23 ms·

If You Run a Small Business, Park in the Back of the Parking Lot

430 points by cloudmanic 7y ago

asdf21 7y ago
Are there bars that don't hold a credit card when you're running a tab? I don't know of any..
- retbull 7y ago
  Yeah they swipe your card early on in the night and give you your card back.
  - mytailorisrich 7y ago
    Which is the best solution since they then know the card is good (at least that's the case in Europe) before people have drunk the night away.
- oarabbus_ 7y ago
  If you're a regular at a local bar and/or know the bartender (and they know you're good for a return visit with the money) it can be possible to open a tab without a card.
- 293984j29384 7y ago
  As a former bartender, it's not that we didn't trust you but that you may simply forget. Even taking people's credit cards AND driver licenses we'd always have one or two tabs still open at the end of the night. The author of this article is clueless.
- hahla 7y ago
  Some bars keep track by updating the receipt in front of you based on what you have ordered and not take a CC upfront. Typically less crowded, mandatory seating type spots. I have never worked a bar before but I assume taking CC up front serves a dual purpose of tracking who has ordered what and making sure the patron doesn't run out on the tab.
  - mhb 7y ago
    I don't have any experience with this, but why is the bar interaction different than the meal interaction where you pay after you eat?
    - nefitty 7y ago
      It seems pretty common to forget to grab your card at the end of the night. I can imagine how easy it would be to "forget" to pay, especially if the register didn't have any of your info upfront.
    - war1025 7y ago
      Would guess because being at a bar is a more fluid experience than at a meal where you pick a table and stay there. Also at a bar, you tend to order at the bar and then go back to your table, so the bartender doesn't necessarily know where you are when you aren't ordering something.
    - methodin 7y ago
      Being drunk affects memory
- sharadov 7y ago
  I think what he probably means is that the bartender asks for the card as soon as you order a drink..( I don't know of any, every bar I've had a drink at. the bartender makes me the drink and only while I am halfway or done, does he ask if I need to start a tab?)
- aphextim 7y ago
  The only time that has happened for me is in an establishment you frequent. A bowling league I was on for example would allow you to run a tab of drinks/food and pay at the end of the night as they know you are not going to dine and dash. Granted that was a combination of a bar/bowling alley, but a few other bars that I used to frequent in my younger years after seeing you as a regular would also have no problems letting you run up a tab. I have never been to a bar on my first visit that had full trust in the patrons right out of the gate, but then again I only was in that scene for 2-3 years.
- technotarek 7y ago
  Definitely. Some larger bars (that have multiple ordering stations in the venue, e.g., music venues) just swipe and store the info. Then you can order from any location, or closeout from any location. Some even let you close out by an app.
- djsumdog 7y ago
  There was a local bar in my home town that didn't, but I think just for the regulars. I remember coming in once and one of the owners said, "You have $11.50 tab from <two months ago>" ... and you didn't tell me the like ... 30 times I've been in here since then and paid my tab in full? Occasionally there was a list on the chalk board, first and last name, of everyone who owed a tab. This was at late as 2008. This was also in a city of like 150; so not even a small town.
  - dvtrn 7y ago
    I remember coming in once and one of the owners said, "You have $11.50 tab from <two months ago>" Heh, my bar is like this. Been going there long enough that I get to run a tab for a few weeks before the owner finally (jokingly) gives me a hard time about it.
- kilroy123 7y ago
  Oh yes, if you're a regular and they know they can trust you.
- saluki 7y ago
  y, if you have a spot at the bar or a table around here they don't ask for a card up front. You just order they'll bring you a drink ask if you'd like another when you're about half finished and then add it to your tab. You ask to settle up when you're ready to go or if you say you're good when they ask you for another they will bring out your bill.
- rolltiide 7y ago
  I've run into two recently in San Francisco
- rb808 7y ago
  Yeah if its a bar/restaurant and you have a table its just like a meal.
- ketralnis 7y ago
  Honestly I prefer it: those places also tend to have POS computers that reliably put the right things on my tab instead of relying on the bartender's vague memory of what the guy in the corner ordered. And I can be sure that they'll accept my credit card which a lot of my neighbourhood cash-only bars will not (which is pretty important to know before it's time to pay)
- rosseloh 7y ago
  My personal haunt doesn't. But then again, they're both a bar, and a restaurant, and I think for simplicity's sake they just run both types of transaction the same way (namely, bring you your bill and you pay at the end). And this isn't just because I'm a regular. I've seen it happen plenty with people from out of town too. The only thing they'll take your ID for is their mules so you don't run off with a copper mug.
- rconti 7y ago
  Yes. I'd say 10 years ago it was more common for them to hold the card. These days almost none of them do.
randlet 7y ago
"Morning dropoff is stressful, to say the least, we are always late, my kids never cooperate,..." I know this is just a throwaway comment in the article but my god does it bug me when parents use their children as an excuse for being late. Yes, kids are sometimes tough to get out the door but it's your fault that this somehow catches you by surprise every morning.
- ktpsns 7y ago
  +1. And don't use the car to deliver your kids. Use the bike. It is possible: There are children seats and trailers. And there are ebikes. There is little excuse for driving cars. Despite you live in countryside US, where you apparently need a truck to get anywhere.
  - mayank 7y ago
    > There is little excuse for driving cars. In the case you mention, airbags are a pretty good reason. Also distance. And disabilities.
    - the_gastropod 7y ago
      Airbags are good as... protection from other cars, or from driving your own car too fast, and hitting a large object. You shouldn't live a great distance from places you frequent. And there's no reason a disabled individual requires a multi-ton machine capable of going 100+mph to get around.
    - abtinf 7y ago
      And convenience. And warmth. And AC. And comfort. Unless your goal is to exercise, a car is almost always better in every dimension.
      - okmokmz 7y ago
        For your own comfort and convenience perhaps. For the environment and your health a car is almost always worse in every dimension
woliveirajr 7y ago
> Customer Experience is All About the Little Things Big things are expected and are exactly what you pay for. Neglect them and you'll lose all your business, because you're offering nothing. But when costumers are comparing two companies (or small business, whatever), it's the small details that will make difference.
- lloyddobbler 7y ago
  Well-said. This makes me circle back again to the concept of "Minimum Viable Product." It's been said that as a startup, if you're not embarrassed when you ship v1, you waited too late. But what's often not looked at is "just how embarrassed is embarrassed enough?" Going against the concept of launching an MVP is the idea of "you only get one chance to make a first impression." Which is why a number of founders started talking less about launching Minimum Viable Products, and more about launching Exceptional Viable Products. Those few extra details can be crucial levers to determining your product's success with customers. Of course, the key is determining which of those key details are the ones you need to pay attention to, and which ones you can pass over for now. Here's Rand Fishkin on MVP vs. EVP: https://qz.com/work/1277369/the-lean-startup-methodology-will-kill-your-reputation-if-youre-not-careful/ https://qz.com/work/1277369/the-lean-startup-methodology-wil...
  - hnick 7y ago
    > "you only get one chance to make a first impression." Yeah this always weighs upon my mind, to the point where sometimes I don't move ("perfect is the enemy of good", you can find a quote from all sides of a situation). I think the ideal use case for a MVP is exposing it to a limited subset of users. These can be internal staff first, friends and family, or the noisy but helpful people who file a load of issues with you for another version/product. I think releasing a MVP to the whole world can be a big mistake, there are so many games out there I can't play them all. Some are fully realised in early access but others get a quick look then I never go back, even years later.
    - lloyddobbler 7y ago
markstos 7y ago
As a small business owner, I saved hundreds per month by not driving to work at all. I biked or walked. To enable this, I intentionally purchased a home within walking or biking distance from the office and located the business is a town with a low enough cost of business to allow that.
- duxup 7y ago
  Man I dream about being able to bike to work. Maybe one day...
  - subleq 7y ago
    What is preventing you now?
    - duxup 7y ago
      About 40+ miles ;) There is a place not far from me that i've seriously considered applying to that is VERY close. If only for that reason ;)
      - subleq 7y ago
        I meant in a 5 whys type of way. Why must you live 40 miles from work?
        okmokmz 7y ago
        >Why must you live 40 miles from work? If you're in a major city it just isn't feasible to purchase a home within walking distance of your business. In the Seattle area, for example, house prices would be easily over a million for anything nearby
        nostrademons 7y ago
        In a 5-why's sense it's almost always feasible for you to purchase a home within walking distance of your business, it's just not feasible for everyone to purchase a home within walking distance of their workplace. Home prices are over a million dollars for anything nearby? Get a job that can support a million-dollar home - $1M requires an annual income of about $200K to be affordable, which is easily doable at Google/Amazon/Microsoft/Boeing in the Seattle area. Can't get a job at one of those? Get a job at one of their smaller competitors, become a top contributor, get known in the field, and make some friends who work there. Lack the relevant skillset for that? Learn it - there's a wide open Internet searchable by Google and a lot of textbooks on Amazon where you can teach yourself the sort of theoretical CS that these companies desire. That's only 3 whys. You could also probably have substituted "rent an apartment" instead of "buy a house" and the number of employers that pay you enough to afford it would go up significantly. A lot of people don't want it that much, and that's fine - that's why not everybody does live within walking distance of their employer. But if you want something enough, there are paths you can take that open up the possibility, you just need to be prepared to sacrifice in other areas.
inlined 7y ago
I’m surprised this doesn’t go without saying. As a divemaster intern I never dared even park in the lot during school days. I found a spot on the street. In college I was a paintball ref. There were separate lots for employees that was farther away from customer lots.
ksdale 7y ago
I think this can be a two way street. I don't own a retail business, but I feel like, as a general rule, clients who complain about things like parking tend to not be the best clients. I think it's totally valid in the sandwich shop example, where people will literally choose something else based on what they have to walk past to get to your door. But for a professional service where you have an ongoing relationship worth potentially thousands of dollars per year, if someone is put off by a lack of front row parking, what other utterly trivial things are they going to find fault with? Those tend to be the clients that ask for the world and get it at a bargain and then still complain about the bill. It's not that I'm not happy to go the extra mile for good clients, but there are definitely good clients and not good clients and creating a rule that you should always delight everyone all the time means you're going to waste a lot of time trying to delight people who complain about having to walk across the parking lot...
- Pfhreak 7y ago
  It's a metaphor for a general way of thinking -- prioritizing the needs of your customers, ensuring they have the best experience you can provide them. Parking in this way may or may not have any impact on customer relationships, but if you are someone who does this regularly, you are likely someone who looks for other minor ways to improve the experience for your customers.
- tptacek 7y ago
  But keep in mind that not everyone who cares about parking complains. I can think of several Chicago places I really like, but tend to actively avoid because it's hard to get parking. There doesn't have to be a complaint or even an active finding of fault for silly-seeming stuff like this to drag your business.
  - ksdale 7y ago
    I feel like this is the sandwich shop example though, which I think is perfectly valid.
  - gist 7y ago
    > that not everyone who cares about parking complains. To that point people who complain are often the canary in the coal mine for larger issues. I am a big complainer. Typically in the end I get thanked for bringing things to a businesses attention. And I am a good customer. My largest 'reward' to date was a $5000 amount from a large german car manufacturer. They said 'we have never done this before'. What I said started out as a complaint. At first they were not really responsive. I finally brought home (successfully) that I was doing them a favor and that their dealer (a luxury car dealer) did not handle things the way they should have with a recent transaction. I complain all the time at Whole Foods (where I spend a ton of money). Things just jump out at me. That said not everyone is me. Will say that I have owned a small business in the past. For every person that voiced a complaint there could be a hundred who don't open their mouth honestly. That's what I have found. People think they shouldn't complain in a restaurant as another example. No the restaurant would rather have the complaint than you not returning or telling others. It's their chance to make things right and buy loyalty. Same story 'thank you for bringing this to our attention here is a $100 gift certificate'.
rolltiide 7y ago
yeah fuck that, to basically everything in this article if you enjoy this form of life, then do it. there is no need to elevate such contrived experiences into why your business is successful I just don't think this fits a lot of our aspirations. I do not aspire to be a small business owner with a tangible brick and mortar service and in a place that gets to -30 degrees fahrenheit. This would mean a lot of things have gone horribly wrong in my life. Shoehorning in the idea that I would enjoy giving a contrived customer experience by walking the furthest across a parking lot and thats the secret to making my customers love me and my service? This is the furthest stretch of reality, Dave Chapelle would say "and even that guy didn't kill himself" this article is interesting because it is relatable: a lot of people are accepting of these circumstances and want to know how to optimize their life and be a part of their community. and I'm just giving my one perspective that I also think is relatable to others that might be perplexed by it
- war1025 7y ago
  It seems you skipped over any reasonable interpretation of the author's point and chose to take it as absolutely literally as possible. My reading of the article was that you should put yourself in the shoes of your customer, and that will help you make better business choices. Small details matter.
  - rolltiide 7y ago
    > My reading of the article was that you should put yourself in the shoes of your customer, and that will help you make better business choices. Small details matter. I agree about that part. You're right I was reading this thinking "who is this for, how many people from Ohio are reading Hackernews to surface this kind of article"
    - war1025 7y ago
      I'm in Iowa, which people often confuse with Ohio :) So I guess maybe at least one.
chrismckleroy 7y ago
In reference to making it hard to quit a service... "In reality, it is a great way to ensure a customer never comes back and likely does not recommend the company to others. This approach is trading short term greed for long term growth. A leader obsessed with customer experience would make sure canceling their service is painless as it will likely lead to revenue in other ways -- counterintuitive right?" I want to believe. But seeing how painful it is to leave Facebook + iCloud, I find this hard to believe. It feels idealistic, but I wonder if the data says otherwise. People are lazy. It's unethical. But people are lazy.
- okmokmz 7y ago
  Many of the "meal box" companies make the cancellation process very difficult, and it's one of the factors I use when deciding not to do business with a company. However, I agree that I am likely in a very small subset of users, and the vast majority are too lazy or not knowledgeable enough about these tactics to care
- si1entstill 7y ago
  Yeah, I am curious about this as well. I can say that I _would_ be more likely to recommend a service that is easy to cancel, but I am curious if that is enough to offset the people who don't follow through. It probably depends on market and demographic, but it would be cool to see some data.
- cloudmanic 7y ago
  Yeah, some companies have cornered the market. My ISP makes it really hard to cancel but on the other hand they are the best speeds in the market. But on the other hand, the NY Times makes it super hard to close down your account. I tell all my friends to choose other newspapers because of it.
- kristianp 7y ago
  You're probably right. Just look at Google. Occasionally there's a Google-free phone OS announced, but 99.99% of Android users aren't going anywhere.
- projektfu 7y ago
takinola 7y ago
Lots of comments seem to miss the point of this article. The point being made is to put the concerns of the customer first before yours. I see the opposite happen all the time in software development. You have two systems that somehow don't talk to each other. Instead of implementing some kind of connector between them, you make the customer log in twice and transfer information between the two systems. In this case, the maker has prioritized their convenience over that of the user. This is the wrong approach. Before someone gets pedantic, obviously, if you have analyzed the costs and decided it makes sense, then go ahead and do you but don't just make default decisions to benefit yourself at the cost to your customer
- amoitnga 7y ago
  > Lots of comments seem to miss the point of this article. The point being made is to put the concerns of the customer first before yours. Why didn't they just say so.
  - adrianmonk 7y ago
    It does say so: "he told me the experience his customers have while visiting him was very important to him and it started when they pulled into the parking lot".
  - lloyddobbler 7y ago
    They did - explicitly in the section that starts "Obsessing with Customer’s Experience is a Win." That being said, when writing engaging content, it's usually better to show, rather than just tell. That's also what they did here. Last thing - they wanted to convey the message to as many people as possible. If the article was entitled "Put the concerns of the customer first before yours," virtually no one would read it (and no one on a site like HN, Twitter, or Facebook would click through to it).
    - cloudmanic 7y ago
      Great point! I title was something I considered. I wanted something provocative. (without being click bait)
paultopia 7y ago
The credit card/tab point is a really good one, IMO. There's something really offensive, as a customer, about walking into a business and being immediately subject to the assumption that I'm there to rip them off. Why would I want to patronize your business if you want to treat me like a criminal? A particularly infuriating example of this is bookstores that demand you turn in your bag at the desk. I just walk out.
- okmokmz 7y ago
  I found that example odd, as in my experience the amount of bars that don't hold your card while a tab is open is in the minority (I don't go to that many, but I actually can't think of any nearby that DON'T take your card). Sometimes I'll just order and close out as soon as I walk in, sometimes I'll hand them my card and close out at the end, but I've never felt that I was being treated like a criminal
  - MFLoon 7y ago
    I think they mean specifically if the bartender asks you to open your tab before taking your order and/or pouring your drink. For what it's worth I don't think I've ever experienced this, but I could see it being somewhat off-putting.
    - okmokmz 7y ago
      I usually hand them my card and ID right when they walk up, so I guess I've never experienced this
- jacquesm 7y ago
  It's extra rude if you consider the history. Bookstores of old had a counter where you entered, you placed your order and if the book was in stock someone would go and get it (or in case you ordered ahead they'd get your pre-packaged order for you). Then we figured that self-service is the way to go: rely on the customer to do their own orderpicking, en-passent exposing them to a lot of marketing and hopefully selling some more books. So now, on top of being required to do the work of the bookstore employees you also lose the benefit of the doubt and are being treated as though you are a common thief. Industry secret: lots of theft from bookstores is by employees.
josefresco 7y ago
A month ago my wife and I passed a business while on vacation to a location we frequent. She remarked "oh it looks like they closed down, that's too bad" Upon closer inspection there were in fact open, the two employees present had parked in the back, leaving a completely empty front parking lot. The parking location is not all to blame, but at the time I remarked "the employees should really park out front to help it appears as though there are customers". Obviously if your lot is frequently full this isn't an issue. This was in a rural location where most likely that never happens as it was a large lot, and not a business that would see surges of customers.
- jimminy 7y ago
  Yeah, this article goes a bit overboard. There is a balance with small businesses of helping let people know you're in and available, and giving them prime parking. You park within distance of the building and visible, but not directly outside if possible. I've actually recieved calls about whether I'm open today, because my car is in the shop and thus the parking lot is vacant.
  - HeyLaughingBoy 7y ago
    I think the real point it's making isn't about the parking, it's the countless little things that business owners do that add friction to the customer transactions. Something as simple as not parking right in front might not make a huge difference, but that mindset, compounded over months and years, will.
  - munk-a 7y ago
    In terms of really literally interpreting this article... please do make sure not to park (or allow to be parked) really shifty cars in your lot. If a car has dust on it so deep that a passing leaf leaves its story on it then the lot gets a sketchy feeling. Also, psychology is weird... if there are a bunch of spots near to your business pick one reasonably close but always leave the best one for customers - if there are cars parked close to the entrance but the best spot is open then customers will walk in with a bit of a buzzing high from managing to nab the primo spot. Aaaand if there is a tree that drops crap during spring/fall, park under it so no customer gets stuck with sap on their car since that can colour their entire interaction. Isn't psychology fun!
gumby 7y ago
The overall point is excellent and typically misunderstood by companies large and small (think about what your customer wants, not what you want), but there's another reason to park in front when you're starting out: to make the business not look empty! That is, early adopters may like to try out a new business, but a business with no customers, no cars etc can lead people to think it's unsuccessful/undesirable. This is why early stage customers like to put the logos of customers on their home page.
- emiliobumachar 7y ago
  Potential self-driving car feature: move itself to the back of the lot when the front gets too full; return to the front if it gets too empty.
  - wruza 7y ago
    Just closed my eyes and imagined this hell of hundreds of cars trying to relocate themselves closer to the front at irregular intervals. Few billion microseconds later some of them become self-aware and experience an existential crisis. Front Lot Stock Exchange emerges in attempt to optimize driving efficiency. 4 FLSE collapses and 23 self-poweroffs registered up to datetime.
    - benj111 7y ago
      Don't worry, nature has this sorted, penguins huddle and rotate, taking turns in the middle, and at the edge. Of course my startup will require a few billion to iron out the rough edges.
jeffrallen 7y ago
Or take public transport. Just sayin'.
andyv 7y ago
Old quote, can't rememeber where I first heard it: "At universities, the employees get better parking than the customers". Although it wasn't true at my alma mater, where the only difference was that for staff and faculty the university would deduct the parking fees from your paycheck. For your convenience.
- cloudmanic 7y ago
  Interesting. Never thought about that. So true.
- richdougherty 7y ago
  My parents owned a business, which I worked in sometimes. Working elsewhere I do really notice that employees capture a lot of benefits which perhaps should go to customers...
- benj111 7y ago
  Are students customers or product?
  - pkaye 7y ago
    The students pay so they are the customers. The product is the degree.
    - benj111 7y ago
      I feel you could make an equal case for the government/lenders being the customer. I think you're probably right about students not being the product, they're more of a raw material? I'm being slightly cheeky, but I don't think the relationship is best viewed as the student being the customer, certainly not if the degree is the product.
    - novok 7y ago
      You could say the real customers are corporations, that students pay as a supplier.
    - 7y ago
neves 7y ago
Well, you should leave the good parking slots for your consumers. Better yet: park in front of your competitor! :-)
deleted 7y ago
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dpcan 7y ago
There's always an exception. While running a brick and mortar business for 3 years, I found that when parked around the corners (out of a courtesy to my customers) I looked either out of business, closed, or dead. Our business ran on weekends. Everyone else in our complex was closed on the weekends. We started parking our cars up front because people were FAR more likely to come inside if it looked like other people were there. Otherwise, we noticed that they would sometimes drive by slowly, try to peer in our windows, then drive off. So, parking up-front for us was just marketing. But I get it. Give the best spots to your customers if possible. The customer experience must be optimal. They aren't always right, but it can still feel good.
- hnick 7y ago
  Did you have any flags or flyers making it clear you were open? I've walked past more than one cafe with enough tinting on the window that I'd have no idea they are open, but they put an A-frame, flag, or something else outside to make it clear they are. It's pretty cheap compared to the alternative.
groby_b 7y ago
Sure, this would be nice - and yet, he's still sending his kid to the school. And the school is still running. It seems to make no difference in this case. So, what are the reasons to actually focus on customer experience? When does it pay off? (Not as often as you'd like. Amazon is a prime - pardon the pun - example that once you have enough of the market, you can let customer experience go downhill, because people value convenience over experience)
elihu 7y ago
It's a bit amusing that if you look at the picture of the parking lot showing where the author's dad worked and where he parked, his parking spot is not way off away from everything else, it's actually in what would be prime parking location for some other businesses' customers. I feel like there's a lesson about externalities there.
deleted 7y ago
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yepthatsreality 7y ago
If you advocate for the club-line effect to draw in customers so it seems popular. You’re probably the kind of person who falls for that sort of thing.
Causality1 7y ago
>In reality, it is a great way to ensure a customer never comes back and likely does not recommend the company to others. I've make significant lifestyle changes just because companies pissed me off enough to create a personal grudge. For example, I was an Xbox fanboy starting around 2005. Several years later I got a girlfriend and bought her an Xbox Live Gold subscription so she could play with me. It turned out not to be her thing, so I tried to cancel the service, except Microsoft made it an absolute nightmare. Reps bounced me from person to person, and several times I received a monthly bill despite the rep assuring me the account had been canceled. It filled me with such rage I canceled my own Live subscription, sold my Xbox 360, and swore off console gaming entirely. I'll be in the cold, cold ground before I give Microsoft another damn cent.
OrgNet 7y ago
welcome to common sense....
CapitalistCartr 7y ago
Here in the United States, there are two major, competing home building supply stores: Home Depot and Lowes. At Home Depot, all the doors will open up when I walk up, whether they mean for them to be entrances or exits. At Lowes, only the one labelled "Entrance". I think that sums up the two companies' priorities.
RickJWagner 7y ago
Same philosophy shared by Sam Walton, Jeff Bezos, etc. Customer first. It's easy to say, not so easy to execute.
foxylad 7y ago
The last example is the best - that making your service hard to cancel means your customer's enduring memory is of pain. And it validates the customer's decision to leave, because there must be other better options if you are so desperate to stop them going. When a customer phones up to cancel, we do it immediately and make sure they know there are no hard feelings on our side. We ask if there was anything we could have done better, and tell them we'll still be here if they ever need us again. We get a significant number of customers return.
- soapboxrocket 7y ago
  Not exactly the same, but it's one of the prime reasons that I don't have a Costco membership: I hate when I go with members and after they pay you are treated like a criminal as they scan your receipt and check all the items in the cart. I also avoid Fry's Electronics for the same reason.
  - sk5t 7y ago
    I take the more charitable perspective that the receipt checkers are validating the cashiers' work, and that it is part of the "membership" bargain.
    - sky_rw 7y ago
      I worked at costco during college. The receipt checking stops a significant amount of shrinkage. At these warehouse stores it's surprisingly easy to walk out the door with large items you wouldn't be able to take at places like Best Buy. We caught people stealing washing machines, tvs, 4-packs of tires, etc. It helps keep costs down to have a quick verification check.
  - callalex 7y ago
    As a member I love it. I want it to be as hard as possible to steal from them, because ultimately I will be paying the cost for theft from them, so it saves me money.
billions 7y ago
Steve Jobs frequently parked his Mercedes in the handicap spot next to the building
- sushid 7y ago
  Yes he was an asshole but he also wasn’t exactly a “small business owner.”
bayesian_horse 7y ago
The overarching concept is to be conscious of when you inconvenience other people (like customers), and avoid it at much cost (but not any, of course). This seems to be the cornerstone of Western etiquette. It can be different in Asia, where it may be more important to "save face" and let others also save face.
anonu 7y ago
Park in the back... Unless you're a restaurant, then park in the front. Always.
bigend 7y ago
When starting to read the article, I thought it would be either about meeting potential customers in the parkinh lot or spending that time to walk with your kid..
mikorym 7y ago
This reminds me of Jiro Ono and Jiro Dreams of Sushi [1]. He would notice, for instance, that his customers are left handed and adjust the way they then would get served. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiro_Dreams_of_Sushi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiro_Dreams_of_Sushi
vmurthy 7y ago
It's a great metaphor but reality seems to be that there are a lot of good practices followed by so many people that it is impossible to keep track of. A via negativa approach to this might be easier. Does someone know of a compendium of bad business practices ? Life would be a lot better if we can first avoid the bad practices , no? :-)
HereBeBeasties 7y ago
I have recently become a customer of Bulb for my energy. They won me because when I tried to sign up and this failed, they followed up with an email explaining that my existing supplier had a weird set up for my smart meter which made it impossible to take over automatically and how to get them to fix it, which appeared to have been written by a real human. In most companies, that'd just be an error in a log file somewhere. They then followed up later to ask if things had been handled well. They also have one single, good value tariff with no option not to have green energy. Principled, with A++ customer service and a competent mobile app, complete with a time line for switching and starting my account with them. I'm totally sold. They could be quite a lot more expensive than my existing supplier and I frankly wouldn't care given the whole experience so far.
hwj 7y ago
> It would be one thing if the bar was making the customer’s life easier so when they were done they could simply walk out effortlessly paying the bill but that is not the typical case. It is the case in Germany.

430 points by cloudmanic 7y ago

asdf21 7y ago

Are there bars that don't hold a credit card when you're running a tab? I don't know of any..

retbull 7y ago
Yeah they swipe your card early on in the night and give you your card back.
- mytailorisrich 7y ago
  Which is the best solution since they then know the card is good (at least that's the case in Europe) before people have drunk the night away.
oarabbus_ 7y ago
If you're a regular at a local bar and/or know the bartender (and they know you're good for a return visit with the money) it can be possible to open a tab without a card.
293984j29384 7y ago
As a former bartender, it's not that we didn't trust you but that you may simply forget. Even taking people's credit cards AND driver licenses we'd always have one or two tabs still open at the end of the night. The author of this article is clueless.
hahla 7y ago
Some bars keep track by updating the receipt in front of you based on what you have ordered and not take a CC upfront. Typically less crowded, mandatory seating type spots. I have never worked a bar before but I assume taking CC up front serves a dual purpose of tracking who has ordered what and making sure the patron doesn't run out on the tab.
- mhb 7y ago
  I don't have any experience with this, but why is the bar interaction different than the meal interaction where you pay after you eat?
  - nefitty 7y ago
    It seems pretty common to forget to grab your card at the end of the night. I can imagine how easy it would be to "forget" to pay, especially if the register didn't have any of your info upfront.
  - war1025 7y ago
    Would guess because being at a bar is a more fluid experience than at a meal where you pick a table and stay there. Also at a bar, you tend to order at the bar and then go back to your table, so the bartender doesn't necessarily know where you are when you aren't ordering something.
  - methodin 7y ago
    Being drunk affects memory
sharadov 7y ago
I think what he probably means is that the bartender asks for the card as soon as you order a drink..( I don't know of any, every bar I've had a drink at. the bartender makes me the drink and only while I am halfway or done, does he ask if I need to start a tab?)
aphextim 7y ago
The only time that has happened for me is in an establishment you frequent. A bowling league I was on for example would allow you to run a tab of drinks/food and pay at the end of the night as they know you are not going to dine and dash. Granted that was a combination of a bar/bowling alley, but a few other bars that I used to frequent in my younger years after seeing you as a regular would also have no problems letting you run up a tab. I have never been to a bar on my first visit that had full trust in the patrons right out of the gate, but then again I only was in that scene for 2-3 years.
technotarek 7y ago
Definitely. Some larger bars (that have multiple ordering stations in the venue, e.g., music venues) just swipe and store the info. Then you can order from any location, or closeout from any location. Some even let you close out by an app.
djsumdog 7y ago
There was a local bar in my home town that didn't, but I think just for the regulars. I remember coming in once and one of the owners said, "You have $11.50 tab from <two months ago>" ... and you didn't tell me the like ... 30 times I've been in here since then and paid my tab in full? Occasionally there was a list on the chalk board, first and last name, of everyone who owed a tab. This was at late as 2008. This was also in a city of like 150; so not even a small town.
- dvtrn 7y ago
  I remember coming in once and one of the owners said, "You have $11.50 tab from <two months ago>" Heh, my bar is like this. Been going there long enough that I get to run a tab for a few weeks before the owner finally (jokingly) gives me a hard time about it.
kilroy123 7y ago
Oh yes, if you're a regular and they know they can trust you.
saluki 7y ago
y, if you have a spot at the bar or a table around here they don't ask for a card up front. You just order they'll bring you a drink ask if you'd like another when you're about half finished and then add it to your tab. You ask to settle up when you're ready to go or if you say you're good when they ask you for another they will bring out your bill.
rolltiide 7y ago
I've run into two recently in San Francisco
rb808 7y ago
Yeah if its a bar/restaurant and you have a table its just like a meal.
ketralnis 7y ago
Honestly I prefer it: those places also tend to have POS computers that reliably put the right things on my tab instead of relying on the bartender's vague memory of what the guy in the corner ordered. And I can be sure that they'll accept my credit card which a lot of my neighbourhood cash-only bars will not (which is pretty important to know before it's time to pay)
rosseloh 7y ago
My personal haunt doesn't. But then again, they're both a bar, and a restaurant, and I think for simplicity's sake they just run both types of transaction the same way (namely, bring you your bill and you pay at the end). And this isn't just because I'm a regular. I've seen it happen plenty with people from out of town too. The only thing they'll take your ID for is their mules so you don't run off with a copper mug.
rconti 7y ago
Yes. I'd say 10 years ago it was more common for them to hold the card. These days almost none of them do.

randlet 7y ago

"Morning dropoff is stressful, to say the least, we are always late, my kids never cooperate,..." I know this is just a throwaway comment in the article but my god does it bug me when parents use their children as an excuse for being late. Yes, kids are sometimes tough to get out the door but it's your fault that this somehow catches you by surprise every morning.

ktpsns 7y ago
+1. And don't use the car to deliver your kids. Use the bike. It is possible: There are children seats and trailers. And there are ebikes. There is little excuse for driving cars. Despite you live in countryside US, where you apparently need a truck to get anywhere.
- mayank 7y ago
  > There is little excuse for driving cars. In the case you mention, airbags are a pretty good reason. Also distance. And disabilities.
  - the_gastropod 7y ago
    Airbags are good as... protection from other cars, or from driving your own car too fast, and hitting a large object. You shouldn't live a great distance from places you frequent. And there's no reason a disabled individual requires a multi-ton machine capable of going 100+mph to get around.
  - abtinf 7y ago
    And convenience. And warmth. And AC. And comfort. Unless your goal is to exercise, a car is almost always better in every dimension.
    - okmokmz 7y ago
      For your own comfort and convenience perhaps. For the environment and your health a car is almost always worse in every dimension

woliveirajr 7y ago

> Customer Experience is All About the Little Things Big things are expected and are exactly what you pay for. Neglect them and you'll lose all your business, because you're offering nothing. But when costumers are comparing two companies (or small business, whatever), it's the small details that will make difference.

lloyddobbler 7y ago
Well-said. This makes me circle back again to the concept of "Minimum Viable Product." It's been said that as a startup, if you're not embarrassed when you ship v1, you waited too late. But what's often not looked at is "just how embarrassed is embarrassed enough?" Going against the concept of launching an MVP is the idea of "you only get one chance to make a first impression." Which is why a number of founders started talking less about launching Minimum Viable Products, and more about launching Exceptional Viable Products. Those few extra details can be crucial levers to determining your product's success with customers. Of course, the key is determining which of those key details are the ones you need to pay attention to, and which ones you can pass over for now. Here's Rand Fishkin on MVP vs. EVP: https://qz.com/work/1277369/the-lean-startup-methodology-will-kill-your-reputation-if-youre-not-careful/ https://qz.com/work/1277369/the-lean-startup-methodology-wil...
- hnick 7y ago
  > "you only get one chance to make a first impression." Yeah this always weighs upon my mind, to the point where sometimes I don't move ("perfect is the enemy of good", you can find a quote from all sides of a situation). I think the ideal use case for a MVP is exposing it to a limited subset of users. These can be internal staff first, friends and family, or the noisy but helpful people who file a load of issues with you for another version/product. I think releasing a MVP to the whole world can be a big mistake, there are so many games out there I can't play them all. Some are fully realised in early access but others get a quick look then I never go back, even years later.
  - lloyddobbler 7y ago

markstos 7y ago

As a small business owner, I saved hundreds per month by not driving to work at all. I biked or walked. To enable this, I intentionally purchased a home within walking or biking distance from the office and located the business is a town with a low enough cost of business to allow that.

duxup 7y ago
Man I dream about being able to bike to work. Maybe one day...
- subleq 7y ago
  What is preventing you now?
  - duxup 7y ago
    About 40+ miles ;) There is a place not far from me that i've seriously considered applying to that is VERY close. If only for that reason ;)
    - subleq 7y ago
      I meant in a 5 whys type of way. Why must you live 40 miles from work?
      - okmokmz 7y ago
        >Why must you live 40 miles from work? If you're in a major city it just isn't feasible to purchase a home within walking distance of your business. In the Seattle area, for example, house prices would be easily over a million for anything nearby
        nostrademons 7y ago
        In a 5-why's sense it's almost always feasible for you to purchase a home within walking distance of your business, it's just not feasible for everyone to purchase a home within walking distance of their workplace. Home prices are over a million dollars for anything nearby? Get a job that can support a million-dollar home - $1M requires an annual income of about $200K to be affordable, which is easily doable at Google/Amazon/Microsoft/Boeing in the Seattle area. Can't get a job at one of those? Get a job at one of their smaller competitors, become a top contributor, get known in the field, and make some friends who work there. Lack the relevant skillset for that? Learn it - there's a wide open Internet searchable by Google and a lot of textbooks on Amazon where you can teach yourself the sort of theoretical CS that these companies desire. That's only 3 whys. You could also probably have substituted "rent an apartment" instead of "buy a house" and the number of employers that pay you enough to afford it would go up significantly. A lot of people don't want it that much, and that's fine - that's why not everybody does live within walking distance of their employer. But if you want something enough, there are paths you can take that open up the possibility, you just need to be prepared to sacrifice in other areas.

inlined 7y ago

I’m surprised this doesn’t go without saying. As a divemaster intern I never dared even park in the lot during school days. I found a spot on the street. In college I was a paintball ref. There were separate lots for employees that was farther away from customer lots.

ksdale 7y ago

I think this can be a two way street. I don't own a retail business, but I feel like, as a general rule, clients who complain about things like parking tend to not be the best clients. I think it's totally valid in the sandwich shop example, where people will literally choose something else based on what they have to walk past to get to your door. But for a professional service where you have an ongoing relationship worth potentially thousands of dollars per year, if someone is put off by a lack of front row parking, what other utterly trivial things are they going to find fault with? Those tend to be the clients that ask for the world and get it at a bargain and then still complain about the bill. It's not that I'm not happy to go the extra mile for good clients, but there are definitely good clients and not good clients and creating a rule that you should always delight everyone all the time means you're going to waste a lot of time trying to delight people who complain about having to walk across the parking lot...

Pfhreak 7y ago
It's a metaphor for a general way of thinking -- prioritizing the needs of your customers, ensuring they have the best experience you can provide them. Parking in this way may or may not have any impact on customer relationships, but if you are someone who does this regularly, you are likely someone who looks for other minor ways to improve the experience for your customers.
tptacek 7y ago
But keep in mind that not everyone who cares about parking complains. I can think of several Chicago places I really like, but tend to actively avoid because it's hard to get parking. There doesn't have to be a complaint or even an active finding of fault for silly-seeming stuff like this to drag your business.
- ksdale 7y ago
  I feel like this is the sandwich shop example though, which I think is perfectly valid.
- gist 7y ago
  > that not everyone who cares about parking complains. To that point people who complain are often the canary in the coal mine for larger issues. I am a big complainer. Typically in the end I get thanked for bringing things to a businesses attention. And I am a good customer. My largest 'reward' to date was a $5000 amount from a large german car manufacturer. They said 'we have never done this before'. What I said started out as a complaint. At first they were not really responsive. I finally brought home (successfully) that I was doing them a favor and that their dealer (a luxury car dealer) did not handle things the way they should have with a recent transaction. I complain all the time at Whole Foods (where I spend a ton of money). Things just jump out at me. That said not everyone is me. Will say that I have owned a small business in the past. For every person that voiced a complaint there could be a hundred who don't open their mouth honestly. That's what I have found. People think they shouldn't complain in a restaurant as another example. No the restaurant would rather have the complaint than you not returning or telling others. It's their chance to make things right and buy loyalty. Same story 'thank you for bringing this to our attention here is a $100 gift certificate'.

rolltiide 7y ago

yeah fuck that, to basically everything in this article if you enjoy this form of life, then do it. there is no need to elevate such contrived experiences into why your business is successful I just don't think this fits a lot of our aspirations. I do not aspire to be a small business owner with a tangible brick and mortar service and in a place that gets to -30 degrees fahrenheit. This would mean a lot of things have gone horribly wrong in my life. Shoehorning in the idea that I would enjoy giving a contrived customer experience by walking the furthest across a parking lot and thats the secret to making my customers love me and my service? This is the furthest stretch of reality, Dave Chapelle would say "and even that guy didn't kill himself" this article is interesting because it is relatable: a lot of people are accepting of these circumstances and want to know how to optimize their life and be a part of their community. and I'm just giving my one perspective that I also think is relatable to others that might be perplexed by it

war1025 7y ago
It seems you skipped over any reasonable interpretation of the author's point and chose to take it as absolutely literally as possible. My reading of the article was that you should put yourself in the shoes of your customer, and that will help you make better business choices. Small details matter.
- rolltiide 7y ago
  > My reading of the article was that you should put yourself in the shoes of your customer, and that will help you make better business choices. Small details matter. I agree about that part. You're right I was reading this thinking "who is this for, how many people from Ohio are reading Hackernews to surface this kind of article"
  - war1025 7y ago
    I'm in Iowa, which people often confuse with Ohio :) So I guess maybe at least one.

chrismckleroy 7y ago

In reference to making it hard to quit a service... "In reality, it is a great way to ensure a customer never comes back and likely does not recommend the company to others. This approach is trading short term greed for long term growth. A leader obsessed with customer experience would make sure canceling their service is painless as it will likely lead to revenue in other ways -- counterintuitive right?" I want to believe. But seeing how painful it is to leave Facebook + iCloud, I find this hard to believe. It feels idealistic, but I wonder if the data says otherwise. People are lazy. It's unethical. But people are lazy.

okmokmz 7y ago
Many of the "meal box" companies make the cancellation process very difficult, and it's one of the factors I use when deciding not to do business with a company. However, I agree that I am likely in a very small subset of users, and the vast majority are too lazy or not knowledgeable enough about these tactics to care
si1entstill 7y ago
Yeah, I am curious about this as well. I can say that I _would_ be more likely to recommend a service that is easy to cancel, but I am curious if that is enough to offset the people who don't follow through. It probably depends on market and demographic, but it would be cool to see some data.
cloudmanic 7y ago
Yeah, some companies have cornered the market. My ISP makes it really hard to cancel but on the other hand they are the best speeds in the market. But on the other hand, the NY Times makes it super hard to close down your account. I tell all my friends to choose other newspapers because of it.
kristianp 7y ago
You're probably right. Just look at Google. Occasionally there's a Google-free phone OS announced, but 99.99% of Android users aren't going anywhere.
projektfu 7y ago

takinola 7y ago

Lots of comments seem to miss the point of this article. The point being made is to put the concerns of the customer first before yours. I see the opposite happen all the time in software development. You have two systems that somehow don't talk to each other. Instead of implementing some kind of connector between them, you make the customer log in twice and transfer information between the two systems. In this case, the maker has prioritized their convenience over that of the user. This is the wrong approach. Before someone gets pedantic, obviously, if you have analyzed the costs and decided it makes sense, then go ahead and do you but don't just make default decisions to benefit yourself at the cost to your customer

amoitnga 7y ago
> Lots of comments seem to miss the point of this article. The point being made is to put the concerns of the customer first before yours. Why didn't they just say so.
- adrianmonk 7y ago
  It does say so: "he told me the experience his customers have while visiting him was very important to him and it started when they pulled into the parking lot".
- lloyddobbler 7y ago
  They did - explicitly in the section that starts "Obsessing with Customer’s Experience is a Win." That being said, when writing engaging content, it's usually better to show, rather than just tell. That's also what they did here. Last thing - they wanted to convey the message to as many people as possible. If the article was entitled "Put the concerns of the customer first before yours," virtually no one would read it (and no one on a site like HN, Twitter, or Facebook would click through to it).
  - cloudmanic 7y ago
    Great point! I title was something I considered. I wanted something provocative. (without being click bait)

paultopia 7y ago

The credit card/tab point is a really good one, IMO. There's something really offensive, as a customer, about walking into a business and being immediately subject to the assumption that I'm there to rip them off. Why would I want to patronize your business if you want to treat me like a criminal? A particularly infuriating example of this is bookstores that demand you turn in your bag at the desk. I just walk out.

okmokmz 7y ago
I found that example odd, as in my experience the amount of bars that don't hold your card while a tab is open is in the minority (I don't go to that many, but I actually can't think of any nearby that DON'T take your card). Sometimes I'll just order and close out as soon as I walk in, sometimes I'll hand them my card and close out at the end, but I've never felt that I was being treated like a criminal
- MFLoon 7y ago
  I think they mean specifically if the bartender asks you to open your tab before taking your order and/or pouring your drink. For what it's worth I don't think I've ever experienced this, but I could see it being somewhat off-putting.
  - okmokmz 7y ago
    I usually hand them my card and ID right when they walk up, so I guess I've never experienced this
jacquesm 7y ago
It's extra rude if you consider the history. Bookstores of old had a counter where you entered, you placed your order and if the book was in stock someone would go and get it (or in case you ordered ahead they'd get your pre-packaged order for you). Then we figured that self-service is the way to go: rely on the customer to do their own orderpicking, en-passent exposing them to a lot of marketing and hopefully selling some more books. So now, on top of being required to do the work of the bookstore employees you also lose the benefit of the doubt and are being treated as though you are a common thief. Industry secret: lots of theft from bookstores is by employees.

josefresco 7y ago

A month ago my wife and I passed a business while on vacation to a location we frequent. She remarked "oh it looks like they closed down, that's too bad" Upon closer inspection there were in fact open, the two employees present had parked in the back, leaving a completely empty front parking lot. The parking location is not all to blame, but at the time I remarked "the employees should really park out front to help it appears as though there are customers". Obviously if your lot is frequently full this isn't an issue. This was in a rural location where most likely that never happens as it was a large lot, and not a business that would see surges of customers.

jimminy 7y ago
Yeah, this article goes a bit overboard. There is a balance with small businesses of helping let people know you're in and available, and giving them prime parking. You park within distance of the building and visible, but not directly outside if possible. I've actually recieved calls about whether I'm open today, because my car is in the shop and thus the parking lot is vacant.
- HeyLaughingBoy 7y ago
  I think the real point it's making isn't about the parking, it's the countless little things that business owners do that add friction to the customer transactions. Something as simple as not parking right in front might not make a huge difference, but that mindset, compounded over months and years, will.
- munk-a 7y ago
  In terms of really literally interpreting this article... please do make sure not to park (or allow to be parked) really shifty cars in your lot. If a car has dust on it so deep that a passing leaf leaves its story on it then the lot gets a sketchy feeling. Also, psychology is weird... if there are a bunch of spots near to your business pick one reasonably close but always leave the best one for customers - if there are cars parked close to the entrance but the best spot is open then customers will walk in with a bit of a buzzing high from managing to nab the primo spot. Aaaand if there is a tree that drops crap during spring/fall, park under it so no customer gets stuck with sap on their car since that can colour their entire interaction. Isn't psychology fun!

gumby 7y ago

The overall point is excellent and typically misunderstood by companies large and small (think about what your customer wants, not what you want), but there's another reason to park in front when you're starting out: to make the business not look empty! That is, early adopters may like to try out a new business, but a business with no customers, no cars etc can lead people to think it's unsuccessful/undesirable. This is why early stage customers like to put the logos of customers on their home page.

emiliobumachar 7y ago
Potential self-driving car feature: move itself to the back of the lot when the front gets too full; return to the front if it gets too empty.
- wruza 7y ago
  Just closed my eyes and imagined this hell of hundreds of cars trying to relocate themselves closer to the front at irregular intervals. Few billion microseconds later some of them become self-aware and experience an existential crisis. Front Lot Stock Exchange emerges in attempt to optimize driving efficiency. 4 FLSE collapses and 23 self-poweroffs registered up to datetime.
  - benj111 7y ago
    Don't worry, nature has this sorted, penguins huddle and rotate, taking turns in the middle, and at the edge. Of course my startup will require a few billion to iron out the rough edges.

jeffrallen 7y ago

Or take public transport. Just sayin'.

andyv 7y ago

Old quote, can't rememeber where I first heard it: "At universities, the employees get better parking than the customers". Although it wasn't true at my alma mater, where the only difference was that for staff and faculty the university would deduct the parking fees from your paycheck. For your convenience.

cloudmanic 7y ago
Interesting. Never thought about that. So true.
richdougherty 7y ago
My parents owned a business, which I worked in sometimes. Working elsewhere I do really notice that employees capture a lot of benefits which perhaps should go to customers...
benj111 7y ago
Are students customers or product?
- pkaye 7y ago
  The students pay so they are the customers. The product is the degree.
  - benj111 7y ago
    I feel you could make an equal case for the government/lenders being the customer. I think you're probably right about students not being the product, they're more of a raw material? I'm being slightly cheeky, but I don't think the relationship is best viewed as the student being the customer, certainly not if the degree is the product.
  - novok 7y ago
    You could say the real customers are corporations, that students pay as a supplier.
  - 7y ago

neves 7y ago

Well, you should leave the good parking slots for your consumers. Better yet: park in front of your competitor! :-)

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

dpcan 7y ago

There's always an exception. While running a brick and mortar business for 3 years, I found that when parked around the corners (out of a courtesy to my customers) I looked either out of business, closed, or dead. Our business ran on weekends. Everyone else in our complex was closed on the weekends. We started parking our cars up front because people were FAR more likely to come inside if it looked like other people were there. Otherwise, we noticed that they would sometimes drive by slowly, try to peer in our windows, then drive off. So, parking up-front for us was just marketing. But I get it. Give the best spots to your customers if possible. The customer experience must be optimal. They aren't always right, but it can still feel good.

hnick 7y ago
Did you have any flags or flyers making it clear you were open? I've walked past more than one cafe with enough tinting on the window that I'd have no idea they are open, but they put an A-frame, flag, or something else outside to make it clear they are. It's pretty cheap compared to the alternative.

groby_b 7y ago

Sure, this would be nice - and yet, he's still sending his kid to the school. And the school is still running. It seems to make no difference in this case. So, what are the reasons to actually focus on customer experience? When does it pay off? (Not as often as you'd like. Amazon is a prime - pardon the pun - example that once you have enough of the market, you can let customer experience go downhill, because people value convenience over experience)

elihu 7y ago

It's a bit amusing that if you look at the picture of the parking lot showing where the author's dad worked and where he parked, his parking spot is not way off away from everything else, it's actually in what would be prime parking location for some other businesses' customers. I feel like there's a lesson about externalities there.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

yepthatsreality 7y ago

If you advocate for the club-line effect to draw in customers so it seems popular. You’re probably the kind of person who falls for that sort of thing.

Causality1 7y ago

>In reality, it is a great way to ensure a customer never comes back and likely does not recommend the company to others. I've make significant lifestyle changes just because companies pissed me off enough to create a personal grudge. For example, I was an Xbox fanboy starting around 2005. Several years later I got a girlfriend and bought her an Xbox Live Gold subscription so she could play with me. It turned out not to be her thing, so I tried to cancel the service, except Microsoft made it an absolute nightmare. Reps bounced me from person to person, and several times I received a monthly bill despite the rep assuring me the account had been canceled. It filled me with such rage I canceled my own Live subscription, sold my Xbox 360, and swore off console gaming entirely. I'll be in the cold, cold ground before I give Microsoft another damn cent.

OrgNet 7y ago

welcome to common sense....

CapitalistCartr 7y ago

Here in the United States, there are two major, competing home building supply stores: Home Depot and Lowes. At Home Depot, all the doors will open up when I walk up, whether they mean for them to be entrances or exits. At Lowes, only the one labelled "Entrance". I think that sums up the two companies' priorities.

RickJWagner 7y ago

Same philosophy shared by Sam Walton, Jeff Bezos, etc. Customer first. It's easy to say, not so easy to execute.

foxylad 7y ago

The last example is the best - that making your service hard to cancel means your customer's enduring memory is of pain. And it validates the customer's decision to leave, because there must be other better options if you are so desperate to stop them going. When a customer phones up to cancel, we do it immediately and make sure they know there are no hard feelings on our side. We ask if there was anything we could have done better, and tell them we'll still be here if they ever need us again. We get a significant number of customers return.

soapboxrocket 7y ago
Not exactly the same, but it's one of the prime reasons that I don't have a Costco membership: I hate when I go with members and after they pay you are treated like a criminal as they scan your receipt and check all the items in the cart. I also avoid Fry's Electronics for the same reason.
- sk5t 7y ago
  I take the more charitable perspective that the receipt checkers are validating the cashiers' work, and that it is part of the "membership" bargain.
  - sky_rw 7y ago
    I worked at costco during college. The receipt checking stops a significant amount of shrinkage. At these warehouse stores it's surprisingly easy to walk out the door with large items you wouldn't be able to take at places like Best Buy. We caught people stealing washing machines, tvs, 4-packs of tires, etc. It helps keep costs down to have a quick verification check.
- callalex 7y ago
  As a member I love it. I want it to be as hard as possible to steal from them, because ultimately I will be paying the cost for theft from them, so it saves me money.

billions 7y ago

Steve Jobs frequently parked his Mercedes in the handicap spot next to the building

sushid 7y ago
Yes he was an asshole but he also wasn’t exactly a “small business owner.”

bayesian_horse 7y ago

The overarching concept is to be conscious of when you inconvenience other people (like customers), and avoid it at much cost (but not any, of course). This seems to be the cornerstone of Western etiquette. It can be different in Asia, where it may be more important to "save face" and let others also save face.

anonu 7y ago

Park in the back... Unless you're a restaurant, then park in the front. Always.

bigend 7y ago

When starting to read the article, I thought it would be either about meeting potential customers in the parkinh lot or spending that time to walk with your kid..

mikorym 7y ago

This reminds me of Jiro Ono and Jiro Dreams of Sushi [1]. He would notice, for instance, that his customers are left handed and adjust the way they then would get served. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiro_Dreams_of_Sushi https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiro_Dreams_of_Sushi

vmurthy 7y ago

It's a great metaphor but reality seems to be that there are a lot of good practices followed by so many people that it is impossible to keep track of. A via negativa approach to this might be easier. Does someone know of a compendium of bad business practices ? Life would be a lot better if we can first avoid the bad practices , no? :-)

HereBeBeasties 7y ago

I have recently become a customer of Bulb for my energy. They won me because when I tried to sign up and this failed, they followed up with an email explaining that my existing supplier had a weird set up for my smart meter which made it impossible to take over automatically and how to get them to fix it, which appeared to have been written by a real human. In most companies, that'd just be an error in a log file somewhere. They then followed up later to ask if things had been handled well. They also have one single, good value tariff with no option not to have green energy. Principled, with A++ customer service and a competent mobile app, complete with a time line for switching and starting my account with them. I'm totally sold. They could be quite a lot more expensive than my existing supplier and I frankly wouldn't care given the whole experience so far.

hwj 7y ago

> It would be one thing if the bar was making the customer’s life easier so when they were done they could simply walk out effortlessly paying the bill but that is not the typical case. It is the case in Germany.