In 2007 Southern Ontario endured a round of Consumer Behavioural Training.

Likely we were being too grouchy about rising gasoline prices. So 'they' took it away. Yes gas stations ran out of gas. First they decided to charge for air…then "they" actually took gas away.

Yes, one small processing refinery in Ontario had an explosion, and gas supplies at that one brand went thin. Then another brand decided 'hey…its an ideal time to train the consumer that it’s a privilege to get gas, then they’ll stop grouching about price'. Scarcity will create fear of loss rather than price bitterness.

And now just so we don’t take for granted, the availability of gasoline, at of all places - a gas station, another ‘shortage’ of the stuff, this time in Western Canada. Yes Consumer Behavioural Training at what may be planned regular intervals.

The new mantra – “Who cares what it costs, at least we can get it.”
Take the heat off cost, by focusing on availability.

..."I just didn't know what else to say."
Robust. Today, a word used to justify any positive buying decision.
As in…”we bought that software package because it was robust”. So I guess - the other packages didn’t work? Or did this one still work, even if misused, or provided with junk data?
More emphatic…”we bought that one because it was the most robust”.
Today it seems, any time someone isn’t sure how or why a corporate buying decision was made re a technology, service or even lettuce – they describe the basis of the rational as:
- it was the most robust software
- it was agreed they had the most robust workers
- their lettuce was just far and above more robust. ( and so was their cabbage)