Two Mondays in a row with single-digit temperatures to start the work week did not make for smiling faces along the path around the Falls, as calendar pages were flipped to December. Technically, there were to be another three weeks before the first day of winter, but sometimes Mother Nature chooses to ignore the calendar.
That second single-digit Monday was predicted to be a hot day for online sales. Known as “Cyber Monday,” the hype leading up to it garnered a great deal of media attention, including stories about how productivity in the workplace was diminished by employees doing a little Christmas shopping on their office computers.
While Cyber Monday came on a cold start to the month of December, the actual heat generated from the online purchasing activity was minimal, since little friction is generated as that purchasing data runs back and forth over the Internet. The heat comes a little later as those orders are processed, but more about that later.
The term “Cyber Monday” came into prominent usage on Nov. 28, 2005, the Monday after Thanksgiving. This past Monday was the ninth Cyber Monday, and will no doubt be the biggest ever, once the statistics come in.
Shopping without going to the store has been around for a long time. People used to do that with a telephone. Several of the direct marketing companies had been doing that for years. They would gear up for the holidays by adding temporary help at their call centers. In Wisconsin, Land’s End and Swiss Colony were two of the largest to focus on seasonal sales.
Given the transition from telephone to online sales, fewer seasonal employees are needed to take orders, but the need for employees to fill orders is larger than ever. The hustle and bustle creates heat as the orders are packaged for shipment.
All those orders generated through online sales proved to be a problem last year for UPS, the guys in the little brown trucks. Cyber Monday and other orders about that time resulted in major delays and a number of empty spots under the Christmas tree. Concerned about customer disappointment, UPS instituted a number of changes for this year’s cyber season. The company is hiring between 90,000 to 95,000 seasonal employees, compared to about 85,000 last year. Several other innovations, including the use of more automation, will help to avoid last year’s issues.
Whether or not it is part of the UPS strategy, something a little unexpected could be seen last week with the UPS delivery trucks in Oconto Falls and a number of other locations. Rather than solo drivers, it seems UPS was using a team approach with two guys in a truck. It’s unlikely that there will be a name change for the company, since something similar is already taken by another delivery organization.
Whether or not we will see two guys in brown uniforms jumping out of the truck to get those packages delivered this holiday season remains to be seen, but they seem intent on getting those Cyber Monday packages under the tree with as little delay as humanly possible. Just because the items were ordered on high speed Internet doesn’t mean that the delivery will be that much faster, but UPS will do what it can to make that happen.
Speaking of making things happen, the past week or two were sad ones for the community as two very active supporters of FFA and the OFHS ag department left the earth to plow new fields in the farm country above the clouds. Both Rob Jahnke and Vicky Harter put much of their hearts and souls into the work with young people in our school district. Jeff Pierquet joined them, just in case any equipment or sheds need to be fixed.
These individuals were outstanding models of support for activities in our schools. That community connection adds a great deal of strength to what we are able to accomplish. Teachers, administrators and support staff can’t do it by themselves, or at least not as well.
Each of us walks this earth, sometimes thinking about our legacy. Vicky, Rob and Jeff will long be remembered for who they were. They left more than memories. They left the ag department and the FFA in a better state than they found it. Jeff left our buildings more comfortable and looking better than they did before.
Let us be thankful for community connections and the people who care for the spaces in which we work. These three left warm memories and are now home.
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