If you have three items–good, better, and best–which order is most fun? Best first, best last, random, or other?
never mind
Food-wise, I like to eat the Better first, then the Good, then the Best.
If I’m telling an anecdote… same thing, actually.
I’d say better, then good, then save the best for last. Although, I guess it really depends on what we’re talking about. I was thinking of a musician putting on a show.
Ditto to the first two posters. If we’re going to assume that the “good” is the least exciting/interesting of your options, you don’t want to start out with it, because that sets the tone for the entire experience being ho-hum. Even if it gets better as it goes along, you won’t be as open to noticing because you weren’t impressed from the start.
You don’t want the “good” to be the finale either, because that will leave you with a feeling of mediocrity when the experience is over regardless of how exquisite the beginning and middle were.
So the only logical place to put the “good” is in the middle, where it will be the least noticeable. Starting out with “better” will get people excited about the experience, and they will still be buzzing with that excitement when they have to make it through the merely “good” portion of it.
Saving the “best” for last is paramount because the ending is always what sticks in our minds the most, and gives us the strongest impression that we take away from the experience. It’s not that we don’t care about or notice the rest of it, we do, and a strong beginning is necessary to grab our attention and pull us into the experience in the first place. But it’s the last thing in our memory, and when it is finally over that is the moment when we really make our judgement call of how the experience rated with us overall.
Yep, I always save the best for last in EVERY thing i eat pretty much. Even sandwiches that are cut, ever since I Was a child, I always measured the two pieces, and deemed the “bigger” one better, and that one would get eaten 2nd. I loved the concept of Natural selection, as I had been doing this since I was 5 to my lunch, and now I still subconsciously will do it- the piece I deem the best, i eat last.
Which sucks if I get full halfway thru, as I’ll always have left my fav. piece for the end =(
And always, better before good to draw you in.
No no, that’s the beauty of it, you see.
If you eat the Better part and you’re starting to get full you can skip the bit that’s merely Good and go straight for Best.
Most of the time good, better, best. I like things to build to a climax.
Hmmm, reading that back I think some people might read subtext into that.
When pitching or performing (and now 'primus’ post has me giggling), then I agree with the better, good, best format.
When giving a sequence of gifts or surprises, then good, better, best. EXCEPT: I was always annoyed by that thing my mom does where she gives the accessories before the main thing. Getting a sewing machine? You’ll have to open 12 individually wrapped spools of thread first. An MP3 player? You’ll open a charger, a headphones and a case first. That can really only go one of two ways: confusion and upset, as you open all this crap you have no need for, or impatience when you’ve figured out what the “real” gift is so you don’t enjoy opening the little stuff. If it’s that sort of gift set, I’d rather open the main gift and marvel over that, then be delighted with each “extra” thing that goes with it.
Best first. Give the other two to charity - even you are aware that they are inferior but to someone without best they may be best.
Heh. I did this years ago for my sister: she didn’t have a computer, I was upgrading, and I gave her my old computer for Christmas. The first gift I gave her was a mouse, and her look of irritation on opening it haunts me to this day. Kinda harshed the Christmas buzz.
Daniel
Exactly. It always sounds like fun when you’re planning it, and you imagine how you’re going to build up the the antici…pation, when in reality, she’s thinking, “WTF am I going to do with a mouse, asshole? I HAVE NO COMPUTER!!!”
My son got hit with a particularly brutal form of this a few years ago, and he was a real trooper. We went to my dad’s house, where he opened a couple of XBOX 360 games. Very politely, he thanked him profusely and hugged him, blinking back tears, and then went in the other room to cry a bit in private. 'Cause he didn’t *have *a 360, see, and Dad is usually so awesome at the gift giving. Six hours later, at his Uncle’s house, he got a 360. Longest six hours of the poor kid’s life!
I’m reminded of the video where the kid unwraps an Xbox360 box and grinning wildly opens it to find there are clothes in it. So basically imagine your story but with no happy ending.
Was it this one? XBox360 “surprise”
Hearing about the concept I have to admit I laughed a mean laugh but actually watching the video… that is seriously, seriously cruel. It’s worse how all the adults were laughing and the kid bursts into tears.
I know! Couldn’t they just have used a plain brown box of something that wouldn’t have got the kids hopes up?
Wow. That is some cold-ass shit. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if that experience ruined Christmas for the kid for the rest of his life. 
Anyway, back to the OP: I’d go Better, Good, Best. Get the audience interested with a strong lead, back off to the good in the middle, and then hit 'em between the eyes with the big finish. Seems like a pretty solid approach for most anything.
I always like to get the worst out of the way first, and then get on to the good stuff, so I would go good, better, best.
And that XBox 360 video? I was sitting right there with that kid, getting kicked in the stomach with him. The adults in his life that thought that was funny (and needed to be filmed and posted online) need a serious ass-kicking. I want to send that kid an XBox now. :mad: