This post, which first appeared April 18, 2018, was removed then reposted because of a technical issue.

Updated July 26, 2023, with CNN news story link. A federal lawsuit filed because of the incident below and concluded this week is listed in the references with a Medium article link pending.

Q: Technology and social movements may help address profiling issues in the consumer marketplace, you noted. Recently, cell phone video went viral after the controversial arrest and jailing of two minority men sitting at a Philadelphia Starbuck’s. They were later released without charge. What do you think about this incident and how else might technology put an end to such incidents?

A:  The term loitering is often defined in vague terms in many jurisdictions. Black’s law dictionary is one example that underscores the issue.

The men were sitting quietly for 15 minutes, according to witnesses. But the manger called police two minutes after the men entered the coffeeshop., according to GMA’s Robin Roberts.

The Starbucks worker’s exchange with the men, prior to calling the police (Nestel), suggests anger is evident. Details in The Washington Post provide further clues as to why the situation escalated.

Some might argue that the call to police was racial bias and also a power play.

I would not disagree. The men were later released from jail because Starbucks declined to press charges. One wonders what charges would have applied in this case.

If store owners are concerned with customers who sit for long periods without buying (CNN), then if ordinances permit, management should consider posting at every table a courteous, humorous, and effective policy guideline enforced equally for all people.

Cell phone technology and social media captured and exposed the incident. But Virtual Reality may be an effective tool to educate those who never experience racial bias.

References

CNN.com/July 23, 2023
https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/14/business/starbucks-manager-racial-discrimination/index.html 

ABC7News
M.L. Nestel
Handcuffing of 2 Black men in a Starbucks
called repressible outcome by CEO
http://abc7.com/handcuffing-of-2-black-men-in-a-starbucks-called-reprehensible-outcome-by-ceo/3344516/

 ABC7News.com
Comedian, CNN commentator
W. Kamau Bell recalls
being kicked out of coffee shop
http://abc7news.com/comedian-w-kamau-bell-recalls-being-kicked-out-of-coffee-shop/3351799/

The Washington Post.com
Starbucks to close 8,000 Starbucks
for racial bias education
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2018/04/17/starbucks-to-close-8000-stores-for-racial-bias-education-on-may-29-after-arrest-of-two-black-men/?utm_term=.5dbd2adbacfc

money.cnn.com…GMA interview
http://money.cnn.com/2018/04/19/news/companies/starbucks-arrests-philadelphia/index.html

NPR.org.
The men arrested in Philadelphia
Coffeeshop speak out
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/19/603917872/they-can-t-be-here-for-us-men-arrested-at-philadelphia-starbucks-speak-out

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVKZqbzDUl4?feature=oembed&w=1200&h=675]

Editor’s note: Portions of this post appeared previously merged with the wrong paragraphs.  The correct copy is reposted below.

What industry would you find these items? And what are they?

• Purple Fiesta
• Ruby Crescent
• Russian Banana
• Purple Peruvian
• German Butterballs
• Rose Fin Apple
• Magic Molly
   or
• New Girl
• Striped German
• Cobra
• Valley Girl
• Paragon
• German Johnson
• Yellow Pear
• Black Prince

Partial Answer: Banana probably pointed you in the direction of the food industry, which would be correct, but if you reasoned that the items were exotic fruits of some kind..insert buzzer. The second group is a different product in the same industry. Can you guess?

Note: The answer to this quiz points to a much bigger issue for aspiring and established entrepreneurs. Details and photos below…

Answers

The first list refers to names of potatoes and the second group of names refers to tomatoes. Seed growers around the world have a reputation for coming up with colorful descriptions of their produce.  A practice that some insiders find challenging because it confuses the consumer. For instance, crops, such as tomatoes and squash have more than 1,000 different names! And often times an offbeat moniker makes it difficult to sell the product, so some industry sellers change the name.

And there are cases where foreign growers unfamiliar with the English language have coined names using canned translation services resulting in product names that don’t relate well with consumers.

For other examples, visit the employee owned Johnny Seeds company.
Check out  Spinach and tomatoes for many creative monikers.

Lessons:

• Even a simple product has to have the right name to generate sales. A poor name will hinder sales. Ironically, seed growers create the often colorful names to get attention in the marketplace yet the practice adds to consumer confusion.
• Not every mystery can be solved by using Google to find the answer.

Photo Credits
Note: Had I not spoken to industry members across the U.S. I would have been inclined to think some of the photos were Photoshop trickery….

• First photo purple and white potatoes/Chiots Run Flicker
• Second photo Bing Images
• Pink Potatoes from Recipes for 2

References

Flicker/Chiotsrun
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chiotsrun/

Plant Sciences, U.C. Davis/potatoes
http://tinyurl.com/klb8re7

Johnny’s Selected Seed Company.com
http://tinyurl.com/lv7cqrg

Pink potatoes
Recipe for 2
http://www.recipesfor2.com.au

Imagine having the task of creating a name
for an ordinary
product like carrots.

The World Wide Web has greatly increased
competition and the need to think all around the box.
For instance, a recent search for a title for
a new food column was dismal: every clever, quirky, offbeat,
humorous, or serious food-related term had already been taken.

Creating the right name, brand, trademark or title takes work
and requires identifying a strategy that inspires creative
effort that will attract interest.

Name Game Puzzle, a previous post, highlighted issues and challenges
of entering a crowded field and finding a way to stand out in the food industry.

Check out how one company solved the name game
branding challenge for their carrots, which enables them to…umm, stand out from the bunch…sorry.
http://www.grimmway.com/carrots/timeline/bunny-luv/

Dee Adams is the author of
Finding Your Niche: Discover…

Q: Given the Me Too movement and other gender issues
es, what industries are best for women
with dreams of entrepreneurship?

A: In theory, one should pick a field of interest regardless of gender bias within the industry. Identify possible mentors and influencers. Investigate industry problems beforehand and create a strategy for navigating potholes. Otherwise, based on the issues cited in your question, there would be few fields for women to enter.

Check out the following three related links about women and entrepreneurship in specific industries.

C-Span’s Book TV with journalist and author, Emily Chang, Brotopia: Breaking up the boys’ club of Silicon Valley, Publishers Weekly article about why women become independent publishers, and Marin Tockman of Dashing Bicycle-Bike Shop, the only female-owned bike shop in the southern US, according to PBS program, Startup.

References

Update:  And check out  the Get Out There episode from Roadtrip Nation…
Three unforgettable segments.
https://www.pbs.org/video/get-out-there-5u6sgy/

BookTV-C-Span.org/Brotopia
https://www.c-span.org/video/?440902-1/emily-chang-discusses-brotopias

Publishersweekly.com
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/73469-the-indie-publishing-feminist-revolution.html

Startup-usa.com/season5
http://startup-usa.com/episodes/season-5/https-youtu.be-ji11wUFxgj0-rel-0/Marin-Tockman

Dee Adams is the author of
Finding Your Niche: Discover…