WELCOME September 7, 1998 Issue

To Our Readers

Russ Gerber

There's a new furniture store perched on a hill about a mile from our home. It is not, as the owners like to say in their advertisements, your average furniture store. In fact, they claim they simply can't describe, within a mere 30-second commercial, what it is like inside. So, not surprisingly, you just have to come in and see for yourself, which I did.

Once in the door, shoppers are greeted by a live jazz band, in keeping with the Mardi Gras theme carried throughout the furniture complex. There is a restaurant inside, as well, a stage for entertainment, a specialty gift store, and did I mention that they also sell furniture? Lots of furniture.

The wave of the future in shopping? Perhaps. Would it be such a bad thing to have dazzling sights, sounds, and the aroma of fresh food all aimed at "enhancing" your shopping experience? Before you answer, you should read our Cover Story this week. No, it doesn't put down living a good and happy life, if that's what you're wondering. The story unquestionably takes a pro-happiness stand. But it also points out the difference between superficial pleasure—what appears will make us happy, but ultimately doesn't—and real, sustained happiness.

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