MCOM 407

Lessons Learned From Project

2008-05-07T11:36:00.001-08:00

Completing my project this semester was one of the most humbling experiences of my college career. I honestly did not think it would be too difficult to go out and write for a themed project, especially since there were only 6 modules. What I realized as I got started was that it was not the assignment that made this class difficult, but it was indeed the struggle of managing my time to get my assignments completed.

I am fairly busy at all times. I work 5 days a week and am taking 15 credits this semester. In addition to this class, I am also taking Mass Communications research, making scheduling interviews especially difficult. I somehow managed to complete all of my interviews on time, although I confess that it was struggle.

I also learned that Dreamweaver and web projects are easier to manipulate than I thought. I was taught basic web editing skills through my internship last semester and Digital Publishing, but this class took that knowledge to a new level. I wish I had done more to my introduction page, but I am happy I at least knew how to start a page on my own, add pictures and change attributes. As I stated in a previous post, if I had more time, I would have loved to do more with this project.

The skills I learned from this project are innvaluable. I honestly hope that as I learn more about these programs, I can implement them into a possible career path.

Anderson Podcast

2008-05-05T09:10:00.002-08:00

My second podcast was taken from an interview with Towson resident Patricia Anderson. During the interview, she discussed how Purdam Pharmacy's delivery service has been helpful to her for at least several decades. She mentioned how the pharmacy was of greatest help when her five children, all of whom are around the same age, were little. She would use the service most often when one of the children were sick and she was unable to leave her house.

boomp3.com

Lisa Podcast

2008-05-05T09:05:00.003-08:00

Since the audio from my first interview with Lisa Nesmith was over 20 minutes long, I was able to use audio that was not included in my story in the podcast. The podcast describes Nesmith's feelings on what makes a small business thrive in an economy that is kinder to corporate chains. Nesmith emphasizes the importance of selling items that are different and tells a short anecdote about how her children help her decide what is interesting for young people. The second part of the podcast discusses that because her store is so small and different, Nesmith is about to draw a customer base from all ages. As an enthusiastic small business owner, Nesmith appreciates the diversity of people that have visited her store.

boomp3.com

Course Reflection

2008-04-29T20:50:00.002-08:00

Writing for New Media picked up for me where Digital Publishing left off. I learned to love the programs and technical aspects of these courses more than the actual Journalism aspect, which was justified part of the way through this course. I initially started to sense a change in my feelings towards Journalism by the end of Digital Publishing, but Writing for New Media solidified those thoughts.

What I enjoyed most about this course was working with Dreamweaver, Soundslides and the other programs involved in putting together our package. I never thought I could work on computers until I started taking new media courses, but now I wish i had taken them earlier. If I had the opportunity to take Digital Publishing a year ago, followed by Writing for New Media, I would probably considered taking more computer classes to try to improve my developed skills.

Unfortunately, although I understand that the reporting is the most important aspect of this class, I did not feel as fulfilled as I thought I would now that my assignments are completed. This could be due to time constraints on my assignments due to pressures from the workloads of other classes. If I could do college again, I would never take Writing for New Media and Mass Communications Research the semester I graduated again.

As for suggestions, I like the idea that Professor Lieb choose the topics for the class. In my Mass Comm Research class, our topics were chosen for us and it made research much simpler. Much of my initial stress of the course was caused by trying to select a topic. I feel this will allow students more time to research the topic if they know it by the first or second week of class.

Overall, this was a positive experience, but I wish just wish I had taken it prior to graduation. I also would love to take a non-credit course like this outside of college. This would actually give me the chance to focus on this information, instead of juggling meetings, part-time job, 5 classes and life. I honestly consider it a miracle I got everything done, but it is a nice feeling.

Steve from The Health Concern

2008-04-23T10:16:00.002-08:00

As stated earlier, I went to the organic food store The Health Concern to complete my multimedia project. I met with Steve Wollett, one of the store's managers, to talk about what makes them stick out against the other health food stores in the area. I was completely impressed by Wollet's knowledge of local small businesses and his enthusiasm for organic foods.

After my interview, he gave me a tour around the store. Unlike Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, The Health Concern has an "herbal pharmacy." While there is not a pharmacist on staff, customers can request over 300 herbs for their own use. Wollett said that customers often choose to create their own remedies by selecting herbs they feel will cure their ailments; sometimes people buy empty capsules and make pills, while other people mix the herbs into teas. The herbs are all placed in jars, almost resembling a colonial apothecary shop.

In addition to the herbs, the store has a "make your own peanut butter machine" and containers full of honey. The center of the store contains a selection of nuts, seeds and beans that customers can measure out at their own leisure. The entire atmosphere of the store is customer-friendly. Unlike chain stores, The Health Concern gives customers the freedom to choose exactly how much of each product they want.

After the official interview, Wollett gave me a tour around the store. While near the organic milks and juices, he told me how soy milk is quite unsuitable for humans. He went on to explain that there is so much estrogen in soy milk, that when given to children, it causes early sexual development and problems with reproduction in adulthood. As we walked past the organic cleaners, Wollett explained how citrus products are great cleansers as an alternative to bleach. During my visit, I probably learned more about organic foods than I had during the rest of my life. I appreciated the out pour of knowledge I received during my visit.

The only problem I encountered during my visit was that the extra batteries I packed turned out to be an set that had already die. For some reason, I foolishly did not throw out the dead ones last week, but set then aside to the news ones. This clearly posed a problem when I went to take pictures of the store after the interview. Fortunately, I was able to go back later in the day, but Wollett had already left.

Overall, I felt that the really charm of the multimedia project was the ambiance of the store. The entire atmosphere is different from larger chains: the staff wanted to speak with you and was knowledgeable, and customers were encouraged to wonder the store until they found what they wanted. Overall, a great location to focus a story on.

Stoneleigh Lanes

2008-04-16T10:25:00.002-08:00

I interviewed Dave Staub, one of the managers at Stoneleigh Lanes earlier this week. Stoneleigh Lanes is a duckpin bowling center that has been in operation for 62 years and is still considerably busy today. I wanted to focus on the center's Friday night Rock and Bowl, which allows customers to bowl unlimited games for two hours, sing karaoke and enjoy concessions. This is a new feature for Stoneleigh, but it has proven to be popular already.

During the interview, Staub and I discussed past Friday night traditions at the center, including Pizza Bowl. Previously, Stoneliegh Lanes sponsored an all-you-can-eat pizza night and unlimited bowling. The evening events changed when lights and fog machines were installed to create a more youth-friendly enviornment.

Staub also mentioned Stoneleigh's dedication to the Towson community, which distinguishes the company from larger bowling alleys in the area. He said that news stations, such as WBAL, often come to complete news segments because the bowling alley has been in the area for so long. Apparently, socialite Paris Hilton bowled at the center when she was filming her reality show several years ago. She took the family involved in her show to Stoneleigh for a "family night" out.
Finally, Staub said that Stoneleigh Lanes is always looking for ways to engage the community. The center often contributes to fundraisers for local schools and summers camps, sometimes even offering free parties for the children. Previous to funding cuts in Baltimore City, the schools would bus summer camp students to the center for discounted bowling.

While I have visited the bowling alley various times throughout my life, I had no idea how busy Stoneleigh stays. I tend to visit with my friends during off-hours so I rarely get to see it completely full. After talking to Max Wetherington, a Towson local who attends Penn State, I learned about Rock and Bowl, which is apparently crowded most Friday nights. I felt that I learned a great deal of valuable information from my interviews.

Setting Up Interviews for Multimedia Project

2008-04-09T10:36:00.002-08:00

I did not have the opportunity to complete my slideshow this week, but I did manage to talk to with a family friend at Health Concerns to help set up an interview. I am going to take pictures later in the week to show all of the unique aspects of the store, including the swarm of customers and police that came in around lunch time. I think it would be interesting to show how busy it gets even though it is such a tiny facility.

I also have permission to talk to Steve, the owner, and I think he would be perfect to use for the voice over for the slide show. I get the sense that he will have quite a few anecdotes, as the store has been open for about 30 years.

I like this idea for a visual because it shows that even though Trader Joe is just around the corner, the store is still thriving. This will give an idea of a small store overcoming a corporate chain, which I feel is mildly inspiring to readers.

I wish I had more to write, but the project will be coming together more later this week.

Reaction to Flipbook/Slideshow

2008-04-01T14:22:00.004-08:00

The first flipbook I watched was "The Cardstacker" by Tom Fox of the Dallas Morning News. The images of the man stacking the cards appeared as a time lapse, where viewers could watch him create his card structures throughout the work day. Visually, I thought this was an appealing idea, although the stacking went on much longer than I thought. I understand why it was so long; the idea was to show all of "the cardmaker's" creations and then watch him tear them down, but I still felt it was too long. I also thought that the narration was interesting and succeeded in explaining the point of view of a man stacking cards. My favorite part was when he mentioned that his father would have to create boundaries where he could build or else he would build all over the living room. My only really complaint of the piece, besides its length, was that I had no idea where he was building his structures until the last few seconds. I got the impression he was in a museum and was confused when he tore everything down at the end. I feel a short title slide at the beginning of the slide could have cleared up all confusion.

I also read Brian Storm's article, "Why Photojournalists Should Gather Audio," which I felt that he included several important points. The most important comment involved how gathering audio helps fill in emotion where the pictures cannot say what the subject is thinking. "The cardmaker" flipbook that I just watched is an example of a piece that was enhanced by audio. Without the subject's narration, it would be interesting to start watching, but less compelling to keep watching without the verbal anecdotes. I also thought Storm brought up a worthwhile point when he said that audio can help give photos detailed captions. To be honest, this is not something I had considered prior to reading the article, but I believe he is right. This ties in with the above comment about the importance of explaining the emotion of a photo, which the caption can help do if no audio is present. As Storm says, this additional of audio can "unlock a new world of possibilties" to enhance the understanding of the visual elements of a story.

Purdam Interview

2008-03-25T19:18:00.003-08:00

I called Dr. Norman Grossblatt, the owner of the pharmacy, last week to try to set up a time to meet in person. Up until that point, I kept missing him in person at the store, so I decided to call. Unfortunately, he felt that he would not have time to meet in person because he did not want to do an in-person interview and potentially take time away from customers. He did kindly offer to do a phone interview instead; he said that if customers came in, it would be easier to put down the phone rather than asking me to wait if I was there in person. Either way, I was glad he talked to me.

During our conversation, we discussed how the pharmacy is one of the oldest running businesses in Towson. Apparently, the business has not moved from its location since 1927, despite several ownership changes over the years. The doctor also mentioned all of the stores that have come and gone from the strip, including: a shoemaker's shop, bakery, convenience store and gift shop. All of the stores that have existed, Purdam is the only one that remains.

We also talked about how the pharmacy used to have a food counter that served breakfast, "pretty much any food that could easily be cooked on a grill" and drinks. He said the feature would attract older people in the mornings and students in the afternoon. The counter was eventually taken down due to increasing pressure to accommodate increasingly particular health regulations and the cost of maintenance. In the end, the owners decided the costs did not outweigh the benefits.

From my interview I was able to come up with an idea for a module: medication home delivery service. Despite the high prices for gas and service charges, the pharmacy still delivers medications to Towson residents upon request. With a Rite Aid and Walgreen within 2 miles from its location, it is no surprise that this convenient option continues to draw customers to the store.

I will use Dr. Glossblatt as a incredibly helpful fact source, but I plan to base the article around someone who has used to service.

Link to homepage

2008-03-12T11:30:00.000-08:00

Here is my Towson University homepage updated with a link to my first module:

Homepage

Interview with Lisa Nesmith

2008-03-11T17:17:00.000-08:00

I drove to Parkville to visit the tiny shoe boutique "Lisa Knows Shoes." When we were doing peer editing in class, Emily, who sits next to me, suggested that I move away from just including older businesses in my project to including a newer store. She also mentioned that her former coworker at Provident Bank, Lisa Nesmith had recently opened a small shoe boutique and the business was doing quite well.

When I walked into the tiny store, the first thing I noticed were the bright purple walls adorned with shoes and matching handbags. As a girl who loves shoes, I was in heaven. Lisa was incredible inviting and as agreed previously through e-mail, sat down and chatted with me for about 20 minutes. I found out that she initially started her company online; she would attend designers shows and conferences, order the footwear, send out advertisements on cars and other places and would mail the shoes directly to respondents. She further described that she eventually moved into her current building because she was always taking packages to the post office across the street to be mailed out to customers. When her building went up for leasing, she thought it was the perfect place.

Lisa and I also discussed how small businesses need to have truly outstanding characteristics in order to succeed against corporate chains. She said the designs and color choices make her shoes desirable against those of her competitors. By attending the shoe shows and galleries, Lisa is able to get a sense of which shoes are in style for the season. She also studies which colors department and chain stores may order and will get the opposite to have a different variety. I thought that the most interesting anecdote was a tale about how a woman drove from Washington D.C. to get a specific style and color of shoe that only she ordered, according to the designer.

I loved interviewing Lisa and I felt that this was a worthwhile interviewer. Not only did Lisa answer all of my questions with great detail, but I was able to really sense that she loved her job as a small business owner.

Her website is currently being worked on to update shoes for the spring and summer, but when it is completed, the following link will take you there: http://www.lisaknowsshoes.com/.

Critique of "Afro-Latin Americans" article

2008-03-11T17:16:00.000-08:00

“Afro-Latin Americans”
http://www.miamiherald.com/multimedia/news/afrolatin/multimedia/map.html

The above multimedia package was designed by Marco Ruiz and researched by Monika Leal, both associated with The Miami Herald. The package was created to inform readers that nearly 25 percent of Latin Americans have some form of African ancestry. The inter-racial crossing is largely attributed to the slave trade, when over 10 million African slaves were brought to Latin America. This article not only includes an interactive graph, but slideshows with audio and print articles highlighting various aspects of the Afro-Latin race. To a region like Miami, with a high Hispanic population, this story would be especially interesting to The Miami Herald’s readership.

The intended purpose of the multimedia article is to show readers how Afro-Latin Americans are highly discriminated against in their home countries, despite being a consideration amount of the population in each country examined. By clicking on a specific country, the interactive graph in the beginning of the presentation allows readers to see what percentage Afro-Latin Americans are of the population. The pop-up boxes also give readers an introductory sense of how black descendant are treated within the countries. For example, the pop-up box from Brazil describes a 15.4 percent illiteracy rate among blacks and nearly 50 percent less wages than whites of the country. The discrimination is further explored in the written segments, part 1-5, which cover the lack of anti-discrimination laws in Nicaragua, Brazil and Honduras, as well as a lack of racial pride among woman in countries like the Dominican Republic. The discrimination issue is further exemplified in the multimedia slideshows, which show how Afro-Latin activists Latin America are fighting for civil rights.

The presentation is divided into three types of sections: the interactive graph to give pop-up boxes about individual countries, written articles about issues in several countries and a multimedia section with multiple slideshows of Latin American countries. Immediately upon clicking on the click to the article, a very brief introductory pop-up box comes onto the screen to give a few sentences about how Africans came to Latin American. After clicking out of the box, readers can click on the red numbers on the individual countries to read about the percentage of blacks compared to other races. After interacting with the map, readers discover a list of subtitles below the border that say “Overview” and “Part 1-5.” If readers click on any of these links, they will find articles about various discrimination issues against blacks in the Latin American countries. For example, Part 1: “Afro-Latin Americans: A Rising Voice” describes the poor living conditions of blacks in Nicaragua. According to the article, only about 20 percent of the country’s 477,000 blacks have clean water and between 4 and 17 percent have electricity. The rest of the article describes how the movement to change the status of blacks in Latin American is growing and improving. To the left of the articles in each section are links to related articles and slideshows. The “Afro-Latin Americans: A Rising Voice” article has links for an article about Garífuna, a small community in Honduras and slideshows with audio and picture about Honduras and Nicaragua. The other parts follow a similar format, giving a full experience and overflow of information about each featured country. If readers want to watch the slideshows without the text, they simply click on the multimedia subtitle to click on any of the visuals.

I feel that the strongest aspect of the presentation is the complete coverage of all aspects of media: detailed text, an interactive graphic and photographs to help viewers visualize the articles. Without the text or slideshows, the presentation would greatly lack appeal. The staff at The Miami Herald understood that a graphic with pop-up boxes would not be nearly enough; detailed articles were needed to greater emphasize the purpose: to tell the public about discrimination of the Afro-Latin Americans. Reading full accounts of black citizens in Latin American countries as lower class fully bring the issue into the forefront for readers.

Despite the immense amount of information presented in the article, I felt that it lacked an explanation of the various types of ethnic and racial groups in Latin American. For example, if you click on Columbia in the interactive map, it says the population is divided into whites, blacks, Mulattos, Amerindians, and mixed blacks and Amerindians. As a reader, I cannot get a true sense of which of these groups is discriminating against the Afro-Latin Americans. If you read through some of the articles, it will briefly describe some of the ethnic groups, but if you briefly want to know, that is too much information to sort through. An additional subtitle with descriptions of the other Latin Americans would be quite helpful.

Finally, I felt that the interactive graph at the beginning of the presentation should be smaller. I found that when I first looked at the article, I nearly passed over the links to the articles and multimedia because they were so tiny in comparison. I feel that it would greatly benefit the reader if the links were bigger and to the left of the graph, clearly pointing to the additional information. Despite minor complaints, I felt that this article included basically everything it needed in general. Not only was there an interactive and attractive graphic, but text, audio and visuals that all tie together, making this a genuinely fulfilling multimedia presentation.

Looking for story angles that will be interesting.

2008-03-04T19:36:00.000-09:00

When I chose my topic, I initially thought it would be fairly easy to come up with story ideas. Unfortunately, finding out-of-the-ordinary stories has been much harder than anticipated so far. At this point, I am going to persevere with my topic because I feel there has to be bigger stories out there, and if I am going to find them, I need to work harder. My greatest pitfall so far has been a lack of information on the Internet. So far, there has been virtually no information relating to any of the companies I want to include in the project. I'm the type of person who likes to get background information if I can before I meet someone I want to interview. This way I don't embarrass myself by asking an obvious awkward question. After finally realizing the Internet is not my greatest resource, I have decided to venture out to the businesses on my next free day, Thursday. If I can't have help come to me, I need to do something greater to kick start my flow of information.

In all fairness, I did find a few interesting articles online through the Towson Times website. Several years ago, the newspaper did an article on road construction on York Road. I am planning on talking to the owners of Harry Little's, a sub shop that sits in a strip mall off of York Road, up from Towson University. The shop has been in business for years, but these days, it is struggling to stay open, according to a family friend who knows the owner. Not only have customers opted to go to chain restaurants such as Panera Bread and Chipotle, but Harry Little's location has also been a deterrent to business. According to the previously mentioned article, construction on York Road really hurt the tiny restaurant several years ago. People already have a hard time parking on that part of York Road, but the construction left almost no room at all. I believe it said Harry Little lost about 40% of it's business at the time.

While this may not be a full story, this could be a start. It would be interesting to know if business ever picked up again afterwards, and if they did not, how the restaurant to is still open.

Health Concerns, among others.

2008-02-25T20:07:00.000-09:00

My older sister Tara works part-time at a tiny health food store called Health Concerns on Susquehanna Avenue in Towson. Her job at the store actually sparked my desire to pursue this topic, especially since it is independently run in a city full of health chains.

Although my sister and I literally live 5 minutes away from each other, she kept forgetting to remind me when she worked so she could show me around the store. As it turns out, I had free time last Friday so I decided to drive over there on my own. I was actually surprised that the store was as small as it was, yet it was still doing decent business. I also must add that this was also while the weather was rainy and miserable.

I discovered that the store did not only sell food, but the ingredients for anyone to follow an "alternative" healthy lifestyle. They had organic soap and shampoos, medicines for practiaclly every ailment (accompanied by a pharmacy) and lotions. I was sick the day I went in and Tara tried to drag me towards the pharmacist for a cure. I kindly declined, but she insisted that alternative medication was better for the body than what regular physicians can prescribe.

Tara also said that one of the most interesting parts of her job is constant interaction with the Baltimore County Police force. The Towson jail lies on the corner of Susquehanna and she said that officers supply the lunch rush in the store. I guess that breaks a million stereotypes; who would've known so many officers love organic food?

From this visit I realized that I could create a multimedia package from visiting the store that day. I briefly met the owner, although he was busy assisting customers by the cash register for most of the day. I would love to capture the diverse people who wonder into the store and learn why people are drawn to visit. Tara promised to talk to the owner when she had time, and well of course, if she remembers.

Talking to People Who Know About Towson's History...

2008-02-19T18:51:00.000-09:00

After discussing my project options with Dr. Lieb at the end of the last class, I decided that my multimedia package topic would be: "small local companies that have been successful, despite the influence of corporate chains."

After narrowing my options, I decided to talk to my father about companies that have been in the area for years. My father grow up in Towson, went to both high school and college here, but eventually moved away when I was in early elementary school. While I did not grow up here, we have always lived close enough that he would have an opinion of the business changes that have occurred.

His first thought was to talk to the members of Purdam Pharmacy on York Road. Apparently, they have been in the same location since my father was a child and was his family's primary source for health care needs. He also mentioned that he believes the same family has owned the store for many years, though he did not know the exact year it opened.

After talking briefing with my dad, I spoke with my boyfriend on the phone and mentioned the upcoming project. Nick, a current college student and Towson native, also suggested Purdam pharmacy. I waited on the phone as he recalled stopping by after middle school with his friends to buy snacks for the afternoon.

I found it interesting that although my father is over 20 years older than my boyfriend, they both have memories of this tiny store affecting their lives.

Sadly, Nick also mentioned that he thought business was definitely down as a result of the Target, Rite Aid and Walmart that are in close proximity with Purdam. I think it will be interesting to talk to the owners to see how they feel about all of the changes.

Ira Glass Storytelling Videos

2008-02-11T17:17:00.000-09:00

Prior to watching the Ira Glass interviews about storytelling I had not thought about the importance of the anecdote in broadcast journalism. The anecdote is something that has been discussed in several mass communications classes, but Glass explained its significance in thought-provoking terms. For example, in th first part of his interview, he describes an incredibly anti-climatic story about a man walking around a very quiet house at night. As Glass says, while the story is rather boring, the audience is stilling willing to listen to it if it is told action by action. According to Glass, each description of the man's movements keep the audience in suspense because they want to continue listening to the story to find out why the man's house is so quiet. As a viewer listening to the interview as I typed up notes, I found that I was honestly intrigued by Glass's short story as well. This was mainly due to the action sequence in which it was told. I also realized that in real life I am more likely to read a series of feature stories than straight news, as the personal stories keep me interested.

I also thought Glass brought forth an interesting discussion about the pitfalls of storytelling in the final section of his interview. He says that it is important for storytelling beginners to bring their own personalities when they share information, rather than mock that of someone they've seen on TV. He follows that statement by adding that when in an interview, don't add talk too much about yourself or you will be seem as having to the inability to tell two-sided stories. I like that Glass feels that every individual has the ability to creatively tell a story in the way they see best fit. Rather than constantly mocking someone you admire, individuals should feel inspired to add their own touches to a story. I also feel what he said about presenting yourself as an engaging storyteller by not talking excessively about only yourself in an interview is important. Often, students are taught that they must brag about themselves and show confidence to have any chance of impressing employers while trying to land creative jobs. Glass says that you should listen and react and that in turn will prove that you can tell a story, simply by engaging others.

This interview was Glass's way of proving to his listeners that he is a truly great storyteller. By addressing issues the listener will encounter, as well as throwing in his own personal anecdotes, he shows the audience that recounting stories, even about yourself can be intriguing.

Multimedia comparison

2008-02-04T14:43:00.000-09:00

Multimedia presentations allow viewers to have a greatly increased understanding of an event or story because it allows to them to hear the story firsthand from the people involved. For example, the print Baltimore Sun’s German Bakery story describes the blissful environment of Edelweiss Bakery on Thursday afternoons when Arthur Zeller plays. While the description is mildly visual, it is hard to fully encompass atmosphere without actual pictures. The bakery multimedia presentation takes the article a step father. By showing viewers the pastries and guests settling in first, the presentation captures the anticipation for Zeller to begin his music. As it continues, viewers are able to see images of Zeller playing and people singing along, as well as the audio to accompany the photographs. The multimedia allows people to feel as though they are actually sitting in the bakery enjoying the music, rather than just reading about a past event.

Like the bakery story, The Chechen War article is hard to fully read because it is so full of facts, the viewer can easily lose interest. The multimedia presentation, The Enemy Within, not only allows viewers to see the tragic of the war from personal experiences, but it highlights the most significant issues related to the topic. The audience actually learns more from the website than Wikipedia article, because it discusses issues they would not include in a factual piece, such as humiliating soldier training and abuse. Viewers can see the utter unhappiness on the boys’ faces as they talk, which shows the sincerity of their stories.

In general, multimedia stories draw viewers closer to the subjects in the stories because they feel like they can hear the stories firsthand.

Our Counter is NOT a Giant Trashcan

2007-12-04T13:26:00.000-09:00

I hate getting receipts, personally. Whenever I purchase food at restaurants-- sit-in or fast food-- I always toss the receipts. Although some Panera locations have beeper systems or call names when food is ready, we shout out a number. The cashiers only give the customers ONE receipt with the purchase information and your number as a reminder at the bottom.

It never ceases to amaze we how:
1. People cannot remember their numbers to the food counter from the cash registers AND
2. How, although the numbers are in large print at the bottom of the receipt, people still come back to the cashiers to ask what there number was again. Just a tip, the cashier deals with at least 3 people a minute; they probably don't remember either.

This is annoying for several reasons, the most important being that when people don't know their numbers, they don't pick up their food. When customers don't pick up their food, it sits on the counter. If it sits too long, the customer complains it's cold and then we have to remake it. Then we are full cycle back to the issue of wasted food. Phew. So please, I am begging you, KNOW YOUR ORDER NUMBER...and for the love of God, listen when the consolidator is calling a number.

We already have enough problems on the food line with people trashing up the counters with their receipts. At our store, we used to have a very tiny basket that people would throw their receipts in if they didn't want them after they picked up their food. We were told by corporate to take the basket down for aesthetic reasons, so naturally, we did. Now, people are left utterly confused about what to do with their receipts.

Rather than keep them, they have decided to throw them on the part of the counter we place the food. So to recap: Food everywhere from people not picking up, receipts littered everywhere (resembling the blizzard of '96), confused people disoriented because they don't know their numbers, angry employees getting red-in-the-face screaming the numbers...

Stop the cycle, throw the receipt in the trashcan and just know your number, or in cases where they take your name... I suggest you remember that too.

This is a shout out to the guy who made my day.

2007-11-27T19:15:00.000-09:00

Although I usually take the time to write down what people do wrong, I feel that it is necessary that I interject my complaints with a positive note. It truly is rare when we get compliments at Panera, other than "wow, that was fast." You may think that it a compliment, but to us, a customer telling us we were "fast" usually implies you usually think we are slow. So, avoid that one if you really want to say something nice.

Today, I tell you a story of triumph.

A couple of weeks ago, on a steady Sunday night, my co-workers and I were scrambling to get orders done. The difference between a busy and steady day is that a busy day usually has a lull period where we can catch our breath and clean, while a steady day has a slow, continuous line the entire duration of the shift.

So, we were dead tired as it was near close and we weren't cleaned up at all.

A man ordered something like two bowls of soup and one of those infamous Chipotle sandwiches that takes a few minutes to grill. He stood by the counter...

(which on a side note: DRIVES US UP THE WALL. When customers stand on the counter and breath all over food, that's just nasty. Will blog on this later)

...and just watched us work, so I assumed he was probably impatient. After a minute or so, I told him his sandwich was nearly done and he looks at me, SMILES (nearly fainted here,) and says,

"You guys do a great job. I'm in no rush, so please, don't worry about it. I'm just happy you guys are open so I can grab dinner tonight."

You better believe that guy got the perfect Chipotle, and a genuine thank you and "have a nice day" from me.

It's the little things guys, that has seriously kept me positive that some people appreciate us, even if just a little.

I dare to dream others will display this appreciation someday too.

The White Noise from Your Cell Phone Gives Me a Headache!

2007-11-10T06:22:00.001-09:00

This is going to be a short entry because I wish to address one thing: What makes people feel that they are SOOOO important that they have to stay on their cell phones while they order their food? I'm not just talking about the people who are reading orders back to their families at home... they don't bother me so much.

I am talking about those crazy kids who just haft to inform "Janice that there is a HUUGGEE party tonight... ('I'll have a You Pick 2 with broccoli cheddar and...') I know! Its going to be so big. like everyone will be there... ('and a turkey sandwich with chips')... hahahaha"

When I, as your confused and lost cashier try to interject on your oh-so-important call:
"Ma'am, would you like everything on that turkey? Ma'am, would you? Excuse me? HEY! DO YOU WANT EVERYTHNG ON YOUR FRICKIN TURKEY SANDWICH?"

Then, I am screwed because I get bad customer service scores, I have a headache because if you try reading what I wrote above... it takes you for a loss and ...you are angry because for whatever reason you didn't want mustard yet it is on your sandwich.

Simple lesson...let's try to blot out some of that bitterness by just keeping the important calls for the privacy of your home.

I just learned how "inefficient" I am as a cashier.

2007-11-05T17:49:00.000-09:00

I couldn't believe it... but I actually got to do a closing cashier shift last Thursday. I was surprised that I was even allowed on a register after so many months of being away from one.

Despite all of my complaints of customer rudeness... I went into the shift with a positive attitude... knowing that I would not have to do cashier again for a long time.

The night started off great... people thanked me, smiled and said "have a good night" even before I could, despite a line out the door.

It was so busy that we started to run out of bread bowls, apples, Tomato Basil bread, paninis... basically, the popular stuff. Most customers were willing to compromise, but orders started taking a little longer to ring.

Then...after everything went so well, a customer drop her lemonade down the front of the register... right to the base of the computer system.

Fortunately, my fellow cashier ran to clean it up before it destroyed the computers, which would've called for the store to shut down. I kept taking orders while she cleaned.

Of course, we can't please everyone... so naturally the woman that was 2 people behind the girl who dropped her drink looks at me angrily while I'm taking someone's order. She decides it is necessary to taunt me and says "This is the most inefficient set-up I have ever seen. There is a line out the door. That girl needs to be ringing, not cleaning. Leave that to someone else. Where are the dining room people? I've been here forever...." Blah, Blah, Blah. Even her husband looked embarassed because no one else in line seemed to care.

Then after my co-worker tried to explain that someone would slip and the computer system might break down if we didn't clean up, the woman told her that she was stupid.

I understand that no one wants to wait in line, but c'mon--stupid and "inefficient?" That just seems a little over the top to me.

How much wasted food could be saved?

2007-10-08T06:46:00.000-08:00

For anyone who has ever wondered what we do with our leftover breads and pastries, Panera actually has a strong priority to donate them to charities.

If you know anyone who is willing to pick up the donations, your local Panera Bread will be happy to bag up the extras and send them along for good use.

My own mother picks up all of the bread and bagels at the end of the night and takes them to a soup kitchen in West Baltimore. I actually went down to that soup kitchen once and the people who come in could not be more grateful for the donations.

The topic of wasted food though is an interesting discussion point. JB of the WASTED FOOD blog wondered exactly what we do with our leftovers. The real question though, is how can we reduce the amount of extra food that is made throughout the day.

It is more common than not that we will have to remake or change a completed order during our shifts. This means that the food we already prepared will get thrown away because the Health Department states that we cannot change food and hand it back over the counter.

My friend from work passed along this story about a remade salad:

Apparently, one of our trainers was teaching her trainee how to make the Greek salad a woman had just ordered. The woman came down and watched the trainer, who was standing by the salad station to makes sure it was being made properly. When the salad was practically completed, the woman decided that because the trainer was talking AROUND the station, she had spat in the salad.

In reality, the notion was ridiculous, as most people do not spit across a station when they talk.

The employees, however, were forced to remake the salad because the woman refused to believe this trainer had not spat in it.

This is the perfect example of wasted food. We had to throw away the contents of the first salad because it had received a complaint. We had no choice.

I am begging you as a customer to double-check your receipt after your order is completed or to ask the cashier to repeat your order.

This will reduce you having to bring something back, us having to throw it away and waste food, retrospectively causing food costs to go up because we have wasted to so much food because of stupid mistakes.

Panera is expensive enough people, let's not make it worse.

If you notice a problem, bring it up early. PLEASE don't just stand there and watch, THEN complain. That sounds pretty absurd... doesn't it??

You wouldn't curse in front of your family, so don't do it to me.

2007-10-07T06:23:00.000-08:00

I think my most unforgettable Panera experience happened 2 years ago on a busy summer day. I was mainly a cashier at that time, so my job was direct interaction with customers at all times (this is why after 1 1/2 years I eventually got moved to crispanis and salads.)

An older man, probably about 60, came up and ordered two sandwiches like this:

"I'll take 2 chicken salad sandwiches. I'll have the first one on (pause) multi grain bread.

Me: With everything sir?

Him: Yes, with everything, and ya know, you can just put the second sandwich on wheat."

Keep in mind Panera still has two wheat breads: Whole grain(formally the multi grain) and honey wheat.

Maybe it was stupid to assume that after ordering one sandwich on multi grain and the second on "wheat" that he was referring to the same bread.

I was HORRIBLY wrong.

After reading his receipt two minutes later, he comes running back to me, interrupts the customer I was with and asks "WHAT THE HELL?? I said I wanted my second sandwich on wheat!"

I was still confused, so I told him both were on wheat. He looks at as though he is going to literally slap me and says "What could possibly make you think that I wanted two sandwiches on th same bread??"

Dumbstruck. I go get my manager and as I walked away to tell the sandwich maker the adjustments, the man looks at my male manager and say "It is just like B****es to screw it up. My wife is just like that."

My manager was pretty disturbed and just gave the man his sandwiches, said "she is one of our best employees" and asked him to leave.

Since that day I have never assumed Whole grain and honey wheat were the same thing.

But seriously, was the cussing necessary? No. We will ask you to leave.

Know Your Allergies...that is definitely not my job.

2007-09-30T18:23:00.000-08:00

Panera recently enacted a policy that says that managers must make a customer's food from products that haven't touched any other food...IF the customer states they have an allergy.

Apparently, there were two separate incidents in different restaurants where customers complained because they got allergic reactions after telling cashiers they were allergic to something in their order.

Since then, corporate management has been seriously cracking down on making sure that we do not hear of such complaints again.

I have absolutely no problem with this; if a person is allergic to something, I do not want to be the person that causes them a crazy health crisis.

I will do the right thing and change my gloves, get new food and get on with the rest of my orders.

The real problem comes when people yell at us because they "don't want nuts in their food" when nuts were clearly listed as an ingredient on the menu.

Of course we will remake your food, but check the menu carefully of you are severely allergic to something.

We actually have nutrition guides under the cashiers that have every ingredient in every food item listed. All you, the customer, has to do it ask to check an item and we'll give it to you.

I get a little upset when I see a man throw a sandwich back at my co-worker and complain that we should say that is allergen was in it on the menu.

There are so many allergens in the world, listing each one would be impossible.

If your not sure (I will repeat this...) JUST ASK.

How many extra dressings does a person REALLY need?

2007-09-24T17:35:00.000-08:00

What most customers don't understand is that Panera Bread employees bake the baguettes ourselves, are constantly running back and forth to stock our stations with cheese, meat, and vegetables and most importantly, we have to portion out our own salad dressings.

Every shift a salad person comes in, they are usually forced to spend an hour plus making dressings to prepare for "the rushes."

We don't do this because we think that we won't have enough for all of our orders, we do it becaus customers are continuously asking for extra dressings.

Here is another story to illustrate why it is annoying when customers ask for extra, extra items with their orders:

Sunday night, I worked a 3 p.m. until close shift, and the person who worked the morning shift left my station stocked with dressings. Knowing that I would get some customers that would ask for extra dressings, I worked until about 4 o'clock filling every extra inch of my workspace with these dressings.

Sure enough, a woman came in around 4:30 and ordered a Fuji Apple Chicken salad and a Asian Sesame Chicken salad, both with extra dressing.

After checking through her order, the woman went back to the cashiers to ask for more dressings...not just Fuji and Asian dressings, but 2 Caesars and 4 Balsamic vinaigrettes, which come with completely different salads.

It was probably the most blatant case of taking advantage of free dressings I had ever seen.

It is because of cases like this that facilities such as Panera are eventually going to be forced to charge 30 cents a dressing.

My advice: Seriously don't take more than you need for the salad you buy. You are eventually going to ruin this for yourself and other customers.

The complaint is not giving one, even two dressing for a full salad, but do you seriously need 6?

Just something to think about.