day 1009: Choice Overload

"Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve."

Could it be that we just now have too many choices and that is part of what is making it so hard to do business?  If you are a retailer that certainly is the case these days. Not only are you today up against the choices that consumers have from multiple local retailers who might be all within walking or short driving distance, you also are competing with online retailers from all around the world who have found their way into your consumer's homes.  Choice can make competing harder.  Not only is that true on the demand side, but it is also true on the supply end. If you are up against others whose offering is much broader and extensive then you have no choice but to respond. I am sure that Henry Ford would have loved to have gone on forever making just black cars, but that wasn't going to happen as others saw the opening to offer more choice.  The balancing of how much choice to offer is hard.  What we do know is that being the best at what is offered is key and that we need to ensure that whatever the consumer is choosing they know that from us they get the best, quality or the greatest value, or the best service, etc. Choice is not going to go away and we have to learn to adapt and embrace the choices that get made.

One thing we know that God will never do is force us to choose to serve Him. That is all our choice and one that we have to make daily.  Sometimes it can feel like we are in a huge mall and that one store at one end of the mall is God and that the devil has all these other stores for us to shop, enjoy, browse and partake.  It's a scary thought but it is what it is and we have to actively decide where we are going to "shop" and "purchase".  Today, there will be plenty of storefronts that are going to entice you to come inside.  It might not feel that bad to take a peek in, but as great retailers do, once they see that you are thinking about making a choice with them, they will market and sell to you until you buy.  Our work days are full of these choices.  Where will you choose today?

Reference:  Joshua 24:15 (NKJV)