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You’re Not Alone.","_id":"892f55e6-0d9f-44a5-a17e-b95dfecd8431","id":"Yh5n5FTx","body":[{"children":[{"text":"In bygone generations, businesses sought to provide excellent products and courteous service, relying on word of mouth and repeat customers as an indication that they were doing a good job. 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Instead, some evidence shows that when average consumers are compelled to constantly evaluate their experiences, they end up "},{"marks":["strong"],"text":"feeling overloaded ","_key":"957003070c5f","_type":"span"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"and often don’t take the time to consider their responses before submitting surveys.","_key":"4b6a1187bb8c"}],"_type":"block"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Making matters worse, many of these surveys completely skim over the central component of any business transaction: whether the customer received a high-quality product or service. 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Most recently, that ","_key":"c523a1163e9a0"},{"_type":"span","marks":["d5288b040f85"],"text":"backlash","_key":"c523a1163e9a1"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" played out against ","_key":"c523a1163e9a2"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"one of the world’s biggest gym chains","_key":"45e8d94ff4c9"},{"_key":"c2eba0d93272","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"."}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"f635f1c01c0d"},{"children":[{"text":"How it all started","_key":"a6af7ef786cf0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"]}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"06c19bd473eb","markDefs":[]},{"style":"normal","_key":"51eb655639b5","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"A number of Planet Fitness members, primarily women, have spoken out against a corporate policy allowing individuals to use the locker rooms that align with their gender identity. According to reports, some men have taken advantage of this policy, allegedly resulting in the","_key":"27a432c74e710"},{"_key":"3b0cdbb334bf","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" harassment and even abuse"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" of women and girls.","_key":"37907ffeac38"}],"_type":"block"},{"_key":"f6d12dfc7553","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_key":"d009ed3e5fbf0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Planet Fitness has come under fire specifically due to the claims of some critics that it has"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" punished women who complain","_key":"e328ef24b0d1"},{"_key":"b62660c142ad","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" about feeling uncomfortable while taking no action against those against whom the accusations were made."}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"},{"_key":"6d51a419aaf8","markDefs":[{"_type":"link","href":"https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6349383793112#","_key":"003ef5cfa078"}],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"After weeks of boycotts and calls for existing members to cancel their contracts, Planet Fitness has ","_key":"047cde8d22b20"},{"marks":["003ef5cfa078"],"text":"reportedly","_key":"047cde8d22b21","_type":"span"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" lost hundreds of millions of dollars ","_key":"047cde8d22b22"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"in value. For founder and former CEO Mike Grondahl, the writing is on the wall: Planet Fitness is all but doomed.","_key":"94af301d7d56"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Here’s what he said","_key":"2287846143ab0"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"4c1644ac6270"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"marks":[],"text":"During a recent interview, Grondahl said the company “","_key":"de5cd6dbe35f0","_type":"span"},{"_key":"636ecb267199","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"was like another child"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"” and that it pains him to see what it has become.","_key":"198175ec2316"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"6035ec429621"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"“It’s been","_key":"5df4f0e2b7480"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" pretty much destroyed ","_key":"32fd503ad437"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"in, you know, it’s lost all respect within the country within the last couple weeks.”","_key":"61771a0658ae"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"2518a28283a6"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"After Grondahl sold Planet Fitness in 2012, he spoke out against","_key":"152d0aa48ff50"},{"_key":"5778e7c315bf","_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" a culture of abuse"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" he said had taken root therein. And in addition to the latest controversy, he also took aim at corporate financial reports, asserting: “Their numbers are very suspect.”","_key":"271b83747b58"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"cf04f4b7f552"},{"children":[{"text":"Google reported ","_key":"3e6230a535240","_type":"span","marks":[]},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"a 2,800% rise in searches","_key":"43e23aca4f3d"},{"_key":"e4501907350f","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" for how to cancel Planet Fitness memberships recently, so it’s certainly not just the company’s founder who has deep concerns about its direction. But with"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" nearly 19 million members","_key":"c90538219e20"},{"marks":[],"text":", any immediate collapse is unlikely.","_key":"762ab1cefa0c","_type":"span"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"294a387d7cdd","markDefs":[]}],"id":"SPvgB3se","title":"Is Planet Fitness ‘Destroyed’? 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","_key":"4c69c487fcaa"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"by the end of this decade","_key":"9c3324dd334f"}],"level":1,"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"aa3858ac3f7f","listItem":"bullet","markDefs":[]},{"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Some communities push back","_key":"40bc3d3309480"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"62856a0f19c0","markDefs":[]},{"_key":"e154bda1b905","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_key":"e3a13b7c9dac0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"While loyal customers and profit-driven investors see the car wash boom as a good thing, many local leaders and residents say the trend is having a negative impact."}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"},{"_key":"5c2f9b682bf2","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Mayor Glenn Broska of Streetsboro, Ohio, explained why his town recently enacted a prohibition on future car wash 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From the perspective of shoppers,","_key":"69d5b7bf33c30"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" the reception to self-checkout options has been mixed","_key":"f60f8b820e36"},{"marks":[],"text":" — but Vasos isn’t implementing this new strategy in response to complaints from customers.","_key":"9d8c6b0c07e8","_type":"span"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"ebffcdb63249"},{"_key":"86ef612ca50f","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Instead, he said that thousands of stores will see a significant scale-back in self-checkout stands in order to curb shoplifting.","_key":"76588888fa980"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"},{"style":"normal","_key":"f60265ecb69f","markDefs":[],"children":[{"marks":[],"text":"“We believe there is truly ","_key":"d33edb416acc0","_type":"span"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"no substitute for an employee presence","_key":"25b3c9e12d2f"},{"marks":[],"text":" at the front end of the store to greet customers and provide excellent customer service, including at checkout.”","_key":"717f3d135f4f","_type":"span"}],"_type":"block"},{"style":"normal","_key":"1f834563b2f9","markDefs":[],"children":[{"text":"How things will change","_key":"edd6e5dcff9b0","_type":"span","marks":["strong"]}],"_type":"block"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Dollar General will roll out its new strategy based on the rate of theft in specific stores. 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broke earlier this month about Walmart’s decision to drop $2.3 billion on the purchase of Vizio, a company many consumers know as a television brand. 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Not only does turning left take longer since it involves cutting across traffic, it is also much more dangerous. Left-hand turns lead to more than three times as many pedestrian deaths than right-hand turns.","_key":"bf3a8f7927420","_type":"span"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"12aed618d97a"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"And focusing strictly on the profit margin, UPS has found that eliminating unnecessary left-hand turns saves about ","_key":"4032b41a9e590"},{"marks":["strong"],"text":"10 million gallons of gas","_key":"85afc510bd45","_type":"span"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" (and 20,000 tons of carbon dioxide release) each year.","_key":"a54f6c694754"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"ad3785a3bc1f"},{"_key":"82e6022221c5","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"It also allows the company to deliver about 350,000 more packages annually.","_key":"2dde059a71cd0"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"}]},{"_id":"ae1fc32d-a19f-4eb8-88a8-5ec5a3006740","title":"Say Goodbye To The Era Of Returning Online Purchases For Free","slug":"/story/2024/02/say-goodbye-to-the-era-of-returning-online-purchases-for-free","summary":"Amazon and other retailers are rapidly amending their policies.","author":{"_ref":"phCNL32Gn","_type":"reference"},"publishDate":"2024-02-19","visibility":"true","_rev":"iF2vGmW38fJrStJgfptMJs","body":[{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"cda98f149abf","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Let’s face it: We’ve had it pretty good thus far in the age of e-commerce. 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","summary":"The Chinese company has been sinking a lot of cash into American ads.","visibility":"true","publishDate":"2024-02-14","body":[{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"7f6b85aca0d6","markDefs":[],"children":[{"text":"If you watched the Super Bowl on Sunday, you likely noticed numerous ads for the discount shopping app Temu. 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TJ Maxx has developed a strategy that involves purchasing items from niche companies whose products don’t usually make it to big-name grocery stores.","_key":"bf38a9b5c8df0"}],"_type":"block"},{"children":[{"_key":"cd66d85bab940","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Not only does this allow the retailer to offer lower prices, but it also serves as "},{"text":"an intriguing aspect of the shopping experience","_key":"29b39d8284d6","_type":"span","marks":["strong"]},{"_key":"01097992fff3","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" that convinces some customers to spend longer in the store and, more importantly, spend more money."}],"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"5c637eb94028","markDefs":[]},{"_key":"cc3c05dd626f","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"The debate rages on","_key":"51c4eb6a8d250"}],"_type":"block","style":"normal"},{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"14eedae1702c","markDefs":[],"children":[{"text":"Despite TJ Maxx’s assurances about the quality and freshness of its foods, many social media users have","_key":"da4f603077100","_type":"span","marks":[]},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" weighed in about their misgivings","_key":"a15549aea85c"},{"marks":[],"text":". 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But when it came to a perfectly flaky pastry that contained a delectable taste of pumpkin spice, the option was sadly never meant to last.","_key":"b83c986f05d3"}],"level":1,"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"eea470628318","listItem":"bullet"},{"markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Cereal","_key":"579579de30400"},{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":": Can’t decide between a bowl of cereal or a Toaster Strudel? For a while, you didn’t have to choose. 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Not only is it much simpler for franchisees to procure supplies and delivery options directly from Domino’s, but the company","_key":"e4666a24ad320"},{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":" also offers profit sharing","_key":"e026ed413fa6"},{"marks":[],"text":" for those who do.","_key":"0ae45a5db88e","_type":"span"}]},{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"788128fab6de","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_key":"cb4f22e9c5040","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Through this innovative partnership with thousands of franchises, roughly 60% of the corporation’s revenue currently comes from its supply chain operation."}]},{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"5b56c7e56909","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"And franchise owners seem pretty happy with the arrangement, too. 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","_key":"a087833aafb40"},{"text":"struggling","_key":"a087833aafb41","_type":"span","marks":["9ed3d8b94f81"]},{"_key":"a087833aafb42","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":" to stay afloat as most of the modern retail experience takes place online."}],"_type":"block"},{"_type":"block","style":"normal","_key":"99a2ac61ede3","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":["strong"],"text":"Rethinking the space","_key":"22dcdbf419f60"}]},{"_key":"f989fcd5072c","markDefs":[],"children":[{"_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"The heyday of bustling malls from the ‘80s and ‘90s is long gone, and what’s left are largely vacant hulls where food courts, department stores, and an obligatory Hot Topic once welcomed shoppers. 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