It is not what is on the outside that says what is contained on the inside.
I do like a breakfast, and sometimes rather than going to have breakfast in the hotel restaurant, I will have a supply of breakfast cereal and some milk. Having a cereal means I can have a snack whenever I care to.
I decided to buy some muesli breakfast cereal from a local supermarket in Istanbul, Dia, (owned by Carrefour), and came across a box showing Dia‘s logo, with a small window insert in the box which allowed me to see the contents, which was suitable to my requirements.
Getting back to my accommodation and with my mouth watering, I opened the box to get at that healthy muesli, I was shocked to see how much was actually in the box. Less than a quarter of the box was taken-up by the plastic bag containing the cereal.
Going to Gaziantep, my host Mehpare of Gap Consultancy, had provided me a new box of muesli from another manufacturer, Dr Oetker Vitalis Müsli, and that box was nearly full. What a difference.
What a con Dia in Turkey are pulling on their customers. If they do that with a box of muesli, what are they doing with their other own name branded products?
Will I visit a Dia supermarket again?
No.
That made me think about some of the couples I see as I travel.
How is it that an old man can attract and marry a younger woman, and visa versa?
How is it that an ugly looking person can marry and make a lasting relationship with a beauty queen or a hunk of a man?
It is obviously what is on the inside and not what is on the outside. It is their character, the love, the friendship and kindness that they give each other, that gives such happiness, not what they look like or what they wear.
Sometimes we do not like what we see in ourselves. We are over weight, our hair is too short or too long, the wrong colour, our teeth are crooked, our legs are too fat or too thin. Some people need help to see them through this self dislike, to help them to accept themselves as they are, to learn what is on the inside is more important.
It is when the falseness of the outside packaging is stripped away that the truth emerges.
Dia SA, do not expect me to shop with you again. How many customers have you lost due to the false lies of your packaging?