May we look beyond the horribly trendy sounding title of “peak” – as we have seen peak oil, peak beard, and selected other “peaks” which allegedly signify the use or consumption of something will now decline. Then the boss of Ikea this Monday declares “peak stuff” *– well it got me thinking.
AS consumers we go to buy things, but being privileged to live in a developed country I find myself walking past most of what is put in front of me – or scrolling past the goods online. Then I noticed other headline snippets this week;
• Walmart closes 267 stores
• Argos – in the UK – is allegedly looking at reducing store numbers. And a potential purchaser of Argos – Sainsbury’s – will definitely close some stores if it goes ahead with its takeover bid.
• Oil: supply exceeds demand, and hence the 50-year low price
• Iron ore, steel, many other metals – all have supply exceeding demand.
There have been a number of other factors on my mind too:
• Over capacity is rife: automobiles, shipbuilding, construction, most high street retailing
• Apparently there are now 7 billion mobile phones on the world, on the face of it representing market penetration of 97%. Of course some people have more than one….
• Have you visited your local recycling center recently? Have you seen the amount of “stuff” we are throwing out?
• Music – we access by phone or tablet, rather than keep in custom made furniture in our homes. Remember CD cabinets?
• Books – who needs a bookcase?
This peep into “my world” is not to overlook the fact that we still have many places in the world – too many – where poverty is the overriding concern. We still have much work to do to ensure everyone is fed, cared for and loved. There are so many areas where we still need to be reaching for peaks.
But can some parts of the world be seen to have too much?
One of the quotes from my favorite “irritational speaker” Larry Winget makes, I think, an interesting summary of success with regard to material possessions: “Spend more money on less stuff”. You can apply this to anything – food, clothes, furniture, household goods. In other words, go for quality.
Another trend we can see is that the act of consuming is not just buying something, it is the experience. Why are there over 70 places to buy a coffee in Leamington Spa?** Like many other places in the developed world, it is not the beverage, but the whole experience we are buying.
And experiences are also becoming more common – specialist holidays not just relax, but to pursue a hobby. Acting courses, astronomy breaks, history tours, track days, trial flights, parachute jumps…you can odd your own to a never ending list.
What does this mean for you in your work?
Remember quality, and remember service. Not everyone wants to be served by a robot, or a human acting as one.
When learning something new, it is the experience that will help you retain your learning.
And when others in the world still need so much, what can we do to help them. That is an experience in itself.
*Financial Times, Monday 18th January 2016
**Figure from a recent meeting with Warwick District Council. It is also where my family & I spend many a happy weekend afternoon!