Essay

Manicures and eurozones

By Maria Bromley

News about the global economy can occasionally seem hard to understand on a personal level. But sometimes you get the opportunity to bring the macro-economic story down to a micro, or personal, level. I recently had such an opportunity. We have all read about the European financial crisis and have heard the controversial acronym PIIGS, referring to Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Spain — the eurozone countries that have been suffering financial difficulties. Apparently they have some debt issues, much like a first-year university student does when they realize that their new credit card has to be repaid at some point.

I tend to assume the southern European nations are suffering the fallout of the global financial crisis, and I like to give them the benefit of the doubt. But I was recently in Italy and was able to develop my own impression. Let's bring it down to the lowest common denominator — the manicure.

I tried to book a manicure on a Monday at 5 p.m. You would think I asked them to get me an audience with the pope. The salon owner replied that there was no way they would be able to give me a manicure before they closed at 6 p.m. Milan, the business epicenter of Italy, seems to close at 6 p.m. — many places are closed all day Monday as well.

I couldn't help but reminisce about my days in the ultraconvenient Tokyo. I wanted my hair done at 11 p.m., before I hit the clubs? No problem. Champagne brought in courtesy of the bar next door? No problem. You need a dress shirt for work early in the morning because you didn't make it home last night? No problem. You can buy a cup of sake and an iPhone charger while you're at the corner store.

Europe could learn a little about the art of convenience and customer service. I'm not talking about having big box stores in every suburb. I'm talking about giving people what they need, when they need it. Every country has their niche. Japan has a convenience store on every corner, Canada has a bank on every corner, America has drive-through donut stores, and Italy has great cafes. If only globalization allowed us to have a country with great convenience stores, banks, donut shops and cafes on every corner! Utopia.

Countries and companies that don't meet consumers' demands will be left behind. But the issue of productivity also plays a role. Working longer hours to offer more services should not be the goal; working smarter, so citizens can achieve a work-life balance, should be. Whoever figures it out first will win — and will have great nails in the process.

Shukan ST: OCTOBER 26, 2012

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