Saturday, July 12, 2014

Studio Journal Episode 2 – Where is the Goodwill Truck?



One of the challenges of downsizing is getting rid of lots of stuff.  Part of the challenge is deciding to part with some things that I never use but for some reason want to hang on to.  I haven’t started that part.  For now, I am just getting rid of the obvious – clothes I never wear, books I never read . .

Since I am trying to do this slowly over the next month rather than rush through it all at once, I wind up with one or two bags full each week.  I have been carrying them down to the Goodwill collection truck that hangs out in the grocery store parking lot just a five minute walk from my house.  It is a nice little Saturday morning ritual, listening to Dinner Party Download (highly recommended BTW) on my headphones while I walk. 

But this morning it was gone ?!?!!?  Where did it go?  The grocery store was a Shaw’s/Star Market (which merged a few years ago and kept the combined name).  This morning it was just Star Market.  All that I could tell was different is that the name on the front façade was now “Star” and the disappearance of the Goodwill truck.

So how is that for communicating your brand values?  We don’t know how the new company will do on price.  We don’t know how it will do on customer service.  We don’t know if they will keep the store clean.   All we know is that the name is Star Market and that they don’t believe in charity. 

That doesn’t seem like such a great business decision.