Adventures in corporate mergers, part II

I'm almost done with my second week as part of the transition team for this lovely little takeover, and I'm longing to get back to my own store. However, I can't say I haven't learned a thing or two through this whole process, and I'm going to share my insights with you. I'm sure you're excited.

THINGS I'VE LEARNED FROM THE CODY'S TAKEOVER:

• Change must be statistically the single scariest thing in the world, just based on how many people have trouble with it. It's amazing how much people rely on their routines and traditions, even to the point of not being able to handle cosmetic changes. Take their usual convenience store, make the staff wear a different uniform, move the shelves around, change the name, and switch a few product brands, and people freak the fuck out. Some even freak out so much that they make completely illogical decisions. For instance, when their favorite "local" convenience store gets sold to a larger corporation, they threaten to show their disgust at the change by going to a different larger corporation's store. So now, instead of just accepting a new name and a few new faces and maybe buying a different brand of honey bun, now they're going to completely change the route they drive to work and buy a completely different brand of EVERYTHING. Yeah, that makes sense.
  
• Even if ads are stretching the truth, most people eat it up. A multimillionaire real estate developer can buy a little local corner store and turn it into a pretty large chain -- despite not knowing a damn thing about running convenience stores -- with the sole intent of growing the company and then selling it off for a profit, and still get everyone to think of the chain as a quaint locally-owned homegrown store. In fact, he can convince people of that to the extent that when that same real estate developer offers the chain to a larger company and not only succeeds in selling the company for a profit, but manages to strike a deal whereby the larger company still has to lease the properties themselves from him, people will be outraged at the big, bad corporation that "took over" their little hometown shop.
• A necktie is evidently one of the worst methods of torture ever devised, as it seems at least 50% of the population simply cannot handle having anything touch their neck. I've heard more than one person verbally consider quitting and taking their chances in this horrible job market simply because they had to trade in their black pants and polo shirts for khaki pants and white dress shirts with ties.
• Most guys these days have no idea how to tie a tie.
• Tater tots are pretty yummy. But if you put melted cheese inside them, they're more addictive than crack.