The Travelling Entrepenuer
I don't travel a whole lot, but when I do, I'm always astonished by how terrible the stores at the airports are. Airports themselves are dens of tedium; they are magnets for boredom and long wait times. Usually, I've got at least four books that I'm reading, so I am able to keep my nose stuck in a book to pass the time. That, and airports are a great place to people-watch. You can pick a random person sitting in the terminal with you that looks interesting and start weaving a narrative about them in your head.
On some days, though, I'm less inspired and cannot imagine my way into an entertaining wait between flights. Sometimes I just can't focus enough to read the books that I've chosen to cart along. When this happens, I start to walk through the long stretches of concourse to find some other extrinsic source of entertainment. On these walks, the only respite from the stadium seating filled with miserable-looking people waiting for their flights are the shops and restaurants.
The shops are never that interesting. There is always a half a dozen shops with different names which are all basically the same: selling drinks, magazines, travel-sized toiletries, and any various little tourist-y souvenirs you can buy to remind yourself of your layover. They're a plain-vanilla means of buying basic supplies. They are the retail equivalent of popping Valium.
Besides this, some major chains have set up shop and are selling a few cross-sections of their inventory. Borders is one example. They've got the more popular titles in the more popular sections of their stores sitting as a tiny store in the airport. But because the environment is different, it doesn't feel like Borders and it isn't any fun. It's uncomfortable. You feel rushed in there but Borders is supposed to be a place you go to loiter.
Here's an idea: open up a used book store in an airport. To start, carry a lot of more popular titles. Then, to keep the inventory rotating, have a trade-in policy. Most used book stores mark their books at half the cover price, and offer to give you half off of that price if you trade in a book of equal value. For people on the go, they are finishing books and looking to get new ones. Give them the opportunity to give their old book to you and get a new one fairly cheaply.
Because inventory is driven by foot traffic, you'd end up with a lot of current titles. You might end up with the occasional copy of Dianetics that you'd have to throw out, but otherwise, supply and demand manages your stock for you.
Airports are teeming with people who are tired, bored, and ready to be engaged in something. Starbucks does quite well for this reason. Incidentally, on the coffee front, airports seem to be set. In other areas, businesses are sorely lacking. I think there's potential here. Why not open a retail shop that includes the ability to let people buy and load MP3s onto their iPods? Not everyone is travelling with a laptop.
Of course, you have to be willing to go through a security check every time you go to work.
On some days, though, I'm less inspired and cannot imagine my way into an entertaining wait between flights. Sometimes I just can't focus enough to read the books that I've chosen to cart along. When this happens, I start to walk through the long stretches of concourse to find some other extrinsic source of entertainment. On these walks, the only respite from the stadium seating filled with miserable-looking people waiting for their flights are the shops and restaurants.
The shops are never that interesting. There is always a half a dozen shops with different names which are all basically the same: selling drinks, magazines, travel-sized toiletries, and any various little tourist-y souvenirs you can buy to remind yourself of your layover. They're a plain-vanilla means of buying basic supplies. They are the retail equivalent of popping Valium.
Besides this, some major chains have set up shop and are selling a few cross-sections of their inventory. Borders is one example. They've got the more popular titles in the more popular sections of their stores sitting as a tiny store in the airport. But because the environment is different, it doesn't feel like Borders and it isn't any fun. It's uncomfortable. You feel rushed in there but Borders is supposed to be a place you go to loiter.
Here's an idea: open up a used book store in an airport. To start, carry a lot of more popular titles. Then, to keep the inventory rotating, have a trade-in policy. Most used book stores mark their books at half the cover price, and offer to give you half off of that price if you trade in a book of equal value. For people on the go, they are finishing books and looking to get new ones. Give them the opportunity to give their old book to you and get a new one fairly cheaply.
Because inventory is driven by foot traffic, you'd end up with a lot of current titles. You might end up with the occasional copy of Dianetics that you'd have to throw out, but otherwise, supply and demand manages your stock for you.
Airports are teeming with people who are tired, bored, and ready to be engaged in something. Starbucks does quite well for this reason. Incidentally, on the coffee front, airports seem to be set. In other areas, businesses are sorely lacking. I think there's potential here. Why not open a retail shop that includes the ability to let people buy and load MP3s onto their iPods? Not everyone is travelling with a laptop.
Of course, you have to be willing to go through a security check every time you go to work.