I’m
not one of those people who likes unlimited choice. I think that
started about a million years ago when our family was in the service
station business in Santa Monica. Back then, one of my favorite
“restaurants” was a tiny, and, I mean tiny — as in six-stool shack —
next door to a small, independent market on Pico Boulevard, called
Walt’s.
You could order whatever you wanted for breakfast or lunch
at Walt’s, as long as it could be made with a hamburger bun; white,
wheat or rye bread; hash browns or home fries; eggs; ground steak
(hamburger patties); sausage patty; ham or bacon; American cheese,
lettuce or tomato.
It was easy: Walk in, sit down, decide on a
combination of the nine to 12 possible ingredients available and then
build a selection — hamburger patty and eggs; bacon, lettuce and
tomato; ham sandwich, grilled cheese. You get the idea.
At last
count, I was visited by at least five different vendors last week, at
least three of whom are looking to break into our “First, Second, Third
Call” rotation. Each brought a universe of possibilities with them, and
more choices than anyone should ever have to be confronted with. All I
had to do was pick one from Column A, two from Column B, etc.
Each
promised the lowest possible prices, something I found interesting
considering it seems foolish, if not impossible, for all of them to be
the lowest-priced parts provider. And not one of them had anything to
say about service or availability until I broached the subject.
Not
one of them asked about our business, what our buying habits are, what
brands we liked or disliked, what kind of volume we were doing with our
current suppliers, what we like or didn’t like about the way they do
business, what kinds of cars or trucks we were working on, whether or
not we were current with our suppliers. Nothing.
Each let us know
quickly and clearly what we had to do to “qualify” for their particular
program. However, not one asked what we were looking for. It was as if
our sole purpose was to help them increase same-store sales.
They
had choices for me — too many choices. And each vendor had a slightly
different product mix. But the ultimate choice someone like me has to
make is whether or not I want to sit at their counter and order
anything. What they didn’t seem to understand was that this was all
about whether and, not necessarily what! And the answer isn’t always
the size of the menu. Sometimes, less is more especially if it’s
better. Sometimes it’s the food quality, preparation and presentation
that makes the choice for you.
I liked Walt’s. There may have been
limited choices, but what he did have was exceptional — the highest
possible quality with everything “cooked to order.” And “cooked to
order” meant that Walt had to ask us what we wanted and how we wanted
it prepared, and then listen when it was our turn to talk.
I liked Walt’s because although the choices were limited, I never felt like I was missing out on anything.
Walt
always made me feel like I could get whatever I wanted when I sat down
on one of his six stools. And, whatever I got was perfect because he
made it his business to know what I wanted, needed and expected from
him.
Walt listened and then acted upon the information he received. Do you?
Mitch
Schneider co-owns and operates Schneider’s Automotive Service in Simi
Valley, CA. Readers can contact him at mschneider@babcox.com.