|
|
* I drove down to the Fujisawa-Katase beach after a few months and dropped in an outside terrace of McDonald, my favorite place. The noisy summer has gone already and the inhabitants here have restarted their own usual life as it was. They were enjoying leisurely their Sunday noon. The terrace was filled by the cheerful families with infants and dogs, aged who were brought here for sun bathing on wheel chairs pushed by volunteers and deeply tanned surfers. The sleeve-less wears were very popular among both sexes to make ostentatious display of their thick second arms (these days, those who have thick second arms are considered to be sexy among both sexes of youths.)
|
|
|
I found the way of management of McDonald has changed drastically. In order to cope with the deflation, it stopped the cut-price sale before the last summer. The quality of paper coffee cups and holders of fried potatoes became poor. It was really the emergency measure. I was astonished to find the American company which was demanded by investors to get profits even at the time of deflation took a measure not to increase the sales volume but to survive through in the smaller market. But right after it took the emergency measure, its sales volume dropped sharply as their customers faded away. The company was reported to fall into the red only three months (?) after. Its top managements were obliged to be replaced. The hard competition among fast food sales companies is not only on their products and pricing, but on their measures to cope with the individual consumer's taste. At the "Subway,"a fast food shop, when a customer orders a piece of sandwich at its counter, he/she can make a choice of bread ( five kinds of bread available,) meat and vegetables, sauces and drinks. The cooks made it before the customer's eyes. McDonald started a new choice system from October 3. 2002. A customer can make a choice of burgers, side dishes, and drinks as shown in the above right picture. At the terrace, I observed the new system worked fairly well today.
The auto industry has been demanded by customers to supply vehicles which individual customer wish to have. The manufacturing and sales systems which can cope with the individual demands must be developed and executed at the earliest occasion. Years ago, Toyota developed its "full choice system" and applied it to the Cellica, a sporty car. It would not be difficult to make a modern full choice system and apply it to all products because it is now in IT age.
* There was a haze over the sea today. But the seashore was crowded with surfers. The driftages were washed up on the beach by Typhoon No. 21's strong winds and waves.
|
|
I was unaware that the size of surfboard became bigger. Some of them are taller than human height. The surfers, who were toddling on beach with a big surfboard on head, looked humorous. Some of them was carrying the board on bicycle with side-car. The beach was good playing ground for dogs. A couple passed over me smartly with their baby and a pet dog on their backs.
|
|