Get with it! Technology is here to stay.

I bought a pair of Chaco sandals last year before heading out to do the West Coast Trail. I loved my Chacos. They are much nicer than Teva’s and their one strap technology is easy to adjust and fits my feet whether I am barefoot or wearing woolly socks. Unfortunately upon retreaving my luggage from the conveyor belt in Bordeaux this summer, one of my sandals was missing. The Chaco website told me in their FAQs that I could purchase just one shoe, but I asked all of the retailers in Vancouver and none of them would do it. I was quite delighted to receive compensation for my lost sandal this week, so this morning I went out to buy another pair.

When I bought them last year I chose the strap, type of sole and then placed my order. I waited 6 weeks and then went back to the store to pick them up. This morning I thought to myself, shop must have my name in their computer and be able to tell me exactly what I had bought previously. Nope! My name was in a book written in pencil. Or it would have been last year, but they only keep the book for a few months. These guys are selling $500 gortex jackets, high-end tents, sleeping bags and hiking books good enough to trek around the world and they don’t have a computer system? I must have spent over $1000 in outdoor gear in that store alone, yet they don’t have my name on file. Even my hair dresser keeps a file on me with the type of bleach she uses!

The funny thing is that this morning I read a story on Rohit’s blog about semacodes. H&M have come up with billboards allowing users to purchase the items of clothing advertised using their cellphone. It seems like it’s all or nothing. While some businesses are embrassing technology, which I’m not convinced will work, others are just refusing to go digital.

It will be interesting to see if in a few years time, I’ll be able to purchase my next tent from a billboard, while listening to my radio teaching me a new language in my car that knows my travel itinerary….