One of the things Sears Roebuck became famous for is their Craftsmen tools, especially their socket wrenches, which are mechanical wrenches. Once, when I was buying one of these wrenches I was confronted with options of “Good,” “Better” and “Best,” a strategy for which Sears is also famous. When I asked about the difference between the Better and Best models I was told that the Best model had more notches, or teeth, inside the mechanism. This would allow for finer adjustments to be made when tightening a bolt or nut. Plus, in a tight situation, the extra notches make the Best model work, well, best.
For the past 30 years, the marketplace has increasingly become like that “Best” socket wrench; every year, it acquires more notches. Except in the case of the marketplace, notches are called niches (I prefer “nitch,” but some say “neesh” – tomato, tomahto). And just as increasing the notches in a mechanical wrench allows for finer adjustments, niches create finer and more elegant ways to serve customers, which they like – a lot.
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