Goodbye to this n' that. Thankfully.
It has been difficult to transition back to Utah. I'm distracted by the thought of finally moving away, and by world events that are completely out of my control. I am pleased that we will be leaving the state before anything worse happens in the world. Oddly, we closed on our Utah property the week of 9/11/2001, and we were scared shitless. We didn't know if the world was ending, if the tourist market would even be relevant if it still existed, and were half-certain we made a mistake. As it turns out, we did NOT make a mistake, and business got better every year. Now, we are simply bored and ready to do something else. Once the sale on our property is final, we will be free agents for awhile in New Orleans while we wait and see how the world deals with its current crises. For the time being, that is the plan. Otherwise, we have no other plans...except to attend Outdoor Retailer this weekend.
Outdoor Retailer. Disgusting. I have little desire to attend since I still feel like I just got back home. Moreover, I have come to some conclusions about the Outdoor Industry that are not flattering. My opinions are not dishonest by any means, however...
1. Men and women alike in this industry seem to do this outdoor thing because it's "cool." I have met some dedicated outdoor folk that are basically dirtbags that just dig being outside. They don't care what anyone thinks. And you know what? They are not in the outdoor industry.
2. The clothing is disgustingly Chinese-mass-consumer-at-the-mall crap. So is the gear. Very little is manufactured at home anymore.
3. The egos. The egos. I feel the bile rising in my throat right now thinking about all those sales "brahs" with their monkey hair and baggy pants. Then there are the old guys in their second or third mid-life crisis that are cooler than you and me because they have an H3 and are buyers for Bass Pro Shops or Dick's. Wow. My stomach hurts.
4. The utter lack of attention from salespeople for anyone or anything that might threaten the level of coolness, or be a waste of time if your business does not spend as much as the big guys. This particular aspect of Outdoor Retailer used to bother me the most. Now I'm past caring. I know what I'm worth--and it's not a monetary value that comes to my mind. I'm worth what I love the most. There is my treasure...right now, that does not include outdoor industry salespeople.
5. There is a TON of garbage generated at this convention that is a symptom of the excessive drinking that occurs in the aisles after the show closes for the night. It's cool that beer is flowing so happily in Utah, even if it is 3.2% Utah crap. It's just a bummer there's so much damn garbage. In an industry that values the outdoors so much, it's creepy to see the excessive paper/plastic/petroleum products used in the gear/sales material/gimme-giveaway-thingys. Blecccchhhhh....
I know I may have ripped on Outdoor Retailer before in a similar vein, but I have to say that every time I've attended this thing after the very first one, it has just sucked. SUCKED! I don't hold out much hope for this year's gathering, either. I always think I'll meet somebody cool and get to network with them for an hour or so. Never happens. I've met cooler people in my store, which is just as well. You know, you think you'll love something as a job because you love it as a hobby. In this instance, that has turned out not to be true. Once your love becomes your work, the mystery is gone and it slowly becomes drudgery. Camping gear? I used to love it...now, well, so what. Hiking? I still like it as long as I can hike where I want, not because I'm working. The people that have been my customers are the best part and they always have been--mostly because they are my window on the average life, the outside world that works hard and plays very little. I live vicariously through them. I am a people person. I don't think that will ever change. But I will never look at or judge someone in the outdoor industry in the same way ever again. I know that sounds bad from an outsider's point of view, but...well, I will explain that more in a longer essay I plan on writing. It's weird, but there are a disproportionate number of narcissists and sociopaths in this industry. Okay, I'm whining...like there AREN'T a disproportionate number of narcissists and sociopaths in, say, cable news or the petroleum industry. I suppose this is where Dorothy Parker got the idea for that wonderful quote: "If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to."
Outdoor Retailer, this may be the last time I visit your crowded aisles and your crafty salespeople. We shall see what the future holds. Even if we do stay in the "outdoor" industry (that is a horrid oxymoron, isn't it?), I will be hard-pressed to return to your gleaming Salt Palace plastic convention.
Outdoor Retailer. Disgusting. I have little desire to attend since I still feel like I just got back home. Moreover, I have come to some conclusions about the Outdoor Industry that are not flattering. My opinions are not dishonest by any means, however...
1. Men and women alike in this industry seem to do this outdoor thing because it's "cool." I have met some dedicated outdoor folk that are basically dirtbags that just dig being outside. They don't care what anyone thinks. And you know what? They are not in the outdoor industry.
2. The clothing is disgustingly Chinese-mass-consumer-at-the-mall crap. So is the gear. Very little is manufactured at home anymore.
3. The egos. The egos. I feel the bile rising in my throat right now thinking about all those sales "brahs" with their monkey hair and baggy pants. Then there are the old guys in their second or third mid-life crisis that are cooler than you and me because they have an H3 and are buyers for Bass Pro Shops or Dick's. Wow. My stomach hurts.
4. The utter lack of attention from salespeople for anyone or anything that might threaten the level of coolness, or be a waste of time if your business does not spend as much as the big guys. This particular aspect of Outdoor Retailer used to bother me the most. Now I'm past caring. I know what I'm worth--and it's not a monetary value that comes to my mind. I'm worth what I love the most. There is my treasure...right now, that does not include outdoor industry salespeople.
5. There is a TON of garbage generated at this convention that is a symptom of the excessive drinking that occurs in the aisles after the show closes for the night. It's cool that beer is flowing so happily in Utah, even if it is 3.2% Utah crap. It's just a bummer there's so much damn garbage. In an industry that values the outdoors so much, it's creepy to see the excessive paper/plastic/petroleum products used in the gear/sales material/gimme-giveaway-thingys. Blecccchhhhh....
I know I may have ripped on Outdoor Retailer before in a similar vein, but I have to say that every time I've attended this thing after the very first one, it has just sucked. SUCKED! I don't hold out much hope for this year's gathering, either. I always think I'll meet somebody cool and get to network with them for an hour or so. Never happens. I've met cooler people in my store, which is just as well. You know, you think you'll love something as a job because you love it as a hobby. In this instance, that has turned out not to be true. Once your love becomes your work, the mystery is gone and it slowly becomes drudgery. Camping gear? I used to love it...now, well, so what. Hiking? I still like it as long as I can hike where I want, not because I'm working. The people that have been my customers are the best part and they always have been--mostly because they are my window on the average life, the outside world that works hard and plays very little. I live vicariously through them. I am a people person. I don't think that will ever change. But I will never look at or judge someone in the outdoor industry in the same way ever again. I know that sounds bad from an outsider's point of view, but...well, I will explain that more in a longer essay I plan on writing. It's weird, but there are a disproportionate number of narcissists and sociopaths in this industry. Okay, I'm whining...like there AREN'T a disproportionate number of narcissists and sociopaths in, say, cable news or the petroleum industry. I suppose this is where Dorothy Parker got the idea for that wonderful quote: "If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to."
Outdoor Retailer, this may be the last time I visit your crowded aisles and your crafty salespeople. We shall see what the future holds. Even if we do stay in the "outdoor" industry (that is a horrid oxymoron, isn't it?), I will be hard-pressed to return to your gleaming Salt Palace plastic convention.
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