The Original Sheets

Those pesky on-line reviews came in handy last week when I tried to order new sets of sheets. The picture on the website looked like the flannel sheets I had come to like, but the reviews told a different story.

‘I ordered these sheets because I had bought them before and liked them. But the sheets that arrived were made of a different material and don’t wash very well.’

That review kind of cooked it for me. I was more than happy to purchase great flannels at a fair price, not get third-tier stuff that cost the same as premium.

I popped off to another, more pricey site, knowing I would likely get my preferred sheets. The irony set in later, as I pondered what seems to happen a lot in the marketplace for goods – and services. Are you getting what you pay for? Yeppers peppers, that question does come up when providing massage.

Am I providing what people have paid for? Are we massage therapists providing what people have paid for? Is it premium service or just-so? What are people getting for their money?

Massaging people all day can be what you make of it, and I like to make it interesting. I’m always looking at intakes and asking people what’s the goal for today – relax, unstick something, relieve pain, whatever. It’s always fun when they say all three.

In the marketplace, people know what they want and tend to vote with their feet when they don’t get it. And in the electronic marketplace, they will let the next customer know.

A lesson learned from sheets and clients.

Authored by Susan Peterson, CAMTC, NCTMB