Oddball's Stories

I was reminded of a story my dad used to tell about me. 1978, living in Roseville in Sydney's North Shore. I was supposed to go to my grandmother's place after school to have dinner with my dad. I asked my mother where it was, and she shamed me by saying I knew where it was, as I'd gone there often since we had returned to Australia. I was 11 years old and getting to her place I had been driven. This time I was catching a train. Or two. I hadn't questioned my mother further, and my mother had not actually told me. She enjoyed hurting my dad anyway she could. This was going to be good for her.

After school, I went to the railway station and caught a train to the city. I remembered that my grandmother lived in a suburb where the station was not the same name as the suburb. Previously she had lived in Kogorah, but the railway station was Bexley. I'd forgotten she had moved to Rockdale. I changed lines in the city and aimed for Bexley North. When I got there, I knew it wasn't it. So I backtracked, found Bexley and got on a train that went down the same line, but was the wrong train. I did that twice. I finally understood that different trains went from the same line. I went back to the city and caught the right train to Bexley, remembering the route, I walked to Kogorah. She was not there. It was getting into early evening and my mother would be at home. I called and was given my grandmother's number and the Rockdale address. I called my grandmother who told me my dad was furious at being stood up. It had taken me some four and a half hours when I got to Rockdale and was met by my grandmother who told me my dad had gone home and asked if I'd done it deliberately.

Years after, my father would delight in telling people how I'd gotten lost on Sydney trains, but he never asked me what had happened. It was just a dispute between him and my mother.

Here is the list of questions for today's interview

1. Do you buy greeting cards? How often?

2. What is your overall view point about buying greeting cards?

3. What do you think about Hallmark's cards?

4. What are the Pros and cons of buying greeting cards?

5. What factors would encourage you to buy greeting cards?

6. What factors would discourage you from buying greeting cards?

7. On the scale 1-10 how do you rate the Hallmark cards? How do you motivate your children to give cards for family members or friends in special occasion?

8. Do your children like to have cards when they go shopping with you?

9. How do they like the card to be?

10. What do you normally look for when buying cards?( price/content...)

11. Why is that important?

12. Why do you think so?

13. In term of buying Hallmark cards, do you expect the cards to be better?

14. Why do you think that is important?
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DDB

1. Do you buy greeting cards? How often?
Well, I never buy greetings cards

2. What is your overall view point about buying greeting cards?
I think greetings cards are incredibly important and buying them are things people should do in terms of building a community. I think it is important in terms of being a family and growing your family.

3. What do you think about Hallmark's cards?
I like Hallmark's cards. I think they are above average in terms of greetings cards. I don't like cards which say nothing. And I think Hallmarks cards are a little bit neutral but provide a positive message. And I think that is really important.

4. What are the Pros and cons of buying greeting cards?
The negative of buying a card, if your are just a single person wanting to tell a girl you like them is that the card is not the way to do it. Cards are for families. For telling them about what you feel is important. If you feel religion is an important thing, and that is something I do, then a card can say things you are not able to say. It is able to point to things you aren't able to point to without sounding really preachy. I think cards fill a gap in being slightly impersonal and not too personal and that allow you to say things that you can't normally get away with. So in some ways, I suppose, a card is an excellent way to tell a girl that you like them. But at the same time, what I really think is important is that a father buys a card for his daughter that tells her not so much directly what he thinks, but things he thinks are important. Like about who God is, or sports teams that he supports. Or about the things he thinks are important. Cards can say things, it can elevate things, it can make things better than what they actually are.

5. What factors would encourage you to buy greeting cards?
Money is a factor. I'm not going to pay a lot for it, and I'm also nt going to pay a little for it. I don't just want the piece of paper. I want something that has the right kind of message and that says things the right way. And lots of people will have different ways and different demands, different things that they want from greeting cards. So you shouldn't just make greetings cards for me. But, there are cards that I would like and I'm willing to pay for to have if it says the right kind of thing. And also I want cheap cards that I can give to friends that don't sound bad. I want something that is nice, that is uplifting and that are (promote) cultural assets. I don't want things that are nasty or that are put downs. Or that are empty. I want things that can sound personal and things that can be heart felt. And I think Hallmark manages to do that. And when they don't do that, when they just put in a crude joke or something that just sounds empty or something that just exploits things, I'm not interested. I'm not interested in seeing a half naked woman on a card just to give to somebody else. Not even another male. And snigger. I'm much more interested in things that I call edifying. Or things that are cultural assets, things that build a community. I'm not interested in division. I'm not interested in race politics. I'm interested in sporting teams. I'm interested in cultural pursuits. I'm interested in music and arts. I'm interested in history and if a card comes up with something profound I'm interested in that too. And I'm interested in things that are simple, not something that is too complicated.

6. What factors would discourage you from buying greeting cards?
Things that are empty. Things that are facile.Things that don't promote wholesome things. I'm encouraged by the wholesome and profound and not pithy.

7. On the scale 1-10 how do you rate the Hallmark cards?
I give them about a 7 (better than average, but usually inoffensive and not strongly values driven. Ironic that one might have to break the 18c law to make a good product by offending someone)How do you motivate your children to give cards for family members or friends in special occasion?
I think it is important that you give cards so that your children can see that you give cards. And I think it is important that you lead them. That you give them an opportunity. That you give them a range of cards they can pick from. That you give the cards that you think are suitable for them, but give them a range of cards. Not just one particular card, and encourage them to give cards to family. Encourage them to say that they love people in a way that is a little impersonal through a card, but also personal in that it is directed, that it is addressed. That it has a person's name to it. And that they have marks on it that make it yours. Not just the card itself but a message that you put on the card. And that the card be funny, and profound and a good wholesome message.

8. Do your children like to have cards when they go shopping with you?
Yes, I think they do. I don't take them shopping often. But I like to take them to a news agency or supermarket to let them see what is there. The Hallmark cards are higher value than some of the others. Some of the others can be really good. Some of the others are absolutely awful.

9. How do they like the card to be?
I think they like cards in a red envelope because of the Asian theme of lucky money and good luck. They like the card to be able to be stood up on a table or hung from a line. They like it if the card is fancy. If the card plays a song, that is even better. But some of those ones with chips get really pricey and I don't like that.

10. What do you normally look for when buying cards?( price/content...)
I think it has to be edifying and I think it has to be reasonably priced.Not incredibly cheap and at the same time, not expensive either. I'm happy to spend $2 or $3 on card if it is for someone really special. And 50 cents if it is just for friends at a church.

11. Why is that important?
There are cards that are a little bit cheap that I'd like to be able to give to people that I haven't got other gifts for. Sometimes instead of cards I might give candy, but I think cards are more personal and can have a message that lasts longer, lasts years. So I think giving a card is nicer than just giving candy. I think it is important to be able to make your mark in life. To be able to point to things that people will remember. People will remember a card long after they have forgotten words you have said on an occasion. Cards last and are keep sakes. Cards are beautiful memories. Cards will last longer than a plant will live. So cards are important because they provide lasting memories. Soldiers who died in WW1, and who sent cards home, their families have those cards now and can look at them and have a record of what happened back then. I think in terms of memories, in terms of profound events, it is nice to have things like cards. And I think they aren't as ephemeral as other things. They last. Cards last.

12. Why do you think so?
I think it is good to give cards to family to show them what you think is important in life. And cards are good for friends to give them lasting memories longer than just simple messages. And on special times like Christmas it is nice to give to the wider community, to the shorter acquaintances, it is nice to give messages of friendship and hope.

13. In term of buying Hallmark cards, do you expect the cards to be better?
I think Hallmark have a long history. I think they have been making cards since the late 1800's. And because of that I think they have expertise. I think they have market research and I think they have a good idea of what a community likes. I think in Australia it is different to what it is in the United States. Or in England, it sounds like it is an English name. Australians like things that are less profound and more acidic.

14. Why do you think that is important?
Hallmark are better cards. They have the experience. If you like what you give, if you like what it says, and you don't feel shame, then you are likely to do it again in the future. And that makes the business profitable. The thing about Australia is we were founded by convicts and the United states was founded by pilgrims. They have a pious society whereas we don't like to give too much information, but are in on the joke a little bit. We don't take things too seriously. We like to knock down tall poppies. So I think it is a little bit harder to market cards in Australia compared to the US because the audience is a little more particular about things. They can't be too nice. Too gracious. Australians like things to be profound and like things to b wholesome and good, but at the same time they like it to be a little bit devilish. They want a sense of humour. They don't want something too pure. So you won't see an Australian cry over a PM, the same way you might see an American cry over a President. There is a lack of innocence in Australia. And I think that is important in terms of sales for Hallmark.

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Hao-y

1. Do you buy greeting cards? How often?
Sometimes. When I need a rise.

2. What is your overall view point about buying greeting cards?
I think it is a good idea. I don't like the e-cards because they just get deleted

3. What do you think about Hallmark's cards?
They have good designs. They are consistent. They have a wide range.

4. What are the Pros and cons of buying greeting cards?
The pros being the receiver has the choice of keeping them or not. The cons being the cost and the delay in the receiver getting them.

5. What factors would encourage you to buy greeting cards?

6. What factors would discourage you from buying greeting cards?
Cost, design, range,which is not a problem with Hallmark because they cover quite a wide range. Also the availability, or how do we get to the shops? Because I'm too lazy to get to the shops.

7. On the scale 1-10 how do you rate the Hallmark cards? How do you motivate your children to give cards for family members or friends in special occasion?
7. It is a score I give to a good card. Bad content I would give a low score of 3 or 4. If the price was higher I would give them a bit less than 7. If it is a home made card by a small child I would support them. Hallmark has the quality that I want. At the moment I don't get my kids t give cards because they are too young. But when they are older I will encourage them to get the cards for special occasions. Weddings. 18th Birthday. Probably not every birthday. but 18th, 25th, 21st, 30th, 40th stuff like that.

8. Do your children like to have cards when they go shopping with you?
No, they can barely read now so cards are not an issue yet. But, they do like to read through the cards they receive. They like the personal message on it.

9. How do they like the card to be?
Colourful.

10. What do you normally look for when buying cards?( price/content...)
More design, because price is normally very similar in terms of commercially available cards. So not much to distinguish one from another. The content is the decider.

11. Why is that important?
To show that you care.

12. Why do you think so?
Because the recipient wants to know you made a conscious decision to look for, search for, the content.

13. In term of buying Hallmark cards, do you expect the cards to be better?
Yes. It has to be. Because if it is not better it is not Hallmark.

14. Why do you think that is important?
They have to keep quality up because if they don't they will lose market share.