Walmart's Missing Niche

Ok, now I know not everyone is a Walmart fan - actually I don't know anyone who is really a "fan", more people who see it as necessary evil at times.  I admit, we sometimes get our groceries there (although we prefer King Soopers) and lately I've been buying my materials for art projects there as well.

Either way, there's no doubt that Walmart's ultimate goal is world domination.  Who doesn't have that goal??  They want to be the "everything" store.  The one-stop shop: if you need it, you know you can get it there without having to run around to several different stores trying to find whatever it is.  These days that includes musical instruments, real estate, and gas.

But the other day I found a market they are missing.  Not that I necessarily wish for them to accomplish their quest of world domination, but I'm an ideas person so when I come up with something I have to blog about it to all you unsuspecting victims.  The story of this idea goes like this (and I believe most good ideas are born this way):

I'm driving in my car with my daughter in my back seat.  We are headed to the water park.

On the way there, I realize that we don't have any sunscreen.

"Where can I get sunscreen?" I think to myself.  "Well, there's a Walmart right on the way..." (as usual).

But did I go to Walmart?  No.  I didn't.  I went to a gas station knowing that my chances of finding sunscreen were maybe 30% less than my chances of finding it at Walmart.

Why would I do such a thing knowing that what I needed was at the local big-box warehouse cheap-o schmeap-o store?

Actually, part of that last sentence answers my question: big-box warehouse.

Walmart is big.  It's huge.  It has everything!  Which means...that if I want something...

• I'm going to have to park in Walmart's big box big-ass parking lot - most likely near the back.
• I'm going to have to take my daughter out of the car and walk 3 minutes into the store. 
• I'm going to have to coax her past the candy machines and electronic rides that will immediately envelope her attention.  
• Best case scenario, the sunscreen is by the check-out stand which means it will take me a minute or two to grab what I need.  
• Worst case scenario, I have to walk all the way to the back of the store - look, I know it's not THAT far but it sure as hell feels like walking a 5k when you're hauling a 3-year-old! - and then wander around to whatever random-ass section the marketing team has decided to stock the sunscreen that day (last time it was the shoe section).  
• If I happen to avoid the toy section during my journey, I'm still going to have to pass the clothing section, which, yes, is occasionally a temptation for me (don't judge me!), and the candy section (more a problem for me than my daughter...), and the special seasonal section up front which is like an amusement park for me.
• And if I get through that, whew!  I'm finally done!  Wait, no... I still have to wait in the long-ass line.  
• And I have to entertain my daughter while in that line, and talk her out of every piece of candy, gum, or mints that she decides look like a great treat.  
• Then, I make the long walk out of the store, through the parking lot, get in the car, and drive out of the parking lot (which can be a journey in and of itself at times).

Ah crap.  The sun already went down.

So, instead, I go to the gas station where I can park right next to the door, walk in and find the sunscreen (hopefully) right in the section with the kleenex, oil filters, and rubber bands, grab a quick snack for the kiddo, wait behind one person in line and hope right back out.  So much eaiser!!!

So if Walmart really wants to take over the world, they're going to have to adopt this model in some way - organize a section near the front of the store that has "gas station" items, or even better, put a separate building in the back of the parking lot where no one parks, and make it a little convenience store where people can drive up, grab, and go.  Even better, make it a drive-through!  How much easier would my life be if I didn't have to unbuckle kiddos to get my sunscreen...

It's the wave of the future.
And yes, I like adding -ass at the end of all my adjectives.  8th grade really stuck with me.

You Have More Talents Than You Think

My Poor Bloggy Blog!  I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted on my blog!  I'm sure my faithful readers are all writhing in pain from the lack of brain stimulation due to my laziness...

Ok, well maybe it's not so much laziness as it is busyness.  Whew!  A lot has happened!  Mostly I just changed jobs at work.  I finally got out of sales - I'm quite happy about that.  I'm now in the marketing department which is a much better fit for me.  Of course, with my luck, all the deals I was working on will close this month and I'll have missed out on huge commissions!

But you know what?  I get to spend more time with my family, and I don't hate my job.  That's got to be worth it's weight in gold, right?  Well, that's what I'm telling myself so SHADUP!

Anyways, there's another reason I've been neglecting this a little bit.  I don't know if it's the past year I've spent doing practical and uncreative day-to-day work, or the work I've been doing with my Career Coach identifying my strengths, or maybe it's just progress in my quest for self-actualization; whatever it is, I've been spending a lot of time tapping into my creative side lately.

I may have mentioned previously that I've started getting back into the music industry to find my place there.  Well, I've found another guitar player to collaborate with in Denver and we've got a pretty cool project going so far!  It includes a number of remakes of old tunes, and will include a large amount of original material as well.  One step closer to that album I've always wanted to produce!

On top of that, I've been...wait for it....keep waiting...one more just to draw this out so the climactic word shows up on the next line... painting!  I've never really painted.  Ever.  Seriously.  I mean, I did when I was kid, but that doesn't really count, right?  I always just considered myself a person who's not very good at creating something from a blank canvas.  There's just too many possibilities and narrowing it down to one painting has always seemed overwhelming.  I've thought about giving it a try several times in my life, but never nipped it in the bud.  Well, after an inspiring trip to the Denver Art Festival in downtown Denver (and a realization that it's worth trying to create the paintings I want for my living room wall if it's gonna save me $1,000), I pulled the trigger. 

I've been using a tree theme.  My best friend recently got a gorgeous tattoo of a tree that I absolutely love, so I'm guessing that was my inspiration.  But I wanted something with some deep green, maroon, and yellow/gold colors in the background to match my living room decor.  This is what I got with my first attempt:

I was pretty proud of myself - nope, not gonna be humble here, it was pretty damn good for a first try. 

Then last night I gave it another go - was it just a coincedence the first time?  Did I get lucky?  The second one turned out even better!

So now I'm really excited about this painting thing!  And to bring this full circle with the point of my Scratch Paper Ideas blog purpose, this fits perfectly with a business idea I thought of a few years ago, but didn't think I had the talent to execute: Custom Artwork Consulting. 

What's the most common way to buy art?  Look around at shows, shop at the store, purchase online, or talk a well-known artist into doing a custom piece for you ($$$).

Well, what if there was a consultant available who could come into your home and do an analysis of the following:

•  the shape and size of the spot you'd like your artwork to be placed
• the feel and colors of the room's decor
• the subjects/ideas/images that are meaningful to you                                                           

Perhaps even go through some other favorite pieces to get an idea of the person's personal style.  Then a custom piece is created just for that person that fits perfectly in that room.  It wouldn't be a cheap thing to do, but not being a well-known artist, I could charge a little extra without being ridiculously expensive.
And the only reason I've never made an attempt at this business idea is because I thought I was completely talentless at art.  Never assume you can't do something until you've given it a fair shake.  I've lost years of practice over a stupid assumption.

But pretty cool, huh?