sold out

I walk into an ice cream shop that I like because they have the best chocolate chip ice cream. Sometimes I try other flavors but this time I want the chocolate chip because they ran out of it last time. I order the chocolate chip and guess what? They're out of it again.  I ask the guy behind the counter what's with the chocolate chip because they were out of it last time. He says "ya we often run out of that flavor because it's very popular." And so I leave and go to the frozen yogurt place up the street.

Am I the only one who thinks there is a problem here?

If you manage a retail eatery and there is something that you often run out of, it's because people like it and they expect you to have it. Just because something is popular is no excuse for running out. French fries at McDonalds are popular and do you think they ever run out? They would be better off closing the place down than to have to tell their customers they ran out of fries. If you want happy customers ORDER MORE!!!

the dirty glass test

If ever you forget which type of restaurant you are dining at there is a simple litmus test that always reveals the answer.

It's called "the dirty glass test".

If your "glass" is in fact paper or plastic then you are enjoying fast food. The good thing about fast food is you rarely receive a dirty glass. And if you did you'd simply toss it in the trash and get a new one. It's that simple.

If you notice a smudge on your glass and you hail the waiter to report it and the waiter takes the reported glass and holds it up to the light and says "that's not dirty, it's just water stains" then you are enjoying casual food at a restaurant like the Cheese Cake Factory or perhaps Islands. Usually the new glass will be clean and if it's not, tough.

You know you are dining fine when you report a dirty glass and the waiter swoops in and ushers the dirty glass away without even inspecting it. It's as if the waiter is embarrassed that you had to go through that experience. And to point out a subtle difference at the fine restaurant most often the waiter will inspect the new replacement glass to make sure this time they get it right.

If ever you're unsure where you are try it for yourself.

one roll versus two

Some bathroom stalls have one big monster size roll of toilet paper while others have two medium size rolls.

Why is this?

There are two reasons for super sizing and opting for one big roll. The first is obvious. Why does Costco super size everything? Because it's cheaper to produce in large quantities and therefore provides a discount to the consumer. The same is true for toilet paper. The bigger the roll the less it costs per sheet. The second advantage to having a big roll is that it needs to be changed less often which results in less maintenance costs.

What advantage does two rolls have over one?

Imagine what happens when the maintenance person checks up on the big roll and notices that there is only a small amount left. He ends up replacing it and discarding the remainder to avoid anyone from running out of paper while doing their business. But with two rolls usually one completely runs out before the other and the maintenance person can replace just the empty roll and leave the other to be fully depleted. This essentially allows the maintenance person to replace half of the supply.

This is somewhat analogous to fueling up your car. Imagine in the extreme case that you had to wait until your tank was completely empty before you could get more gas. You'd have difficulty timing it perfectly so that you ran out of gas just as you pulled into the station. And if you did still have some gas left you'd have to discard it. Even better than two rolls we are able to fill up our gas tank anytime even if we have almost a full tank.

So does that lead us to thinking that the more rolls the better? Yes and no but that's a topic for another day.

choosing your stall

First there is the next-stall method where you choose the next available stall and don’t really pay attention to the aesthetic factors or the usage statistics. These people generally are in and out in less than two minutes and often skip the hand washing exercise. They never use a paper towel to guard the door handle on the exit and they think Purell is cat food.

Second is the most-popular-stall method which is where people won’t use the stall which they think gets used the most, which is usually the closest one to the entrance but not always. They then rank the remaining stalls in decreasing order of usage and choose the next best one on the list. These people always wash their hands and almost always use paper towel to open the door but they may skip the paper towel on the door if someone else is present.

Third is the preferential-stall method which is where you use the following factors with weights assigned to each: flush method (auto vs. manual), stall cubic layout, horizontal space, coat hooks, flush sound and spray, auto flush sensitivity, lighting, door gap, temperature, and that’s just to name a few. This person often washes their hands before the stall and never misses a thorough scrubbing after. They never activate a manual flush and they actually prefer manual to automatic because of toxic flush fumes. For these folks touching the door handle is not an option. If there are no paper towels then they wait it out until the next visitor shows up and they then sneak out with a foot hold. And when they return to their desk they apply the finishing touch, two pumps of Purell.

And of course there are hybrid methods where you mix and match different methods.