Keep Moving

“I didn’t want to get stuck in rut. Everyone around me was getting married, pregnant, and I didn’t’ want that. That’s why I moved out here, to avoid the rut,” Bridgette said over a slice of pizza at their favorite Italian joint in Phoenix. Her sister Bethany recently joined her for the same reason; they didn’t want to live the life they knew back home.

We continued chatting and as the drinks got lower in the glass, Bridgette soon admitted her personal shopping addictions. “I like the extras. The toppings. I mean, a new hand lotion, necklace, I like to keep it interesting.” She continued, “you know, it’s like those girls who dye their hair after a really bad break up. Sometimes you just need to keep changing it up.”

Opportunity: No one wants to get stuck in a rut. Ease her fears of getting trapped; make sure she always has a way of changing.

Soapbox Realism

We knew from the start that Tonya was very socially-minded—and opinionated. “I love to get on my soap box and talk about causes,” Tonya admitted over lunch. “There are a lot of things I’m very concerned about right now—global warming, the war, Africa…”

So we were surprised to see her take a sheepish tone when she admitted, “I shop at Wal-Mart these days, and it kills me. I don’t like their business practices, but I can’t resist the low prices.”

As Tonya knew all too well, ideals often take a back seat to reality.

But as unhappy as she may have been with this financial reality, she willfully found a silver lining. “With the money I save, at least I can make little contributions to the causes that are important to me.”

Opportunity: She’s already aware of the necessity of bargain shopping. Help her remember what she gets in return.

Little Adventures

So yes, we are hypocrites. We preach not to go to the zoo, but that’s exactly what we did: headed straight for the Phoenix Zoo.

“I’ve never seen it this crowded!” We met Ellen standing in line with three of her friends and their little ones, all waiting patiently to be let inside. “I’ve been coming here for 20 years and I’ve never seen it this busy.”



While fighting our way to sneak a peak at the main event, baby Michael the Orangutan, we asked Laura, the local zoo expert if what Ellen had said was true. “It’s spring break, so of course it’s busy, but membership has never been higher, so maybe that has something to do with the larger than normal crowds.”

While purse strings might be tighter, and week long vacations might be a thing of the past, it doesn’t mean people are going to stop enjoying themselves. If the Wild Kingdom isn’t in the budget this year, maybe a few more trips to the zoo will help quench the adventure thirst? Because really, who doesn’t love a day at the zoo?

Opportunity: Help turn day trips into mini holidays.

Workin’ for the Weekend

Dave was a very honest guy. He had no hesitation in telling us what matters to him in life. “Going out with friends gets most of my money. I basically prioritize booze above all else. I’ll eat at Subway all week so that I can spend $60 at the bar on Saturday.”

Scottsdale, AZ is a notoriously flashy town. Our casual restaurant was filled with conspicuous designer brands and the parking lot with even more conspicuous luxury cars. But even in Scottsdale, Dave wasn’t going to be convinced that his spending priorities should change.

Dave happily reported that he shops at places like JCPenney and Ross, trying to look decent without spending a lot of money. He’s just not interested in spending money on clothing.

He needs that money for other things. As he told us, “I live my life for the weekends.”

Opportunity: His priorities are set. Facilitate the experiences our guy really lives for.

Keep up with them

“We change the store once a week, in fact, we have so much stuff coming in, there aren’t enough hangers for all the clothing.” Wendy didn’t look like the crowd that was perusing her store, but regardless, she got it. She managed Forever 21, and understood that in order to keep them coming back, you had to be one step ahead.



“Once a week, we rearrange the entire store, and once a month we get completely new stock.”

When asked why it was so important to constantly move things and stay active Wendy explained, “We have regulars who come in looking for something new. They get here on Thursdays, because they know by Sunday, it will be picked over, and they can’t get what they want.”



We’ve already proven that women shop all the time, but, in order to keep them interested and ultimately inspired, we need to keep up, we need to refresh our inspiration as often as they look for it. At this point, we offer inspiration, and although it’s reliable, it’s predicable.

Opportunity: In life, the greatest moments are unpredictable. Give her the grounds to find those moments.

Today’s the Day

“I used to think the army was bad. Against war, everything like that, but once I started talking to these guys, and my brother-in-law, he’s an officer now, I realized, its actually not so bad. Great in fact.”



Julia had one of those twinkles, you know, just one of those twinkles. That overpowering kind of optimism that just makes you believe everything is going to be alright. She’s been working as a waitress at the Sheraton for a year or so, likes her job just fine, but her favorite part is the mornings where she works the early shift and serves the marines before they start their journey to boot camp, or sometimes, straight to war.

“When my brother-in-law started I remember he said to me, you know, before this I had a $12 an hour job, but now, now I’m leaving a job and starting a career.” Uncle Sam gave him a future, “I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s scary and not easy, but imagine what kind of a future it gives you.”

Right before they ship off the army puts them up in a hotel with a whole group of other enlistees, wakes them up with a personal phone call, feeds them breakfast, and then helps them onto the bus to start their duty.

“It’s one thing signing up, but that’s just a pen on paper. When they’re here it’s real, you know. Today’s the day. Today’s the day you ship off.”

Later that evening we returned to the hotel and saw a group of men, boys really, goofing around in the lobby. The night before they were rowdy, annoying teenagers, but now, we couldn’t help but look at them a little differently. Today was the day that they took control of their future.

Opportunity: Give them the controls. Help them find their future.

Brand Spanking New

“Thanks, I just got it” Bethany said after we complimented her little pin striped jacket. She played with it a bit, pushed up the sleeves, and smiled :”it’s always more fun when it’s new. Even if it ends up being my favorite jacket, it’s never quite exciting as the first time you wear it.”

It’s true, we’re obsessed with new. Shiny, unused, untouched. There’s something in the thrill of the first time.

Opportunity: Help her make it feel like the first time.