Why having a good backpack is a bad idea
Thursday, October 16th, 2008
A good backpack is so light and comfortable that you wont notice you're wearing it. Consequently it also means you don't notice when you're not wearing it anymore.
Today we went to Huntington Beach. We went for a long walk along the beach, and it was really nice, but very hot. After the beach trip we went up into town. The Huntington area, as you might guess from the pictures, is very posh and pretty much only has doctors and lawyers etc. living there. We went down main street, looked at the shops and had a caramel frappuccino, my most recent addiction, at Starbucks.
After checking out the Electric Chair, we decided to go home as it was going to take a while with rush hour and everything and we were getting hungry. Bit of a queue some places on the 605, but all in all a fairly smooth trip of about an hour... until we get home and notice my missing backpack.
Fuck.
My backpack had my insurance papers, Rosie's camera, my asthma meds (though I have a backup), and my Visa Waiver slip - kinda vital we get it back all in all.
Quick intensive think: I took it off when I sat down to snort my crackuccino, it could still be at Starbucks! Called number services, asked for Starbucks in Huntington on Main, got a fax. Called again, asked for another number, they only had that one. Checked Starbucks web page, fax number again. Then we called Starbucks customer services and got a friendly guy named Ben. After talking to him for over 20 minutes, him running all over the place, calling different stores nearby, involving his boss, trying all numbers they have an FINALLY getting through to them via MSN and sending another store's employee over to their store, I can safely say that Starbucks' customer services totally rock, I was WELL impressed. Having been in a customer service job myself I know how important it is to get positive feedback, so I wrote a glowing mail to Ben's boss as soon as we got home after all this, and he mailed us back thanking for the letter and letting us know that he'd be sure to reward Ben.
Say what you will about Starbucks, but customer service like that is rare and should be rewarded, I'll make it a point to go there for all my caffeine and sugar dope needs in the future.
We raced back to the Starbucks, retrieved the backpack, got a couple of sandwiches, and back home again.
It's funny, because just before entering Starbucks originally, I had been thinking how the area was so posh, clean and neat that you could probably leave a bag with money strapped to the outside on a street corner unattended for an hour, without anyone touching it. I mean no poor person could afford to live within 30 miles of that place, and the cops on each corner would be sure to remove any homeless people in the area. Maybe I was just subconsciously trying to test that theory?
Either that or I was just being an airhead, a notion which I am grudgingly willing to entertain.
Looks kinda like an amusement park, doesn't it?
Even the Starbucks is posh here.
Sometimes, you'd think Germany won that war...
What, the street's on rehab? What'd it do, go on a drink and drugs bender and smack up its girl? Nah, it's probably just trying to get popular and do what the big stars do.
Going out for a bite of air? Make sure you chew 5 times before you swallow, but don't inhale.
Imagine the theme from Beverly Hills 90210 running in the background.
Rant: Fire procedure? What fire procedure?
As impressed as I was with Starbucks customer services, as unimpressed I was with Wal*Mart's complete lack of any procedure in the event of a fire alarm going off.
As we stepped into the store on Friday, the alarm went off. 30 minutes ensued where people kept shopping, and employees were standing around looking confused at each other, but still doing their job. What the hell? You'd think a huge, nay GIGANTIC store like Walmart in CALIFORNIA - land of a million fires - would have a bloody fire evacuation procedure. Anyone who's worked in a large company is likely to know that a fire procedure is there to protect people, and it MUST be followed even if you personally cannot see the fire immediately. They should have been closing the tills, evacuating the area and telling the customers to get the fuck out until the alarm has been stopped and an all clear has been announced. It does not matter if it's an error, it does not matter if it's a drill - it should be happening. Instead they were picking their bellies and shrugging while looking at each other with "confused chicken" written all across their face. That kind of thing does not exactly inspire a lot of trust in a company (OK granted, I didn't have a lot of trust in Walmart as it is, but you know).
A good backpack is so light and comfortable that you wont notice you're wearing it. Consequently it also means you don't notice when you're not wearing it anymore.
Today we went to Huntington Beach. We went for a long walk along the beach, and it was really nice, but very hot. After the beach trip we went up into town. The Huntington area, as you might guess from the pictures, is very posh and pretty much only has doctors and lawyers etc. living there. We went down main street, looked at the shops and had a caramel frappuccino, my most recent addiction, at Starbucks.
After checking out the Electric Chair, we decided to go home as it was going to take a while with rush hour and everything and we were getting hungry. Bit of a queue some places on the 605, but all in all a fairly smooth trip of about an hour... until we get home and notice my missing backpack.
Fuck.
My backpack had my insurance papers, Rosie's camera, my asthma meds (though I have a backup), and my Visa Waiver slip - kinda vital we get it back all in all.
Quick intensive think: I took it off when I sat down to snort my crackuccino, it could still be at Starbucks! Called number services, asked for Starbucks in Huntington on Main, got a fax. Called again, asked for another number, they only had that one. Checked Starbucks web page, fax number again. Then we called Starbucks customer services and got a friendly guy named Ben. After talking to him for over 20 minutes, him running all over the place, calling different stores nearby, involving his boss, trying all numbers they have an FINALLY getting through to them via MSN and sending another store's employee over to their store, I can safely say that Starbucks' customer services totally rock, I was WELL impressed. Having been in a customer service job myself I know how important it is to get positive feedback, so I wrote a glowing mail to Ben's boss as soon as we got home after all this, and he mailed us back thanking for the letter and letting us know that he'd be sure to reward Ben.
Say what you will about Starbucks, but customer service like that is rare and should be rewarded, I'll make it a point to go there for all my caffeine and sugar dope needs in the future.
We raced back to the Starbucks, retrieved the backpack, got a couple of sandwiches, and back home again.
It's funny, because just before entering Starbucks originally, I had been thinking how the area was so posh, clean and neat that you could probably leave a bag with money strapped to the outside on a street corner unattended for an hour, without anyone touching it. I mean no poor person could afford to live within 30 miles of that place, and the cops on each corner would be sure to remove any homeless people in the area. Maybe I was just subconsciously trying to test that theory?
Either that or I was just being an airhead, a notion which I am grudgingly willing to entertain.
Looks kinda like an amusement park, doesn't it?
Even the Starbucks is posh here.
Sometimes, you'd think Germany won that war...
What, the street's on rehab? What'd it do, go on a drink and drugs bender and smack up its girl? Nah, it's probably just trying to get popular and do what the big stars do.
Going out for a bite of air? Make sure you chew 5 times before you swallow, but don't inhale.
Imagine the theme from Beverly Hills 90210 running in the background.
Rant: Fire procedure? What fire procedure?
As impressed as I was with Starbucks customer services, as unimpressed I was with Wal*Mart's complete lack of any procedure in the event of a fire alarm going off.
As we stepped into the store on Friday, the alarm went off. 30 minutes ensued where people kept shopping, and employees were standing around looking confused at each other, but still doing their job. What the hell? You'd think a huge, nay GIGANTIC store like Walmart in CALIFORNIA - land of a million fires - would have a bloody fire evacuation procedure. Anyone who's worked in a large company is likely to know that a fire procedure is there to protect people, and it MUST be followed even if you personally cannot see the fire immediately. They should have been closing the tills, evacuating the area and telling the customers to get the fuck out until the alarm has been stopped and an all clear has been announced. It does not matter if it's an error, it does not matter if it's a drill - it should be happening. Instead they were picking their bellies and shrugging while looking at each other with "confused chicken" written all across their face. That kind of thing does not exactly inspire a lot of trust in a company (OK granted, I didn't have a lot of trust in Walmart as it is, but you know).
posted by Jonathan at
10:08 AM
1 Comments:
Interessant.. det rejser helt sikkert visse emner.
Go weekend,
Nickie, frokostordning
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