Distribution

Is everything. If you can't buy it, it doesn't matter how good it is.

I bought something on Amazon. My usual seller was out, so I opted for a competitor and when the merchandise arrived, the packaging was different. And in this case the packaging is key. So I decided to return it. Which is easy, you go online, click a few boxes drop it off at Whole Foods and...

Before I left the house I decided to do some research. Turns out they don't make that packaging anymore. Now this is interesting. One person complained and an entire industry redid its packaging to make it less convenient, people are going crazy online. But in this case, I'm expecting a change in the future, because we now live in Trump's America. He's alienating our allies, RFJ, Jr. is making the nation unsafe, but I've got to give him credit, he's getting rid of B.S. Stuff that makes no sense. That is adjusted for a small minority instead of the vast majority.

So then I decided to go on a mission. To CVS. The internet told me they still had the old packaging. And if they did I could go to multiple CVS's and buy up enough inventory to carry me through to the point when the law is changed and the industry goes back to the old packaging.

I never go to a retail store. It's the world's worst experience.

This is what I don't understand about oldsters, they cling to the past when it's history. Today everything is about CONVENIENCE! Youngsters know this. They want what they want and they want it NOW! And any friction in the works is not only frustrating, they refuse to participate.

Like the movie business. Theatrical is never coming back. This year's summer gross was essentially flat, down just a bit, never mind the inflated prices. It's a bad proposition. I've got to leave my house and bake in enough time for parking and ticket buying to make sure I get there when the movie starts. And having done this, I then have to sit and watch endless trailers/commercials... I'm PAYING, why are you insulting your best customers?

Then again, I can't remember the last time I went to the movies.

So I drive down to CVS and...

Everything you've heard is true. Everything valuable is locked in a case. But it's worse than that, THEY NEVER HAVE WHAT YOU WANT!

And they didn't. But I had to pick up a prescription for Felice. So I got into line and...

This very large woman was talking on her cellphone on speaker. Is this a new thing? I was at the hospital waiting for an infusion and the woman next to me was doing this. I asked her to hold the phone to her ear and you'd think I'd asked for a kidney. Can I at least have a modicum of peace and quiet?

And then when I was next in line, the previous customer decided to reorganize her purse before sacrificing the window. I ultimately asked her to move. I know, I know, bad behavior. But I've got places to go and people to see.

That's what nobody talks about, we got all this time back during lockdown/Covid and we don't want to give it back. Medical appointments are virtual. We have more time to work and we don't want to sacrifice it. Don't love your work? I feel sorry for you.

As for what I was looking for, I was SOL. That old packaging was history, not to be found.

So then I drove to another CVS. The layout was different. I started looking for the item and when I didn't find it soon I looked for help. THERE WAS NONE! This is the physical retail experience we're supposed to adore and pay for? Utterly ridiculous.

I ultimately found where the item I wanted was shelved and they were out of both the new packaging and the old, it was like someone had ransacked the place.

Meanwhile, it's a zillion degrees out. The A/C in my car works well, but I was driving in the hills yesterday and the thermometer in the dash said 102 and... In the old days, my 2002 couldn't handle it. The temperature gauge would start to rise and then not only did you have to turn off the A/C, you had to turn on the heat to cool down the engine.

But not only is it hot, the light is different. It's September 1st. Back to school, but the hottest days in L.A. are not in June and July, but the end of August and September.

So I ultimately decided to punt and make the new packaging work, what option did I have, and I thought how great Amazon was.

HUH? AMAZON'S THE DEVIL!

This makes me insane, people fighting convenience. Like Spotify. All of the world's music at your fingertips and you can take it anywhere? Why in the hell would you want physical product?

Not that Amazon is perfect. You run the gauntlet every time you try to buy something. You've got to sift through the ads. I mean give me a break, it's a horrible experience, can you get rid of these?

But if you've got Prime, and I don't know how you cannot, the item usually comes the next day, if not the SAME DAY!

But it's better than that, they have EVERYTHING! Every product, every size, at if not the lowest price, close to it. You find it, you click on it and it arrives. What could be better?

But NO, the same people protesting in the street believing that anybody is paying attention think if they just don't buy from Amazon...

This is a failed strategy, because the service is so good and there's not a real alternative. They stopped drinking Bud Light, but that did not mean they stopped drinking beer!

And now my inbox is going to go wild with the Trumpers. I've got to ask you... These companies that left China for India, now that's not an option. The doors are closing on our society minute by minute, all in the name of AMERICA FIRST! It reminds me of that old Harold Lloyd movie, AMERICA LAST! Actions have consequences.

Never mind the fact that homicides are greater in red cities yet the military goes to blue ones.

But the truth doesn't matter.

You're supposed to be courteous when everybody feels entitled. Drives me nuts.

This is the world we live in. Who is happy?

That's what it comes down to. The friction in society is rampant and we keep hearing from oldsters, who hold the reins, that we should adhere to the old ways because they're better. HUH? Where in the hell is that the truth?

I've got no time for Jeff Bezos, but if you're buying a retail item...why in the hell would you go to a physical outlet? There's no help and they don't have what you're looking for. And the solution for most retailers is to cut, cut, cut and make the experience WORSE!

This is how the "New York Times" ended up owning national news. They refused to circle the drain. And they added Wirecutter and the Athletic and games and cooking and...

So you don't like the "Times"... That's not the point!

Everybody in America is so tribal that they can't pull back and see the forest for the trees.

Meanwhile, "Consumer Reports" thought it owned the sphere and now Wirecutter is stealing the old outlet's thunder. How? Constant reviews! Not once a month, but consistently. To the point where that's where you go.

Disruption is not done. And it won't be done until the Boomers and Gen-X'ers invested in the old ways retire and die off. They can't get over how things used to be. And some of the old things were better, but on the whole the new stuff is far superior.

If I hear one more person complaining about chatbots causing suicide... Yeah, these were well-adjusted people who just got pulled into a hole. If you believe that, you're delusional. Just like if you believe AI is going to dominate in the future you're not using it. The hallucinations/mistakes are SO bad as to make the answers unreliable.

But then there are people turning off Google AI because copyright holders are not being paid. This is just like the Amazon protesters. The truth is that in many cases, AI search is good enough, has made the search experience much better. When I need tech help it gives me just enough to get by. If I have to get names and locations right I go deeper, but a lot of search doesn't require anything deeper.

We live in meme-world and the truth becomes irrelevant, and it's not only politics. Like the dotcom era. You could deliver a Fudgsicle for free? Can we employ a little common sense?

You want to see the present, never mind the future, start with convenience. If there's an easier way to do it, that's how the flow is gonna go. And sure, make sure exactly who you're Zelling money to, but those afraid to cough up their credit cards online because of potential fraud are the same ones still writing paper checks, which are RAMPANT with fraud.

But it doesn't feel that way. This is the world we now live in, emotions are king, facts are irrelevant.

And then there are the endless complaints. Spotify is ripping off artists, Vail Resorts is ripping off skiers. Skiing has never been cheaper. It's astoundingly cheap. But you've got to hate on the big boy...

Which is why I stay home so much. Because you interact with the public and you want to tear your hair out.

And I haven't got much left!


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