?<\/p>\n<p>I think that deteriorating Canadian sales skills- retail sample- are a problem. If we did not have an influence from immigrants who want to do well for the customer, we would have no service culture at all. This is more than a productivity problem Prime Minister Harper, it is an attitude problem.\u00a0 Serving customers to their full satisfaction is a simple but tremendous skill, that some &#8220;Canadians&#8221; seem to have put aside. Do they\u00a0 lack the desire to do it? I think so.<\/p>\n<p>Any wonder why so many of us shop in the US?\u00a0 Yet,\u00a0 Canadian consumers put up with our lack of service in Canada.\u00a0 Maybe it is time to put the wallet back in your pocket and demand a few things. In the US, consumers refuse to pay as much as we do for cars, as well as meat, dairy and other products &#8211; and their retailers still compete on service.\u00a0 If you do not ask for better &#8211; you deserve what you get.<\/p>\n<p>I will be back to my regular programming shortly, just a\u00a0 little right of Attilla the Hun.<\/p>\n<h6 class=\"zemanta-related-title\" style=\"font-size: 1em;\">Related articles by Zemanta<\/h6>\n<ul class=\"zemanta-article-ul\">\n<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('\/outgoing\/www.articlesbase.com\/article.php?aid=516561&amp;pid=6775764102');\"  href=\"http:\/\/www.articlesbase.com\/article.php?aid=516561&amp;pid=6775764102\">Internet Shopping is so Much More Relaxing<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('\/outgoing\/www10.nytimes.com\/2008\/08\/08\/business\/economy\/08shop.html?_r=5&amp;partner=rssnyt&amp;emc=rss&amp;oref=slogin&amp;oref=slogin&amp;oref=slogin&amp;oref=slogin');\"  href=\"http:\/\/www10.nytimes.com\/2008\/08\/08\/business\/economy\/08shop.html?_r=5&amp;partner=rssnyt&amp;emc=rss&amp;oref=slogin&amp;oref=slogin&amp;oref=slogin&amp;oref=slogin\">Signs Point to a Slower Sales Season for Retailers<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"zemanta-pixie\" style=\"margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;\"><a onclick=\"javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('\/outgoing\/reblog.zemanta.com\/zemified\/aa690ae1-a772-451b-a244-d3698cac3b0d\/');\" class=\"zemanta-pixie-a\" title=\"Zemified by Zemanta\"  href=\"http:\/\/reblog.zemanta.com\/zemified\/aa690ae1-a772-451b-a244-d3698cac3b0d\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"zemanta-pixie-img\" style=\"border: medium none; float: right;\" src=\"http:\/\/img.zemanta.com\/reblog_b.png?x-id=aa690ae1-a772-451b-a244-d3698cac3b0d\" alt=\"Zemanta Pixie\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The lack of reading posts has a simple answer. I got married. My partner Amanda and I decided Sunday (Aug 3)  that 8.8.08 seemed like a good day to get married.  It turned out that a lot of other folks felt the same!<\/p>\n<p>That Friday was the busiest day for weddings for 10 years in BC!  The pastor we knew was on holiday. After lots of dialing (hey I am the head-set guy) I found a marriage commissioner. She only had two weddings that day &#8211; &#8220;if you can have it at 3 PM and not take too long, I can squeeze you in&#8221;. My cousins offered their view patio on the  New West Quay (They could be home by 2). We both had busy work mornings booked. Things were looking up.<\/p>\n<p>The sequence of events was sort of like that prisoner statement, &#8221; Nothing like facing a firing squad at dawn to make you focus on your last dinner.&#8221;  (forgive me)<\/p>\n<p>Marriage license &#8211; check (but someone needs to talk to the BC vital statistics about their redundant web services with a brutal implementation of Adobe Forms).<\/p>\n<p>Rings- a lesson &#8211; one shopping mall, eight stores (mostly chains)- I was a motivated buyer (such a wide range of sales approaches- most in the poor category.)   Only one sales guy (Chinese)  gave us the right answers, no pressure, just a lot of yes we can do that, by that time, and in 90 minutes &#8211; the buy was done &#8211; fair price and I made no ask for a discount &#8211; he earned the deal.<\/p>\n<p>Flowers &#8211; Do people not want the business? Just because we were not booking this a year in advance should not diminish the value of our dollar. Three stores &#8211; closed, in the middle of the day?  People, this was cash in the drawer this week. My faith in Canadian retail salesmanship, never high, was disappearing.  Eventually a small Chinese grocery store &#8211; florist (little bit of everything)- was johnny on the spot with exactly what we needed.<\/p>\n<p>Dress- The dressmaker was home in the Balkins, so it was the local Chinese alterer who stepped up to the plate!  She finished 3 hours before the ceremony.  Another under promise over deliver service person.  A back-up dress was found after much searching in the major ladies retailers &#8211; finally in a marked down section. Amanda was very happy with her find (It will be stunning on the next cruise formal night) , yet dismayed at the decay in fashion retailing. Unless you wanted to look like Amy Winehouse or a high school prom queen,  in what used to be &#8220;good&#8221; stores, the search was disappointing. It&#8217;s not only the new owners of the Bay that have a huge task ahead of them.<\/p>\n<p>Guests &#8211; My sons were all working &#8211; Joel in New Zealand made four days notice tough. Kyle was catering two weddings,  which had been booked a year in advance ( With nine days notice he could have worked around it).  But the youngest and oldest (Brock and Michael)  put in early shifts and were able to watch their Dad get married, and do the pics (http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/reg_nordman). My sister, Marni canceled her trip to the Okanagan (She was married 7.7.07).<\/p>\n<p>Feast?  What else than a well written up Asian restaurant. Green Basil Thai. Great service, friendly staff and delicious flavors.<\/p>\n<p>A lesson in this?<\/p>\n<p>it is obvious to me that poor Canadian sales skills- retail sample- are a problem. If we did not have a strong influence from immigrants who want to do well for the customer, we would have no service culture at all. This is more than a productivity problem, it is an attitude problem.  Serving customers to their full satisfaction is a tremendous skill, that some &#8220;Canadians&#8221; seem to have put aside, they even lack the desire to do it.  And people wonder why so many of us shop in the US?  Yet,  Canadian consumers put up with it. Maybe it is time to put the wallet back in your pocket and demand a few things. In the US, consumers refuse to pay as much for cars as we do, as well as meat, dairy and other products &#8211; and retailers still compete on service.  If you do not ask &#8211; you deserve what you get.<\/p>\n<p>I will be back to my regular programming shortly.<br \/>\nZemanta Pixie<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[33,92,91,93],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=634"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":674,"href":"https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634\/revisions\/674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.regnordman.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}