Bottomless-NOT drinks at Max's Restaurant in SM Makati

Max's has never failed me in terms of the dishes, but wow, the service, especially at SM Makati is completely tarnished. The culprit - bottomless drinks! It has always been a problem. When Ed and I went to Max's at SM Makati today, a customer complained of how the food servers ignore his request for a refill of his Pepsi bottomless drink more than twice. And yes - Ed and I are a witness to that. We experienced it too! I don't normally mock the servers in restaurants (because of Ed's stories about how the restaurant crew make "baboy" to your food if you make "sungit" to them) but today was annoying, probably influenced by the mood of our neighbour. I even told the supervisor: "Kung mag-ooffer kayo ng bottomless drinks - panindigan niyo..." (English: "If you offer bottomless drinks, make sure you stand up for it.") I pity this supervisor who seemed to have all of the workload while his staff was taking time doing all the tasks supposed to be done. There's this annoying lady though, who I asked for a refill. Her facial reaction didn't look pleasant at all but I ignored it. I didn't let her out of my sight, out of wanting to see if she really will accommodate my request. Well guess what, she didn't! She just kept on walking around the place! I literally stared at her, trying to catch her attention and when she did, I glared at her. She remembered our refill! But still... it took ages until we had to call the attention of the poor supervisor. He said sorry that he couldn't accommodate all requests at one time, but Ed did tell him that we weren't mad at him directly and that we just want to remind them to look after their customers. A lot of things happened after, but really... all I want to bitch about today is the service for bottomless drinks. 

House Staple #1 - Fluocaril Bi-Fluor toothpaste

By far the oldest and longest-staying brand at my house is Fluocaril toothpaste. (read more: http://www.dusson.com/fluocaril-toothpaste/bc242.html).


Our family friend and dentist Dr. Romeo Pizarro introduced this when I was in kindergarten (yes, this is how vivid my memory is). It was a Sunday then (really, I'm sure of the day because it is the only time of the week when my mom is vacant and able to take us elsewhere. I also remember her buying me ice cream from Coney Island every after visit to the dentist.) and I went there to have a tooth (or teeth maybe - this I don't remember) extracted. Tito Romy (as I fondly call him) wrote us a prescription for Fluocaril Bi-Fluor, and told mommy that I have to use this to prevent tooth decay. At that time we were using Pepsodent (read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepsodent), which I liked because it tasted good. I thought the prescribed toothpaste was just "medicinal" and that I could go back to Pepsodent. My first encounter with Fluocaril wasn't so great. To a six-year old, it was too "spicy" and stingy to the mouth. Mommy had to force me to keep on using it, also saying that I will have to go back to the dentist every now and then if I don't use it. Mommy started using it too, along with Daddy - in order to convince me to keep the brand. Eventually, even Mark started using it too. About a few weeks after, I had to go back to Tito Romy, and I asked if I could get my Pepsodent back. He said NO. He explained to mommy that the "sweet" and "tasty" toothpaste brands do not do much good to the teeth. This is because bacteria/tartar (or whatever he called it before) are attracted to sweets so if you brush your teeth using these brands (Pepsodent, Close-Up, Hapee) and you don't gargle/rinse well, then the "sweets" stay there (like candy) and bacteria start to "grow." I was so scared to have another tooth extraction (which at that time I thought was caused by "sweets) so I followed doctor's instructions. From then on, the brand has always been a household staple, at home where I grew up, and even when I got married.

There were also times when I shifted to a different brand. When I moved out of my hometown, I found Fluocaril too pricey for my budget so I shifted to Colgate Total: http://www.colgate.ph/app/Colgate/PH/ProductsPH/Toothpaste/ColgateTotal.cvsp. What I noticed is that, after a few hours, my breath didn't feel as fresh as when I used Fluocaril. I just kept up with this sensation until I realised, why am I sacrificing my health and comfort because of the price? I can afford it anyway. My husband, who was also just recently introduced to Fluocaril, started comparing. We decided to stay with dear Fluocaril. From a mere PhP 58 in 1986, it is now priced at PhP 195 but it still serves the family well. I bet that even for the years to come, until I have kids and grandkids, the legacy of Fluocaril will live on. :-)

BRAND LOYALTY

I consider myself a brand loyal customer. My grocery list and my cart almost always contain the same brands everytime I go shopping. I guess this also goes with how I am resistant to change, but somehow this consumer trait has served me well.

From Wikipedia, I got this article.

The American Marketing Association defines brand loyalty as:

The situation in which a consumer generally buys the same manufacturer-originated product or service repeatedly over time rather than buying from multiple suppliers within the category (sales promotion definition).
The degree to which a consumer consistently purchases the same brand within a product class (consumer behavior definition).[1]
Otherwise stated, brand loyalty, in marketing, consists of a consumer's commitment to repurchase or otherwise continue using the brand and can be demonstrated by repeated buying of a product or service, or other positive behaviors such as word of mouth advocacy.[2]

Brand loyalty is more than simple repurchasing, however. Customers may repurchase a brand due to situational constraints (such as vendor lock-in), a lack of viable alternatives, or out of convenience.[4] Such loyalty is referred to as "spurious loyalty". True brand loyalty exists when customers have a high relative attitude toward the brand which is then exhibited through repurchase behavior.[2] This type of loyalty can be a great asset to the firm: customers are willing to pay higher prices, they may cost less to serve, and can bring new customers to the firm.[5][6] For example, if Joe has brand loyalty to Company A he will purchase Company A's products even if Company B's are cheaper and/or of a higher quality.

- end of Wikipedia article -

Why I am writing this article is because I want to share the brands I have stayed loyal to. Each post for the coming days shall feature at least one product.