Preliminary Feature Writing (Part 2)

 

Welcome Back !

Today, I'm will be continuing practicing my feature lead stories.

Practice Example:

Story: Many freebies no longer are free. Because of rising expenses and other problems, American business establishments are eliminating many services and other amenities once offered their customers free of charge. Many of the services that gasoline stations used to offer for free to attract customers have gone the way of the dinosaurs—they have become extinct. Gasoline stations no longer wash windshields, and many no longer even provide the squeegee, the windshield cleaner or the towels so customers can do it themselves. One station owner said he quit offering the service because his customers reportedly were using too many cleaning towels, which cost a two cents each. Service stations have also discontinued free giveaways—free car washes with a fill-up, free glasses and steak knives, free road maps—because of the increasing costs of the freebies. "We can't justify the cost of the freebies. We don't make much profit on a gallon of gas and if you start giving things away to attract customers, we end up making nothing. We found that we weren't getting enough new customers to cover the cost of the free items," said Cecil LaCette, manager of Southside Service. Some gasoline stations restrict the use of their washroom facilities and charge for the air used to inflate tires. LaCette said: "When you buy new clothes, you no longer expect to receive a free wooden or plastic hanger. When men buy a pair of slacks, alterations—which used to always be free—may cost $10 to $20." Along with the disappearance of those items go free gift-wrapping, which was benefit to many last-minute holiday shoppers. Coffee or soda refills, once free at many restaurants, no longer are free. And many restaurants serve water only upon request.

Type of Lead: Descriptive

Lead Story: No more handouts or at least that’s what many business owners consider it. Offering extra services for no charges aren’t in scene anymore. To clean the windshields of a car would require getting the supplies without the gas station providing such a service. Too many take advantage of free services leading to the business owners to cover the charge. Not enough incoming to provide the outcomes. The free services have been removed from multiple departments. New clothes only come with one hanger with no free replacement. Alterations for clothing have a chargeable fee now rather than no fee at all.