Breaking a habit is rarely an easy thing to accomplish. During the disengagement process unease sets in. Loss is felt. It doesn’t matter what type of habit it is—good, bad or innocuous–you’ll notice the change.

Since closing my off-line service business and “retiring” a few years ago one of my habits has been to have coffee at my local Border’s store. Several times a week I’d hop in my truck and drive four miles, bypassing a few other coffee sellers, to get my caffeine fix.

This little jaunt served a couple purposes. Firstly, it got me out of the house which I’m sure my wife appreciated. (She has a magnet on the fridge that states, “A retired husband becomes a wife’s full-time job.”) And, secondly, it provided socialization and books. Socialization is thought to be good for all but hermits and books, to me, are an absolute essential.

Border’s Group, Inc., the parent of Border’s Books, filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection in the Federal Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York yesterday. The petition, in part, requests the courts permission to quickly close about 200 Border’s retail stores. Among the stores to be closed are all three in Hillsborough County, Florida. Since I live in Hillsborough County “my Carrollwood Border’s” is one of them. And I ain’t happy. Read the rest of this entry

All too often people with a forum, be it a newspaper column, radio airtime or a blog use it to complain about some slight–real or imagined.

Often this is because of perceived “poor customer service”. Today I’m going to do the opposite and complement a person and a firm for excellent, undeserved and unexpected customer service.

A few days ago I published a post about the new Kobo eReader I bought at my local Border’s store in the Carrollwood area of Tampa. After writing the post I emailed the link to the store’s GM, Renee Montgomery. I thought she’d find it humorous.

She replied to my email and offered to refund the twenty dollar difference between my purchase price and the new reduced price. I took her up on her offer. Read the rest of this entry