Jones And Co. Life Vol. 11 Issue 6
Life Changing Technology For Football Fans
At Jones And Co. we like to stay up to date with all the latest technology, but only if it will somehow improve your client experience. And that’s why when we heard of the ‘League Frame’ we instantly invested in one. This is a piece of kit that does one thing and one thing only, but it does it really well.
Like the name suggests, it is a frame, like a photo frame, and it displays all the up-to-date standings for football teams in 18 different leagues across the world, in real time. That’s all it does. If you want to know how many points any team has, or the live score from matches currently happening in any of the 18 leagues, this little gadget just displays it.
You could say this is for football fans and non-football fans alike. It is an anxiety-relieving device for football fans who are checking their phone every 5 minutes to see the football scores. And for non-football fans it will bring you closer to your loved ones who previously ignored you whenever the footy was on. The little frame just sits on the kitchen counter or the coffee table or on their desk so there is no need for them to keep checking their phone and doom scrolling. You will have a happier, less distracted football fan in your life.
At Jones And Co. some clients are unable to concentrate fully on their eye exam or eyewear styling consultation because they are wondering what’s happening in the football. No more! We have a league frame in reception so you can stay up to date with your team. And for any clients who bring their football-obsessed partner along to help them choose glasses, they will now be much more relaxed and attentive knowing that the scores are only a mere glance away if they feel the urge. They can never complain of being dragged along to the opticians again.
It may have lasted for merely minutes, but the important thing is the League Frame let Deepal experience what it feels like to support a team that is top of the league, and sing a few ‘top of the league’ chants to herself. Good luck to all Manchester United fans and Manchester City fans for the season ahead. Keep abreast of all the action as it happens in reception at Jones And Co! (If Carlsberg did opticians… )
The good news is this kit also has healthy benefits for certain team members too. Deepal was delighted to capture the photo below when Man United went top of the league on day one of the season (because no one else had played a game yet).
It may have lasted for merely minutes, but the important thing is the League Frame let Deepal experience what it feels like to support a team that is top of the league, and sing a few ‘top of the league’ chants to herself. Good luck to all Manchester United fans and Manchester City fans for the season ahead. Keep abreast of all the action as it happens in reception at Jones And Co! (If Carlsberg did opticians… )
Mad Fer It!
It was a Saturday morning like any other. Until I shuffled downstairs into the kitchen. There I found my wife at the table, in her dressing gown, hunched over her phone, an iPad and two laptops. Freddie the dog sat attentively by her feet. Unfed. I sniffed the air for the aroma of coffee and found none. So I turned on the radio and the BBC headline news was about Oasis fans scrambling to buy tickets. I felt like I was part of history in the making. Observing the news up close and personal. I was in it.
I fed the dog and made some coffee. Then I asked Catherine “Why are you trying to get Oasis tickets our kid?” With 178,616 people in front of her, in multiple queues, she opened her heart to me. It was 1996 and she was 16 when she first heard Oasis and bought “What’s the story (morning glory)” on CD. She felt she was there when they became big, she was becoming independent, she’d sing Oasis songs on nights out with her friends at university.
But the biggest compliment she paid Oasis was that growing up in a little village in Northumberland, she said Oasis planted the first little seed that made her think Manchester is a cool place. And she ended up coming to University here.
I mean I like Oasis as much as the next person, but now I know I met my wife in Manchester all thanks to Liam and Noel.
The rock and roller feeling slightly dissipated when she said she’d only get tickets if she could get Heaton Park because ‘that would be really handy, you wouldn’t need to stay over and you could get home in time to walk the dog before bed.’
While Oasis fever takes over the country I’d like to officially thank the band for making Manchester seem like a cool place so my wife moved here. Some might say… it’s all part of the masterplan… D’ you know what i mean?…You gotta roll with it… ok I’ll stop now.
To everyone and everything that makes Manchester great, I salute you!
Why We Close For Paris
We’re closing the practice for a day later this month to take the whole team to Silmo (the world’s best eyewear trade show) in Paris. I remember my first trip to Silmo 21 years ago this month and it changed everything. I had only worked in ‘ordinary’ opticians and the industry felt a bit boring and everything was much of a muchness. But, after a couple of days at this trade show, my eyes were opened.
I saw so much diversity and independence. I met eyewear designers and owners of small family-run companies who lived and breathed passion for eyewear and individuality. It was the best education of opticians and frame companies and all the different ways you can do things. But mostly it changed how I felt.
I was excited by what I saw and who I met and I wanted to bring that excitement back to Manchester for our clients to experience.
In those first ten years I would go to the show with Tareq my friend and business partner at the time when we were running Seen and then Jones And Co. and I loved those trips because it was the time when we would talk about what kind of business we wanted to be and what we wanted to do for people and how we could do it. It was really good for us.
It was about 2014 when I first took staff to the trade show – I went with Kathryn, and Jess and Carina. And within 24 hours I realised how stupid I was not to have brought them before. Wide eyes, big smiles, and non-stop chatter told me that. You could almost hear them buzzing with energy. They were having the exact same reaction I had when I first went. And it turned into more passion and belief in what they do for a living.
So we’ve taken the team pretty much every year since. As a customer of any business, I think there is nothing better than being served by someone who truly loves their job. When the person helping you is passionate and knowledgeable and expert in it you can literally feel it. There is an authenticity that feels really good in a world where so many things are a bit fake or soulless. I think that’s part of what makes up a great customer experience. That’s why I’ll be on a plane at 5am on a Sunday morning with 13 over-excitable opticians. Can’t wait.
How to Change Your Face
Life as a glasses wearer is a journey. Getting your first pair of glasses is rough going. Having to wear something in the middle of your face that will completely change your appearance is anything from slightly alarming to terror-striking, whether you’re age 7 or 47.
Any change makes the heart beat faster, never mind the change being your face, that thing everyone looks at when you meet them. And you probably spent years getting used to the face you’ve already got. It might not be perfect but you’re used to, it thank you very much.
All those opticians out there who just point you at the wall of frames and say ‘those are mens, those are womens’ are cold-blooded barbarians. Don’t they realise you might need a bit of emotional support and help and expertise while you decide how to change your face?
This is what we try to do at Jones And Co. for our clients. We help people on their journey as a glasses wearer. One of the best things for us is seeing the transformation when clients embrace wearing glasses. When a client chooses the glasses that express more of their personality instead of the safe and ordinary choice, it’s magic. Whatever glasses you wear, wear them with confidence!
Down With The Kids
This is my favourite review of the year. I love it. I don’t know what it is, but I really care about what 9-year-olds think of me. My youngest son Ben is 11 and I’m always seeking his approval. There’s something about their unchecked confidence at that age that I admire, and they know about stuff that I don’t know about. So if I get a compliment I can live off that for weeks.
This summer I got 3 of those compliments. First, Chris’s daughter said Jones And Co. is the most amazing shop she has ever been too. I’m beaming. Put that on my gravestone, please. Second, while on holiday and wearing colourful shorts and t-shirt and trainers, Ben said I had good drip. And thirdly, Ben told me that his friend Hugo said “Your dad has rizz”. I’ll stop there before my head explodes. Just to help you, in case you don’t have a 9- or 11-year-old in your life, let’s get some definitions on the table.
What is ‘drip’? Someone has drip or is drippy when they have a well-put-together outfit or good sense of fashion.
What is ‘rizz’? Rizz is short for charisma. You have good rizz when you have charm, wit, energy, magnetism etc.
What is ‘slay’? Slay is a compliment to someone who has done exceptionally well. Like how I am slaying this article. Absolute slay.
That’s all I’ve got for you though. I’m worried there might be more words out there so please email me if you know any. The last thing I want is to look stupid and ‘out of touch’ to the kids.
