I Blame My Lack of Coffee on Katy Perry

I had just finished a meeting and realised I was near the Eaton Centre in downtown Toronto.  The pot for my coffee maker had broken and I’d been told Sears carries replacements, so I figured I’d pop in, grab one and get on with my day.

Unfortunately, it was also the same day Katy Perry was launching her new perfume.  I knew they’d blocked Yonge Street, but didn’t realise they’d be virtually shutting down Sears as well.  You couldn’t manoeuvre through the store because they’d blocked access in anticipation of the overwhelming mob who, by the way, never arrived.

How the store was cordoned off made absolutely no sense, and as I criss-crossed the departments trying to get upstairs, I felt like I was on a futile grail quest.  And when I finally got to home wares, the staff were so distracted, no one would help me.  Since I couldn’t find what I needed, I turned around to leave.  But I then had to navigate back through the labyrinth of blocked escalators just to get out of the store.  Cell phone cams were everywhere, mostly from the employees who were far too distracted to do their actual jobs.

My question is: how many of the onlookers actually bought anything?  I’d love to know what the sales figures were.  Was it worth a virtual shutdown of the store so some celebrity could tout her new smell?* 

The BlackBerry PlayBook launch a few months back was equally lame because there was nothing to do.  Unlike the original iPad launch, we already knew what the product was and what it did.  Because they allowed pre-orders of the item, there was no line up at the door, no “sharks at a feeding frenzy” must-have mentality getting everyone excited.

Book launches I get.  You’re in a more intimate environment and almost bullied into buying the product.  It’s genius if you think about it: a cheap glass of wine and a few stale carrot sticks in exchange for compulsory book purchase and obligatory follow up reviews.  That’s definitely getting your money’s worth.

But back to Sears & Katy.  I’m all for creative launches and for celebrity watching, just make sure it is actually is fun, that it’s a draw-worthy celebrity, and make sure you don’t interfere with people who are actually trying to buy something.  Like me and my coffee pot.

 *I wonder if I ‘d have felt differently if I’d actually bothered to pick up my media pass for the event, but somehow I doubt it…