August 13, 2023
July 13, 2023
June 30, 2023
May 16, 2023
Measuring The Old Way
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Measuring The Old Way
May 3, 2023
August 27, 2022
Geoffrey The Giraffe
Who would've thunk it? ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Geoffrey The Giraffe
May 5, 2022
GameStop Is Going Nowhere
- Wrestling Buddies dolls
Cute, but not really a shopping imperative and the store was deserted.
Yet, GameStop stock is still stratospheric, while tech and innovation is in the graveyard depths.
The world is upside down and inside out.
I think a day of reckoning is coming to bring us back to earthly reality. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
GameStop Is Going Nowhere
December 17, 2021
September 10, 2021
Georgetown View
Like the stone and red brick, the neat little bridges, and the cool retaining wall.
Have Pinstripes bowling on side, "Church" beer garden on the other, and across the street is an AMC movie theater and a promenade along the Potomac River.
On M Street, of course, is all the shopping. Go crazy!
Lot's of people. Tough to park. Nice to visit. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Georgetown View
February 7, 2021
Did You Sell Your GameStop?
Well, I couldn't resist.
Around midday today, I peaked my head into the local GameStop.
There wasn't 1 single customer in the store.
Not 1!
There were two workers.
When I asked if they had any GameStop stock.
The manager said he had been offered some when he got promoted, but unfortunately turned it down.
Well the stock was a manic bubble for a short time these last few weeks, and it could've made him a bundle.
Based on what you see today, do you think you should own GameStop? ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Did You Sell Your GameStop?
April 3, 2020
Those Were Different Days
When the stores still had stuff on the shelves.
And you could go in without waiting outside for half an hour for social distancing.
With everyone wearing protective masks and obsessively washing their hands, so please G-d not to get sick.
Then we were happy!
Now we are all just scared.
Even if some people are pretending they aren't.
It's more what we still don't know then what we do.
And how things can unravel so quickly.
Makes us all appreciate what we had, and hopefully what we'll have again.
Shabbat Shalom! ;-)
( Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Those Were Different Days
November 1, 2019
Give Me That Fridge Handle
A cause for celebration!
It get's delivered and afterwards, I notice that the door handles are installed unevenly.
I call the store and they agree to send their guys out to us again to fix it.
Well, the handles were on the wrong doors and they switch it so that now they look even, but in the process, they break the handle on one of the doors so that only the top is attached to the door and the bottom is blowing in the wind (and ready to scratch the door).
With this second installation debacle, I call the store again and not a happy camper!
Three calls later, the store agrees for me to come over and literally take the handle of the fridge on the showroom floor to replace my broken one--which I promptly did!
Third times the charm...no more broken door handle.
As for the one in the store, let's just say you can only open the left door for now. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Give Me That Fridge Handle
October 31, 2019
Square Watermelons
A square watermelon.
Why do you need a square watermelon?
It was created to make transportation easier and to fit on the tight shelves of small stores in Japan.
How do you make a round/oval watermelon square?
Why of course, you put a box around it while it's still small and on the vine.
Ah, I think they broke the mold on this innovative idea. LOL
The problem is that that because they are harvested before they are ripe, they are inedible.
So the Japanese use them for decorations, and they can last about a year.
They are so unique, they cost roughly $100 for one.
Why be square, when you can be round? ;-)
(Credit Photo: Defense Acquisition University)
Square Watermelons
October 28, 2019
Card Ya
They have a digital calendar with the date from 21 years ago.
It says:
To Purchase Tobacco Products You Must Have Been Born On Or Before This Date.
Thank you for showing you I.D.
Ah, easy to match the DOB on the I.D. presented to the date on the calendar.
Nothing to calculate, no mistakes.
They raised the age for smoking (cigarettes and vaping) in Maryland to 21 on October 1, so it's the same requirement as for drinking alcohol.
Luckily for me (even though I'm over 21), I don't really do either--definitely not the smoking, and the drinking limited primarily to the Kiddush prayer on Shabbat. ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Card Ya
August 27, 2019
Selling By Customer Stereotypes
It categorizes their female shoppers into 4 types:
1. Candy (hearts): Sweet, girly, flirty, whimsy, and femme
2. Ginger (cherries): Sexy, confident, edgy, attitude, and mysterious
3. Lou (baseball): Cool, tomboy, laid back, tough, minimal
4. Meadow (sunshine): Flowy, bohemian, embellished, pattern, worldly
So this is how they stereotype their customers "to be helpful"?
Interesting also that they don't see that people can be complex with: multiple traits that cross categories or even in no category at all.
Moreover, people can have different sides to themselves and reflect these in different situations.
Perhaps in an effort to market and sell more, what they've done is reduce people to these lowest common denominator of idiot categories.
And what makes this worse yet is that it seems to be based just on snap judgment of how someone looks coming into the store and all the biases that entails.
How about we look at people a little more sophisticated than this and treat them as individuals, with real personalities, and not just as another empty label? ;-)
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Selling By Customer Stereotypes
May 31, 2019
Tie Dye Hammock
It's called "DoubleNest," so I guess that means it fits 2 people.
So open, colorful, and inviting to rest and relax in.
Sillily, the store only carries the hammock and not the stand...so good luck with that.
Also REI clumsily filled this gorgeous hammock with Nalgene bottles--on sale 30% off!
Uh, if you make even the nicest stuff look like junk for storage, you're not gonna get the brand image you want.
Anyway, the hammock was awesome! ;-)
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Tie Dye Hammock
November 22, 2018
Black Thursday For Shopaholics
So Black Friday Shopping extravaganza that used to happen the day after Thanksgiving has now turned into Black Thursday mega-shopping on Thanksgiving Thursday.
The huge Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise, Florida is open 10 AM to 1 AM!
The mall was packed with people and the deals were pretty fantastic.
Under Armour was 50% off!
True Religion was buy 1 get 1 free!
Almost every store seemed to be 1/2 price off already reduced prices.
What I liked in this video I took here was the WOW! display around the entire entrance to this Century 21 apparel store.
Watch the whole thing...it is really cool what they did with this frontage real estate for this store.
Great job on the marketing and very inviting!
So lots of compulsive shopping, but not so much turkey today. ;-)
(Source video: Andy Blumenthal)
Black Thursday For Shopaholics
November 30, 2017
@Sawgrass Mills Mall
Thought these alligators were pretty cute at Sawgrass Mills in Sunrise, Florida.
Sawgrass with over 300 stores and outlets is the 10th largest mall in America.
And much of it is very upscale--apparently, the economy is very good for some people.
By the time, we got out of there, my head was spinning with sampling the stores and merchandise.
It was a delightful retreat to pass some nice outdoor eateries by the Colonnade with these creative and colorful alligators.
Remember most of this place was built on Everglades swamp, so there are plenty of real alligators to go around.
My favorites from these:
#4 - Forever Glades
#7 - The colorful blue, pink, and orange gator.
#9 - Relax and Rejoice
What are yours?
Not sure, why I took #1--the watermelon alligator--in the other direction, but it adds effect and I hope you enjoyed these. ;-)
(Source Photos: Andy Blumenthal)
@Sawgrass Mills Mall
June 15, 2011
Apple Store "Heaven"
Apple Store "Heaven"