#75 - It Turns Out Preschool is Great!
Smart and What?: Redux; Politics is Coconuts!; I Like Teacher!; Time Machine
Hello, my friends,
The weather has been hot this week which, I suppose, is proper for summer in Los Angeles. I’ve been thinking about everything you’d expect as regular readers of HMF: My race this Sunday, the sumo tournament, Sophie’s preschool transition (see below), and some more cerebral stuff: Nonviolent communication, religious community (I’m reading Simplicity: The Freedom of Letting Go, which are essays based on talks by Franciscan Priest, Richard Rohr, and listening to the audiobook of God is in the Crowd: Twenty-First Century Judaism by American-Isreali businessman Tal Keinan). I was going to follow up last week’s public libraries poll with a section on the library’s purpose as related to education, but as I thought about structuring such a piece, I realized that I wouldn’t be able to say it succinctly. It’s going to require an entire issue so that will probably be what you’ll get in your mailbox next week.
Hope you’re able to do something relaxing this weekend!
Smart and What?: Redux
Last week (#74), I wrote a critique of Smart & Final’s puzzling “Where Else?” campaign. Friend of HMF, Ellen, informed by her 15 years in advertising, emailed that it was probably a hip new agency that came up with the tagline. Likely this company didn’t do their homework to truly understand the Smart & Final customer, and even if they did, the result wasn’t up to par. But anyone can complain, right? So I figured I’d give it a shot to come up with a few taglines for the bulk store based on my understand of their market position.
Last week, I wrote that “Smart & Final differentiates itself as having the best of a regular supermarket, a warehouse store, and a grocery.” But most people don’t really need all of those in one place; the majority of weekly shopping can be done at the myriad other supermarkets that pepper large metropolitan areas. That means that unless it’s your closest market, there has to be a special reason customers would go to Smart & Final. Here are a few potential customers:
A parent throwing a large birthday party for their school-age kid.
An administrative assistant shopping for work (and herself). This customer is actually exemplified in one of Smart & Final’s own commercials!
A proprietor of a small, family-owned restaurant.
What do these people have in common? They need a lot of what they’re buying, other people are depending on them being able to find and buy what’s needed, and they’re low on time. Smart & Final is ideal for them because they have a strong selection of items in bulk, enough locations that customers won’t have to drive that far, and what they have exceeds what you might find at other supermarkets (particularly for restaurant owners and office needs). So know all this, how do we improve on “Where else?” I would go with something like:
Smart & Final: You’re entire shopping list, in one place.
Smart & Final: Everything you need!
Smart & Final: We got you! (alternatively: “We got you covered!”)
These taglines focus on the time-saving convenience and reliability that customers who are on a mission need. The “Where else?’ campaign banks on customer service by having a charismatic actor (who resembles Lin-Manuel Miranda) play a friendly employee, but let’s be real: Smart & Final customers aren’t talking to staff, they’ve memorized the store and don’t benefit from idle chit-chat. They’re going to Smart & Final specifically because it has what they need at, I’m assuming, reasonable prices. It’s the dependable friend, the consistent co-worker, the neighbor that waters your plants when you’re on vacation. The final tagline, “We got you!” encompasses that; Smart & Final understands its customer base and is literally there for them every day.
This feels weird, I am much too amped up about a store I haven’t been to in years. The interesting thing is that that one time I was there years ago was memorable enough that the billboards disappointed me. They didn’t live up to my positive view of the store. They didn’t get it so I had to write this sequel section to make things right.
Politics is Coconuts!
Rarely to never do I bring up politics in this newsletter but I would like to say that I felt relief earlier this week when Joe Biden stepped down as the Democratic nominee for President. As a lifelong unaffiliated/independent voter, intra-party wrangling is actively uninteresting to me and yet I was dreading having to go into the booth and decide between Trump (never), Biden (with heavy reluctance), and the several smaller party candidates with no chance at victory. It might be ageist to say (I’ll risk it), but at 81 years old, it was time for the President to retire! Retirement age for most people is 65 plus or minus a few years. To be going full-tilt at one of the most stressful jobs on Earth fifteen years past that age is 1) Impressive, 2) Precarious. Joe Biden made the right decision and for that he gets my respect.
Whatever I might think about Kamala Harris’s politics, I am superficially pleased that at least there is someone running for President that doesn’t sound like a runaway circus train or a hound sniffing for his next word. At least the Vice President speaks clearly, at a normal clip, and even with a sense of humor. All in all, I look forward to seeing how this plays out and even considering tuning in for the debate on September 10th.
I Like Teacher!
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago (#73) that Sophie (age edging towards three) started preschool. She had been at a lovely family childcare since we moved to our neighborhood and really blossomed there. But it was time for her to move to a more structured environment so we transferred her to the school Michael has been attending. On the first week, there was tears and illness. “No teacher, no teacher” was the refrain. Occasionally, she mentioned the names of friends from her childcare. It was sad, though I knew she would adjust eventually.
Last week, it was four days of “no teacher, no teacher”, weeping at drop-off, and reaching for mama and papa. Though, some minutes later she would calm down and generally did great during the day — played, ate, napped and all. Still, it was a rough passage.
This week, she turned a corner! On Monday, when I was taking her and Michael to school she repeated “no teacher” all the way from our door, down the hallway and elevator, to the car, and even to the school’s door. But once she got inside and saw her enthusiastic and talented teacher call her name, her doubts melted away! She gave me a quick look and put her backpack right down and went in for a teacher hug. Tuesday, she said “no teacher” as we were walking out the door, but in the car on the way, she exclaimed “I like teacher, I go to school!” and bounced into her classroom when we got there. Wednesday, it was “I like teacher, I like teacher” all the way to school and when we got there, she showed me where she puts her backpack because it was her place now.
Kids are so adaptable! Though it was a stressful transition, it was good, appropriate stress. Sophie was resilient and now she’s a happy preschooler!
Time Machine
Here’s what I wrote in HMF a year ago (in issue #22):
Baby Bonding EP: On my dream of recording a rap album.
Books, New to Me: A tribute to used books.
Paramount-Minus: Criticizing Paramount+ and their lack of back button.
Smart and Final: It’s not Costco, but it’s free!
she is adorable!!!! love that smile :-)