Harland: Tough To Talk About, But Here Goes!
By Harland Lesyk
sales@yoursouthwest.com
As you go about your daily life, have you noticed that the retail landscape is changing rapidly? So many of the businesses that I frequent have self-serve checkouts. I go pick up my item for purchase, walk over to the checkout, scan, pay and bag my item in the bag I purchase, then walk to my vehicle and go home. Wow. Real easy, right? Real convenient, right? Why do you suppose this is the way things are going now? The quick and easy answer is “Follow the money.” Less employees mean more money for the big companies because the bottom line just got sweeter.
Not only that, I don’t even have to go into some stores anymore because now there is curbside service. Order online, arrange a time to pick up items, and then boogie over and get my stuff. Less and less human interaction all the time. Again - follow the money. Remove the human element, and the bottom-line get’s better.
Here’s another one. Shop at Amazon. Let’s cut out the human contact even more. Just place an order, pay and wait for your goodies to show up at the door the next day. You may or may not even see the person that brings your parcel. It’ll likely be sitting on your step by the time you reach the door after the doorbell rings. Slick as all get out, right? Again the human quotient has been removed, and your life just became a little less busy. You can’t get better than that.
Do you think all this convenience is good? I’ve had many conversations about this with friends and family, and one of the common refrains is, “What’s the big deal? There’s nothing we can do, so why sweat it.” Honestly, all this convenience scares the crap out of me. Try as I may, I cannot see how these things make our community stronger or better. Because of the nature of my business, the advertising business, I get to talk every single day to small business owners. Guess what? It’s getting tougher and tougher for these folks to keep their heads above the waterline.
Jobs for trained individuals in tech, trades and health professions are in high demand, and that is all well and good, but the jobs that are being replaced by the convenience factor aren’t coming back anytime soon. Most homes operate on fairly tight budgets, and when part of the income in these homes gets eliminated because there are fewer entry-level jobs out there, the pressure gets even bigger.
I must never forget that small business is an integral part of everything that makes my life better. They support our sports organizations, our service clubs and our quality of life, and they deserve the opportunity to do some business with me. I like people for the most part, and I want to interact with people. Chew the fat and make small talk. Call me old-fashioned if you like. That’s okay. If you would like to comment on this topic, feel free to do so. I’d like to hear from you.
Send your comments to sales@yoursouthwest.com