Tag Archives: product testing

Fast Food Funk

sad burgerWe talked last week about people’s favorite fast food joints, with Chick fil A coming in at #1, and Hardee’s at #20. Here is the flip side. An article in Business Insider reports on a survey done by Morgan Stanley asking folks, “If you have stopped going to a certain fast food place, or you’re thinking about quitting…Why?” The answers ranged from Too Expensive, to Quality Going Downhill, to Eating Healthier, and so on. See if any of these sound familiar to you…

Why Would You/Did You Quit…

  • McDonalds: Eating healthier, don’t trust quality, artificial ingredients
  • Starbuck’s: Too expensive
  • Red Lobster: Too expensive
  • Burger King: Quality, service decline
  • Domino’s: Boring, unappealing menu

Now, these are subjective, personal opinions. They don’t always reflect facts on the ground. For more on that, read this piece about how Millennials gripe and complain and disparage McD’s…but they eat there far more than any other place! Anyway, lots more at the original piece, so check it out!

So, how about you? Have you cut back on fast food? Any place in particular? Why? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

This Fast Food Survey is Making Me Hungry

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hamburgerThere’s talk of a fast food backlash, but I don’t know. McDonalds is certainly hurting; Millennials just don’t want to go there. Others are doing OK, however, and it’s not just the new upstarts. Old warhorses like Dairy Queen are getting excellent scores in public opinion.

A recent survey asked 10,000 people to rate fast food chains, and here are the top 20 achievers for 2015:

  • Chick-fil-A
  • Papa John’s
  • Dairy Queen
  • Panera Bread
  • Subway
  • Sonic Drive-In
  • Dunkin’ Donuts
  • Pizza Hut
  • Popeye’s
  • Taco Bell
  • Starbucks
  • Chipotle Mexican Grill
  • Wendy’s
  • Arby’s
  • Little Caesar’s
  • Domino’s
  • Panda Express
  • KFC
  • Burger King
  • Hardees

It’s a pretty tight spread, with #1 Chick-fil-A earning 82% satisfaction, and #20 Hardees earning 72. By the way, McDonalds was in 21st place. Of course, your mileage will vary. Asking folks to describe their feelings is a pretty subjective thing!

How about you? Does this look like a good list? Any of your favorites missing? Any here surprise you? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

Stressing Over Money

dollarPretty much everybody stresses about their personal finances to some degree. These days, it’s only natural to wonder how you would cope if you or your spouse lost a job, had a big medical expense, etc.

The Wall Street Journal has an interesting piece out today, entitled “5 Tips for Passing a Personal-Finance Stress Test.” Here are the bullet points…

  • Debt-to-Income Ratio: How much money comes and goes out each month
  • Discretionary Expenses: Which things can you cut back (gym membership) and which you can’t (your mortgage.)
  • Emergency Savings: Enough to pay 3 months of expenses at the minimum
  • Additional Income: Cutting grass? Paper route? Sell your stuff? Etc.
  • Total Assets: Everything you own, divided by monthly expenses, to see how much cushion you have

There’s more info at the original piece, so check it out!

Figuring out where you stand in your personal finances may not change any facts on the ground. You may not like the result, but it can help erase the uncertainty and maybe help you focus on solutions.

So, have YOU done an inventory like this? Did it help you focus and make some changes? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

Customer Satisfaction: Who Stands Out?

shopcartA big study just came out. It interviewed “10,000 U.S. consumers to rate their recent interactions with 293 companies across 20 industries and then evaluated their experiences across three dimensions: success, effort, and emotion.”

Who are the big winners? Grocery stores, as a whole, get the highest marks. Publix takes the top spot. I have to say, I do like the overall vibe of Publix, but MAN! That experience comes at a high price! Interestingly, the grocery store Aldi also placed highly. Um, has Aldi changed? I remember it as the bare-bones, no-frills store that carries all the foreign knock-offs of your favorite products, e.g., the detergent in the orange box is called “Surf” instead of “Tide.” Must be a price thing? I can see how that would score these days!

Other achievers, getting positive ratings, include fast food, retailers, parcel delivery services, and banks. Meanwhile, Internet service providers, TV service providers, and health plans received “poor” ratings.

As for “movers,” companies that have improved or gotten worse, Residence Inn, US Cellular, and JetBlue Airlines moved up, while Subaru dealers, TD Ameritrade, and Buick dealers went down.

How about you? What do you look for in a retailer? How do you define customer satisfaction? Who’s at the top of YOUR list? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

Net Neutrality and You

The new “Net Neutrality” rules were approved yesterday by the FCC. Depending on who you listen to, this is either best thing ever or the absolute end of the world. As best I can figure, these new rules prevent your internet service provider (ISP) from doing bad things A, B and C. Not that they WERE doing those things, but in case they were THINKING about doing them, now they can’t. So…Yay?

I’m not one who says “Let’s regulate all the things!!” So, I am understandably wary. But in the interest of public service – and because I earn my living mostly on the Web – I attempted to figure out what this is all supposed to mean.neutYeah, so there’s Google’s definition. In general, the idea seems to be that we will now start treating Internet service less like premium cable TV, and more like the electric or water utility companies. Again, I have never noticed my ISP excluding me from sites, or charging more for others…but your mileage may vary.

So, here are a few useful links to explain Net Neutrality. I have tried to present both sides, because CONTROVERSY. Enjoy…?

So, do you have an opinion on Net Neutrality? Will it affect you or your job? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

 

 

Retail Customer Satisfaction Declines

shopgirlIf retailers could accurately, scientifically predict customer satisfaction…then every store would be a success! But there are so many variables. And new technologies keep changing the game every year. And, while the recent results aren’t HUGE declines,  customer satisfaction is down overall.

So, to hear that consumer retail satisfaction has declined for the first time in 4 years, is a bad sign. Basically, the old-school brick-and-mortar stores are down, and online stores are up.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index surveyed almost 9,000 consumers (and if you know anything about surveys, that’s a big sample!) Here’s what they learned about customer satisfaction. Do these percentages of LIKES sound familiar to you?

  • Department/Discount Store Scores: Nordstrom 86% LIKE, Dillard’s 81%, Kohl’s 80%, Target 80%
  • Supermarkets: Trader Joe’s 85%, Wegmans 85%, Publix 82%,
  • Drug Stores: Rite Aid 78%, Walgreens 77%. CVS 75%
  • Specialty Retail: Costco 84%, BJ’s Wholesale Club 81%, Sam’s Club 80%
  • Lowe’s beat Home Depot
  • Internet Retailers: Amazon, at 86% is the top of the heap

So, do these results match your shopping experience? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

Valentine’s Day by the Numbers 2015

valentine bucksWell, the statistics are in, and the retailers are thanking their lucky stars. Valentine’s Day spending is back, baby! In almost every category, V-day spending is up. To the extent that this predicts retail sales, or consumer confidence, or whatever, it’s all good in the retail ‘hood.

According to the National Retail Federation, and as reported in USA Today and Yahoo Finance, here are some of the bullet point from this year’s survey. Or as we call it, “Valentine’s Day by the Numbers!”

  • $18.9 billion: To be spent in 2015. That’s up 1.5 billion from last year!
  • $88: Average spent per person, up $10 from 2014
  • 53%: Will buy candy
  • 21%: Will buy jewelry
  • 38%: Will buy flowers
  • 35%: Will have a night out
  • 1-2-3: In order, MEN buy 1) Flowers, 2) Candy, 3) Cards
  • 1-2-3: In order, WOMEN buy 1) Cards, 2) Candy, 3) Evening Out
  • #1 Destination for women: Discount stores
  • #1 Destination for men: Department stores
  • 21%: People who will buy a Valentine for their pets
  • 54%: Men who foolishly believed their wives when she said “I don’t really want anything for Valentine’s Day.”

OK, I made that last one up. Anyhoozle, it’s nice to see that, even in VERY uncertain times, a nice little romantic holiday like this can break through the anxiety. Whatever you spend, however you spend it, spend it with somebody you love!

What are YOUR Valentine’s day plans? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!

 

 

 

 

Money Questions for Potential Young Marrieds

"OK, kids, scootch in a little closer to the dollar sign..."
“OK, kids, scootch in a little closer to the dollar sign…”

Love is in the air. Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Many candlelight dinners will be consumed, and many nervous young dudes will be popping a certain question. Well, slow down tiger. You can barely afford this fancy dinner. Can you afford to be married?

A lot of young folk skip right over this question, and this can lead to heartache down the road. One problem is that people just don’t like to talk about money.

If your relationship is heading toward joint finances, it’s essential to talk about it first – openly and honestly. A 2014 survey…found that 13 percent said they had failed to share information about their personal debt or income, which had “an effect on the relationship.” YourHoustonNews.com

So here are some questions for prospective brides and grooms to discuss openly:

  • Where are you financially as individuals?
  • What are your money personalities?
  • How do you want to live?
  • How will you handle everyday spending?
  • What if you need help?

As usual, these are the bullets. Lots of further explanation at the original piece. How about you? Were you once young and dumb and skipped over these questions? I WAS and DID. How did it work out for you? DID it work out for you? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

Super Bowl by the Numbers (2015)

superbowlconsumeAs I say every year, it’s fun to see which companies have paid the NFL millions of dollars to be allowed to use the words “Super” and “Bowl” next to each other, and which ones have to settle for “the big game” in their TV commercials!

Anyhoozle, who ya got? Seahawks or Patriots? As a perpetually disappointed Cincinnati fan, I don’t have any skin in the game. But it’s still fun. I don’t do the whole party preparations thing (that would require having friends) but a LOT of people do. And they spend a LOT of money!

Here, courtesy of the National Retail Federation, is your “Super Bowl 2015 by the Numbers!”

  • 184 million: number of US television viewers
  • $14.3 billion: total spending for food, party supplies, team wear, etc. (oh, and BEER.)
  • $77.88: the average spent per person
  • 9%: people who will buy a new TV for “the big game”
  • 43 million: will host a Super Bowl party
  • 13 million: will watch at a bar

Interesting, the press release is full of the “renewed consumer confidence” angle, and that is how they are basing their predictions. We shall see…

So what are your plans for Super Bowl? Having friends over? How much will you spend on snacks (and BEER!)? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great Super Bowl weekend!

Rising Prices in 2015

We talked last time about the variety of items and services that will cost less in 2015, from falling gas prices to just about everything affected by gas prices, which is a BUNCH.

Unfortunately, there’s always another side to the equation, and other factors that affect prices. According to MoneyTalksNews.com, weather, livestock diseases, rising demand, poor planning among suppliers, and government regulation all play a part.

So which items will hit you pocketbook a little harder this year? Here are the bullet points:

  • Bourbon
  • Beef and pork
  • Avocados
  • Chocolate
  • Air travel
  • Hotels
  • FedEx and UPS fees
  • Coffee
  • Olive oil
  • Some sports cars
  • Redbox rentals
  • Girl Scout Cookies
  • Health care

For all the hows and whys, check out the original article. Which of these will affect you most? How will it affect you spending behavior? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend before the prices go up!

(And don’t forget about the Valentine’s Day Makin’ it Rain giveaway!)