Viral Soap?

These days, even soap can go viral. I’ve been a member of Louisville’s Downtown YMCA for several years, and a recent change in soap temporarily sent member satisfaction right down the drain. 

[Don’t boo; it’s a hard joke to resist.]

I can testify that the new soap was a definite step backwards in quality and that members were not simply resisting change.

The old soap lathered. The new soap didn’t.

It was impossible not to notice the difference, and in the days after the new soap was introduced, complaints about it were literally never-ending in the men’s locker room.

It was incredibly viral, as the cyclical, coming-and-going nature of locker rooms meant that newly arriving members were immediately infected with the topic by members who had just showered.

And once infected, those members would complain about the soap after their showers, thus infecting the next wave of arrivals.

And on and on and on.

[Insert your own joke about “slippery slopes.”]

I heard members openly complain to staffers about it, and after a few days, the YMCA even posted a sign outside the locker room to let members know that they were aware of the issue. 

Oddly, their sign asked for patience while they explored “other soap options.” I can’t be the only one who thought, “How about the old soap!”

How did the YMCA resolve this issue and what might have caused them to change soaps in the first place?

More soon.

Update: Part 2 now available; click here!