BY MICHAEL KENNEDY
VIRGINIA BEACH — I have a friend who asks a question whenever I share a story about visiting a new restaurant.
“Did you get your money’s worth?”
I never know quite how to answer.
His question presumes that I spent money on a meal and then ran some sort of cost analysis to determine if what I spent equated to what I gained, or in this case, ate.
I’m a simple thinker. That’s way too much work.
My cost analysis consists of not much more than asking myself if I enjoyed the food and had a good experience. In most cases, my answer is “Yes, the food was great, and the experience was nice.”
But my friend presses the point.
OK, but did you get your money’s worth?
He and I will then chat further about the food quality, atmosphere and, inevitably, the cost of the meal. It was during the course of our most recent discussion that I finally figured out exactly what he wanted to know.
He really wants to know whether he will have as enjoyable an experience as I did if he were to go to the same restaurant and spend a comparable amount of money. For him, money spent is the primary factor in his satisfaction evaluation.
I get that, but that’s not my primary factor. When I think about a new experience – or an old one for that matter – I evaluate it by asking if I enjoyed it. Sure, the money spent is important in many ways. That’s why I don’t jet off to Bermuda every weekend.
Those who can afford that sort of thing do it without giving it a second thought. That’s not me.
My family and I are happy with the simpler experiences in life – a new restaurant, watching a Mets baseball game, a new place to hike, the latest roller coaster at Busch Gardens, visiting a new state, going swimming, watching the sun rise and set.
We may not always get our money’s worth, but we almost always get our “enjoyment’s worth.”
I often get the sense that not everyone strives to get their enjoyment’s worth, however. Take concerts and movies for example.
Both experiences cost a certain amount of money and require a few hours of time. Unlike visiting the mall, you typically leave a concert or a movie with nothing more than the experience. You may come home with a band T-shirt or some leftover popcorn, but those aren’t your main reasons for going.
You purchase a ticket for the experience. But we sometimes allow ourselves to be distracted during the very experience we’ve purchased.
Ever seen folks playing on their cell phones during a movie?
My favorite example of these distractions are concert-goers who, after plunking down $100 or more to see their favorite band, leave early to beat the traffic.
I know traffic can be horrendous sometimes, but these folks have paid a lot of money to see a band they really enjoy, and then they leave before the end in hopes of avoiding spending any more time getting home than they absolutely have to.
Are they getting their money’s worth? Are they even getting their enjoyment’s worth?
Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “Life is a journey and not a destination.”
I like to think he not only enjoyed his journey but was able to say that he did indeed get his money’s worth. I hope we can all say the same while our journeys continue.
The author recently retired after 44 years with Regal Cinemas and is pursuing a new career in business coaching and consulting. He remains active in community service projects and enjoys time with his wife, Kim, and daughter, Kara.
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