It’s Only Money and Other Observations

Logos and Lights  In 2011 MoDot announced it was cutting 1,200 jobs and closing 135 facilities, trying to adjust to the reduced funding brought on by the recession. However in 2009 when it was clear money was going to get tight, the MoDOT public relations people appeared to have no concept about saving money.

From 2007 to January of 2012 I worked at a desk in the MoDOT Transportation Management Center at Hwy 141 and I-64 as an editor for a traffic reporting service. The main floor of the center looked like something you would see at the Johnson Space Center. Huge overhead monitors showing live traffic conditions, electronic maps with slowdowns and other very high tech cool looking stuff.

Above this open two-story area was a glass conference room. The MoDOT PR people always tried to put the TV people doing stories on upcoming projects or snow operations in this area that gave a TV shot of all the screens, maps and workers below.

Then someone thought they should put different MoDOT logos high up on the walls next to the TV screens, so when TV news crews did live shots MoDOT would be getting free advertising. The special logos were made for the wall. Workmen came in and installed them. That wasn’t good enough and workmen came back in installed special lights below each logo that are on 24-hours a day. All this is for maybe three or four TV shots in a year. Apparently after the recession started money was still no object for the PR folks at MoDOT.

SCHNUCKS AND DIERBERGS SHOULD TRY HEROIN NEXT: Do I seriously think the local Schnuckendorf store or Dierbergs supermarket should get into the illicit drug business?  NO!  But they seem to have the business model down pat. Of course I am speaking of the selling of Honeycrisp apples.

In late September they arrive. Honeycrisps are the huge apples that for many of us are the best tasting apples ever grown. They are also the most expensive apples at the store in September at $2.99 a pound. I pay it and enjoyed one of these apples every day.

Then after Christmas the price suddenly jumps to $3.99 a pound. By now I am hooked.  I pay $4 a pound to get my apples.

Here is an exchanged I had with a Schnucks cashier after the 33-percent January price bump:

Cashier:  Hi, how are you?

ME:  Slightly discontented like a nightingale without a song to sing (my apologies to Oscar Hammerstein.)

Cashier:  Why is that?

ME:  It is like you guys are selling heroin. You guys hook me on the Honeycrisps in September at $2.99 a pound and three months later raise the price to $3.99.

Cashier:  I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t come up with a 12-step program for you.

ME:  Ha!  That’s a good point.

Cashier:  That will be $13.73 for those five delicious looking apples sir.