Martin's Musings

I suppose if you’re going to apply to work for something called the “Geek Squad,” then you’re sort of asking for it. Still, while waiting for assistance at Best Buy today, I was struck by just how much the Geek Squad guys feed into the stereotype. All of them are forced to wear a dorky outfit of black pants, white shirt and black tie, and apparently it’s also a requirement for them to slick back their hair like they’re trying too hard (if possible). According to the photos, they also wear black shoes and white socks, but I had no actual confirmation of that.

As a customer looking for a repair job, I was trying to think if this look made me any more comfortable, or if I’d rather the guys wore more “normal” outfits that were less, well, geeky. When you need to have your computer or camera or whatever looked at, you want someone who knows what they’re doing, who can actually help and won’t give you a runaround. Maybe if the Geek Squad was wearing something slicker, I might feel like I wasn’t getting the legit service I needed. Then again, it’s hard to take these guys too seriously when they look like they’re wearing a costume (as opposed to a uniform, like the other Best Buy employees). And maybe that’s why, when I was told they wouldn’t/couldn’t fix my camera, I felt sort of empowered to argue back about how my service plan should cover the cost of a new camera. A losing battle, and I knew that going in, but it was partly that damned outfit that convinced me I was somehow superior and in the right, and could win. My mistake.

Point is, Best Buy does no service to its employees by making them dress up like geeks. It makes them look silly, and it only serves to frustrate customers.

Not lost on me this week was the big news involving supermarket chain A&P. Now, anyone who knows me knows what one of my favorite jokes of all time is, and for a second there, I thought it had actually come true. Alas, A&P bought Pathmark — not Stop & Shop — meaning my dreams of a store called Stop & P will have to remain just that, dreams. It also means I can keep telling that joke over and over again until it becomes a reality, if it ever becomes a reality. So I’m not too disapointed.

Not that I really needed one, but I’d been looking for a reason to return to IKEA ever since my first trip out to Stoughton a year ago (following The Great Clean-up of 2006).

After all, who doesn’t love IKEA, with its aisles and aisles of cheap but cool stuff?

And its good food?

Well, today I finally had a good enough reason to go. Continue reading →

Few people know that in addition to being a curious explorer, Christopher Columbus was also an avid bargain hunter. In fact, the word “sale” was coined as a tribute to him — the word was taken from “sail,” but it’s unknown why the spelling was changed. And to further prove the point, the ships Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria were not named for former girlfriends as is widely believed, but for Columbus’ three favorite vendors in the Spanish market (Pinta was a bookseller). And it’s for these reasons that there are so many great deals to be had on this day.

And it’s for that reason that I headed out to Wrentham today with my friend Dave to do a little shopping at the outlets. Of course, the sales were just one reason the place was packed. It was a bee-yoo-tiful day today (75 degrees or so), so who wouldn’t want to be outside in that? And I cashed in: three ties (3 for $69!) and three shirts at Brooks Brothers; a pair of sneakers from Nike; and a pair of shoes, a sweater vest, and rugby shirt from Bass. Low outlet prices, plus 40 percent off here, 20 percent off there, an additional 15 or 10 percent with a VIP coupon, this sale, that sale … Christopher Columbus would be so proud. All told, I spent about three hours at the Outlet Center (yes, I went into many more stores than those where I actually bought something), and despite some traffic getting out of there, I was back home in about 40-45 minutes. It was a very good afternoon.

(Alright, I made most of that up. As far as I know, there is no connection between Christopher Columbus and the sales held on Columbus Day, nor were his ships named for vendors in the, ahem, Spanish market — and shame on you if you believed any of that. Also, I didn’t go to Wrentham today solely for the sales. I actually went out that way to visit and have lunch with Karen, David, and Judah in their new house in Franklin, which is a town or two over from Wrentham if you didn’t know. On the other hand, I was truthful about what I bought at the outlets and about the masses who shopped with me and how long I was there, etc. And I did bring Dave with me — we’re catching up after some time apart, thanks to his new CD and my new favorite song, “The Idea of You.” So regardless of the overall veracity of this posting, it was a good, productive, and fun holiday day off from work.)

About two weeks ago I got an e-mail from Elizabeth Holmes, a reporter from of all places, the Wall Street Journal. Seems she was writing a story about, of all things, Johnny Cupcakes, and had seen my posting about the store and how much I love it. (You know the one. It was ranked number three on my first year countdown because it’s been the most popular posting so far.) Anyway, we had a nice chat, a few laughs, and I explained to her that I’ve developed something of a reputation for hating the store and the guy, when all I really wanted the day I visited with Mitzi and Jason was a cupcake. So I wrote that on the blog, and maybe my words got a bit twisted. I mean, sure, it is cruel and a bit of a tease for a guy to name his store Johnny Cupcakes and then not sell actual cupcakes. And it’s even worse when, instead of cupcakes, he sells $40 t-shirts that are only cool to people who like spending $40 on their t-shirts. But that was all.

Well anyway, the story Elizabeth wrote is in today’s paper, on page B5 … and I’m not in it. Oh well. I’ll have to settle for being in the Boston Globe every now and then. But it’s alright. The story isn’t a fawning tribute to how swell and creative Johnny Cupcakes is. Instead, via quotes from marketing professors and other folks, it raises questions about how long Johnny’s novelty business can last. Personally, I still say if he’d only sell cupcakes in addition to his t-shirts he’d have a long-lasting business and I’d be a regular customer. Until then, he’s not getting a single cent from me.

(FYI: The story isn’t available to non-subscribers online, so you’ll have to check out the print edition if you want to read it.)

Apparently, a lot of you out there like cupcakes … in all their varied forms.

My recent post about the new Johnny Cupcakes store has had the most hits of any posting I’ve written (at least it seems that way), thanks largely to UniversalHub.com, and one guy has even posted about my posting, albeit with a false reasoning (i.e.: he overlooks the fact that Newbury Comics actually sells comic books, but Johnny Cupcakes does not sell cupcakes).

And people are still commenting on my site about Johnny Cupcakes even though the posting is three weeks old.

In fact, in more than one place I’ve read that on weekends, Johnny’s mother gives out homemade cupcakes with any purchase.

So, because I’m not entirely a bad person, I’ve been back to Johnny Cupcakes twice now on weekends. And wouldn’t you know it, both times there were no cupcakes.

And no one I know has had a cupcake from Johnny Cupcakes.

It’s kind of like the stories I’ve heard from people who live in Los Angeles: it’s illegal to jaywalk there, and no one I know has ever gotten a ticket for it, but they have all heard of someone getting one.

So I ask: Do these free cupcakes actually exist? And if so, why don’t they exist when I’m in the store? Does this mean Johnny is tracking me, and does he know when I come by? Is he hiding them when I am in the neighborhood? And also, is he reading my blog, and enjoying the publicity?

I have nothing against the guy. I just want a cupcake. Is that so wrong?

If Boston magazine is looking for a new category for its annual “Best of” issue, might I suggest “Best Misuse of Prime Real Estate.”

I even have a winner.

Yesterday was the grand opening of Johnny Cupcakes, located at 279 Newbury Street (at the corner of Gloucester Street). Sounds cool, right? A cupcake store right on Newbury Street! Yum.

Suffice it to say, Mitzi and Jason are in town, and the three of us were excited to check the place out today, especially since we heard that yesterday there was a line out the door.

But in what is either a collosal waste of a good brand name or a genius way to attract and mislead customers, it seems the company has forgotten one important thing — the cupcakes!

Instead, Johnny Cupcakes is a clothing company, and all the stuff is shown in bakery-like display cases.

To say we were let-down is an understatement. We were disappointed. We felt gypped. Swindled. Horn-swaggled. And the clothing wasn’t even all that cool; it was of the $40 designer t-shirt variety, the kind of stuff that’s not even attractive.

What a waste.

Here’s what I’m hoping: Once word gets out about this sham of a store, the people of Boston will join with me in boycotting this Johnny’s “cupcakes” until he begins to actually sell cupcakes, or until he changes the store’s name.

Who’s with me?

Update, 6/18/06: Just an Urban Legend?