Soul Thumping

The Amazon Price Check App vs. Brick-And-Mortar Hullabaloo...My Two Cents

Earlier this morning, Poseidon forwarded to me the New York Times opinion article written last week, "Amazon's Jungle Logic" by Richard Russo.  This opinion piece is in response to the infamous Amazon app, Price Check, that seems to be causing so much uproar, most notably from small/local bookstores.  I also read a few other articles on the subject today (between XML code changes and researching error messages...you know, my day job "stuff"), and I understand the clamor and the Amazon "backlash," but I also understand Amazon.

I don't claim to be an expert, but as a reader of books and habitué of all things internet, I'm right down the middle on this one, and here are my thoughts on the matter (worth probably 1/2 cent).

Some Background

The Amazon Price Check app (which I do not have by the way) gives customers the ability, while shopping at any brick-and-mortar store, to scan the barcodes of items also sold by Amazon.com, to get instant price comparisons between the store and Amazon.com.  What shopper wouldn't love this?  Of course, the issue under scrutiny is that Amazon's promotion of the Price Check app gives customers $5 off (up to $15) purchases made through the app at Amazon.

 

The Controversy

There are, as I see it, two major bones of contention with Amazon's new app and I'm spouting off on both:

1.  Many view this is as an ingenious (others might say insidious) strategy for gathering price data from competitors.  This concept is nothing new folks.

A friend of mine who got his MBA back in 1991 started his new job, with a very well known company (no longer in business by the way), as a price gatherer--though I don't know what the actual professional term was for this position way back when.  His duties required him to drive around the southeast to visit the retail stores of his company's competitors, check their prices on certain items, and report back.  His company would publish coupons in local papers for consumers to cut out, take in, and rake in.  The only difference I see in the Amazon Price Check app promotion and the days of yore couponing?  Technology.  Technological advances since the early 90s allow Amazon to save gas and staff salaries, and consumers who want to spend less (including not paying sales tax) do the leg work.

 

2.  As I mentioned earlier, it appears that small mom-and-pop book stores are the most offended with Amazon and their Price Check app.  I'll say one or two things about this.  First, the Amazon Price Check promotion does not include book sales, or so I've read...again, I don't have the app and won't be downloading it.  The melee could simply end here, but of course, it doesn't.

I like, no I love going to small independent book sellers in our area and that won't change.  As long as books are still printed on paper, I'll be perusing the shelves.  Why would I do that when the book prices are sometimes more than Amazon's prices and I have to pay local sales tax?  Because I can't "browse" the shelves of Amazon.com in person.  Book stores are like candy stores to me.  I like looking at the book covers, seeing the artwork up close and personal, thumbing through the pages, and more importantly, people watching.  I can't (and don't really want to, honestly) people watch on Amazon.  I'm not a coffee drinker, but believe it or not, some civilized folks actually enjoy a nice cup of coffee while reading in the comfort of a local book seller's brick-and-mortar establishment while listening to some cool beat music from the past.

For those worried about your favorite independent book stores closing up shop due to the likes of Amazon, don't, and I highly recommend this Forbes blog post, "Amazon and the Starbucks Effect" by E.D. Kain.  Kain has actually written a few posts on the topic of the internet and future of local businesses, and in another blog post, "The Future of Local Business is Selling an Experience" he says, "That’s the future of local businesses – a multi-faceted experience that goes beyond the product itself."

 

Kain summarizes this entire issue better than I ever could in yet another blog post, "Shop everywhere. I do. I shop at Amazon regularly. But I wouldn’t dream of spying on my local bookseller for the behemoth in the market."

As demanders of the latest and greatest, we have only ourselves to blame.  If the technology exists, and can exist (and there is no going back now), businesses, both Herculean online entities and local retailers will use the technology they can afford to do what they've always done:  vie for our business.  We require they court us and woo us with something, whether it be an experience or a coupon...be careful what you ask for.

 

--Fortuitous Observer

Christmas Shopping Etiquette - Manners ARE Required, Lunkheads

Photo from CBC News

It is no secret that I'm caught up in the Christmas spirit this year, more so than in years past, and I'm trying to keep this train of cheer and goodwill toward man chugging forward, but it is also no secret that I'm a cynic, I'm convinced many people should undergo forced lobotomies, and I'm easily annoyed with stupidity; therefore, Christmas shopping in a public store/mall is a true ordeal for me.

Happily, I've done most of my holiday shopping online and have not had to endure many trips to public places where I'm more than likely to encounter rude, entitled miscreants.  It is this lack of interaction with dimwits that has allowed me to keep my good mood and Christmasy cheer intact!

Because even the most conscientious of people, those who know the spoken and unspoken rules of what constitutes good behavior in a polite society, can become a subnormal dolt while out and about during this festive season, I want to remind everyone of a few Christmas shopping rules of etiquette:

• If someone holds a door open for you as you juggle your purchases say, "Thank you."  If I hold a door open for you and you do not say, "Thank you,"  I'm going to let you know that you didn't say it, and I will be sure to let everyone within earshot hear me schooling you in Christmas shopping etiquette.

• Do NOT walk around in circles like a dimwit talking on your cell phone in the middle of a store like you would if you were home.  Why?  Because YOU ARE NOT AT HOME!  You are in a public space where people do their shopping and they do not need, and most importantly, want to hear your banal conversation about...ANYTHING!

• This could be lumped in with number 2, but enough impudent donkeys do this that it requires its own bullet...texting while standing in the middle of an aisle in a store as others are trying to shop around you is not acceptable behavior.  What shocks me about this is most of the offenders I encounter are not teenagers, they are the moms of teenagers.  I know you are trying to show everyone what a hip cool chick you are and that you have an iPhone (that your husband has to keep showing you how to use), but holding up other shoppers and forcing them to go around you isn't cool.  Put it down, or go sit on a bench and text your bff.  Maybe you think you can shop and text at the same time, but you CAN'T.  I know, because I CAN'T!

• It is the Christmas season, and people will be shopping, stores will be crowded and you are not the only one in the store.  There WILL be lines at the registers, for the bathrooms, for food, etc.  You are not entitled to ask others in line if you can go ahead of them.  I was asked this a few years ago by a woman who was huffing and puffing and shuffling around in line because she was mad that she, Queen of the Land of Faux Fur and YSL Bags, had to wait.  She asked me (in a very haughty manner) if she could go ahead of me because she only had 2 items and I had 4.  I gave her my gargoyle stare for many seconds and said nothing.  She slipped back to her place in line, didn't say another word and I'm sure she had nightmares about me that night. 

• If a sales clerk has done nothing to you, or has given you no reason to be a cad, then DON'T.  Trust me, they don't want to wait on you anymore than you would want to wait on them.  This also goes the other way around:  Sales clerks, if I haven't been rude to you, don't be rude to me.  Thank you.

• Lastly...baby strollers that are 6 feet wide.  Ladies, if you can't get a babysitter, and you don't have a small "appropriate for tight quarters" stroller, then stay home and do your shopping online.  I don't mean to offend anyone with children, but the monstrous strollers that could double as freight haulers are not befitting for crowded stores.  I was shopping in a small (and I mean S M A L L) gift shop once, and the owner of the boutique posted a sign just outside the door that said "No Strollers Allowed." Of course, an entitled, rude dragon-woman brought her stroller inside because that sign was clearly for everyone but her, and this stroller was so wide it wouldn't fit down the aisles.  As I was looking at some cards, she stood there waiting for me to move out of her way and when I didn't, she started clearing her throat.  I won't repeat what I said to her, but some of the other patrons actually clapped for me.  Woman and stroller swiftly left the store.  Please don't be rude and expect everyone to work around your rudeness.

That is all.  I hope everyone is having a lovely Christmas season so far!  Stay safe out there, and wear chain maille if necessary!

 

--Fortuitous Observer

Things I Found Aesthetically Pleasing Today - Day 7 Shoe Obsession

Today I found shoes to be aesthetically pleasing.  Many different types of shoes, some affordable, some not so much (at least by me).

 

These Burgundy suede pretties are by Fluevog.  His 40th Anniversary reissue of the Munster shoe, made famous first by Lady Miss Kier who wore these statement platforms on the cover of Deee-lite's debut album "World Clique."  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are also Fluevog...my eyes enjoy seeing blue and yellow together.

 

Next up, Flower Power boots by Roper.  I found these on Zappos.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marie Antoinette shoes I found on Ali Foster's blog:

 

 

This last shoe is so amazing I can't look away, but my feet could never pull these off.  I don't know the designer but I found them on 15 Cool and Unsual Shoes site:

 

I'm nearly liking this "Things I Found Aesthetically Pleasing Today" series.  I may do it again for the 12 days of Christmas!

 

--Fortuitous Observer

 

2011 Christmas Gifts for Kooky, Fun, Intelligent Women

I swear, October isn't even here yet and the Christmas faeries are already stuffing thoughts and ideas into my head!  Last year I composed a brief post about Christmas gifts for intelligent women, and hopefully I helped a few people with gift buying ideas for 2010.  In anticipation of the 2011 holidays, I've already charged ahead and created my "2011 Christmas Gifts for Kooky, Fun, Intelligent Women" post to help out those early shoppers, and perhaps jump start those pesky procrastinators (I lump myself into the latter category):

Meliciously Yours tshirts make my list again.  These soft vintage tees with Victorian inspired designs make me feel empowered and feminine when I wear them (no, unfortunately, that is not me in the picture).  When I wear these tees out, I nearly always have women asking me, "Where did you get that shirt?"  That's easy!  Go to the Melicious Tees site and order one (or two, or three) for yourself or the hip, bright chick(s) in your life (or if you are in the North Carolina, South Carolina area, a few boutiques along the coast sell them).  I personally like the new 'Innovator' design.  Meliciously Yours is also a proud sponsor of Girls Rock NC, a non-profit organization that provides music and arts programming for girls ages 7 - 17!

The Emwave Pc Stress Relief Biofeedback Heartmath System is on my personal Christmas list this year.  Yeah, I know it sounds a bit like science fiction, and a few years ago I would have gone so far as to say this is a bit "flaky" but I use this device from time to time in my therapist's office and she recommends I get one for myself, so Poseidon, if you are reading this...just want you to know what you can add to my Christmas list for 2011.  This little contraption guides you to achieving more creative energy levels and reducing your anxiety and stress levels.  Hear that intelligent gals everywhere?  This little gadget helps reduce stress!  I can personally vouch for it's effectiveness (ok, its effectiveness on me...I don't want hate emails later).

What woman doesn't love shoes (there may be some out there who just don't get shoes, and I call them freaks)?  Poetic License is one of my favorite shoe brands because they come in some wacky textures and colors, yet classic enough to wear to work.  The Poetic License Jeweled Expression flat is a sensible, yet funky shoe for the intelligent belle.  Not too high, just right.  Even my batty little bunions don't scream quite as loudly as they could in Poetic License shoes.  Try Endless.com when shopping for Poetic License shoes because they seem to be cheaper than other online shoe sites.  I know in my area, Belk carries this line, but they usually have only a handful of styles.

Another item from my 2010 shopping list that is making a repeat performance is the B&N's Nook Color.  Now, I still haven't purchased one of these myself because I worship paper books and I'm not ready to part with the feel of paper on my fingers and all of that nonsense.  But, my sister does own one of these now and it is super handy and super cool.  I think I mentioned last year that my mother-in-law has the nook (not the one in color), and she still loves it.  As a matter-of-fact, a few weeks ago her power was out, she had no lights for hours, but she could still read!  For now, ladies (and gents), I'm sticking with the old-fashioned kind of book, but I recommend these, especially great for travel.  You can read, surf, or just look distinctly smart while carrying it around.

Last but not least, everyone should visit Maylee's Garden on Artfire.com.  Poseidon and I buy her handmade laundry detergent and it is fantastic!  The scents are incredible, most notably the nag champa.  My other favorite is patchouli lavender (though I think patchouli is sometimes difficult to get because the patchouli crop demand is still greater than the supply, so sometimes she may be out).  We always buy our laundry detergent from Maylee's Garden rather than local stores because the essential oils and scents make the laundry smell spectacular (I'm not just saying that).  You actually use much less of Maylee's detergent than you do store-bought suds, so the price is well worth it!  She often sends a sample pack of a new scent with our order, which is an added bonus.  Maylee's Garden also has soaps, perfume oils, and she even makes a shampoo bar specifically formulated for dreadlocks (I've never tried it because, well, I don't have dreads -- not yet).  Please do visit her site.  Her products would make great gifts for moms, mother-in-laws, sisters, cousins, aunts, daughters, friends, (ok even men), etc.

I know it is a short list, but it's been a busy year (new job, gallbladder removed, house on the market, etc.) and I personally haven't seen much in the way of anything intensely new or exciting screaming "BUY ME, DAMN IT."

Before closing, I just want to add a word or two (or a few) about gift cards.  Gift cards may seem boring and dull, and some may even say "tacky," but they are usually much appreciated, so if you have to wimp out and you just can't summon any imaginative shopping juice from the creativity gods and none of the above ideas are "just right," then gift cards are a sensible choice.  I recommend Sephora, Amazon, or a local day spa (if you are in the Raleigh, NC area or GA, TN, FL, or KS, I highly recommend Natural Body Spa).

 

--Fortuitous Observer

The Delights and Miseries of Christmas

I love Christmas.  I hate the self-imposed sense of urgency to get everything done.  I love watching my Christmas tree blink relentlessly in the evening as Poseidon and I bask in the glow of it (with our sunblock on).  I hate thinking about dragging it through the foyer, through the door, across the yard, and out to the curb for "tree pick-up day" in January, only to then retrace my steps to clean the fallen needles left behind.

I love watching old Christmas specials from my Gen X childhood.  I hate that Gen Y and Gen Z think the animation is lame (it isn't, you are).  I love finding perfect gifts for people.  I hate standing in line at the post office to mail said gifts to those people.

I love lighting the gas log in the fireplace (I know, I'm not really "lighting" it as much as "turning" the knob).  I hate that it is so cold outside that we have to turn on the fireplace.  I love humming my favorite Christmas songs as I move through the house.  I hate hearing the same 3 Christmas songs over and over and over and over at every establishment in my neighborhood.

I love moving through the stores with a smile on my face as I think of friends and family opening gifts on Christmas (when I must go to the stores that is...on-line shopping rules most magnificently).  I hate seeing scrooges moving through the stores with frowny faces, grumbling about prices, crowds, having to park more than 10 feet from the entrance, etc.  I love seeing those same scrooges in the parking lot yelling at another scrooge because of a ding on their car door.

I love opening my gifts from Poseidon because I never know what to expect.  I hate when I've opened all of my gifts because I'm greedy and I want more.  I love when Christmas is over.  I hate waiting for Memorial Day.  I love summer, the sand, the beach, and the sun.

 

--Fortuitous Observer

2010 Christmas Gifts for the Intelligent, Artful Woman

Around this time each year I go to my favorite search engine, type in "Gift Ideas" and cross my fingers like I've just pulled the lever on a slot machine (ok, most slot machines now have a little pushable button, though they do keep the lever on the side for those who like the thrill of the pull), hoping to find some shiny new gadget, a sparkly bauble, or an offbeat item to add to my wardrobe that makes me all giddy and happy inside; something I can put on my own Christmas gift wish list, or give as a gift to some other woman seeking the clever, all-the-rage token.

I have found a few such items, and here is my 2010 gift list for the intelligent, hip, funky, and sometimes fashionable woman:

1.  The Logitech M305 Wireless Optical Mouse.  I love this mouse, mostly because I am incapable of using the little eraser nub mouse or the touch mouse pad on most laptops (I'm really not incapable, I just choose not to become proficient at using them).  The new smaller USB-nano receiver is great because I don't keep knocking it out of my laptop.  The sensational part of this mouse:  it now comes in awesome colors and swirls that I find aesthetically pleasing.  I own the solid blue, so not so dandy as some of the new designs, but I like it and it is easy to use, and would make a great Christmas gift for any smart woman who uses her laptop for things other than Facebooking.

2.  A great gift for enlightened women of all ages, a t-shirt from Meliciously Yours.  Meliciously Yours is a boutique-inspired t-shirt collection based on the Victorian era, but with a modern, modish twist.  The designs are intricate (with a little hidden peacock feather logo on each) and were created to "empower fashion-conscious women to embrace their true personality and wear it proudly."  These shirts make amazing gifts for the imaginative gal (one who wants a stylish tee that says something about her personality, something other than "I'm High Maintenance" or the over-done, outdated "Rock Star."  Intelligent chick power, activate!

3.  For the resourceful chick, I like these elevated kitchen utensils from Uncommon Goods.com.  I love this site by the way!  Gifts galore!  I saw these the other day during my gift search and thought, "Wow, simple, yet ingenious."  If you are like Poseidon and I, we've broken our spoon rest and our counter tops are not the cleanest in the neighborhood (not that I know what my neighbors' counter tops look like), so we find clever items to elevate our cooking utensils.  Very smart, functional, and arty, let's not forget arty, gift idea.

4.  The new Apple iPod nano (6th generation)!  What else do I need to say?  This smart cookie has whispered in Santa's ear, "I want a new nano..." and I'm pretty sure he heard me!  At first I thought I wanted it in red (you can only get the red from Apple directly), then I changed my mind and thought I might like the pink, but now I'm thinking blue.  When a retailer offers so many color choices, women are going to have a tough time deciding.  What woman wouldn't want a colorful new nano under the tree, huh?  I've had the 4th generation nano since they came out 4 or 5 years ago, and now I must have the new one.  What makes this new generation so sweet is that the iPod nano has had a major face lift and now has Multi-Touch—the same technology in the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.  It's also half the size as the 4th and 5th generation model and easier to play.  A great gift for the gifted gal (an example of alliteration thrown in there).

5.  My last gift idea for the brilliant belle, and I don't have one of these, but may consider it, is the new nookcolor.  I haven't actually even seen one of these yet, but there is some buzz about the nookcolor.  My mother-in-law has the nook (not the one in color), and she seems to like it, and I think Barnes & Nobel has done a great thing by introducing the color version, so now the reader can see newspapers and magazines, and picture books in color.  Women like color!  Now, I have done some reading on electronic book readers, and I have seen the Sony E-Reader, and Amazon's Kindle, but I struggle with buying one of these gadgets (or asking for one as a present...I haven't been very good this year by the way) because I love "real" books, and turning the page, feeling the paper, browsing the book stores, etc., so I'm not sure I'm ready to commit to a total electronic existense just yet.  However, I may change my mind (as is a woman's perogative) in the near future, and the nookcolor may appear on next years "Gifts I Think I Might Really Want" list.

OK, so now that my list of groovy gifts for the keenest of females is complete, I am prescribing a bit of retail therapy for everyone.

 

--Fortuitous Observer 

Warning: Fuchsia Shoes May Bestow Super Powers

I turned 41 on Saturday.  No big deal really.  Poseidon took me out for a great dinner, then to one of our fave little bars for a beer.  Cool gifts.  I have managed to deal with the aging process gracefully and I'm still sometimes carded at over-21 places, so I think I'm holding up well.  No complaints.

I took myself shopping on Saturday, my birthday treat to myself (oh, and I also bought myself a sewing machine...I'll explain that one later) and I made some great purchases, but my favorite purchase...a pair of fuchsia suede heels.  Gorgeous!  I had actually seen the shoes 2 evenings before and I knew I would make them mine.  I did.  I don't know if these shoes grant the wearer magical powers, but I felt amazing.  I felt sexier than I have in a while, and I felt full of grace (maybe grace-lite...I am still clumsy and 2 1/2 inch heels makes that obvious) and confidence.  I took a look in my two closets full of shoes, and I realized in horror that I, until now, did not own one pair of shoes with color.  None.  All black, brown, grey, tan, and one silver strappy pair.  My new fuchsia shoes were like adding a rainbow to my otherwise cloudy closet.

I wore the shoes with a little black dress for dinner and I felt hot (not temperature-wise), cool, fun, quirky, all at the same time!  That hasn't happened in a while, so I can declare with some certainty that my fuchsia suede heels do endow the wearer with special, enchanted, marvelous magical powers.  At the end of our night, Poseidon got the car, but I flew home using my newly attained Fuchsia Girl super powers.  I carefully put my fuchsia shoes on the shelf in the closet, and closed the door, and the evening, on a high note.  When the city needs me again, I'll take them out, put them on, and I'll be ready.

--Fortuitous "Super Fuchsia Girl" Observer

I'm Not a Fashion Blogger...But I'm Playing One Today

I love fashion.  I read several fashion and style blogs when I can (only the funny or unique style blogs, not the run-of-the-mill magazine blogs), and I own oodles of books on fashion, famous fashion designers from long ago, the history of fashion, fashion ads, fashion illustrations, etc.  I used to tear out pictures and ads from Vogue or Harper's Bazaar and tape them to my walls just to remain inspired for upcoming shopping trips (until I realized that taping pictures to the wall will pull the paint from the wall, then I used thumb tacks, until I realized they leave holes in the walls.  Now I just leave the pictures in the magazines and dog-ear the pages), even if I knew I couldn't afford the Jimmy Choo shoes.

I get so excited just thinking about shopping trips that it isn't uncommon for me to dream about these trips for days.  I sometimes plan strategies for my shopping excursions:  do I tackle sweaters or dresses first?  Pants and skirts next?  What about shoes?  Shoes require a special trip alone.  Upcoming shopping trips can also spark a full-on case of anxiety in me, but I just take some pills and continue onward.

There are so many fashion bloggers out there, some good, some boring, some ridiculous, many with terrible grammar, and I'm not going to pretend to be one, but I'm so excited about a purchase I made at a vintage store two weeks ago (thanks to Tanya for finding this store!!) that I have to write about it.  You see, it has been a while since I've perused the racks of a vintage store, and to actually find a great buy, something I'm more than excited about, well, I'm all aflame.

My find?  I'm so glad you asked!  A vintage faux leopard short coat (not a true pea coat, but close).  It is in amazing condition, and it doesn't smell like moth balls or stale pee (like many vintage items can).  No kidding.  I'm even going to give the store a plug.  If you are in the Raleigh area, and you love love love vintage stores, then pop over to Get Dressed in downtown Raleigh.  Thanks again to Tanya (my future sis-in-law) for telling me about it.

I've worn my new coat a few times and I feel like a 1960's fashionista prowling the streets.  OK, maybe not prowling exactly...how about strutting or strolling?

Anyway, here's hoping everyone has a fashionable day wearing whatever makes you feel grand (yikes, that sounds like a fashion blogger to me...somebody stop me).   

--Fortuitous Observer