Coping an innovation : The usual trap of emerging market

Still, I remember the smell of Goodwill store in Santa Monica Boulevard,LA when I first got there. It was really bad and bad, so I immediately came out and ran out. In fact, that was my first impression about Goodwill.

In my hometown, South Korea, we have similar organization which is collecting used household goods and clothing, fixing and re-sailing. But, the environment of that shop is quite different with Goodwill. The interior of shop is really nice and fancy and most of clerks are seemed like high educated person. Even, shop name is called as 'Beautiful store'.

After while, I got used to be familiar with Goodwill because I stayed in LA just temporary, so I couldn't buy new furnitures and many thing for this unstable stay, so I had to buy many living things from there. From this shopping experience, I found some differences between Beautiful shop and Goodwill. 

 First, in Beautiful shop, I could rarely see customers and many times, that space was filled with many clerks, not customers. Also, that shop doesn't have many used things, but I could see many new things. However, new things were tricky to buy although it had a nice shape and cheap price. Because, most of them was not ordinary living things. Actually, it was something very hard to find usages and probably, from the warehouse for olds directly as a company's donation. 

Second, unlike Goodwill, most of clarks are volunteer so, they didn't get a salary from shop. As a result, they didn't know about how to manage a shop and not kind for customer  Actually, they seem like from a wealthy family and not fitted into used shop so, probably, they didn't understand a their customer's focus which is that buying good one with low price. For this reason, there was no real life and community although everything is very nice and fancy, even smell. 

Unlike Beautiful shop in South Korea, I can see the smile of clerks and can feel their enthusiasm in Goodwill LA. One time, one of hispanic clerk recommended that I should apply Goodwill's hiring system and explained like that it's one of best way to get a job in US competently. 

I can dare say it was another style of copy cat. But, the essential part of Goodwill wasn't there. Only, the basic idea and external development were there and they missed many thing such as job training, employment placement services and revitalizing local community. 

However, this organization is getting grow because many powerful people like officers and politicians heard about the positive result of Goodwill, think our society should have this kind of nice organization like an good looking accessory and support money for this copycat. 

After realizing this, I can enjoy Goodwill's bad smell since it's much better that the smell of wasting money and chance. Now, the founder of Beautiful shop is trying to be the next president with the empty fame. Personally, he is really good person, well educated and gracious. However, I can't believe he could bring real innovations to South Korea.