"You probably should fire the driver!"

From the Daily Show, November 7, 2005.

"Your clothes get washed while you get sloshed!"

Wednesday night I found myself desperately needing to do a load of laundry. I also found myself sitting in a darkened room with no power... staring at the wall.

I was on the brink. My clothes were crammed into the laundry basket. I had laced up my shoes and thrown on my jacket. A trip to the dreaded laundromat was in my immediate future. Then... suddenly... lights! Power! Laundry in the comfort of my own home!

While watching the Daily Show... far away from the annoyingly rhythmic sounds of an agitating washer... I began to think. Why did I loathe the laundromat so immensely?

The previously mentioned out-of-time beat of 15 washers going at once?

The irritating clang of a metal snap bouncing off the side of a dryer?

The mysterious piece of underwear left in my chosen machine?

The thought of days spent pacing the halls of the Ellicot Complex waiting for that asshole to come get his laundry so I can get my mine done sometime before 2am?

It wasn't any one of those things that made me hate laundromats so much. It was all of them.

So with that I give you the next item on my Buffalo Wishlist.

Photo: Brainwash Cafe Laundromat; San Francisco, CA

A full service bar and food menu. Live music. A real live person to help you with your laundry woes. WiFi. Comfortable seating.

Imagine a place to hang out with friends, suck down a Bacardi and Coke and get your laundry done! Now that is what I call time management.

If only they had bowling lanes!

Lucky Buffalo

While browsing through the pictures in my girlfriend's latest gossip magazine...

I stumbled upon on an article about Lucky Strike Lanes. Yes, it is a bowling alley. No, it's not a bowling alley. It's a bowling lounge. Well, it's a lot of things. It's an upscale lounge with bowling lanes. High-tech bowling lanes.

To put it simply - it's pretty fucking cool.

The article talked about Lucky Strike Lanes in Chicago. It wasn't until I visited their website that I learned they have locations all across the country. Hollywood, Las Vegas, Boston, Philly to name a few. Now you might think Dave and Buster's when you read this. You would be wrong. Lucky Strike Lanes is an adult playground. No one under 21 is allowed in after 9pm. Prior to that any minor must be accompanied by an adult. They are known for their huge menu and amazing drink selection. Just browsing through the photos on the website had me drooling.

Admittedly I love bowling. Being from Buffalo, I know I am not the only one. My choices, however, when it comes to bowling are... well, pathetic. For being such a bowling hotbed, Buffalo's bowling lanes... suck. You have the choice of seedy or suburban. Voelkers and Broadway Lanes... or Transit and Thruway Lanes. Tonawanda or Lockport?

So I give to you the next big thing for Downtown Buffalo!

Photo source: bowlluckystrike.com

Serving Buffalo

Let's face it. In this day and age there is a "serve yourself" mentality. Buffets, salad bars, "you-scan" checkouts, ATM machines, etc. So as to be expected, customer service in many industries has suffered. Immensely.

If you own a business and want it to succeed and grow, provide outstanding customer service. Most of us are so used to receiving sub-par service that we will be blown away. It's an easy formula.

If you want to see just how bad customer service has become, read BuffaloGeek's post about his recent dealings with Joe Cecconi Chrysler Jeep in Niagara.

Having worked in retail, I tend to believe that there is usually another side to the story. Some sort of miscommunication or something the customer failed to understand. In this case, however, there seems to be only one side to the story. Horrible customer service.

The problem with auto dealerships is that once you sign on the dotted line, they have your money. There is nothing to guarantee you a positive service experience after the sale. Also, because of the severe disconnect between auto manufacturers and the dealerships that sell their cars, customer service complaints are usually met with an apology and a suggestion to contact your dealership in regards to the matter.

So I hope everyone who reads BuffaloGeek's horror story will think twice before ever patronizing this dealership. I recently leased a vehicle from Transitowne Dodge and the service I have received has been outstanding.

I encourage BuffaloGeek to not let this issue die. I would like to believe that the owner of this dealership cares enough about his customers to hold those involved accountable.

If a tree falls in the forest...

If I don't update my blog for a month, does anyone notice?

If you did, I apologize. December was a very busy month and as far as priorities go, there were others. Anyhow, time is again on my side.