Business model number 1:

I was going to my brother’s new house…Not to see the house, just to meet him to pick up a cheque…He said 6:00 pm…I decided to walk there from my place because walking is nice & traffic is not so much…

So I left really early because maybe it was going to snow, & walking times are uneven…I was way too early so I stopped off at Loblaw’s grocery store at St. Clair & Bathurst(it’s a superstore), to maybe get my brother a tiny present…

He loves pistachio nuts…

So at the cash, the cashier scans the hulled natural pistachio nuts, then asks me for $10.99…I say:”I’m pretty sure they are $7.99″…She goes to the pistachio nut aisle, checks the price, finds a guy in charge, they confer, he comes & checks the cash screen…

Then he says:”I am very sorry we overcharged you for the pistachio nuts…Please accept them for free”!…

Ok, I was shocked…The man behind me pipes up & says:”Can my groceries be free too???”…

We all laugh…I thank them both again…I love them…I am happy…Free pistachio nuts! Luxury item! I love this store…

Later, I tell my brother, the developer & business school grad…He says:”Oh yeah! That’s their POLICY…They do that for everyone who gets overcharged by accident!”

Business Model Number 2:

Today I walk to Whole Foods Market in Hazelton Lanes…We have bengal cats who are very particular about their food & Whole Foods carries Ziwipeak which they love…I need to get food for myself, but there is so much snow on the ground, it is cold & windy, & I don’t know what I feel like, & I don’t know what groceries to buy…

So I get 6 cans of cat food, & I decided to get the Buffet thing where you get a carton & fill it up with their delicious organic food, & then they weigh it & that is what you pay…It’s like a million dollars but the food tastes very good, it is wholesome & I am too tired to think about what meal I could cook for myself…

At the cash, the cashier accidentally rings my buffet meal through twice…The meal was 25 dollars around, so twice is alot…I don’t notice right away…The cat food is also pricey-it’s the best you can get, so ok…Oh, I also got a small thing of chocolate, because two ladies were sampling chocolate from their new company, & I like to support women in business, especially if it involves great chocolate…It is also pricey, but very delicious…

The cashier rings up the bill & the total shows up on the screen…I am aghast, not realizing the double charge on the buffet meal…At that moment, the cashier says:”Would I like to make a donation to something or other feed the hungry something or other I can’t exactly hear what the charity is this week…”

I say:”You mean like a dollar?” because they used to ask & it was a dollar they wanted…”No,” she says, “any amount you want, 2 dollars, 10 dollars, or more, any amount…”

So I look at the screen & the amount there & I notice the doublecharge…I mention it…”Oh, I’m sorry”…

Then she says:”So do you want to make a donation?”…Well, no I don’t really feel like I’m in the giving mood now…If I give a dollar I look like a cheapskate, now that the amount is loose…I don’t really know this charity, & though I usually give a dollar when they ask, today I am feeling like I am spending alot of money on not very much stuff & isn’t that sort of a donation to the business? Let them make a donation with the profit from my bill?

So I say “no thank you…” But I feel terrible about it & guilty like I am a bad person…

I have just spent about $64 dollars on 6 cans of cat food, a small thing of chocolate & food for myself for one meal, & I feel like a tramp…I can even feel the cashier’s thoughts…

She is thinking:”This spoiled girl is spending so much money on herself & cannot even spare a dime for this charity…What a selfish cheapskate…”

I leave with my tail between my legs, I am a bad person…

As I walk up the escalator, because it is broken, I think to myself:”I just spent 64 bucks at this store & instead of them thanking me for my patronage, they have made me feel like a bum…”

I start to understand why my husband & my mother hate Whole Foods…I will always probably support them because I think their food tastes great, & I love the kooky people who care so much about nutrition, I mean this is my TRIBE…But I can see why some people don’t like the business model…

Conclusion:Two business models…Two different experiences…I guess Loblaw’s demographic is people with less money…Whole Foods is people with more money…So, I guess it is maybe just a difference of how much you have to spend…

Comment:That is not a deep conclusion at all…Oh well…Not every blog post can be profound!!!

(In the picture, notice the Svarovski swan necklace…Dec. 11, 2014 was our 18th anniversary, & Joseph got me that & a card that says “I love you every day”…I am lucky…)