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.
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