Where are you from

When I was growing up there was a small shoe store at the end of our road “Proud Shoes”. It was run by Wayne Proud, and if you ever needed more than just a cheap pair of shoes, or if your parents wanted them to last for a while and fit properly, that was likely where they took you! The rest of the time we’d be lucky enough to get the Kmart brand, that was either guaranteed to fall apart before your first week of school was over, or get the crap beat out of you by the second!

Going to a real shoe store was a treat back then, Wayne would greet you at the door “Mr. Bulger, how can I help you sir”! Sit you down and ask you a bunch of questions (not your mom or dad, you)! The questions were never just about the shoes or how they fit, but quietly served as a type of bench mark, that consistently seemed to let him know more about his customer than the Kmart clerk ever seemed to know! For some reason though (most likely money and convenience), somewhere along the way we traded in that Wayne Proud business model, and opted for the cheaper Wal-mart version instead!

Times change though, both for the better or worse, and often it takes that type of absence for us to truly appreciate the real value in something. Although I didn’t understand back then that there was a lesson in process, today I do! The “what’s in it for me mentality” or the instant gratification that cheaper and faster has brought us through the internet, doesn’t necessarily have to be labelled a good thing or bad thing! It could very easily just be another opportunity to create something new and better!

That’s the rant for today folks, have a great weekend! Next week, after more musing, I will further explain that difference, take care!
Robbie Bulger – The Florida Canuck