About six weeks ago, in Italy, I needed a USB hub for my computer. My old one had clearly  reached the end of its life, so buying another one was in order. But, since I was in Italy and it was Saturday evening, buying a new one right away was out of the question. “So?” you might ask. So I’d have to wait until Monday, since absolutely NOTHING is open on Sundays. Well, that’s not entirely true, but for all practical purposes, it seems that the whole country is closed!

Monday morning, we got into the car and drove 20 minutes to the local Euronics store on the outside edge of Florence, just down the hill from Fiesole. Coincidentally, they were sold out of the brand that I prefer. I cornered a clerk to ask if there could possibly be more in the back room. His answer was very Italian, “No, sono finiti. No, they are finished.” This phrase translates to mean “sold out.” There’s no checking for an upcoming delivery date or even a hint at when the supply might possibly be replenished. In fact, these are silly wonderings because no one knows.

There’s no such thing as contacting another store to check their stock. Here are my simple choices: I can buy another brand that is unfamiliar and looks as though it was assembled from the Leggos left over after kindergarten recess, OR . . . we could go out to MediaWorld and buy one there. Wait! Isn’t that at the I Gigli MALL west of Florence? Why, yes it is. That’s only about 45 minutes from here, right. Bite the bullet. Get into the car. Let’s go. It’s not that far distance-wise, but crossing the city, negotiating traffic, taking the correct exit, and doubling back a couple of miles (excuse me, kilometers) all make up the “little” pieces of the puzzle that take time and energy, easily consuming an entire morning.

Now let me explain Italian mall shopping: it seems that everybody shops at the exact same time. I don’t know why. The parking lot is usually full, with at least 30 cars circling, looking for that one random parking space that will open up any minute—that ONE slot. 30 cars. Do the math. So after cruising the parking lot we head off to the remote back lot and score a parking spot. Then in we go.

MediaWorld is tucked into a back corner of the mall. There’s a security person stationed at the entrance who visually scans our hands for merchandise and suspicious looking bags. None. “Okay. Benvenuti. Welcome.” We buy the hub, pay the cashier, who asks scowlingly, “Volete una borsa? Do you want a bag?” The appropriate answer is no, since plastic bags are quite out of fashion, due to environmental concerns. We climb into the car and reverse our tortuous route. In Fiesole, we stop for lunch, because it’s now 1:30—national lunchtime in Italy.

Flip-side: Yesterday in California, a different hub failed. The computer couldn’t “see” an external drive. What to do? Why just go buy another one, right? I also needed to pick up another external drive to archive some files, so off I went.

I arrived at Office Depot, where external drives were on sale this week. They were out, but my favorite sales associate, Ed, called another store and asked if they’d hold one for me. 15 minutes later, I arrived at a different OD and announced my arrival. A friendly clerk retrieved my drive from the backroom, I paid the cashier, and took my little plastic bag to my car. Within a relatively short period of time, I had exactly what I needed—at a discounted price.

I chuckled to myself at the differences. In Italy, I know of 2 stores that sell electronics. In California, I can think of quite a few within 15 minutes: besides Office Depot, there’s Best Buy, Office Max, Staples, Frys, and Target. Yes, Target, a megastore where a good old American consumer can buy PJs, shampoo and USB hubs—one stop. In Italy, clothing is typically found in clothing stores. Shampoo can be purchased at the local grocery store or a pharmacy. USB hubs are available at the few electronics stores.

Here in the USA, we’ve modified store hours to accommodate shoppers. Need a lightbulb at 2:30 am? Surely, there’s an all night drugstore right around the corner. Literally want a midnight snack? No problem. Lots of grocery stores keep late hours.

In Italy, the consumer does NOT drive hours of operation. Want something on Sunday? Sure you do. And surely you can wait until Monday. Maybe American consumers have instant gratification switches that are broken and remain constantly on. We want what we want, when we want it. Now!!!

This past fall, I met a young marketing intern, just finishing her stint at a hotel in Florence. She expressed amazement at Italians lack of marketing focus. She said, “There’s money to be made and they don’t seem to care! They just close their shops, put a sign in the window and take a 2-week vacation. What are they thinking?”

What indeed? Perhaps they’re thinking that Life is a balance. Perhaps they are thinking that waiting for something makes it more valuable, or at least appreciated. Perhaps they’re thinking that time spent with family is its own reward. There are always different shoppers on other days—not to worry—it all works out. They embrace the concept of working to live, not living to work.

So maybe, I’ll shut down my computer, along with its peripherals and take a walk or read a book. Maybe I’ll snuggle up with a doggie in a sunny patch on the floor.

I think Italy has been a good influence on me, don’t you? Don’t you?

Posted on January 16, 2011

Related Story