Sometimes We're Creatures of Change
When my son was much younger, he only ate hot dogs. This made it nearly impossible to go out to dinner anywhere but the local deli. So, every Friday night we would wind up at the same place. Sam would order the same thing and, eventually, my husband and I also fell into a routine. I’d have the chicken soup and he’d have the whitefish sandwich.
We weren’t exactly proud of this routine and hoped that someday my son would grow out of his eating habits. But the process took several years and, over time, the wait staff at the deli knew exactly our routine. It became a little embarrassing. In fact, every time we entered the deli, the crew would greet us and ask “same old, same old?”
Now, I liked the fact that we were personally greeted. The part I hated was the, “same old” line.
…Which brings me to my point about certain forms of marketing. While Amazon and other personalized sites greet you by name (that’s nice), they also try to predict your habits (sometimes, not so nice). No one wants to be seen as a boring creature of habit. It gets a little creepy and isn’t always a sign of respect, as some marketers tell us.
Oh, and by the way, my son is a vegetarian now. He still likes to go to the same deli, but he’s changed up his order and asks for the Gardenburger. You can bet our waiter was shocked the day that happened.
