Suzanne Calling

By purchasing three blu-rays, none of which will be gifts. The Harry Potter movies will be going on moratorium after the first of the year. Yep, all eight movies. This is a strategy Disney uses with their movies, to good effect. Their movies go in and out of the vault all the time. We were missing Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix, and I found them for 9.00 with free shipping. Sold. They arrived today. Yesterday, we took advantage of Ed's last day home by walking around the local outdoor shopping center. In the Books a Million, I found a blu ray copy of Rocky Horror Picture Show. The boys are a couple of years too young for the movie I spent many a weekend night viewing, but 11 bucks for a copy so I can yell at my television is worth it. While there were many cyber Monday deals that would have been good, I really can't think of anything I need. The kids presents are better left to the very last minute and Ed and I talked of getting each other tickets to a concert...

I won't have to hear that horrible song again! (Kohls, I hate you.) We didn't even leave the house today, because 25 years of retail has trained me well-don't go out unless you absolutely have to do so. As it was, I took advantage of the online deals to get the two Harry Potter blu ray disks we don't own, before they go on moratorium. At that, those weren't even gifts. Maybe I'll go spend some money tomorrow during small business Saturday, but that's a big if right now. Call us the anti-consumers right now.

Take him on a bar shop and order a 32 ounce drink. It was good: The bonus is that there are recipes for other yummy Bacardi drinks on the back of this bucket.

As I'd mentioned in a previous entry, I need work clothes. No one is enforcing a dress code, but it's a given that when I'm greeting VIP's, I should be dressed nicely. College student apparel isn't exactly dual purpose! Yesterday, I went out to augment the few pieces I already have. The capris I'd mentioned that are considered dressy are Dockers, and I remembered where I'd purchased them. Subscribing to my philosophy of "buy it in multiple colors," I went back to Beall's in the hopes of finding the same ones in different colors. I struck out on that front, but did find two pairs of dressy capris and another pair of Dockers. Due to the pain issues with the PF and RSD, I usually don't bother with store fitting rooms, preferring to try things on at home. Of course, I run through a checklist of sorts while still in the store. You probably do, too, but there's a few extras I have to think about now. Are they my size? Are they appropr...

I was sent on a mission this week (no, not from God-I'm not Jake or Elwood). A relative needed to replace a little league hat and was having some difficulty in finding the appropriate item, so I was called to secure a Seminoles hat. Mind you, this is for a kid, so the goal was to get a child sized hat. Here in the land of Sunshine, where the Gators are considered the end-all and be-all of college sports, it's hard for 'Noles fans to get an equivalent amount of gear for their team. Heck, outside of Tampa, there's my alma mater's gear, but the selection pales in comparison to the quantity of royal blue and orange items. So, I went out in search of a burgundy and tan hat, preferably with the Seminole Indian on it, preferably kid sized. Instead, I found an incredible amount of stuff that says FSU with that school's colors, one with an arrowhead and even more that just were emblazoned "Florida State" in huge type, and "Seminoles" slightly smal...

I like to shop online. The convenience can't be beat sometimes. My camera, for instance, came from a major retailer's online division because they didn't offer the package I ultimately chose in their stores. Heck, the location nearby didn't even carry the D90 at all. I'm a frequent shopper of Amazon, because we have ONE measly bookstore in this whole town. It's a fact that bookstore likes to crow about when I shop there. I think I give them fits when I respond to this comment (which is an inducement to join their frequent shopper program) with things like "this doesn't reflect well on the literacy rates in our county," "but competition is good for the consumer, lack of it is only good for the retailer," "and it's a shame my favorites are no longer around." When given the choice of buying a CS5 Flash Professional book from the brick and mortar for 59.99 or the same new book from Amazon for 39.99 and free shipping, I'...

For almost two years, I've been doing secret shopping for a Florida based company. Mostly, it is bars and restaurants, with the occasional foray into other things. Primarily, though, I do restaurants at the rate of one or two a month. The whole point of the exercise is to be the eyes for the business owner. Think about it-don't you dot your i's and cross your t's when the boss is around? By hiring shoppers to visit, they get the view that the average customer gets. For me, it was a good side thing to do. I grew up around restaurants and spent all those years in retail. Things I tend to observe might be why the business has been in a slump-or why they've done better but didn't know why. Yesterday was one of my worst. While there, a friend and I were talking about horrible dining experiences, because this ranked up there for both of us (and she doesn't do shops, she came along at my request.) So, some observations from the experience. *If customers hav...