Lynnwood got my $125, but lost me as a shopper

Published 12:01 am Tuesday, August 23, 2011

My husband received a ticket in the mail from Lynnwood. I was shocked because my guy is a great driver and hasn’t gotten a ticket in the 15 years I’ve known him.

Included in the ticket was a photo of his car and a website link so he could watch himself doing a slow rolling right on red.

After reviewing the website, the photo, the update and time of the ticket, my husband explained that I was the hooligan who borrowed his car that very day and was shopping at Alderwood mall.

Now it all makes sense. My driving skills make me easy bacon for Lynnwood. They got $125 for my rolling right-turn on red.

That $125 is a good pair of shoes at Nordstrom. When I shop in Lynnwood, I come ready to buy things; I take the ferry to go shopping. When I shop in Lynnwood, I’m usually buying more than $125 worth of stuff. But I now feel a lot less inclined to visit a town targeting me for a ticket for the pleasure of shopping there.

No thanks, Lynnwood.

Guess what: There are lots of other places I can shop and not be harassed by video surveillance. I look at the ticket and conclude that I’m not a good enough driver for Lynnwood.

In a lineup, I’d select myself as most likely to be driving through a yellow light and most likely to do a rolling right on red.

Since I’ve never been ticketed for these offenses anywhere on the planet, I’m assuming I could happily go shop and buy as many things as I can carry in some other town without returning home and being punished days later for spending money in Lynnwood.

I don’t think I’m the only shopper being driven out of Lynnwood. Shoppers have choices. From now on, I’ll do a better job of my own surveillance before I shop.

Part of the “shopping experience” is the customer service, safe and easy parking, the lunch options, and now I will add to the list, making sure I’m not being punished for visiting the town.

Lynnwood, the investment in the surveillance aimed at your shoppers is an expensive gamble. What if you find yourself with no one to watch as fewer and fewer cars with shoppers choose Lynnwood?

This is a public relations nightmare. I feel sorry for the business owners.

Online shopping makes it very easy to get things, so many shoppers who actually come to the store are there for the “experience.”

You got my $125, but you lost me as a shopper until those cameras are turned off.

Community-building takes years, decades. You’ve worked hard to become what you are, and many communities would love to have your customers. Are you sure you want to target your shoppers?

Sarri Gilman is a freelance writer living on Whidbey Island and director of Leadership Snohomish County. Her column on living with meaning and purpose runs every other Tuesday in The Herald. You can email her at features@heraldnet.com.