It is Sunday May 27th (Memorial Day Weekend) 9:40pm in New York City, and I need more memory for my iMac. Should I:

a) Order 2×512MB chips on-line
b) Wait until the next morning to drop off at Comp USA (and pick up a few days later)
c) Go to the Apple Store on 5th Avenue
d) Procrastinate for another 4 months

If you picked “C”, you are correct. And not only is it amazing that this (and others) are open 24 hours a day, but when I got there, 150 people were touring, playing and… YES… buying (the most important take-away).
Within 15 minutes, I had my “new and improved” computer. They were only too happy to help. Why is Apple one of the few companies who really get it?

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Industry Survey reveals many chains disappoint customers

According to a Kanby Research Institute Study of 50 restaurant chains, very few actually meet customer expectations. Here are some of the winners:

-Starbucks (coffee category)
-Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (casual dining category)
-Bonefish Grill, Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Legal Sea Foods and Morton’s The Steakhouse (upscale category)

The study asked 3000 people to rate the chains on food, speed, cleanliness, friendliness and hospitality, asking, “Were your expectations met?”

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