So, as of writing this, just about every brand name department store running the spectrum from Wal-Mart to Macy's is running ridiculous sales to try to recover the 2% decline across November and December. By the way, 2%= 9 billion dollars when you figure that most outlets generate at least 50% of their yearly earnings during the holidays.
What are we seeing as a result? 60% off, 70% off, and even 80% off. Retailers are scrambling to recover lost revenue by giving consumers insane discounts to promote purchases at their location. But is it helping? The answer is no. With such extreme discounts to entice the shopper's wallet, the profit margin is slowly dipping into the red.
The setback? When big mainstay (although with borders stores closing across the nation, that term feels hypocritical) start desperately slashing prices, the mom and pops shops as well as high-end designer stores hurt even more. Places like these can't get the bulk discount in purchasing like operations such as Best Buy or Sears and when trying to match bargains to drive sales, it cripples small-business.
The suggested fix? Offer tax-free shopping days next year to allow retailers to recover lost profits and have the Federal government pay the state tax bill. How that's supposed to work in a state that runs out of money in February, *Cough*CALIFORNIA*Cough* is beyond me, but setting up these dates will not increase business, it will just augment customers to schedule their shopping around these dates.
One other piece of non-sense related to retail. I know that in a multi-cultural nation like the US'A people believe in different things. But that doesn't mean you can't wish your own personal holiday cheer. If you believe in Christmas, say what you will. Hanukkah? Go for it. Don't try to sterilize the holiday by saying "Happy Holidays," and don't get pissed when someone didn't realize people actually celebrate Kwanzaa.
Happy New Year all and let's bring on this recession already.
P.S. Hope everyone got what they wanted for Christmas, you magnificent materialistic people. :)
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Why we need more cops like Judge Dredd
Know me long enough and you'll figure out I'm no fan of the police. Keep in mind, I said police and not the law. I'm a huge fan of justice, I just tend to gripe about the people enforcing it.
Why? Because people aren't perfect. Far from it. And yet we give to a select few this ability, this power, to decided how they want to interpret the law. The law isn't perfect either, but the system it goes through is decided by a larger amount of people than just the one person who will try to enforce it.
Think of it like this: We decide there should be a speed limit so that we all don't go crazy and kill ourselves. After surveys and tests, we figure that that speed should be somewhere around 65 mph. So then we tell our policemen and women to enforce that law. While they're out doing their thing, they see a violator. But he's only going 3 mph over and that's pretty close to 65 right? Now if he was going 80, well that's a different story. Believe me, that is totally FINE in my book. I do agree there is a certain affinity to laws that are based in less than black and white.
My real beef isn't with that kind of interpretation, but the kind of elitism that police extend to their super secret society of cop-dom. A cop pulls over an off-duty cop for speeding. No big deal. A cop pulls over a firefighter, no big deal. A cop pulls over the son of a cop. It's cool. Or change it up. A rich white man has a broken light in his Mercedes. He's told to take care of it. An Asian kid in a tricked out import without a light working over his liscene plate? It's a $150 irrefutable ticket. This is not how the law should work.
I guess the real reason I'm pieved about all of this is because of an expierence over the weekend. I went bowling with some friends where they have these specials for pitchers of beer while you bowl. We did the right thing and appointed a designated driver. To our left at one point were 3 young men drinking themselves into obvlivion and having a good time. They were overly friendly with the waitress, hugging her and making sexual inneuendos. At one point I noticed one of them had their wallet out after buying a round and I saw a badge. They then pointed out they were Sheriff's Deputies. Thinking we were buddies they talked about getting into fights, kicking ass and all the other things they do that I'm supposed to know. As they were going they knocked over their pyramid of drinks in Jenga-fashion and didn't bother with cleaning it up. ALL of them were trashed and smashed.
Some of my members wanted a smoke so we went outside to grab a breath of fresh air. The three buddies stumbled outside. Did they get in a taxi? No. They each got into their own cars and drove off, laughing the whole time.
It puts a whole new spin on the notion that law is blind when the people who enforce it turn their head away whenever they don't want to recognize it.
Why? Because people aren't perfect. Far from it. And yet we give to a select few this ability, this power, to decided how they want to interpret the law. The law isn't perfect either, but the system it goes through is decided by a larger amount of people than just the one person who will try to enforce it.
Think of it like this: We decide there should be a speed limit so that we all don't go crazy and kill ourselves. After surveys and tests, we figure that that speed should be somewhere around 65 mph. So then we tell our policemen and women to enforce that law. While they're out doing their thing, they see a violator. But he's only going 3 mph over and that's pretty close to 65 right? Now if he was going 80, well that's a different story. Believe me, that is totally FINE in my book. I do agree there is a certain affinity to laws that are based in less than black and white.
My real beef isn't with that kind of interpretation, but the kind of elitism that police extend to their super secret society of cop-dom. A cop pulls over an off-duty cop for speeding. No big deal. A cop pulls over a firefighter, no big deal. A cop pulls over the son of a cop. It's cool. Or change it up. A rich white man has a broken light in his Mercedes. He's told to take care of it. An Asian kid in a tricked out import without a light working over his liscene plate? It's a $150 irrefutable ticket. This is not how the law should work.
I guess the real reason I'm pieved about all of this is because of an expierence over the weekend. I went bowling with some friends where they have these specials for pitchers of beer while you bowl. We did the right thing and appointed a designated driver. To our left at one point were 3 young men drinking themselves into obvlivion and having a good time. They were overly friendly with the waitress, hugging her and making sexual inneuendos. At one point I noticed one of them had their wallet out after buying a round and I saw a badge. They then pointed out they were Sheriff's Deputies. Thinking we were buddies they talked about getting into fights, kicking ass and all the other things they do that I'm supposed to know. As they were going they knocked over their pyramid of drinks in Jenga-fashion and didn't bother with cleaning it up. ALL of them were trashed and smashed.
Some of my members wanted a smoke so we went outside to grab a breath of fresh air. The three buddies stumbled outside. Did they get in a taxi? No. They each got into their own cars and drove off, laughing the whole time.
It puts a whole new spin on the notion that law is blind when the people who enforce it turn their head away whenever they don't want to recognize it.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Lunch Hour Madness
I'm writing this particular blog today in light of the fact that I have discovered a seriously wrong error in the thinking of our common day man. I won't hide the fact that I'm a strong connoisseur of the fast-food chain, In-N-Out. They are primarily a west coast ordeal and they are definitely the flagship when it comes to values, service, and quality.
I was asked yesterday where I wanted to go for lunch and I suggested my Valhalla of burgers. The response I received from a friend shocked me to the core.
He said he didn't like it.
After giving him the treacherous stare of betrayal for a hearty 30 seconds or so, I finally mustered the courage to ask him about his blasphemy. He told me that the menu was too simple and they didn't really have much to offer. I looked at him trying to understand. It was a burger joint. They serve hamburgers, America's contribution to ethnic foods. I thought he meant they didn't have chicken sandwiches or salads, I was ready to compromise. Then he had to open his mouth again (at this point it was getting him in trouble), and compare In-N-Out's "selection" to McDonald's.
He said McDonald's had more burgers to choose from.
That's when I lost it. Is that really what society has become? That they compare available selections by what is shown in pretty value meal combos? I can get burger #5 with onions mustard and ketchup, but burger #1 comes with lettuce tomato and their special sauce. What the hell? Since when did we become so helpless that we need different options to be told what to order because we can't be creative and decide for ourselves?
It's all quite atrocious to me. I'm not a dark individual, but people are extremely lazy. I wouldn't be surprised in the near future when they do a survey about what drink is best paired with which meal and that get's selected for you as well.
I was asked yesterday where I wanted to go for lunch and I suggested my Valhalla of burgers. The response I received from a friend shocked me to the core.
He said he didn't like it.
After giving him the treacherous stare of betrayal for a hearty 30 seconds or so, I finally mustered the courage to ask him about his blasphemy. He told me that the menu was too simple and they didn't really have much to offer. I looked at him trying to understand. It was a burger joint. They serve hamburgers, America's contribution to ethnic foods. I thought he meant they didn't have chicken sandwiches or salads, I was ready to compromise. Then he had to open his mouth again (at this point it was getting him in trouble), and compare In-N-Out's "selection" to McDonald's.
He said McDonald's had more burgers to choose from.
That's when I lost it. Is that really what society has become? That they compare available selections by what is shown in pretty value meal combos? I can get burger #5 with onions mustard and ketchup, but burger #1 comes with lettuce tomato and their special sauce. What the hell? Since when did we become so helpless that we need different options to be told what to order because we can't be creative and decide for ourselves?
It's all quite atrocious to me. I'm not a dark individual, but people are extremely lazy. I wouldn't be surprised in the near future when they do a survey about what drink is best paired with which meal and that get's selected for you as well.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Technology Advances Humanity Regresses
Have you all seen the trend? Simplicity is a means to say something is basic. Simple. As technology grows, itself becoming more complex, the end result is a more simple interface for the human counterpart.
Don't believe me? Look at some of the things that people have become so incredibly dependent on that we've been put on a par with a little orphan boy during the Industrial Revolution.
Think about the numerous times you've used wikipedia, google, answers.yahoo.com to fulfill a need or desire. Now think about and remember how many times you've retained that knowledge rather then just copying and pasting what you needed at that critical moment. Does anyone remember the Encyclopedia? Even I barely do. Back in the day, research required effort. That effort translated into a love-hate labor, but the process was so meticulous that you generally remembered what you were looking for sheerly for an excuse to justify the hard work.
Look at programs like Firefox that automatically spell check every input we make. Even I can't deny my regular usage of it. For a year or so I relied on firefox so heavily that I had given up spelling experience the correct way and aimed for something ugly such as "expeierence" because I knew my fox de la feugo had my back. How incredibly lazy and unforgivable.
Am I denying the greatness that this technology offers us? Not at all. I am concerned thought that at some point it will become such a necessity that the first thing taught in schools will how to interface with the computer to fix our mistakes.
Technology is wonderful. It's brought society closer, it's advances our possibilities and it's making us completely stupid.
Don't believe me? Look at some of the things that people have become so incredibly dependent on that we've been put on a par with a little orphan boy during the Industrial Revolution.
Think about the numerous times you've used wikipedia, google, answers.yahoo.com to fulfill a need or desire. Now think about and remember how many times you've retained that knowledge rather then just copying and pasting what you needed at that critical moment. Does anyone remember the Encyclopedia? Even I barely do. Back in the day, research required effort. That effort translated into a love-hate labor, but the process was so meticulous that you generally remembered what you were looking for sheerly for an excuse to justify the hard work.
Look at programs like Firefox that automatically spell check every input we make. Even I can't deny my regular usage of it. For a year or so I relied on firefox so heavily that I had given up spelling experience the correct way and aimed for something ugly such as "expeierence" because I knew my fox de la feugo had my back. How incredibly lazy and unforgivable.
Am I denying the greatness that this technology offers us? Not at all. I am concerned thought that at some point it will become such a necessity that the first thing taught in schools will how to interface with the computer to fix our mistakes.
Technology is wonderful. It's brought society closer, it's advances our possibilities and it's making us completely stupid.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
A little disappointed.
So here I am, a self-proclaimed writer, and I haven't written anything!
I guess that's one of my biggest flaws. Building wonderful story ideas up in my head but then never delivering them. So I'm going to write down my opinions at least on a more regular basis.
One of my biggest peeves as of late is the amount of laziness and apathy I've noticed in society. I work at a movie rental store and I see from time to time a lot trends that annoy me to know end. Most regularly the question "Is this a good movie?" comes at me. It's one thing to read the back of the cover and have questions about the movie's content, but when people see a flashy cover and don't even take the time to figure out if they personally will enjoy something, well it's rather appalling.
People lost the ability to think for themselves a long time ago it seems. Compare a book to the what seems like limitless amount of television programming. Some people would argue that TV s infinite with hundreds of channels available at all hour of the day. The essential issue that people miss is that watching TV requires people to tune into the broadcast companies. Even with the exception of TiVo it is still up to these companies about what programs actually become developed. If you had to pick a favorite color, but someone said you could only pick between red and blue isn't really a choice? Say your favorite color was green? Then what?
That's the beauty and danger of books. They truly are limitless. However at the same time, it becomes tricky to discover your own tastes. Let's face it, mostly people read the bestsellers and in all fairness to those authors, it's well deserved. Harry Potter was worth reading because it was a good story. But that doesn't define eclectic tastes. If someone only reads harry potter and nothing else, have they really discovered their own taste?
It just goes to show you that we mask our own conformity to being spoon fed directions and interests by providing a larger envelope of decisions that are predetermined. Does that mean we are truly free?
I once heard a quote. Ignorance is bliss... when you don't know you're being ignorant.
I guess that's one of my biggest flaws. Building wonderful story ideas up in my head but then never delivering them. So I'm going to write down my opinions at least on a more regular basis.
One of my biggest peeves as of late is the amount of laziness and apathy I've noticed in society. I work at a movie rental store and I see from time to time a lot trends that annoy me to know end. Most regularly the question "Is this a good movie?" comes at me. It's one thing to read the back of the cover and have questions about the movie's content, but when people see a flashy cover and don't even take the time to figure out if they personally will enjoy something, well it's rather appalling.
People lost the ability to think for themselves a long time ago it seems. Compare a book to the what seems like limitless amount of television programming. Some people would argue that TV s infinite with hundreds of channels available at all hour of the day. The essential issue that people miss is that watching TV requires people to tune into the broadcast companies. Even with the exception of TiVo it is still up to these companies about what programs actually become developed. If you had to pick a favorite color, but someone said you could only pick between red and blue isn't really a choice? Say your favorite color was green? Then what?
That's the beauty and danger of books. They truly are limitless. However at the same time, it becomes tricky to discover your own tastes. Let's face it, mostly people read the bestsellers and in all fairness to those authors, it's well deserved. Harry Potter was worth reading because it was a good story. But that doesn't define eclectic tastes. If someone only reads harry potter and nothing else, have they really discovered their own taste?
It just goes to show you that we mask our own conformity to being spoon fed directions and interests by providing a larger envelope of decisions that are predetermined. Does that mean we are truly free?
I once heard a quote. Ignorance is bliss... when you don't know you're being ignorant.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
The start of something new.
It's kind of funny how usually when people start new journals/diaries that they usually do it at the beginning of some new adventure. It's where something you were is no longer what you will become.
Sometimes these changes are sad. Sometimes they're just simply necessary. If you're lucky they are the ones you see in the movies about you and your closest amigo taking on the world and coming out on top.
I realize that for now, this blog is my own little journal (or diary if that will make you chuckle) because change has come for me.
I won't tell you which category I would fall into, I mean there has to be some mystery for the planned thousands of readers that will eventually stumble across this and backtrack across everything I've ever written. Humble aren't I?
Nevertheless for now let's settle for just the freshness of change. What's down the road ahead? Who knows. Does it scare me? A little.
But as the great Richard Dreyfuss and Bill Murray once said, it's all about "baby steps."
So baby steps start this blog.
Sometimes these changes are sad. Sometimes they're just simply necessary. If you're lucky they are the ones you see in the movies about you and your closest amigo taking on the world and coming out on top.
I realize that for now, this blog is my own little journal (or diary if that will make you chuckle) because change has come for me.
I won't tell you which category I would fall into, I mean there has to be some mystery for the planned thousands of readers that will eventually stumble across this and backtrack across everything I've ever written. Humble aren't I?
Nevertheless for now let's settle for just the freshness of change. What's down the road ahead? Who knows. Does it scare me? A little.
But as the great Richard Dreyfuss and Bill Murray once said, it's all about "baby steps."
So baby steps start this blog.
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