It’s All Downhill Now!

If you don't ask customers before making product changes, watch out!

Wed, 06/24/2009 - 03:00

June 21 marked the beginning of summer, also known as the summer solstice. As a major celestial event, the summer solstice results in the longest day and the shortest night of the year. From here on out, we will have less daylight. It’s over folks, and frankly I haven’t even donned my bathing suit yet. Oh well, no one really wants to see a 66-year-old man in a Speedo anyway.

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Be that as it may, and because I have signaled the end of extended daylight, there are a number of other items, issues, and events that have also reached their longevity. Did you see that iconic retailer Eddie Bauer has declared bankruptcy? It doesn’t appear that all the stores will close, but in my opinion it manifests another miscue on the part of management. Since 1920, Eddie Bauer has been a purveyor of sporting goods, outdoor apparel, and gear. It was the first company to use quilted goose-down to insulate a garment. Many of us, I’m sure, have seen or even used a down sleeping bag. I have a Gortex down-filled parka from Eddie Bauer that is more than 20 years old and still in great shape.

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Comments

Bill....it really depends on how you look in the Speedo.
Ironically, leadership at many companies are too far removed from what's really going on and have little or no understanding as to what their customers want....I personally think it's because they surround themselves with 'yes men' plus only take action when customers stop purchasing their product, which in some cases can be too late (much like Eddie Bauer).

Sandra Gauvin
http://CurrentQuality.com

Submitted by jwjackson on Wed, 06/24/2009 - 13:05

I still shake my head over what happened to Bill Knapp's. Sure, it was the place where senior citizens took their parents to dinner, but it had solid, decent food and no worries about taking the kids there, other than the sometimes 20 minute wait to get a table. Something was working there.

Bill Knapp's, to me, was the classic example of what happens when management forgets how they got where they got. Sure, why not try out a model that appeals to the younger crowd - but create another brand with a different name and start with a single restaurant to test the concept. Anyone with half a brain would have known that "Bill Knapp's" was not going to replace Friday's or Starbucks. But what's that they say about "common sense"? Oh, yeah.

Jeff Jackson

Didn't some really, really clever management type come up with the phrase "If it ain't broke, break it"? Did he work for Eddie Bauer?

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