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AT&T: Place to wait for the bus? Or the *best* place to wait for the bus?
By Jay Levitt on Fri, 03/28/2008 - 10:31pm
Every time I walk by the AT&T store in Central Square, I notice the snide, laser-printed signs in the window:
"AT&T IS NOT A PLACE TO WAIT FOR THE BUS."
And, technically, it's true. AT&T is, of course, a communications company. "A place to wait for the bus" is less of a "communications company", and more of a "location". Tougher to brand, too, though Wall's done a decent job of it.
Then again, it's wrong, on so many levels:
* The sidewalk is not AT&T property
* AT&T is, in fact, the merger of the two least-popular, lowest-quality cellular networks ever known to man, combined with the co-option of a hundred-year-old brand name by former Southwestern Bell, thus completing the Ma Bell circle. Southwestern Bell later acquired Pacific Telesis, which since has gone into remission. (There is still no medical consensus on how Pacific Telesis is acquired; please, take reasonable precautions when using public telephones or forming RBOCs.)
* I feel safe in asserting that the sign was not cleared by AT&T's CorpComm department and, thus, violates some sort of corporate policy (if it's an AT&T-owned store) or contractual franchise provision
* The sign was laser-printed, which is bad for the environment, rather than being printed at the locally-owned, organic, free-range print shop across the street, using recycled paper, soy-based inks, and love. This is Cambridge, people.
* The sign does not follow AT&T's Corporate Identity Guidelines; it uses neither the AT&T globe symbol nor the AT&T corporate logotype. Additionally, given the visibility and importance of the sign, it should use either cyan or Pantone Process Blue as specified therein.
* Also, I forget if I mentioned, the sidewalk is not AT&T property.
Then again, I do understand the frustration of self-absorbed, smoke-filled, somewhat-grubby crowds blocking the doorway. I've been a Berklee student.
So, Dear Hub:
Should I really follow my instincts to commission a large, heavy, cast-iron bench, paint the words "This bench is" onto it, and place it on the public sidewalk, directly below the sign?
Anyone know how one would do that?
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Comments
Again...
You can do almost whatever-the-fuck-you-want on a public sidewalk. What is it with these phone companies anyway? Lets all go wait for the bus outside of that AT&T store.
I think it refers more to
I think it refers more to the bus passengers who wait inside the AT&T store. The sign warns people to stay outside rather than wait for the bus inside.
Nope, it's for the sidewalk
Well, I think so, anyway. Here's the Google street view:
http://tinyurl.com/2s2h3b
The signs that I noticed are the two that are on the right-side windows, near the bus stop - i.e. where a crowd might gather if it outgrew the bus shelter.
The photo does show a sign on the door, too, but I don't remember noticing that when I walked by; maybe they took it down, or it's a different sign, or I'm just wrong. I'll take a peek.
The impression I got was "please stop congregating outside of our window. You're blocking the view of the cell phones."
A slightly different take
So, I was in central square recently, in the middle of the day, and to put it politely, there was a fair amount of unsavory people hanging around. I usually recalled this during the evenings, but not at 1 pm on a tuesday. the sign is, IMHO, about keeping said unsavory people away from in and outside the store, so that people who actually have money, or want to spend money, don't get scared off by the drunk freaked out homeless loud urban folks. Is this racist? No. It is bad for business? Yes. Whether it is a cell phone store or a liqour store, Dunkin Donuts or Rendez-vous, having a bunch of grubby folks out infront of your place of business is going to take away from it.
Now, before you bleeding hearts write in your blogs or you try to have some clever liberal arts educated retort, try actually thinking first. The sign should plainly say "Poor Drunk people, stay away from my store" but it can't say that. Yes I am sure every homeless guy asking for bus fare or 'spare some change for a coffee' is really going to use it for that...yeah right, grow up.
The sign itself is just a 'sign' that the city of Cambridge wants to ignore the growing homeless problem - as well as general vagrancy. If it were my store, not only would I put up signs, I'd b an people from the store, and even ask the city to either make a larger bus stop, or doing something about the scumbags harassing my paying customers. You think I want to be harassed for change just walking down the street to pick up a new battery? Think again!
Unsavory people in Central Square?
Get outta here! No way!
He looked in the window
He saw his own reflection with a layer of grime and sunlight highlighting the remains of a hasty shaving job.
if you don't like the sign,
if you don't like the sign, complain to the cambridge licensing commission. they're the people that can do something about it.
... that's too bad
What makes you think the Licensing Commission has any power to make a store take down a sign which is accurate and within their rights? If they try to chase people who are waiting for the bus off the sidewalk, that's a different matter, but no one has yet claimed they've done that.
licensing commission
you might be surprised to find out just how much power the licensing commission has.
example: business that abuts street. if business patrons park their cars on the street, the licensing commission can (and has done so in the past) cite the business.
overzealous licensing commission
Business then gets tough on patrons parking on street and loses said patrons. Business loses money and closes up - city now has vacant property.
Alternately, business then appeals citations on basis that parking regulations are traffic inforcement issue for police, not administrative issue for licensing commission. After much time and money dealing with city, business ultimately loses appeal. Business then closes up - city now has vacant property.
Clue
The majority of people who ride the buses actually have jobs and houses and often cars that they don't inflict on the city at rush hour.
You sound like the people who used to work at the T and had largely decided that efficient and timely bus service doesn't matter because only those nasty others and welfare people use it.
In any case, who gives a f**k who is waiting for those buses. Public sidewalk = public gets to be there while waiting for delayed and canceled buses to turn up. If they are breaking the law, well, deal with that, not their existence. If it is crowded, complain to the T to get the buses on schedule. If it is the only shelter, complain to the T that they need more space to get out of the rain there.
Oh, and maybe get into the city sometime and stop spewing these ignorant generalizations.
Shorter OneMansOpinion:
Oh noes! Scary urban man want change! Me frightened! Me feel harassed! Me too much of a pantywaist to be able to cope with scary urban people daring to actually speak to me! Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
I'm with the other guy
And if the crowd outgrows the bus shelter, where might people go? In the store. Unless you're always there seeing what happens during the day (and in bad weather -- those new bus shelters offer NO protection) I think you've misunderstood the situation. Or I could have.
It is obviously meant to
It is obviously meant to tell unsavory types to not come into the store and wait for the bus. Take a look at the businesses on that corner. They all have similar signs.
Unsavory?
So if I want an apple cinnamon crepe instead of one with spinach and mushrooms, I have to eat it outdoors?
Unsavory
Ron, I expect better from you.
They'll give you their laser printers as a free going-away gift
Just bring in an environmentally safe printer and they'll forget they even saw you :)