LEARN
Something Worth SharingConvenience or Experience Like so many busy people, I often pop to a local chain supermarket (Tesco, Sainsburys or similar) to pick up groceries. It’s quick and easy; grab the required items, throw them in a basket, go to the ‘self-checkout’, pay and leave. I went to do exactly this a few days ago, needing to buy ingredients for a Cottage Pie. Unfortunately the meat element was out of stock. Leaving the store, I walked further along to the local butchers - hopeful of finding the main ingredient for dinner. The butcher shop I’m referring to, is tiny - barely room for two customers. It does, however have an amazing range of high quality, locally sourced produce and most importantly, a team of incredibly skilled, knowledgeable and experienced staff. I selected the minced beef I wanted, and the exact quantity. While there, I chatted to a lovely older lady who was asking advice from one of the butchers. The brief time in the shop was so much more enjoyable and engaging - plus I also learned something. These are things that convenience does not afford you. As humans, experience is one of the most important and distinguishing things about us. We ‘need’ to eat to survive, however we do not ‘need’ to go to posh restaurants and pay for Michelin starred meals. We do these things for the ‘experience’. Convenience removes these positive experiences, for example grabbing a drive-through fast food meal is limited in positive experience. My learning this week is that we often have a choice - to opt for convenience or experience. There is a convenience to social media interaction, especially for things like wishing a connection a ‘happy birthday’. It takes seconds to type out, but it does not create the experience of connection, warmth and true engagement. Emails are similar, as are instant messages - convenient but hardly the same as seeing someone face-to-face or telephoning them.
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