As we get closer to the holiday season, I like to look at my options as to where I buy my gifts. Given that I own a small business, I try to support other small businesses and companies that make things here at home. So even if it costs a couple dollars more, I feel good to support those businesses plus I usually get better customer service and attention when I go to a mom and pop store. But what happened to the mom and pop stores? There are far fewer than just a few years ago.
Well, a while back, Sam Walton figured out that the more that you buy of something, the cheaper it would be and the big box store was born. For example, I can buy a 12 pack of Coke at a lower price from Wal-Mart than I can at a small convenient store. It’s all the same Coke, but the price is less at Wal-Mart so people go there to save money. It’s what is called a commodity. It means you get the same thing no matter what the cost is. A Coke is a Coke.
Dentistry is looking at a similar situation in the future. Employers are paying less for dental benefits which means their employees are getting usually stuck with a PPO (participating provider option) plan. As I’ve discussed before, practices have to discount their fees around 30-40% in order to be on the PPO list. This basically means the practice needs to see about 30-40% more patients in order to pay the bills and run a business. This leads to less time being spent with each patient and can lead to cutting corners with materials and staff. Those practices that have elected to not be on those plans are able to provide a better, more attentive experience for their patients. Regardless of the economy, people typically buy what they want and not necessarily what they need. So it boils down to value versus price. If price is the most important aspect then you’ll go to the lowest bidder. But if an individual places value in their health, then they may go to a place that provides a better experience and it may be worth the extra cost. Dentistry is not a commodity, it’s a service that varies with every practice and every provider. Veneers and other cosmetic services, for example, can be done several ways. Is there an offer to increase patient comfort with pillows, blankets, headphone, and sedation? There is value in taking the extra steps to get the best result. The insurance companies want to pay less so practices then have to see more patients and possible lower the value. This can turn a practice into an assembly line atmosphere and decreases customer service. So buy your Coke at your local big box store if you want to save a few bucks, but don’t let the insurance companies tell you where to go for better dental health. I always say you get what you pay for and there is no better investment in you or your family’s health.
Where Are Mom and Pop?
November 29, 2012
Enjoy some candy then…
November 1, 2012
Halloween has come and gone for another year. My kids sure had fun even though it was a little cold this year. My six year old filled his bucket and a little of his sisters. And no I didn’t pass out toothbrushes, toothpaste, and apples. That’s a lame idea plus I didn’t want our house to get TP’d. There is nothing wrong with the kids (and the parents) eating a little candy in moderation. Just brush and floss those teeth before you go to bed so those tooth bugs don’t eat away at your teeth. It’s usually not the first month that we see those cavities, it’s usually a few months down the road.
I don’t know about you, but we’re going to have lots of left over candy. So I went to a website call Mom On Timeout and got some ideas for all that leftover candy.
•Donate it. There are many opportunities to donate your Halloween candy. Here are a few that I know of:
-Ronald McDonald House Charities-accepts candy donations for kids. You can search for a local branch here.
-Many churches and other places of worship have candy drop-offs or accept candy donations.
-Operation Gratitude-sends care packages to troops overseas.
-Any Soldier-sends packages to individual volunteers who then pass them on to soldiers who don’t get much mail.
That soldier then shares his package with his troop.
•Other places to donate would be food pantries, pediatric wards, and nursing homes.
•Another option is to freeze your extra candy. Chocolate freezes very well and can be stored for up to a year in an airtight container (I use a ziploc bag.) This is also great because when you want a piece you have to wait for it to thaw 🙂
•Christmas is coming up and advent calendars are a perfect use for leftover candy. Make your own advent calendar or chain and count down to Christmas be enjoying one piece of candy a day. (You might want to let your kids take turns instead of having a piece every day.)
•We enjoy cookie decorating parties during the holiday season. Pull out the candy that can be used to decorate cookies and save yourself the expense of buying them later on.
•Use it for crafts. Have your kids make a candy wreath by gluing packaged candies onto a wreath. Fun and decorative at the same time!
•Use the candy to decorate your gingerbread houses. Twix bars could be used for the logs on your log cabin gingerbread house. Snickers would make cute benches. Lollipops make perfect trees. Just use your imagination and your gingerbread house this year will be better than ever!
•Use the candy to bake with. There are lots of recipes that call for candy. You can use M&Ms and pretty much any chocolate candy bar to make delicious cookies. Just chop them up and throw it in your favorite cookie recipe or top your cupcakes with them. Yummy!
•Leftover candy is perfect for ice cream toppings as well. Almost every chocolate candy can be used as an ice cream topping. Just chop them up when you are ready to use.
•Share that candy! You can always take the candy to co-workers or send in with your spouse to his office.