The bloom is off the Bloom.

Here in the DC area we have been graced with the well-publicized arrival of a new grocery chain called Bloom. I don't remember the exact details of how they differentiate themselves from the many existing stores, but it has something to do with technology. Like, you get to program your grocery list in at a kiosk and then find all your stuff easier.

The initial reaction would be, why in god's name do we need another grocery store? We have the major-domo Safeway, the scrubby little brother Giant, the awesome Trader Joe's, the conspicuous-consumption Harris Teeter, and the unbelieveable Wegmans (you want white truffles? Wegmans can get you white truffles), along with a host of other boutique offerings.

All in all, we have WAY too many supermarkets in DC.

So here comes Bloom, heralded in the local press as a different kind of grocery store.

My first reaction was, good luck. We already have so many choices here you would have to be FANTASTIC to get a foot in the door. To paraphrase Homer Simpson, these jokers have homed in on an overcrowded market and said "Me Too!"

But, surely, the genius would be in the marketing.

The marketing arrived as a 4" x 9" card stock flyer with some vague information and a Web address. I recognized the name so I flipped the card over a couple times looking for locations where we could actually undergo the Bloom experience. Alas, no such locations were listed. But there was a Web address.

The wife, that evening, typed in the Bloom Web address and was met with an interesting slap on the hand. It said she had to have the latest version of Flash to view the site.

Because our home Internet connection is "Verizon High Speed DSL" which actually means "runs slower than most dial up", we NEVER download any programs or updates at home. There was no alternate way into the site to find out if there is a Bloom store near us. So Bloom was SOL.

Can you imagine how many times our experience was repeated throughout Loudoun and Fairfax Counties in Virginia, among potential customers who either did not have the proper configuration on their computers to find a Bloom store, or among those who had no computer and simply threw the promotional flyer in the trash?

Anyway, we won't be shopping at Bloom anytime soon, and I bet most northern VA folks won't either. If Bloom's marketing geniuses had simply sent us the address of a local store, we likely would have gone over to check it out out of curiosity.

So on the basis of that anecdotal evidence, I offer this maxim: When you have something to sell, be sure to tell potential customers how to find you. Throw them a bone.

UPDATE: Visitor E.L. Baudelaire notes:

Dear John,

For the discerning cable internet user, the appeal of Bloom is quite obvious, as indicated by their FAQ #9:

Q: Why do Bloom associates gather in the store during operational hours for cheers and chants?

A:As different as it may seem, Bloom prides itself on encouraging associates and having fun while making sure our guests feel like they are getting the most incredible shopping experience they can get! From time to time, you may hear our associates gather for some cheering and fun. They are excited to be at work and to be the best and most different kind of grocery store that there is to better serve their guests!

http://www.shopbloom.com/HowCanYouBloom/FAQs.aspx

(note: obviously the customer they're catering to is the same customer that would enjoy the *fun* family eateries which force upon their employees ostensibly loud decorations or "flair" to signify how much *fun* they have working in a crappy restaurant)

Posted by John Climacus at 12:01 | Permalink | Comments (2)

Following the extensive advocacy efforts of absolutely zero prominent "feminist" organizations in the United States, rape victims may no longer be criminalized in the nuclear-armed nation of Pakistan if the new Protection of Women Bill is passed:

The amended law would drop the death penalty for people found to have had sex outside of marriage, though they still would be subject to a five-year prison term or a $165 fine.

Judges also will be able to choose whether to try a rape case in a criminal court or Islamic court, which should make it easier to convict rapists.

Under the current Hudood Ordinance, rape victims could only raise a case in the Islamic court. It requires testimony from four witnesses, making a trial of a purported rapist almost impossible.

Why don't American "feminists," on the whole, say anything about women throughout the world living under the boot heel of Islam? I'll wager it's because they don't actually give a crap about "women's rights" in general, but only really care about continued access to abortion-on-demand here in the U.S. The politicians who support abortion also tend to extend the olive branch to Muslim murderers, and consequently the "advocates for women's rights" are quite willing to throw their international sistren under the bus. The typical U.S. "feminist" exhibits far more concern about glass ceilings in America than about women brutalized throughout the Muslim world.

You can view the sum total of U.S. "feminist" protests against clitorodectomy as a measure of the moral validity of the entire U.S. "feminist" movement. You might reasonably surmise, also, that the sum total of "feminist" outrage about Islam in general tells you all you need to know about "feminism" in America.

Bottom line: The "feminist" movement in the U.S., as such, is a scam. In reality, it is simply a "pro-abortion" effort. So-called "feminists" are willing to tolerate unbelievable cruelty against women, and they are absent in the battle to protect women in Islamic countries.

Posted by John Climacus at 04:01 | Permalink

The Democrats won and, if you have been following this blog, you know that means it's more likely a military draft is on the horizon. John Kerry promised as much.

Such it is. So it should be no surprise Charles Rangal wants this to go into effect as soon as possible:

Asked on CBS' "Face the Nation" if he was still serious about the proposal for a universal draft he raised a couple of years ago, he said, "You bet your life. Underscore serious."

"If we're going to challenge Iran and challenge North Korea and then, as some people have asked, to send more troops to Iraq, we can't do that without a draft," he said.

Rangel, who opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, also said he did not think the United States would have invaded Iraq if the children of members of Congress were sent to fight. He has said the U.S. fighting force is comprised disproportionately of people from low-income families and minorities.

"I don't see how anyone can support the war and not support the draft. I think to do so is hypocritical," he said.

The New York Democrat had introduced legislation to reinstate the draft in January 2003 before the Iraq invasion. The Pentagon has said the all-volunteer army is working well and there is no need for a draft, and the idea had no traction in the Republican-led Congress.

Presumably the voters who either voted Democrat or did not vote realized a Democrat Congress would be very different. Here's one of the differences.

From the standpoint of the Republican leadership, the basic line has been that a volunteer military is more efficient in many ways. You don't need as much of the disciplinary aspect, for instance. From the Democrats' standpoint, the goal seems to be to force a broader cross section of American society to get personally involved in military actions (under the assumption that American society is not currently fully represented).

In any case, with the Democrats in control of Congress, the miilitary draft is back on the table, and it will be interesting to see if the Democrats have the votes to force President Bush to reinstitute the draft. With Rep. Charles Rangal leading the fight, I'm guessing the Dems will not go down without a serious battle.

Posted by John Climacus at 01:41 | Permalink | Comments (4)

There will be a series of increasingly creative "non blogging" posts here. Enjoy.

Posted by John Climacus at 12:26 | Permalink | Comments (1)