It's Not About The Money

Here is a short interview I did at CES this year! It was only audio so enjoy the slideshow!

After my heart attack, I needed to have all my toes amputated and it has been a huge struggle to walk long distances. At CES I was in need of a wheelchair to get around the show since it is a massive show. Last year we had used a manual wheelchair which was ok but I was bound to my family and where they took me (not that I don't appreciate them pushing me around but you lose your freedom and mobility). We found the Whill Ci and it was a game-changer. It is a chair that makes you feel human and it is easy to maneuver. I was able to see the show with ease and very little complications. This is my review and how I felt using the Whill Ci.

We all have those processes in the office where people do it because "that's how we've always done it"! When this happens again, tell them how to make brisket!

When running DBL I had a customer that wanted to return a product that was $37. I had a policy in the returns department that if it was $30 or under just refund them and let the customer keep the item. It was cheaper for me to do that then process the return. The returns department wouldn't process the return and the call got to me. I gave the refund and talked with the returns department about how I would have given them the $7 to make the customer happy. My second example, is about a woman who was upset at the pricing we had misprinted for some Sennheiser headphones. They were clearly too low and to sell them at that price I would go out of business. I offered her the headphones at below cost for the 2 pairs she wanted and she agreed! Later that year I saw her when I was receiving an award and she was very grateful for what I did. Yes, I messed up and lost money but it was worth it in the long run because she will remember the service we provided for her. Service is remembered long after the price!

Internet retailers are going to get squeezed for time since they have specific deadlines to make sure you get your product before Christmas. As the time get’s closer they will offer faster delivery options but discounts and free shipping will still be there so they can get an order. During DBL we would give discounts on faster shipping options to make sure we could do our best to get the product to our customers on time. Always tough but we got it done!

First, I would never have cut FedEx before Christmas. This was a huge mistake since it limits their shipping compacity. Yes UPS and USPS can help but they should have waited till after Christmas. Second, doing big changes like 1-day shipping nationwide for Prime members should have been tested during an offseason to make sure it can work smoothly. We implemented software on October 15th and it was a disaster. It was good we did it early so we could catch it but man was that tough!

Part 2 of why Amazon is going to have trouble delivering on time for Christmas this year. As someone who had been in distribution for 18+ years, I can tell you this isn’t easy. Switching to 1-day shipping and dropping FedEx right before the holidays was not a great choice. I’ve already got 1 order delayed and it’s only December 11th. I hope everyone gets their packages on time!

My take on why Amazon is struggling this year to deliver gifts on time for Christmas and the holidays.