LABORING DAY

Someone said to me today: "Do you do anything on Labor Day? You're self-employed aren't you?"

I labor on most holidays. I am trying to bring my business back and beyond the "good days." Here's what I have found out in talking with a lot of people including those who run competing companies:

1. Some web sites are absolutely horrible and require lots of time to navigate. Simplification just seems impossible for them. They have the logic of a sandbag.

2. It's not unusual for staff to not get back to me about an order I HAVE PLACED! To stop everything all I have to do is ASK one question! Grinds to a halt.

3. There is no Memory for what has gone before in chess. Chess is nothing more than a commodity, just like a Wal-Mart but with employees not knowing anything about the product or able to answer questions. I suspect they don't even wear a blue vest!

4. I ordered a couple books last night (not chess) from Amazon.com and was told that because I wanted free shipping I might have to wait 5-9 "business" days. That's up to almost 2 regular weeks. Recently, two weeks ago I ordered two books through Borders. I've received one, the second one is still out there somewhere. This was through their shipping agent Alibris.

5. Many companies are too busy to sell anything. That selling stuff just gets in the way of doing other stuff.

6. If my question is not in their product description (and not about the cost) they go into a dither. "I'll get back to you on that," but they don't.

7. No one is open on Holidays (including the Post Office, which as you know, has a ton of holidays). Why aren't government employees treated like the rest of us? Why isn't Congress treated like the rest of us? Until they get this they are going to keep getting voted out of office even if the new persons are no better than the old ones.

I constantly get emails from people who are flabbergasted at quick replies. If I have to hire an extra hand do you have any idea how much effort I will need to put into training that employee? And of course the emphasis is to get someone who won't act like the overpaid bozos who are out there already. When Nate and Rita were working for me I would put them up against anyone!! (Even business owners.) Nate is an electronics engineer now and Rita is working at a blood center in town, probably staving off Dracula and that Twilight crew!

If you are a customer, that is, someone who actually buys stuff, I hope you give me a try. I don't have a web site yet but I imagine you can all read the newsletters and catalogs I send out! Orders always get the Big Priority around here.

All this and still promoting the Last Chess Clinic. Yes, I do sleep, 8 hours a day.

bob@thinkerspressinc.com