Scott Sanfilippo's Blog

Seems as though every time you go through a checkout lane at the supermarket or a department store, you’re hit with the “Would you like to donate a dollar to….” pitch. I was at the Calvin Klein store (don’t laugh) on Sunday and was asked if I’d like to donate… Read More "“Give a Buck. Save a Kid.” Or, “Kmart Killed a Tree. Who’s Saving the Forest?”"

Right now, millions of people across America are counting down the minutes until they leave their cubicle behind and embark on a long weekend. I know. You’re one of them. I have a sneaking suspicion you were thinking about hot dogs, burgers and cases of cold beer since Wednesday, so… Read More "“Thanks for Your Service.” Or, “Remembering the True Meaning of Memorial Day.”"

Why do you shop where you do? It’s an interesting question that could lead to answers about your own business and your customers. I’ll ask it again. Why do you shop where you do? Is it because of the prices? Special offers? Discount coupons you get in the mail? Good… Read More "“How to Prevent a Breakup.” Or, “A Lesson In Making Customers Fall In Love With You.”"

I don’t like politics much any more. When I was younger, I did. But as the political climate changed, so much hatred developed between those with opposing political views. I can’t remember the last time I had a discussion about politics and it didn’t result in shouting, cursing, name calling… Read More "“Let’s Talk Politics.” Or, “On Second Thought, Let’s Not.”"

We all have at least one acquaintance, who during a course of a conversation, can’t muster up one positive sentence no matter what the subject. You know the kind of person I’m talking about. The one who on a glorious, sunny day with a sky as blue as the ocean… Read More "“Giving Your Website A Unique Voice.” Or, “A Conversation with Grumpy.”"

Time for another installment of the wildly popular feature of my blog, “Ask Scott.” Well, it’s probably not as popular as I would like to think, but just play along with me. The questions in today’s post have been posed by readers who have been patiently waiting for a reply.… Read More "“Circles, Swooshes and 301 Redirects.” Or, “Answers to Your Most Pressing Questions.”"

During the course of the week, my readers submit several questions. Like, “What are you wearing?” Or, “Does this make me look fat.” Occasionally, my faith in humanity will be restored when I get one that’s actually worth answering! Today was one of those days. Someone concerned about their search… Read More "“Short and Stubby, or Large and In Charge?” Or, “When to Use Link Shorteners”"

The email started off like this, “The phone is ringing. Caller ID says it’s UnitedHealthcare… What do they want? Pick up the phone and find out.” For those of you that are regular readers, you already know that I find talking on the phone as enjoyable as a hemorrhoidectomy without… Read More "“London Calling? No, It’s UnitedHealthcare.” Or, “More Unwanted Calls to Brighten my Day.”"

During the course of a day, I spend more time than I want to answering an endless flow of email, monitoring social media sites and checking in on eCommerce forums. So when the phone rings, my eyes twitch in anticipation of getting a brief break from the screen before computer… Read More "“The Phone Call of the Day.” Or, “A Lesson in Customer Service from a Non-Guru.”"

Another Hollywood legend has gone to the great soundstage in the sky as the entertainment world mourns the passing of Jonathan Winters. From his appearances on the Tonight Show, Hollywood Squares, the Dean Martin Show and of course the film, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Winters represented the… Read More "“The Death of a Hollywood Legend.” Or, “Thanks for the Laughs Jonathan.”"