Funny how some words have very different meanings to different people. I’m thinking particularly about words like “FRESH” or “LIKE NEW” what do they really mean? My theory is that these words can subconsciously mean different things to us depending on our own situation. If I’m buying something… I expect “LIKE NEW” to pretty much mean it should smell brand new… and to have never truly been owned. It’s those still-in-the-box shoes you buy on Ebay or perhaps the scratch and dent electronics for sale in the back aisle of Costco. Of course if I’m selling something… LIKE NEW could mean something totally different…. maybe it means… it’s just really clean. It’s not that I’m trying to be dishonest or “rip off” somebody… it’s more like my subconscious mind is calculating the meaningfulness of certain marketing buzz words depending on my current state. Happens every day… right?
Theory 97… The Bakery Fresh Theory
Here’s a question… what do the words BAKERY FRESH or FRESHLY BAKED mean to you? When I hear those words… I think of something that was baked EARLY IN THE MORNING…. THAT DAY. I think of the girl dressed in the white apron mixing flour and putting pastries in the oven at 4:00am in while the rest of the world sleeps and has dreams of Krispee Kream dancing in their head. It never crossed my mind that the words BAKERY FRESH could mean something different. Surely my taste buds are refined enough to detect something that isn’t BAKERY FRESH… after all… nobody likes a day old donut… or cookie… or cupcake… right? Take a closer look at the picture above. Last Saturday evening my Mom was kind enough to bring us by some delicious store bought cupcakes. The kids at them… and I had a bit myself. Later that evening I was completely shocked while putting away the container…. LOOK CLOSE… Those FRESHLY BAKED CUPCAKES… have a sell by date of 12-06-09! That’s almost two months from now… how can this be! Obviously those working in the bakery at Smith’s have a very different definition of the words BAKED FRESH than I do. Don’t know about everyone else… but I’ve definitely been putting too much faith in those words.