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Each week our Boomer-In-Charge, Hershel Chicowitz, has something to say about life, society, or what's going on... from the perspective of a baby boomer. This is what's on his mind the week of February 1:
I think that 1999 will be the year that electronic commerce really takes off. I know, I know... there was about $5 billion of it last year. But that was nothing. I mean really takes off!
Lemme' explain what I mean. When you think of buying a wedding present, or a video, or a CD, where do you think of going? The mall. When you think about planning that spring trip to Disney World, where do you go? The triple-A. Well, by the end of this year, your answer to both those questions should be: the Internet. (And at the risk of sounding extremely self-serving here... which, make no mistake, is exactly what I am... when you think of buying a book or video or CD, you should think immediately of BBHQ.)
Doing business on the Internet is sometimes frustrating, and at times, down-right exasperating. But then, so is a trip to the mall. (And believe me, the trip to the mall ain't gonna' get any easier.) Some e-commerce web sites are poorly set up; some don't work right, and some are unreliable. But we're still in the "horse and buggy" stages of electronic commerce. It will get a whole lot better... and very fast. Very fast.
Perhaps the best example of how to do it right is... surprise, surprise: Amazon.com. They started out with just books; now they have books, audio books, CD's, videos, gifts.... and soon, they'll have a lot more. But aside from the selection, their site makes it easy to find things and inquire about an order. They send you an e-mail message when your order is shipped with a tracking number so you can find out when it was shipped and exactly where it is. And they just don't come any more reliable than Amazon.com. They really are terrific.
Oh, did I mention taxes? Unless you live in a state where Amazon.com has an office, your purchase is tax-free. But better grab onto it while you can. With $5 billion in revenue about to explode, there is no way on earth that Washington will let this go on much longer? Why not? It's like what Willie Sutton said when they asked him why he robbed banks: "'Cause that's where the money is." Quite an apt comparison, if I do say so.
One of the best things about Amazon.com is their "one-click" service. When you place your first order with them, they can store your name, address, etc. The next time you go there, they "remember" who you are, what your address is, and all that stuff. When you find something you want, all you have to do is click one spot... and you got it. Gees, it is terrific! Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week... beats the mall any day... every day.
Of course, it does require some discipline and self-restraint on your part. But then, so does an active social life. But I digress. And a lot of people are still unwilling to provide their credit card number for an Internet transaction. But they'll gladly hand their credit card over to some 19 year-old punk in a dimly lit bar 2,000 miles away from home... in a heartbeat. But enter their credit card number for an electronic transaction, where absolutely no human will ever see it... not a chance. I donno'; probably the same people who think that Bill Clinton was just trying to further the career of an impressionable young intern, while at the same time "honoring" his wife: "I honor you... I love you." (... just pathetic, isn't it? Just makes your teeth hurt!)
OK, so you don't give your credit card to a teenager in a bar. Like me, you pay cash, of course. (No evidence.) But what about the last time you made an airline reservation? Did you know that when you telephone Fly-by-Night Airline (I forgot the real one, but this is a true story), the person you give your credit card number to may well be in inmate at a federal prison? Really! And you're worried about providing your credit card number to Amazon.com? Gees!
Of course, things can get out of hand. Recently some enterprising pipsqueak in Kansas took a picture of some tumbleweeds flowing across a cornfield. (Now, I should remind you here that tumbleweeds are nothing but big pieces of crud that stick together loosely and go wherever the wind blows; they have absolutely no social, redeeming value whatsoever; and are nothing but a niusance to farmers everywhere.) Anyway, this aspiring entrepreneur posted the picture on the Internet, and started selling genuine midwest tumbleweeds for $19.95... "your satisfaction guaranteed." And she can't keep them in stock! She is getting orders from Turkey... China... Maylasia... Miami Beach! She's on her way to becoming a frigging millionaire!
And are we even the slightest bit jealous here at BBHQ 'cause we can't sell enough books and CD's even to pay for the phone connection to our web site? Nah... not in the slightest.
So I'm not trying to talk you into anything here. Not even our little link to Amazon.com. But I am making the case that electronic commerce is a terrific way to do business, and an even better way to buy stuff.
Think about that the next time some jerk sideswipes you in a parking lot at the mall.
If you want to write more, we're open to offerings from other boomers. If you have something to say of interest to boomers, write it as well as you can in 700-900 words, and send it to us. We can't guarantee we'll publish it, but we'll surely consider it.
For more of Hershel's essays, check the BBHQ Archives or the Boomer Essays.
Hershel will have something else to say on February 8; mark your calendar to come back to BBHQ every Monday.
| The BBHQ Album of the Month is "Old Friends Live on Stage (Deluxe Edition) (2 CD/1 DVD)," by Simon & Garfunkel. If you were fortunate enough to see them in concert last year, I do not have to sell you. The concert was terrific! This album collection includes 55 songs, plus their new recording, "Citizen of the Planet," and one of the songs sung by the Everly Brothers during the concert. The DVD was recorded during their concert in Madison Square Garden in 2003. For any S&G fan, this is a must have! But then, you knew that already, didn't you? |
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The BBHQ Book of the Month is
"Vinyl Highway," by
Dee Dee Phelps. You remember her as Dee Dee, of Dick and Dee Dee.
Together, they took a decade long ride on the rock and roll roller
coaster. It was a heck of a ride! Dick Clark, Quincy Jones, the Beach
Boys, Glenn Campbell, Dionne Warwick, Bobby Vinton... Dick and Dee Dee
rubbed shoulders with all of them. This is her "behind the scenes" story.
It's pretty cool.
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