Carlos Randolph

Follow-up: Best Buy is sinking fast

It is odd that yesterday I decided to follow up a prediction from last year on Best Buy and then today there is an article that Mr. Dunn is resigning as Best Buy’s CEO. Here is quote that Mr. Dunn provided:

“I have enjoyed every one of my 28 years with this company, and I leave it today in position for a strong future,” said Dunn, who was named CEO in June 2009.

He leaves it today in a position for a strong future? What a spin job. He leaves it today on life support, fighting for it’s existence and relevance within the market place. The interim CEO should be stepping up and and stating what he will be doing to correct the course that this company has been on.

Hello… Best Buy! Think Best Buy, think!

Back in July of 2011 I posted about the sad story of Borders and how it went by the way side. At the end of the article I mentioned that Best Buy was on death row, making it way to the big chair.

https://www.carlosrandolph.com/2011/07/124

I went to a Best Buy back around Christmas and it was depressing. They had nothing I needed/wanted and it was simply sad. I remember five years ago going to the store with my wife and telling her to meet me at Best Buy which was right beside. Well based on what I saw, I’d rather be at the grocery store by feminine products for my wife then being in a Best Buy.

I saw earlier this year that CNBC did an hour-long piece on Best Buy where it was trying to prove why it was relevant. After watching it I was doubly sure that they were still on death row and the end was nearer than I thought. I just saw the news about the 3/29/12 numbers report that coincided with the announcement that they were closing 50 stores, firing 400 employees and refocusing their effort on be a mobile phone store. Are you serious???

I purchased my last phone and my iPad online and got it in the mail. They might as well try to refocus on selling CDs in the store… Oh wait, they already did that and that’s how they got here. The only shining jewel in this festering turd of a company is the Geek Squad. You just watch, at some point in the next 12 months to 18 months there will be an announcement that they are spinning the Geek Squad off. They well say it’s because investors can find more value that way. The real reason will be that a) they need the cash, b) by keeping them as part of BB, will kill them. Today, right now… Geek Squad is a the pacemaker that is keeping Best Buy alive.

That’s my 2 cents.

Steve Jobs Biography by Walter Isaacson

Last night I finished reading the biography, of course it was on my iPad. It took me 4 day with a few longer sessions strung together. That’s how I read things when I’m really interested. I went in with the intention of just wanting to know a little bit more about a man that I’ve always appreciated. What I didn’t know and never pieced together was why I appreciated him. What I found was that some of the traits I have always carried, though not as religiously has him, are things we shared. I’m not a Steve Jobs but after reading this I understand where I share some things with him and why I’ve come to appreciate him and all he has brought forward with Apple team.

My wife has learned that I’m always a person that says No upfront. I’m not a big change person unless I understand it first and then I embrace things. I love the fact that Steve just had a binary view of things and basically rejected all until he processed it.
I appreciate the importance of design/presentation as part of product or idea. When people I work with talk about solutions I’m always looking to see if it feels clunky. I don’t like clunky. When Steve saw clunky he called it shit.
There are people who try to think things through to make a perfect plan. And then there are people who want something in front of them to see and they keep reforming until they get it right, even if they have to redo it. Steve’s work with the team to build the first store model in a warehouse is great example where this was embodied.

Though I started with the intention of just getting to know him I was glad I read parts that help me understand why I do things the way I do and the value behind. To my surprise I have found a source of motivation and enlightenment from this biography. Thank you Walter for bringing this out. Thank you Steve for being you!

Steve…

It’s 7:00pm CST on Wednesday, October 5th and I just came down to catch up on some work. I pulled up Twitter and saw a posting asking people to post memories of of Apple and Steve Jobs. At first I thought it was something to share with Steve, something to give him some inspiration. Then it dawned on me, he passed away. I started to scroll back in the timeline and saw the tweets rolling in. It felt like someone punched me in the gut.

First let me say that anyone that is with someone close who is fighting cancer can understand this. Every time you hear of someone passing away from cancer you immediately think about the person close to you. It is an awful reminder of the reality of the situation. You always fill your heart and mind with hope, but we live in real world and not everyone has a good outcome.

When I was in 4th grade I had my parents sign me up for a computer programming class. This class taught Basic on Apple II’s and it was my first introduction to the Apple line. I fell in love and knew that in some way shape or form that I would work in the computer industry. When the class was over I used to walk over 2 miles to our library and get there when it first opened so I could use their Apple II machines. I was that hooked.

Zoom forward to college days, I was a convert and PC user. I remember going to one of my floor mates rooms and he had a Mac Plus. I was amazed and hooked on playing Shufflepuck Cafe and Strategic Conquest. What killed me was that this little box had such great games and it simple worked. But I was a PC person and at the moment was stuck with DOS. Windows and a mouse were nice, but it wasn’t a Mac.

During college I started working for CompUSA, back when it was a real computer store. I was a computer salesman and spent the days selling machines to people and businesses. CompUSA was an authorized Apple dealer but it really was just one or two aisles of machines. None of us really paid attention to it because we were busy selling PCs. At some point, a year or two after working there, I started to hang out in that lonely aisle and with the help of a few other people, started to learn and sell the Mac.

There was a one Sunday where the store GM was trying to drum up sales and I asked him a question. There was a Mac Classic on the shelf that was pretty much dead inventory. I asked him if I sold a certain number of systems could I have it. He looked at me and said if you can sell 5 complete systems on that shortened day (10-5pm) than I could have it. I was the last salesman on that day sending out the last customer with my 5th system sale. I was a happy person bringing home my first Mac.

I’ve been toying around with the idea of writing some iOS apps as of late. Thank you Steve, even in death you are inspiring me to get off my duff and do what I want to do. On 10/5/2012 I will have released at least one app, not to make money, but to honor you and what you have done for the world.

Bricks vs. Trucks

Today, as a friend of a food truck owner, I saw something that I didn’t realize was taking place. I saw someone from the South Branch Tavern Grille call the Chicago Police Department and complain about vending trucks parked on the street. He used a an old city ordinance that was enacted for safety purposes as a way to “protect” their business.

NOTE: CPD that showed up were both helpful and nice about the situation. In no way am I calling them out on their assistance.

First let me recap/paraphrase some of the words I heard uttered by the man from SBTG:

1) I’m only trying to make sure the law that is in place is up held.
2) I have no problems with you, Cupcakes for Courage, but the other trucks compete directly with me.
3) It’s not fair that I have to pay taxes, it gives you an unfair advantage

You are only trying to make sure the law is being upheld? Seriously? Do you also sit outside and make sure people are not speeding. Don’t use this as a cop out and really say what you want to say. Say this, “I’m concerned about my business and that these food trucks are impacting my sales. There is a law on the books and I want it enforced to protect my business.” I think that’s a complete line of bull but it’s what you mean, it’s upfront, and it’s honest.

You have no problems with the Cupcake truck because it doesn’t compete with you. Let me rephrase that for you, I only have problems with trucks that compete against me. And if we take that one step further you are really saying that Food Trucks have either better food and/or service than you. If thats the case then shut your doors now because you have other larger problems.

Now here’s the best part, “it’s not fair that you don’t have to pay taxes, you have an unfair advantage”. I’m going to have to break this down a little further:

A) If you think that Food Trucks have a leg up that put you in a bad position then you are simply a maroon. You serve alcohol. You have a kitchen where you can make whatever you want. You have seating that can accommodate individuals and parties. You are sitting on the river. You have a staff of people to assist you. You don’t have to be in a temporary kitchen at 3:30am making all of your food for the day and then driving around on a truck from 10am until 6pm.

B) You pay taxes because you own and operate on a piece of property that is guaranteed to be there for you day in and day out. You don’t come in on Monday and say “oh, my restaurant doesn’t have a parking space.” You’re restaurant doesn’t get a flat tire. You’re restaurant doesn’t get into an accident.

So Mr. Man from South Branch Tavern Grille, you are scared of competition from a truck. All I saw today was a grown man act like child and hurt something that is actually good for him and other Chicagoans. How is it good for him, well I’m glad you asked.

A) Someone that is looking to sit down for lunch isn’t going to be won over by a food truck.

B) Someone who is looking for a food truck lunch was never, ever, going to be a customer for you that day.

C) A food truck(s) on Wacker drive causes people to stop. It causes them to look around and maybe see your establishment for the first time. I didn’t even know you existed until today, until I saw you from one of the trucks.

D) You serve cookies for dessert. Wouldn’t it be nice that people intentionally had lunch at your establishment knowing, no… looking forward to, a Cupcake afterwards. It’s like in Barrington where the sandwich shop shares the building with the theatre and you can bounce between the two.

The trucks are not going away. All you did today was piss off a lot of local customers. You pissed me off and I will be as vocal as I can to spread the word about your child like actions.

If you would like to voice your opinion to the South Branch Tavern Grille, here is where you can reach them:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SouthBranch
Twitter: @southbranchchi
FourSquare: https://foursquare.com/v/south-branch-tavern–grille/4d7141e12c318eecfb6d70b5

Starbucks, the McDonalds of coffee shops

Okay Starbucks, you pushed me over the edge yesterday. If I visit ten different Starbucks I’m lucky if one of them can make a Cappuccino. Nine out of ten end up serving a Latte when you order a Cappuccino. The idea that you have “baristas” is just a joke.

A Latte, by definition, is an Espresso drink that has steamed milk and a little bit of froth. A Cappuccino is an espresso drink with some steamed milked and foam. While there is no hard rule about the ratio of espresso to steamed milk to foam, it generally is talked in thirds. 1/3 espresso, 1/3 steamed milk, and 1/3 foam. If you are in the ball park of thirds then you are fine. If you order a Grande Cappuccino and a Grande Latte you will notice that the latte is heavier. That’s because it has more steamed milk and no foam.

Why am I explaining all this? Because once again I stopped by a Starbucks on the way to meeting yesterday and ordered a cappuccino. What did I get? A Latte. Why is it your trained staff can’t either tell or make a proper Cappuccino? If I go to Lavazza or Caribou I can get one. Why can’t your trained “baristas” not achieve this?

If you can’t do it right then take it off the menu. Better not to server it then serve it poorly. This is a major reason why I refer to Starbucks as the McDonalds of coffee. And no, comparing you to a McDonalds is not a good thing.

Who am I?

Before reading this you should follow this link and read Nilofer Merchant’s thoughts on this. This post stems directly from it and it was one the more eye opening and inspirational things I’ve read in quite some time.

http://t.co/hhEljg8

If I followed others, I would say that I’m a manager of IT systems, specializing in software configuration management. I’ve always said that and never really thought more about it. But now saying it, I can’t really say that it says who I am.

People don’t pay much attention to it either. But I agree that people feel naked without a working title, like they are being judged. Take the stay at home mom or dad, they always seem to be justifying that their role, while not officially employed, is a real job that is hard. It’s like they are trying to prove their existence to others.

I think this is why the act of writing ones own epitaph is really hard and enlightening. It forces you to write, in a very concise format, what you want other people to know you as. So here is the question, who are you? Let me give it whirl here.

I am person who wants to inspire others to be more than they think they can be. I have kids and want them to grow believing they can do anything. I have a wife with a terminal form cancer and I want her to do everything she can and wants to. I want to make people who I work with successful in their lives. What do I want? If I can give myself fully to everyone else then I think I can look back on my life and see success. I’m not perfect but I am hopeful.

Can I put that on a business card? How about “Carlos Randolph, Aspiring Inspirer”? Now I’m just having fun. Truth be told, if I can live and embody what I wrote then the title is truly pointless. I think on my next business card I’m going to ask that the title be set to Me.

Hmmm. That sounded and felt good. I love the 45 minutes I’m afforded on the train ride home. Thank you Nilofer! Whether you know it or not, you have inspired me.

Borders, Dead Man Walking!

Back around 1995 and through about 2001 I used to love Borders Books. The thing that made Borders unique to me was their broad selection of IT books. I mean there were literally like 6 aisles of books and it covered everything. If I needed a book, Borders was where to get it. The part I didn’t like was that Borders price matched the publishers suggested price, no discount. But this was okay, it was the premium I paid to find what I wanted in one place. Then Amazon showed up and rained on their parade.

Now it wasn’t like Amazon came in with some sort of sneak attack. They came in and telegraphed their punch. The telegraphed it so well that my two year old son could have gotten out of the way. But what did Borders do? They did a lot things but most of it was half hearted or halfway thought out. The following are the main reasons why Amazon sank Borders:

Larger catalog – if the books is published then you can get it on Amazon
Price – most every book has a discount to it.
Free shipping – we are Prime members and get our stuff within 1 to 2 days.
Website – easy to navigate, consistent feel.
Reviews – you can search for a book on a topic and see how others viewed it
Tax Free – enough said
Used Books – even a better discount
Seller Accounts – extremely easy to get rid of those unused/unwanted books

Now Borders did try and compete with them but seriously, they had NO chance. There is no way that Borders was going to pull this together with all of their existing store investments, they would have gone broke trying. There was one thing that Borders has that Amazon can’t compete with; a physical presence. Borders should have looked at Taco Bell’s strategy of Zero-K and re-invented themselves.

For those of you who are not familiar with Zero-K, it goes like this. Taco Bell in the 70’s-80’s was a fast food restaurant. By that I mean that 50-70 percent of each store was Kitchen and they made their own food. They cooked their ground beef, they prepared their toppings. Burritos had Black Olives. Cinnamon Twists were Crispas, cooked tortilla pieces. Taco Bell had great food. But as other fast food restaurants were killing them on price and margins (sound familiar). So in what has always been talked about as a great example of re-engineering they changed what they did.

Zero-K means Zero Kitchen. What they decided to do was eliminate all of the food prep part of their kitchen and go to pre-prepared food. Delivery trucks sent the bags of shredded lettuce, pre-cooked ground beef, bags of Cinnamon Twists. This meant all they needed was the assembly stations and the rest of the store was for the customers. This also meant they lowered their product costs and created the now famous $1.00 menu. Mind you the food quality is no where near what it used to be but good enough and cheap enough that they have experienced 20-30 more years of being successful.

I’m hungry now, but back to Borders. Borders should have looked at taking all that space they had in each store and coming up with successful ways to use and sell it to customers. Meeting spaces? Readings? Childrens events? Borders should have seen that the eventually technology was going to get to the point of personal readers and been leading the charge. But no, they sat on the laurels too long and for the past 5 years have been on death row and labeled dead men walking. Today, the warden called them up, served their last meals, and on Friday will sent to the big chair.

Borders is now a statistic along with Blockbuster Video, and Circuit City. I will say this here and now, Best Buy is sitting on death row as well and soon will be off to the big chair. Maybe they will learn something from this.

How to bind OS X 10.3 clients to OS X 10.6 Open Directory

I’ve blown a few hours here trying to figure out how to bind some older 10.3 clients to my 10.6 server. The problem with manuals is that a 10.3 manual assumes you are going from 10.3 to 10.3. A 10.6 manual will do the same except it is for 10.6.

Every manual and note talks about making sure your client can properly resolved the server via DNS. This means that if your server DNS name is server.name.lan and it’s at IP address 192.168.1.1, you should be able to get successful responses from the following commands:

host server.name.lan

host 192.168.2.1

The is implies that you should be using the DNS name that resolves to your server when binding it. I’ve come to find out that even though my DNS setup is correct, there is some sort of problem when going from the older clients to the newer clients. In OS X 10.3 you need to do the following:

Bring up /Applications/Utilities/Directory Access
If all the options are greyed out, then click on the LOCK in the lower left corner and authenticate.
Make sure LDAPv3 is CHECKED
Select LDAPv3 and CLICK Configure.
CLICK New and enter an a Configuration Name (anything will do).
Go the the “Server Name or IP Address” field and enter the IP of the server, NOT the DNS name.
In the “LDAP Mappings” drop down SELECT Open Directory Server.
You will be prompted for a Search Base, you should have/get this from your 10.6 Open Directory Server. Enter that in and CLICK OK.
Click OK to go back to the main Directory Access screen.
Click on the Authentication Tab and choose “Custom Search” in the Search Drop Down.
Click ADD and choose “/LDAPv3/192.168.2.1”
Click Apply.
Click on the Contacts Tab and do the same thing you did in steps 11-12.
Close out.

That’s it. So don’t use DNS names, use the IP address. Now if you have SSL on for your OD Server then you will need to enable that too. Hopefully this will save some others some time on this.