I thought of that when I saw this headline story -- the top story -- over at The Bismarck Tribune today:
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Notes From All Over
Sophia and I attended a Christmas party last night. It's a dinner hosted by our apartment manager and is the "party of the year" for Sophia and me. We both really look forward to attending. I talked at length with a woman whose son worked as a project manager for XTO in Midland, TX. We had a lot of stories to exchange. He had hoped to get a field job in Houston but with activity in west Texas and east New Mexico the company needed him out there. He loves the outdoors and particularly enjoys fishing. There is no fishing where he is working unless he wants to drive an hour and a half each way; a major disappointment. I didn't say anything but the little bit I know about fishing suggests he would have a great time in the Bakken, although he might learn something new when it comes to ice fishing.
Getting ready for the party:
At the same party I spoke with a Japanese man who was there with his wife and two children, ages seven years old and three years old. His English was not bad. She and the two kids spoke no English. He has been in the US for three months; his family has been here for one month. They love it. It is the opportunity of a lifetime for them, he said. He is a mechanic for JAL out at the DFW. My hunch is that he is not a blue collar mechanic but is in charge of all ground operations. JAL has one flight daily from Narita, Japan. I've flown into Narita on one occasion so I have a "picture" in my mind of his "home town."
His English will be quite good by the time the family returns to Japan in three years. The kids will be fluent in English by the end of this year. Guaranteed.
Our school district consistently ranks among the highest in the US. It was amazing to see all the Asians at the party. A few northern European heritage. A few Hispanics. Although the largest demographic in the apartment complex is subcontinent Indians, there was only one family of Indian descent at the party. The most likely reason: dietary restrictions. The caterer for the party: one of the best barbecue restaurants in north Texas.
The interesting thing about the Japanese: "no religion" in Japan. If anything, Buddhism. When I spoke with the Japanese mechanic he pulled out his iPhone to help with interpretation. My wife is Japanese and it would be nice for her to meet the family but due to generational differences, probably won't happen. We'll see.
Last night, coincidentally, a huge story on Japanese society here in the DFW area. It turns out that the state of Texas maintains an office in Tokyo (or somewhere in Japan) to bring Japanese companies and jobs to Texas. Texas is one of the few states to do that. It may or may not have played a major role in Toyota US moving its headquarters from Los Angeles to Plano, just north of the airport. With Toyota here, a huge influx of Asian enterprises, not just Japanese. Quite amazing.
My wife's note:
And finally this. Walmart is doing big, innovative things here in north Texas. We happened to see that yesterday when shopping. It is really quite amazing to see what Walmart is doing. More on this later, For now a link to this story.On tv news: Japan has an office in Tokyo specifically dedicated to encouraging Japanese business ventures in TX. They find Richardson, Ft Worth, and Dallas particularly lucrative, especially after the move of Toyota to Texas from Calif.With the the Japanese population growing old and birth rate plummeting, they’re losing their market and need to seek alternative ones — Texas!
In addition to the coffee shops, Walmart is replacing McDonald's with a more upscale sit-down restaurant with Hickory Bird. See linkedin:
At Hickory Bird we believe that great food should be available to everyone every day. By putting inspired spins on familiar classics, we strive to deliver delicious meals at affordable prices. Hickory Bird is an innovative, quick-serve restaurant exclusive to Walmart Supercenters. Our first opening will be in October 2018 and we are looking for enthusiastic people who are as passionate as we are about serving up great food with genuine hospitality.Talking to the manager, it sounds like the DFW Walmarts are the first to get these restaurants Ten will open in the DFW area and if things go well, will expand.
Other links to Hickory Bird:
Next to Llft Off coffee in Walmart was state-of-the-art e-commerce center with package pickup. It was quite amazing to see what Walmart was doing. It is clear that Walmart is competing with Amazon but more importantly is taking on Target. The foot traffic at any Walmart is considerably greater than foot traffic at any Walmart. My hunch is that Lift Off will not succeed if they add more personnel. It was a bit slower than Starbucks but according to a small survey, one thing that Lift Off has over Starbucks: the various coffee drinks are much more consistent at Lift Off. The taste of a coffee drink at Starbucks is very, very dependent upon the barista.
For now, the #1 customer for Lift Off is going to be Walmart's own employees.
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