Showcases - A Company that Cares

Behold a tale of a lonely soul, lost in the overwhelming sea of obstacles within library management. She ventured out, seeking a place of refuge. What she found was something much, much more. Grab a drink and take a minute to hear her tale, and learn about our family!

The night sky is dark and unwelcoming; a waning moon casts an eerie light on a still forest. The air is biting cold and heavy as the forest is thick and ominous - almost suffocating, as if to say that once within its cold, dark grasp, there is no escape. A dark figure can be seen in the distance, moving quickly through the foliage. The figure grows clearer as it approaches, and as it wisps by, it can be described as none other than a lone librarian, frantically pummeling through the brush, as if fleeing from some type of impending danger. Her breathing is heavy and lacked rhythm, and her eyes were frantically searching ahead. She sporadically turns to look over her shoulder, as if expecting to see someone in pursuit, and trips on an unearthed root in her path. She stumbles to regain her balance, and suddenly breaks through the brush - somehow escaping the stifling forest's grasp. Off in the distance she sees a light, warm and welcoming, amidst a plain of thick, tall grass. She proceeds to push through the grass, glancing over her shoulder from time to time, still looking for a pursuant. In the distance, she could see the grass rustling as if the pursuant was drawing nearer. Her heart racing, she pressed on. As she gets closer to the light, it beings to take the shape of a building, flooded with bright lights and vibrant colors - it almost had a glowing aura about - and as she grew even nearer, it was as if the cold, unforgiving air was being melted away and replaced with warm, embracing winds of relief.

She ran up the wooden stairs and threw her body against the door.

"Someone, anyone, help me!" she uttered as she frantically pounded on the door. Although she was trying to yell, her voice was hushed and weak, the air stolen from her lungs by the unforgiving atmosphere and terrifying thoughts of capture by her pursuant.

A cheery, welcoming voice began in response.

"Thank you for visiting Showcases, where wishes come true. How can we exceed your expec-"
"Just open the door! Please!" she pleaded, cutting the greeting short, while pausing to struggle to breathe.
"S-Sure, come right in" the voice responded, a bit shaken and confused, but still friendly. She opened the door, and the librarian stumbled inside.

"Close it!" she yelled. The voice belonged to a young woman, dressed in warm clothes. Her facial features were disarmingly kind and relaxed. She quickly locked the door. The room was quiet, interrupted by the soothing sound of a crackling fireplace and the occasional howl of the cold, biting winds raging beyond the door. She turned towards the visitor.

"Thank God you guys were here, I thought I would never find somewhere safe to hide" she said, gasping for breath, as she searched the room with her eyes. On the walls were a number of things that caught her eye, various shiny plaques and objects that she could not make out from where she was standing. The consultant saw that the lady was out of breath, cold and exasperated. "Please, ma'am, have a seat. I'll get you something to drink" said the consultant, as she walked off into another room.

"Oh-OK", she stuttered as she searched the room for a seat, still chilled from her stressful encounter. She walked over to a couch, and as she sat down, its warm, plushy material and cheerful color helped her feel at ease. "I wonder what color this is?" she thought, dazing off a bit. The consultant returned with a cup of chocolate, which she handed to her while placing a warm blanket across her shoulders. She took a deep breath to inhale the sweet pleasing aroma of the hot chocolate.

"So let's start from the top....Uh" the consultant drew a blank as she realized she hadn't gotten the distraught visitor's name.
"Marian." she quickly responded. "I'm a librarian."

"Oh, well nice to meet you Marian. I'm Dee" she responded cordially.

"Hi Dee." she responded. Dee noticed that she obviously had no time for small talk. She skipped to the issue at hand.

"So let's start with why you're so out of breath. Were you running from something, someone?" she inquired.

"Dee, I know I just met you, but I just don't know what to do. They keep breaking. All I hear are the automated voices. They don't listen to me! No one CARES!" She began to shiver. "It's like I'm just an entry in a giant excel spreadsheet with a customer number and an outstanding balance!

"Slow down Marian. Who are they? Who doesn't care? What are these voices?" Dee's facial expressions displayed genuine concern.

"Listen Dee, the cases. They just can't hold up to the circulation. I thought that I could save a little money and get these cheaper cases from Tradorb and Ocmed, but they didn't last. Within a few months they were cold cracking and splitting, and I had to buy so many replacements, I ended up paying double!" Then I heard from my friend over at the Main County Library that there was this mythical company called Showcases, which was women owned and dedicated to assisting libraries stretch their budget dollars and cutting down the time it takes to process/package their audiobook collections! I heard that their commitment to quality and construction would stretch my budget dollars because their products would outlast all others at very competitive prices!" she exclaimed. She nervously sipped her chocolate. It was delectable.

"As if that weren't enough, the daily problems that I encounter won't leave me alone! They follow me wherever I go…broken hubs, loss prevention and security, cracked spines, budget cut backs, multimedia packaging, buying the same things over and over - they torment me day and night. I can't sleep….I fear the day when it will all catch up to me, and push me past my limit…"

Dee looked closer, and could see the telltale signs of insomnia and paranoia within her facial features. "Well Marian, we are here for you! Our knowledgeable, fun staff will assist you with any packaging dilemmas you may need to solve. We are the aspirins for your Audio Visual packaging headaches! We are baby boomers who remember and continually commit to the real customer service we grew up with - no shortcuts to quality or service. We offer many superior products, many of which are EXCLUSIVE to showcases, which we personally created based on the needs of librarians like yourself. By using reinforced, resilient materials, we provide products that will outlast the competition, time and time again . We are determined to remain different from other companies." she replied.

"I'm just so relieved to hear someone say that." she responded. But I still have to contend with all the automated menus and processes before I'd ever get to speak to someone as understanding and down to earth as yourself, I'm sure. I can't take the voices anymore. The time I waste pushing in numbers and getting transferred from department to department, I could do so much!" she continued.

"Well, actually Marian, imagine this. When you do call, you will be greeted by a real live human, no frustrating, confusing, time consuming telephone menus to deal with! Period!" Dee explained.

"Really? No more voices?" she inquired. This is too good to be true. There's got to be a catch" she said skeptically. Her expression was overtaken by one of distrust, and her sense of comfort was fading. "What if this was just a sales pitch like any other company?" she thought to herself - she had heard this all before. "What made Showcases any different?"

Dee sensed her growing discomfort, and acted quickly. "Marian, don't take my word for it. Take a walk over to that wall over there - we call it the wall of fame, and read some of our customer feedback." she urged. Marian cautiously walked over to the wall she had seen earlier, and perused the various objects on the wall. There were plaques, printed emails, awards, letters and autographed pictures covering the wall. As she looked closer, she noted that these were all addressing the intense satisfaction that various librarians felt after experiencing the "Above and Beyond" approach that Showcases embraces with each and every customer. As she continued to read through the various accolades, she realized that all the hype was real.

"Wait", she thought to herself as she continued to peruse the wall of fame, "I know her. That's Darlene from Arbitrary City Public Library." she was relieved.
"I guess you guys are the real deal" she admitted out loud."But my needs are far beyond anything you could possibly carry. I mean I've got to be the only library in the entire United States who needs these specific items, and no one would ever carry it." she said, defeated, as she plopped back onto the tangerine colored couch.

"Well, we might be able to help you there. When you call us don't expect just an order taker. You will get a professional consultant who is caring, knowledgeable about our products and how they can fulfill your packaging needs! We even have a wish list! If there is something - anything we can carry that could make your job easier, even if no one else has it, we can get it for you. How wonderful is that?" she exclaimed. Oh yeah, we are tons of fun too!" she added, with a playful wink of the eye. "It's not like we just got into this business yesterday either, you know. We understand your needs. We've been in business for over 24 years. Unlike the bigger corporations, we consider ourselves very fortunate to be able to work with librarians across the nation, and it shows. No library is overlooked, no matter the size - and an order is never too small to process." she stated enthusiastically.

By this point, Marian was so enthralled by Dee's words that she was speechless. After a short pause, she responded. "Dee, I'm convinced." She firmly placed the cup on the table with both hands - as if to commit to what she was about to say - "I want to become a part of the Showcases family."

"I'm ecstatic to hear you say that, Marian," Dee stated reassuringly. "Welcome to Showcases, where we are truly and passionately committed to exceeding your expectations - whatever it takes!"

Marian smiled for the first time in ages. She looked around at the warm surroundings - the friendly consultant, the reassuring accolades on the wall - and exhaled a long sigh of relief. Outside she could hear the cold wind howling, the ominous forest swirling and swaying in its wake. She was no longer afraid, however. She was no longer alone, forced to fare against the dilemmas of audiovisual packaging.

Marian was finally part of the Showcases family. And you can join us! So wuddya waitin' for? An invitation? Come inside! It's cold out there!