No, it's not another diatribe on the Whidbey slip - promise. This past weekend my family and I went out for a nice day on the town. Our first stop was a shoe store where I wanted to buy some flip-flops decent enough to step into public in. We visited a store called Rack Room Shoes, and I quickly found a pair of sandals to try on. I tossed them down on the floor, slipped my feet in them and ahhhhhhhhh. Comfort. So, I strolled over to the mirror to check the look and - a pile of shoe boxes was neatly stacked in front of the waist-high mirror to a height of about 3 feet. So I walked over to another mirror and - same thing. What kind of dolt would block the bottom-most view of every mirror in a shoe store? The stock boy. So here I am in a shoe store, and all I can see is my belt. I bought them elsewhere.
A little while later, we decided we'd go to Bahama Breeze and enjoy the beautiful South Florida weather by eating outside on their patio. We got the stroller out of the trunk, put the infant carrier in it, and made our way to the hostess. When we mentioned we'd like to sit outside, she informed us that they only serve drinks and appetizers on the patio, not entrees. Another bone-headed move. So here's a restaurant with a huge patio that they've already got to bring drinks and plates to and even bus, but depending on what happens to be on the plate, you either can or can't get service. Ate dinner elsewhere.
To cap off the evening, we visited a little place near home called Dr. Desserts to have some coffee and dessert after dinner. My wife ordered something called a "Code Blue" which was basically a slice of pie a la mode. Well, the waitress came back 10 minutes after we placed our order (by which time we were wondering if they were making the pie from scratch) and informed us that they were out of pie -- even though there was a whole pie right in the pies and cakes display case. When we pointed this out to her, she replied that thatpie was only for display even though it was fresh.
In this economy it's hard enough to convince people to part with their money. How can these businesses afford to drive away customers with cash in hand? Most of the time, policies are meant to be guidelines. When management doesn't encourage employee thought, however, the result can be costly.