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Dragonflies often hang out around wildflowers although for different reasons than their  butterfly cousins. Wildflowers attract pollinators which dragonflies are happy to have for lunch – yes, including butterflies on occasion. Wildflowers also provide shelter from the weather and perching opportunities for these mini winged dragons.

And so, in these continuing lazy, hazy days of July, it seems appropriate to once again show off some of these honoured citizens of summer in tandem along with some quotations that elegantly portray how they bring joy to our lives.

If I were a dragonfly I would flit through the garden with wild abandon flirting with light and kissing flowers.

Nan Riddle

Deep in the sun searched growths the dragonfly hangs like a blue thread loosened from the sky.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti, English Poet, Illustrator and Painter,  1828 – 1882

The beauteous dragonfly’s dancing by the waves of the rivulet glancing… her figure so slender.”

Heinrich Heine, German Poet and Writer, 1797 – 1856

Which came first: the flower or the butterfly? That once again falls firmly into the category of a rhetorical question. The more important question, at the risk of being repetitive, is whether we can learn from the symbiotic relationship of these citizens of summer and use it as a metaphor for our own lives in the increasingly fractious and every man for himself society in which we live.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Tags: Comments Off on Learning from Honoured Citizens of Summer: Episode Two

Hmmm, which came first: the flower or the butterfly?

Butterflies and wildflowers are pretty much inseparable. Butterflies rely on the nectar in wildflowers for sustenance and in turn collect pollen and transfer it to other plants. The two maintain a mutually beneficial relationship with the spin-off benefit of bringing joy to our lives through their individual beauty.

And so, in these lazy, hazy days of July, it seems appropriate to show off some of these honoured citizens of summer in tandem along with some quotations that elegantly portray how they co-exist and bring joy to our lives.

The butterfly is a flying flower. The flower is a tethered butterfly.

~ Ponce Denis Ecouchard Le Brun, French Poet, 1729 – 1807

It flies with beautiful wings and joins the earth to heaven. It drinks only nectars from the flowers and carries the seeds of love from one flower to another. Without butterflies, the world would soon have fewer flowers.

~ Trina Paulus, Author of “Hope for the Flowers”

Butterflies are self-propelled flowers.

~~ Robert A Heinlein, American Science Fiction Writer

Which came first: the flower or the butterfly? That falls firmly into the category of a rhetorical question. The more important question is whether we can learn from the symbiotic relationship of these citizens of summer and use it as a metaphor for our own lives in the increasingly fractious and every-man-for-himself society in which we live.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Tags:   Baltimore Checkerspot · butterflies · Great-spangled Fritillary · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · Red-spotted Purple · wildflowerComments Off on Learning from the Honoured Citizens of Summer

Hmmm, on that day when the sun appears to be still in the sky, does all of life follow suit?

Welcome to summer. Yes, I am a bit late with that greeting by official standards. Summer Solstice, which marks the first day of summer, took place on June 21.

But being a nonconformist, I have my own measure of such things. Summer officially begins for me when I sight the first Silver-spotted Skipper (displayed at the head of this post) which happened on Thursday. In celebration of the bloom of summer, here are a few facts about Summer Solstice interspersed with the winged wonders that hold court during the season.

Summer Solstice is the day with the longest period of sunlight in the northern hemisphere. The sun appears highest in the sky and its rays strike the earth at a more direct angle causing the warming we call summer.

On Summer Solstice, your shadow at solar noon is the shortest that it will be all year. Solar noon, as opposed to clock-time noon, is when the sun crosses the local meridian – an imaginary line between the North and South poles.

After Summer Solstice, the sun appears to reverse course and head back in the opposite direction. But in point of fact, the sun itself is not moving. This change that we perceive in its position in the sky is caused by the tilt of the earth’s axis as it orbits the sun.

In some cultures, Summer Solstice is celebrated with the gathering of family and friends, raising and dancing around a maypole, decorating houses with greenery and enjoying food and drink.

The word solstice comes from the Latin solstitium – from sol (sun) and stitium (still or stopped). And so for me, Summer Solstice is when the relentless march of time pauses for a heartbeat, when life in all its myriad forms breathes most deeply and when winged wonders unfurl their gossamer wings in humble praise and celebration.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Diet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Tags:   metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · Nortthern Pearly-Eye · Silver-spotted Skipper · summer solstice · White-faced MeadowhawkComments Off on Summer Solstice on My Own Terms

Hmmm, is the mythological overtone of the Titan disaster the story behind the story?

The desperate search for the Titan submersible, which descended into the Atlantic Ocean with five occupants to view the wreck of The Titanic, was the leading news story this week. Search and rescue crews from Canada, the United States, Britain and France – with ships, airplanes and remotely controlled vehicles (ROV) – participated in the search and rescue mission.

As you probably know, the search has ended as debris found in the search area matches the Titan construction. The assumed fate of the Titan is a catastrophic loss of air pressure resulting in an implosion.

A controversy raged on social media, while the search was underway, concerning whether or not we should sympathize with the five occupants. Four were billionaires who paid $250,000 each for the privilege. The fifth was the billionaire CEO of the company who operated the vessel. A few examples culled from Facebook:

Rich idiots do something stupid by spending an exorbitant amount of money to go somewhere dangerous where human beings aren’t meant to go, all because they want to see a century old shipwreck that means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things, and now find themselves in peril. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

I can’t believe how quick people are to celebrate the gruesome deaths of those billionaires. Think for a second about what you’re doing. They haven’t even been confirmed dead, so don’t jinx it. Wait to celebrate until we know for sure.

There’s a small group of homeless people in my town. I give them food when I can – money is tight. Maybe billionaires should do that over creating tax shelters or building subs.

The question of the day is: Should we feel sorry for the wealthy people who paid handsomely for the privilege of being in the Titan for the ill-fated voyage or declare that their wealth and indulgent lifestyles sealed their fate?

From my perspective, any loss of life is tragic no matter the circumstances. I cannot get totally on board (excuse the pun) with the They got what they deserved point of view. The five people died a horrible death the likes of which we can only imagine.

On the other hand, there is merit to argument that it was a blatant example of rich people indulging their whims while the growing number of poor people struggle to survive. The one million dollars that the four billionaires collectively paid to be on the Titan could have made an immeasurable difference in the lives of countless poor and disadvantaged people.

In Greek mythology, the Titans were a generation of pre-Olympian gods who betrayed their father. They were subsequently overthrown by another generation of gods and vanquished from the Upper World. Accordingly, the fate of the occupants of the Titan can be seen as mythological karma at a time when the gap between the wealthy and the poor is steadily widening.

As the saying goes: Karma is a bitch!

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post +on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

their father.

Tags:   karma · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · OceanGate · Titan disaster · Titan submersible · Titans2 Comments

Hmmm, should there really be an open door policy to run for public office?

Admittedly I have no skin in the game, given that I reside in Hamilton, in the race that is unfolding for Toronto’s next mayor. Normally I do not pay much attention to municipal candidates in other cities beyond what makes it onto the evening news.

But I am intrigued by the fact that 102 candidates filed nomination papers for the position. Truthfully, intrigued may not be the right word to use. Puzzled, befuddled or skeptical might better describe my reaction – enough so to make me investigate what is required to run.

Filing a nomination is less rigorous than I would have imagined. You complete a simple nomination form, get 25 signatures on an Endorsement of Nomination Form, present acceptable identification, pay a $200 fee and provide financial statements.

The endorsement process is little more than a formality. You can endorse as many people as you like and can endorse more than one person running for the same office. The bar is set about as low as it can possibly be.

The qualifications required are also very basic. You must be a Canadian citizen at least 18 years of age; a City of Toronto resident or owner or tenant of land in the city or spouse of the owner or tenant; not legally prohibited from voting (whatever that means). You cannot be a judge, an MP, an MPP or senator unless you resign that position.

In other words, pretty much any Tom, Dick or Harriet can throw their hat in the ring. The principle employed is more or less any citizen in good standing. I am not sure I agree with this open door policy. It seems to me that there needs to be some minimum qualifications in terms of experience especially for a role as crucial as mayor.

You may argue that it is up to the electorate to judge the qualifications, or lack thereof, of the candidates. But is it not a poor reflection on the integrity of the process to have a crapload of candidates most of whom have no legitimate qualifications?

I have to wonder why all these people did throw their hat in the ring when 95% of them do not have a snowball’s chance in hell of getting elected. Perhaps some of them did so simply on a lark. “Hey, I’m running for mayor! Buy me a beer!”. But the majority of them are presumably serious in their intention and seriously delusional in their expectations.

From what I can see, there are half a dozen candidates seriously in the running and a few dark horse candidates who may garner a handful of support. The rest are purely paper candidates with no credentials taking up space on the ballot.

I guess it is democracy at work: the door is open to everyone. But it is not, in my estimation, a particularly shining example of that important principle.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Tags:   democracy at work · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · snowball's chance in hell · Toronto mayorComments Off on Toronto Mayor Candidates: A Snowball’s Chance in Hell

Hmmm, what should I do with this $1.5 million euro windfall?

E-mail message received June 3, 2023

Fund Payment Notification (Code HEF0031)

The Porsche Company Ltd Free Lottery Award, in collaboration with Charles III, who automatically acceded to the throne as the new King of the United Kingdom, in conjunction with HM Treasury, United Nations, World Bank, and Ecowas decided to empower some individuals as a farewell gift in honor of the Queen, with 1.5 million euro for Charity/humanitarian empowerment via an online raffle draw.

Your email happens to emerge amongst the emails that were randomly drawn online. You’re obliged to contact Ms. Rebecca L Random via her email address ( bjazz049@buckeye-express.com) immediately for your payment, which will be affected via ATM Card for delivery to your designated address.

Ensure to forward this email to her while contacting her with your contact address and phone number; also, quote this reference, which is your payment reference code (HEF0031), to enable her to respond to you and guide you on how your payment will be dispatched to your doorstep.

Congratulations in advance.

Thanks,

Dr. Donald Walker
United Nations Raffle Draw Supervisor
Director of International Payments

Dear Mr. Walker:

Thank you ever so much for your e-mail. What delightful surprise! I do have a few questions before I respond with my contact details.

Do I have to bow down to King Charles to receive the award? Personally, I find the man is rather like a cartoon character. But if I have to genuflect to him to receive the money, I suppose I could bring myself to do so.

How did it come about that the United Nations and the World Bank are involved? It seems rather outside their purview. Can you clarify their role for my edification?

Do I get the full $1.5 million euros? If so, can you remit payment in Canadian dollars? I anticipate some uncomfortable questions from my bank if I request the currency conversion at my end.

Is “Random” a typical British surname? Also, I am curious as to why her e-mail address has no relation to her name. No doubt there is a simple explanation that will put my concerns to rest.

You indicate that payment will be “affected” via ATM card. I am not familiar with that type of financial transaction. Could you elaborate?

Your message also indicates that “payment will be dispatched to your doorstep”. This is very kind of you! Please ask the individual delivering the money to wear a red bowler hat so I know he or she is legitimate.

With much appreciation,

George K Haphazard

Kblues068@skeptic-slowly.com

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Tags:   lottery award · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · Porsche Company Ltd · scamComments Off on Free Lottery Award: A Few Questions

Hmmm, such an exquisite sight a wildflower can be.

I have flirted with the idea of adding wildflowers to my nature study repertoire. There are some advantages to turning my attention to them relative to the winged wonders I typically focus my attention on.

I do not have to chase a wildflower across the meadow trying to track it until it decides to perch. A wildflower does not fly away the moment I press the shutter button to take a photograph of it as butterflies often do.

On the downside, there are so many of them and the process of identifying them is quite complex. I have optimistically purchased a couple of wildflower field guides. But as of yet I have not been able to summon the patience required.

But occasionally I come across one that is readily identifiable and cries out to be photographed. Case in point: the Blue Flag Iris at the head of this post. Such an exquisite flower to behold with its lavender blue, nodding pedals and their intricately yellow-veined sepals. Purely by chance I captured this one against a palette of verdant green.

It is said that wildflowers are nature’s wallpaper. This Blue Flag Iris qualifies as a random act of metaphor to prove that declaration.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Diet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Tags:   Blue Flag Iris · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · wildflowerComments Off on Random Act of Metaphor: Blue Flag Iris

Hmmm, how little they ask and how very much they offer in return.

I do not talk much about my fascination with butterflies. Most people understand birdwatching which I enjoyed for many years until my chronic back problem forced me to give it up. But when you confess that you chase the smaller winged wonders, you tend to get the “Oh, that’s interesting” response coupled with a furrowed brow.

For the record, I do not use a butterfly net as some afficionados of this pastime do. So I am one step removed from the nature geek gamboling through meadows sweeping his net at anything that takes flight. I use binoculars which leaves casual observers free to assume I am watching birds – a misconception I am happy to leave unchallenged.

Why am I fascinated with these delicate creatures of glorious summer? It stems at a high level from my general love of nature in all its forms. But there are specific reasons why these winged wonders fascinate me.

The simplest of the reasons is that many of them are quite visually stunning like the Baltimore Checkerspot above. I still remember the day I first spotted one. My heart fluttered (pun intended) and I was desperate to get a photograph of it. Beauty inspires me particularly when it is fleeting as butterflies are by their very nature.

Learning to identify these diminutive and often look-alike creatures is an intriguing challenge. There are some butterflies that are unmistakable on sight. But often I must apply a combination of field marks, habitat, season, geography and even behaviour to make an I.D.  Case in point: Tiny Skippers like the Crossline Skipper above.

But if I am being completely honest, the main reason I am drawn to this pastime is because it is a reprieve from the increasingly fractious and often inexplicable affairs of the human race.

Butterflies have no hidden agenda, no axe to grind, no prejudices and no selfish desires. They do not compete to see who can acquire more wealth or power, expect more of me than I can offer or enter into conflict for reasons that made no sense to me. All they ask is that I appreciate their simple elegance and do my best to protect the fragile environments in which they live.

The Butterfly Effect metaphor – that a butterfly flapping its wings can have an impact thousands of miles away – demonstrates that little, insignificant events can lead to significant results over time. But for me it means simply that the sight of one of these winged wonders can bring me peace of mind and spirit I often cannot find anywhere else.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Diet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week

Tags:   Baltimore Checkerspot · butterflies · Butterfly Effect · Crossline Skipper · Great-spanged Fritillary · metaphor · Michael Robert DyetComments Off on The Butterfly Effect Redefined

Hmmm, are we in a Catch 22 scenario when it comes to computer chips?

In anticipation of my retirement at the end of March, I decided to give myself a retirement gift. I ordered a DSLR camera, with an 18 – 135 mm lens, from the Henry’s website on February 18. Delivery was specified as four to eight weeks which meant it should arrive by mid-April. Perfect timing, right? Well, not so much.

Three months later the camera is still on backorder. The delay is a result of the shortage of computer chips for electronic devices and automobiles. I did a bit of Google research to try and get a sense a better sense of the problem.

The problem dates all the way back to 2019 when the U.S. placed restrictions on the export of American technology, including computer chips, to some Chinese firms. Chinese manufacturers responded to that blacklist by stockpiling semiconductors needed for computer chips.

Them along came the COVID-19 lockdowns when demand for work-from-home technology increased exponentially. Manufacturers had to compete for semiconductor capacity in Asian foundries. Downstream operations in Asia, in particular Malaysia, were impacted by COVID-19 creating further bottlenecks in the supply chain.

And then in early 2021, a couple of dozen machines were destroyed in a fire at a semi-conductor plant in Japan that makes about one in three microcontroller chips. Around the same time, power shortages caused by an extreme cold snap in Texas forced Samsung, Infineon Technologies and NXP semiconductors to temporarily halt chip manufacturing.

Other supply chain issues factor into the mix: labour shortages, ocean freight bottlenecks, increasing inflation, global port congestion, warehouse shortage, financial sanctions in Russia closing off transport routes, climate crisis regulations enacted to reduce emissions along global supply chains.

In summary, the not-so-short answer to the chip shortage is a combination of pandemic shutdowns, geopolitics, increased demand, supply chain issues and plain old bad luck. In effect, a perfect storm of circumstances.

But I believe there is another more insidious issue involved.

Whenever there is a shortage of a particular item, the unit price for that item skyrockets. Profit margins for the suppliers of that item get fatter. In theory, the unit price should come back down when the shortage ends. But the suppliers rather like the higher profit margin so they stockpile the item and release it in dribs and drabs to prolong the shortage.

So it is a Catch 22 situation. The shortage causes higher demand which causes higher prices which encourages the suppliers to hold back inventory which perpetuates the shortage.

The short answer as to when I can expect to receive my camera is Your guess is as a good as mine. I am a victim of the Catch 22 scenario. I may have to fly to Malaysia, meet a black market dealer in a back alley and hope they do not knock me in the head and run when I hand over my hard earned money.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Tags:   catch 22 · computer chips · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · supply chain problemsComments Off on The Computer Chip Shortage: Catch 22

Hmmm, if you treat me like I am a dime-a-dozen, you can kiss my business goodbye.

Shoppers Drug Mart is the latest retain chain to drive a stake into the heart of customer service. By all appearances they have joined the ranks of the “as much profit as possible while providing as little service as possible” corporations.

I dropped into a Shoppers outlet this week to pick up a couple of items. When I got to the front of the store, I discovered there was only one full-service checkout and I could only use it if I was willing to pay in cash. If I wanted to pay by debit or credit card, I had no choice but to use one of the self-service kiosks.

The message this sends to me is: We want your business but only if we do not have to work hard to get it. We prefer not to interact with you in any way. Get what you want, self-serve yourself to pay and get out. You are a transaction to us, not a customer.

I always harken back to a story told by a course instructor – I will call him Sam – a few years back when I encounter this type of situation. Sam wanted to attach something to the front door of his house. He knew he needed a special type of drill bit to drill a hole in the door. But he did not know specifically what type of bit to purchase.

Sam went to a Big Box store and explained to the teenage clerk what he needed. The clerk responded “That’s aisle 10” and walked away. Sam found his way to aisle 10 where there were several rows of drill bits. But he had no idea which one to buy.

Sam left the Big Box store and drove to the local hardware store. He explained to the friendly staff person – I will call him Joe – what he needed to do. Joe walked him to proper aisle and gave him the exact drill bit needed for the purpose.

Sam’s takeaway: Joe knew that it was not the drill bit I needed. I needed the hole in the door. Joe gave me the hole in the door.

I have no doubt that the “Serve yourself and get out” model – aka The Death of Customer Service – will continue to prevail in the big chain stores. They see us as a dime-a-dozen. Faceless nobodies with disposable income to be pried loose.

The big chain store’s vision is the automated store with no staff needed. Technology replaces customer service as it is much more cost efficient. No staff equals bigger profits. Patrons must be conditioned to interact with technology rather than with people.

I, however, whenever possible will patronize the local, owner-operated store where I am treated as a customer. Nice to see you. Yes, I can help you with that. Is there anything else you need? Thanks so much and have a nice day. I am willing to pay a little extra for service with a smile rather than be processed as a dime-a-dozen nobody.

~  Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

~ Subscribe to Michael’s Metaphors of Life Journal aka Things That Make Me Go Hmmm at its’ internet home www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog2. Instructions for subscribing are provided in the Subscribe to this Blog: How To instructions page in the right sidebar. If you’re reading this post on another social networking site, come back regularly to my page for postings once a week.

Tags:   customer service · dime a dozen · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · self serve checkout · Shoppers Drug MartComments Off on The Death of Customer Service