Neal Shaffer

Earlier today, this Slate article about Amazon’s move towards same-day delivery landed in my inbox courtesy of my good friend Steve. It’s a fascinating bit of information and the author, Farhad Manjoo, makes great points about how this might disrupt (potentially revolutionize) the retail industry. It got a lot of play and links, and for good reason. Only problem is that it doesn’t go far enough.

Manjoo more or less ceases analysis with the conclusion that Amazon’s move is bad for brick-and-mortar retail. That’s no doubt true to a point but, for a certain kind of store, this news might be a godsend.

What this really does is threaten the middle. In other words, it screws Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, and other chains like them. The advantage of those stores has always been breadth, convenience, and price. Amazon has all of those and can beat the chains in each. What Amazon doesn’t have is things like taste, service, care, relationships, etc. It’s a great one-stop shop but it isn’t a great shopping experience.

So maybe this opens the door for the middle to shrink but for both ends to grow. Amazon gobbles up the Best Buys of the world but the customer base doesn’t necessarily follow en masse. Instead, people look online for certain things that are easy to buy but look local when they want something more considered.

If Amazon’s play works then that means when I want a book, I can go there and get it same day (or next day). If I want to go to a bookstore, however, I can go to Atomic Books. If I want a specific home good I can go to Amazon, but if I want to browse I can go to Trohv. And on and on – fill in the name of your favorite local shop as applicable. 

What happens, in other words, is buying becomes one thing and shopping becomes another. It opens up a huge door for traditional retailers to deliver an experience instead of just serving as glorified warehouses (which is all that most large chains really are).

The internet is disrupting retail in terms of malls, big box stores, etc., but it might also be opening up new opportunities for well-considered stores.

Why would you ever shop anywhere else?, Manjoo asks. Simple: you do it in any case where you actually want to shop and not simply buy. 

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As a side note/separate thought: there’s something to be said for the jobs Amazon will be creating by opening all those distribution centers, and for the economic impact of the revenue (taxes and otherwise) they’ll generate. That could potentially offset the hit if their move causes some traditional retailers to close more stores.

Hoover/Lincoln “Two Headed Coin” split 7-inch. True hidden/forgotten gem and an absolute classic. Perhaps not to everyone’s taste but brilliant nonetheless.

Disagreement is inevitable. You’re going to do things that, for whatever reason, cause friction. That’s absolute. Can’t be avoided and, truthfully, probably shouldn’t be avoided. 

When it happens, the first question to ask is: was I wrong?

Be honest. And if the answer is “yes” – as it sometimes will be – then there’s only one way to go:

Own up to the mistake, make no excuses, and try to make it right.

This is a hard thing but it is also without exception the right thing. And in a happy coincidence, it also ends up in the long term being the smart thing.

Rare is the case where cheaper = better. More often than not, up-front investment in quality pays a long-term (and valuable) dividend. This is true for both consumption and production. 

Which means there’s an opportunity out there from which all of us can benefit if we commit to both understanding this fact and acting on it. This goes for everything from buying habits to business practices to friendships. And it’s not as hard as it might seem.

Give it a shot and I can damn near guarantee you won’t be disappointed with where you end up as a result.

“The meat department of the main Company store at Sparrows Point. The picture shows Marie Keppard and Mr. Willis, manager of the meat department on the right, and J.B. Koons, one of the two on the left, who drove the wagon from which meat was sold. The Happy New Year sign above the employees’ heads was made from red apples.”

(via)

There’s so much going on in this photo. Love it.

A short while ago I mentioned on Twitter that I was considering an experiment for 2012 where I would try to go Made in USA for at least 50% of my consumer goods purchases. It spurred some nice conversation, including a note from Jonathan Julian wherein he inquired as to the “why” and also linked out to a counter-argument.

Twitter is far too limited a format to fully address the issue. The discussion, however, got me thinking that it’s past time to explain myself. 

The top level answer is actually very simple: I live here. This is my economy and I want it to grow. When the United States does well that means increased economic opportunity for me and the people around me. I want America to make things because making things leads to employment and trade. Employment and trade contribute to prosperity. One need only look to the abandoned factory towns of the midwest (and elsewhere) to see the devastating effects of outsourced production.

I’m aware that the issue is complex. I’m aware that we have a need for a service sector in our economy and that the service sector includes employers who work in industries like importing and logistics. I’m furthermore aware that the global economy is reality and that blind provincialism is no solution. “Buy American” is not a panacea and I’d never suggest that it is. Anyone who does is shortsighted.

Luckily, there’s no need to think of it as an either/or issue. Suggesting that it’s a good idea to buy US-made goods when you can is not the same thing as suggesting that we should reject the global economy. For me, it’s simply a matter of supporting small-scale and/or domestic production whenever and wherever we can because doing so helps strengthen our grassroots. 

Companies that today employ one or two or ten people are the companies that, with support, could in a few years employ twenty or thirty people. Down the road they might employ a hundred or a thousand. Indeed, I fully believe — though I’m admittedly no economist — that we need this kind of growth to fix our economy in the long term. This is precisely what I aim to support when I buy American and ask others to do the same.

Beyond this, I also like to buy American for reasons of quality. I’ve found that for the most part I’m getting more value for my dollar with US-made goods. I suspect — though I don’t have data to back it up — that this has something to do with survival of the fittest. To manufacture in America now generally means you have to charge a premium, and you simply won’t survive the marketplace for very long if you charge that premium for inferior goods.

Finally, there is the less concrete but no less significant matter of provenance. 

Earlier this year I bought a bag from Duluth Pack. While not nearly as expensive as “premium” or “luxury” brands, a Duluth bag is pricey enough that I consider it an investment. When it arrived I was pleased to find that it not only met my expectations but exceeded them. The craftsmanship is outstanding and I doubt I’ll ever need the lifetime guarantee (though it is a nice touch).

I noted as much on Twitter. The folks behind the @DuluthPack account replied and said that I could check under the bag’s “Made in USA” tag and find the name of the person who sewed it. Sure enough, I looked under the tag and there was “Diane,” handwritten in ballpoint pen.

I like that. I like the idea of buying something from a factory I could tour if I found myself in the neighborhood. I like knowing that my purchase helps Diane and her coworkers keep their jobs, which in turn helps keep their communities alive. 

Parse this out far enough and what I’m really advocating is a considered approach to what’s bought, why, and where the money is going. I’ve only got so much to spend and I suspect the same is true for you. So when I have a choice, I think it’s better spent a little closer to home. Your mileage may vary but one thing I know for sure is that approaching one’s buying decisions this way certainly can’t do much harm. And, in the long run, it might very well make a difference.

For the most part, browsing the internet is a large experience. You’re in a big room with a lot of people but, more often than not, you’re alone in a crowd. Everyone is. Now and then, though, it’s possible to find a better, smaller experience. Less like a warehouse and more like a corner store. Something where the lack of options is both a feature and a benefit. Where you trust the goods on hand because you trust the shopkeep.

Tonight I was browsing the “Silver and Gold” page over at Jay Carroll’s One Trip Pass (some mildly nsfw stuff there) and I came upon the image you see above. Something about the tattoo typography and unexpected wordplay seduced me. Partially because of just what it is, but also partially because I admire Carroll’s eye. I knew he had a reason for putting it there and I wanted to know more.

Turns out, an “Old Salt” is a teller of sea stories. A keeper of naval history and traditions who passes them on via storytelling. A “seen it all” type who might, just might, exaggerate on occasion. Right up my alley and the kind of thing I kind of can’t believe I hadn’t known about before now.

Here’s to the Jay Carrolls of the world who tend their internet gardens the right way. Good taste and a keen eye win every time.

Happy Halloween, folks.

Thanks for dropping by my new home. One of them, anyway. There’s also this.

Explanation here. More to come soon…

(ps — this design is temporary)