Experience the joy of post-Covid firsts

 

It's been a rough year.  But now we all get to enjoy a silver lining - the joy of firsts.

 

When you are young, life is full of firsts - the first step, the first snow, the first plane trip.  But once you get older, not so much.

 

Covid was of course a first for most of us.  But while it ushered in many changes we didn't want to experience for the first time, it's end is providing the opportunity to do just the opposite.

 

Who ever thought I'd get this excited to ride the NYC subway? 

 

Ok.  I was pretty excited about the opening of the Q line.  But it was nothing compared to the joy I felt when I exchanged my expired Metrocard and headed out to the Greenmarket early Saturday morning.  I really missed that.

 

It is interesting to note that when people talk about what they want to do post-Covid their wishes seem rather mundane - "go to a movie and eat popcorn" and "get my hair cut" are two of the most frequent responses.   But of course first on everyone's list is hugging a loved one.

 

And while the joy of post-Covid firsts is undoubtedly being felt by everyone, I have a feeling Boomers are the most excited.  Just check out this video from Saturday Night Live...

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hekDuCBxCc

 

Post-pandemic, people will go back to the way they were before.

 

Many of us have been wondering how many of the new habits that people developed during the pandemic will continue once it ends.

 

Research tells us that the answer is very few.

 

People don't like change.  When things change, people tend focus on what they will lose.  And because we hate to lose - we hate change.

 

If we do want to make changes then we need to do it in small sustainable steps.  Otherwise we will go right back to where we started once the pressure to change is off.

 

That's what's happening now.

 

The pandemic forced dramatic unwanted change on all of us.  Now that restrictions are being lifted we see evidence of people reverting "back to normal."

 

Specifically retail sales dropped 1.3% in May, as consumers shifted spending from big-ticket household items to goods and services related to going out.  Spending on autos, electronics and building materials have all declined.  And there's a surplus of toilet paper available now. :-)

 

On the winning side - movie theaters, restaurants, casinos, gyms and fast fashion have all seen sales increases.  (Cambon, 2021)

 

Expect to see more of the same.  Old habits are hard to break.

 

 

Cambon, S. (2021, June 15) Retail Sales Dropped 1.3% in May as Pandemic Shopping Habits Shifted. wsj.com.  Retrieved June 22, 2021, from  https://www.wsj.com/articles/us-economy-may-2021-retail-sales-11623701250

Ranked voting = too many choices

 

Decision-making is hard.  One of the things that makes it harder is too many choices. 

 

This year, NYC introduced a ranked voting system.  That means that instead of making one choice for each position, voters can now make up to five choices in order of preference. 

 

Each of those is in fact a separate decision.  And you don't have to vote for five if you don't want to.  Lots of choices.  Maybe too many.  That makes me wonder if people who have trouble deciding might just opt out all together.

 

One would expect this to be a high turnout election with the mayor's job up for grabs.  So it will be interesting to see how it goes.  If turnout isn't strong, I would suspect ranked voting is the reason why.

 

Too many choices = letting someone else decide for you.

Too many candidates. Too much direct mail.

 

Normally I am a huge fan of direct mail, especially postcards.  They are easy to target, inexpensive to make and send, and are usually capable of conveying a simple enough message to make their point.

 

But with 13 candidates for Mayor, 10 for Comptroller and 7 each for  Borough President and City Council this is hardly a normal year in NYC.

 

When the first batch of political mail arrived, I put it aside to look it over carefully when I had time.  But then the next day more arrived.  And more and more.   

 

 

And it occurred to me that there was no point in reading any of it.  Selective one way communication was not going to help me to make an informed decision.

 

So, I started to look for short cuts.

 

First I read the detailed editorial the New York Times published when they recommended Kathryn Garcia for Mayor.  It was very compelling.  As was their comment after the second debate that Ms. Garcia is the "competent" candidate.  Am I the only one who suspects that she was the brains behind many of the men she worked for in the past?

 

For the other candidates I "phoned a friend."  Yes.  I am lucky enough to know someone who works in the local politics space.  As a SME she has been engaged in this area to a far greater extent than I ever want to be.  So she was the perfect person to turn to for recommendations.

 

What would I have done without her?

 

I would have looked for additional recommendations from the Times and other news sources. 

 

What wouldn't I have done?

 

Read the direct mail flooding my mailbox.

 

Candidates for public office spend far too much time raising money.  I can't help wondering whether or not they track the effectiveness of their efforts the way that most marketers do. 

 

I suspect that they do not.