Last night I passed the Virgin Megastore in Times Square. Signs outside said – “last 3 days – fixtures for sale.” And did what I often do – watch and observe. I can’t say much about what was happening with the regular stock – but started watching worker traffic and the flow of fixtures.
From what I could see, the regular workers were working very hard, answering every question they could, leaving no customers hanging for long, and making it clear they were coming back. For workers who have been limited to part-time and rarely make overtime rates, and aren’t getting placement help, this isn’t necessarily the behavior one might predict.
Jesse Bien, (pronounced “bean” like the legume, not “bi-en” like the Frecnh word for “good”) The person in charge of the fixtures liquidation – apparently with the help of no more than a handful of his own help (although they may have been selected Virgin employees). In the midst of a chaotic environment, he’s working hard, funny, calm, and very quietly and clearly in charge. Knowing enough about the value of everything that he was no pushover in negotiations – but pricing things low enough that my guess is that he’ll empty the place before whatever his deadline is. (There are a lot of wall units in a very nicely finished grade of what I think is 3/4 plywood Baltic Birch, ideal for retail display, and beautiful in other uses).
There’s always pain (human) and loss (economic) in a business failure – but if people like Jesse Bien are available – and used – to reallocate goods –
- the environmental impact of the business closing is limited, perhaps approaching zero;
- other businesses – existing and startup – who are lucky enough to know about it and make wise choices – reduce their startup costs and thus be more competitive.
The Greeks didn’t define “chaos” as the absence of order – they defined chaos as a state which contained the potential for order to emerge.
Our recovery from this economic crisis – indeed, from any disaster – depends on versatile, resilient people like this Jesse Bien. If he’d been in World War II, he would have been running logistics for General Omar Bradley; in a non-military disaster – what those of us who study them call “hastily formed networks” – he’d be the guy who could see the biggest available picture, and who other people would naturally think ought to be in charge.
And yes, I bought some things; no he had (and at this writing still has) no idea about this blog. I’m used to negotiating prison sentences – among other things. I anticipated that the volume and noise would work for me, but I’m not in his league. Maybe not even playing the same game. But I think I got a deal that was fair to me and good for his client.
Maybe when he’s done with Virgin we need to hire him to straighten out the mortgage situation. My money says says he can get the best outcome possible.
It’s people like Jesse Bien that make the American economy dynamic and vital in good times, and pull us out of the mud in bad times.