Reviews

When you buy things, go out to dinner, pick a doctor, do you research them and look at reviews? I do. When I'm looking on Amazon for something, I look at the reviews. I read at least a couple pages of reviews, good and bad, before I decide. I don't usually look at restaurant reviews though. That's too subjective for me. And I don't think I've ever picked a doctor based on their reviews. But I have left a couple reviews on my dentist - he's fabulous!

I think I'm pretty honest when I leave a review. I try to be. Even if it's for something I don't like, I try and find one little nice thing to say, you know, unless they totally suck! The other day, I ordered a personalized gift off of Etsy. It's really pretty. But the name is small and hard to read so I only gave them 4 stars. And I said why in the review. They emailed me and said they strive for complete customer satisfaction and wanted to know how they could've done better, so I would've given them 5 stars. So I replied...they responded with, "thank you for letting me know. I respect your comment but this font is popular nowadays so we are using this on all our products and get hundreds of compliments about it. Please make your review 5 stars, we will appreciate it."  Ummm, NO! That ticked me off. I said the product was lovely, nice quality, etc. but I was disappointed in how they did the name. humph.

Also, you have to be pretty bad for me to write a complaint to a company. I'm more about telling a company when they've done a great job. People don't hear that enough.

Last night, we went to Best Buy and bought a sound bar for the TV. We had one in mind when we went. I could've gotten it off Amazon for $2 less but I don't want to give them ALL my business. Anyway, for the first time, they were not helpful. There were 3 salesmen in that area, just standing around and I had to go to them. The man that opted to help us, was a little condescending. We ended up getting something better than what we had intended but I didn't appreciate being talked down to. Also, there was no one at the cash registers and when we asked if someone could help us, a young woman begrudgingly came to check us out. It was really an unpleasant experience all around. I'm still trying to decide if I want to let Best Buy know that or not.

This is an interesting article about fake reviews, which was really all I originally wanted to talk about!  :-)

https://www.wthr.com/article/news/investigations/13-investigates/many-of-those-5-star-reviews-you-see-online-are-totally-fake-yelp-google-facebook-false-accounts/531-f175843b-1316-494a-a746-5bdfcada43fa

Amazon

This is a FABULOUS list of FABULOUS things!!!! Also, she's fun to read.

I am proud to say that I already own several things on this list :-)  But there are several more that I want now! 

https://twentytwowords.com/31-handy-gadgets-amazon-hmast-mpx/

Loyalty

Brand loyalty and/or company loyalty is such a funny thing.

I don't think I've ever used anything except Crest for toothpaste. Different flavors maybe but always Crest.

If I have to purchase boxed Mc and Cheese, it's always Kraft.

I would choose Costco over Sams Club any day. Given the choice, Target would always win over Walmart.

90% of the time, it's a matter of service. If your service is great and your product is meh, you'd still stick with them. Their product and pricing could be great but if their service stinks, you'd ditch them if you could. I've shopped at other more expensive stores just because of their great service. I stick with my expensive dentist because he's so kind to me and I really need that.

Treat your customers right.

A   L*O*N*G  time ago, we used AT&T for our telephone service. I hated them. Worst customer service. I was never so happy to ditch a company when I canceled my land line, 14 years ago. Shortly after that, they started sending me all these great promotional deals and come back and you'll save $$. All I could think was, if you cared about my business when you had it, I might not have left! Boneheads. Anyway, I'll never, and I mean never, use AT&T again.

When we switched our cell phone service from Sprint to Verizon, they never asked why or if there was anything they could do to keep me as a customer. After 10 years you'd think they would be curious why they were losing me? Nope. That's fine. I'll never go back to them. Worst customer service.

Last February we ditched cable TV. Now we just stream everything. Netflix, Hulu, Disney. We've been with that cable company for 20 years. We kept our internet service though. Last month we started getting weekly junk mail from them. We miss you! Come back! Look at this great deal! Blah, blah, blah. This really irritates me. I was a customer of yours for 20 years and you never once offered me a great deal. New customers get all the great deals and free phones. But your loyal customers don't get squat. That doesn't seem like good business. Maybe you wouldn't need so many new customers if you just treated the ones you have, better. Hmmmm.

Remember When

Toys R Us
Dress Barn
Thom McAn
Kinney Shoes
Blockbuster
Any Brainy
Marshal Field
Tower Records
Merry Go Round
Casual Corner
Sharper Image
KB Toys
Levit Furniture
Mervyn's
Circuit City
B Dalton
HH Gregg
Sam Goody 
Radio Shack 
The Limited 

I miss some of those places

Online shopping

What is the cost of online shopping? The cost to you, the cost to the economy, the "human toll."

I wonder what age group does the most online shopping? And who are they buying from? 
You know I'm a fan of Amazon but I don't think Amazon is everything! Of the times I've looked around, I would say that 30% of the time I can find what I want someplace else for less money. When that happens I have to think about it. If it's only a couple dollars, I'll choose Amazon. If it's $5 or $10+, I'll go to the brick and mortar. 
Do you think Amazon ruined business for the brick and mortar stores? Or was it just technology and it was bound to happen? 
My favorite thing about Amazon is the free shipping. I can't tell you how many times I've backed out of an online order because I thought shipping was just too much. I don't really care about 2 day shipping. 90% of the time I choose no rush shipping anyway. And honestly, of the times I've gone w/2 day shipping, (because I really did need it in 2 days) 2 out of 5 times I don't get it on time! It seems though that the majority of the people who shop on Amazon, do it for the 2 day gratification. 
I like online shopping for a lot of reasons. Mostly, I don't like people, so...
I like getting packages, I like not having to get dressed and get in the car, etc. 
I like window shopping too though. Like, I could shop online at Hobby Lobby but it's way more fun to see everything. And I can't buy clothes or shoes online. I think my fella feels the same way about Lowe's and Home Depot. BUT, sometimes he'll go to one of those and then come home and see if he can find it on Amazon for less.
I wonder if I'll like it when Amazon starts using drones to deliver my packages? Whoa! Can you imagine the implications of THAT?!?! 

free, free, free!

I have/had $200 free Amazon gift cards! I love Amazon. I love free Amazon gift cards. I was going to buy something responsible...that wouldn't end up at Goodwill or the Salvation Army. I was going to. I had every intention. But then I said, screw it! and bought something completely frivolous, useless and dumb. I almost felt bad. I got over it though. 

Because I love me some Funko Pop and Moana is my all time favorite Disney movie, I bought these;

   
   

Yes, yes I did. But, I didn't spend all my $$ :-)  Only 1/2. So I can use the rest on crazy kitchen gadgets!!! Oh yeah, like these totally cool lids!

or this completly awesome snap on strainer!!!

Or this amazing thing! I don't even know what I would do with it but I want it!!

Oh wait, I might already own this. OK, maybe this neat breakfast sandwich maker instead;


It's so fun!!!!

sneaky, tsk, tsk

I went shopping a few weeks ago for some super cute little baby girl clothes! It was pretty fun. I can't wait to do the same for super cute little baby boy clothes!

Anyway, they gave me a coupon when I checked out. Woohoo! FIFTY dollars off! that's pretty awesome...until I looked at it.

It excludes almost everything! Sneaky. That's not cool. Sure, they have really great sales anyway, but still. 

It's kind of like Kohls cash. It's a nice perk but the window you have to use it, is so small! I bet I end up throwing away more than 1/2 of them. Sneaky.

Is this cool or WHAT?!?!?

http://www.childsown.com/

Oh my gosh!! This is by far one of the best ideas EVER! How stinkin' cute is this?  LOVE it!

the story of a desk

My Mom lives in the best neighborhood. It’s perfect for her. Her neighbors are friendly AND nice. And they look out for her too. The old drunk guy next door shovels her walk when it’s really snowy. There’s a young guy w/a lawn service who mows her yard when it’s too hot and mulches her leaves when there’s too many to rake. What more could a daughter ask for?


Last year, one of her neighbors passed away. His partner (of 30 yrs) had passed away the year before. A family member took care of the house and got it ready to sell, etc. The couple that had lived in the house had been there for a looooong time. They collected a lot of stuff but especially liked antiques. So the family member had a garage sale for a lot of stuff but sold most of it to dealers and consignment shops. It took him a long time to get the house in order and Mom kind of befriended him. So every once in a while, she bought some things from him ~ potters, a little side table, and this old table for me;

She thought it would be perfect for the craft room since it could be folded down if I wasn’t using it, thereby saving room. It was an excellent idea and I love it. My original plan was to paint it ~ multi colors, you know, cheerful! As you can see, I haven’t done it yet.

Last week I was surfing and happen to stop on Antiques Road Show. I stopped because I saw this table;

It looks a lot like mine! Well, except mine is a rectangle instead of an oval, and it had a drawer. But then they appraised it;

Whaaaaaaaaat?

So Mom, I’m going to reimburse you the $50 you paid for it. OK?

:-)

catalogs

I love some of the catalogs I get in the mail. Especially the ones with 'stuff' in them. You know, gadgets of all kinds, silly gifts, etc. I want to buy it ALL!!! Like infomercials on TV. I want ALL that stuff! Right now I'm really having to hold myself back from purchasing that expandable hose! Oh man, I really need it! LOL
https://www.xhose.com/?s_kwcid=TC6289xhose%20expandable%20water%20hoseSe12164085739&gclid=CKvY4dKU7LACFQ8CQAodDXjtug
That's the coolest thing ever! If they could get the ShamWow dude to sell them, they would make a billion dollars!

Last night, I saw these in a catalog - pot holders;

get it? POT holder?! hahahahahahaha. I think I might know a pot head who would appreciate the humor in this.

happy, sad, good and bad

That pretty much decribes our weekend.

Saturday, Bill had to work all day. Mom and I went to the local car show. I know it doesn't really sound like a girl kind of thing to do, but it was fun! I'm always amazed at how many people these little main street events attrack.


Then we went to check out one of the local nurseries. Always fun to see what you could be doing to your yard!

By the time I got home though, I had a horrible migraine. It took TWO miracle pills to make it stop!! Then I was just exhausted. That was the end of my entire evenning. Rats!

Sunday, I went to our local Fire Station. There weren't very many guys there! Then I remembered, there was a ceremony that morning honoring them so most of them were over at the park. That's ok though.

Then Bill and I went to upgrade our TV viewing :-) We bought a HDTV and a Play Station 3. I guess you know how the rest of the day/night went for us!!! It was pretty easy to set up and he was soooooo happy with the new game on PS3. He has today off, for his comp day...I wouldn't bet on what he's doing right now! I feel like I must be the last person in the world to have an HDTV. It sure is COOL!! oh, and just in time for Survivor!! Woohoo :-)

That's a good lookin' cow...

Many, many, many years ago, when we left southern Cal, we moved to Salt Lake City.
Bill had a car and the son. I was in my car alone. My brother and his wife drove our U-Haul down. It was cheaper to do a round trip with the U-Haul, plus, we needed help.

We left at 3:00 in the morning and finally arrived in Salt Lake about 4:00 in the afternoon. We all unloaded the truck and then walked to the corner for dinner at a little local restaurant.

We were tired. Dog tired. Super duper tired. Slap happy tired!
Now, my brother says he's a California kind of guy...but he's not really. He wants to have his own garden, he LOVES to go camping and, at the time, was interested in raising his own cow...to slaughter. So while we all at dinner, talking about the drive up, someone commented on all the farm land we passed through. That's when my brother said, in all seriousness, "y'all have some good lookin' cows." Well, it was just about the funniest thing we had ever heard in our entire lives!! You know, cuz we were tired. Dog tired. Super duper tired. Slap happy tired! Yeah, you kind of had to be there but we laughed ourselves silly!

Anyway, for almost 2 decades now, I've sending my brother cow things. Cow greeting cards, cow Christmas ornaments, cow candy, cow clothes, etc. He keeps saying "we can move on now", but you know I can't do that :-)
This past Saturday, at the Hallmark store for the Jim Shore signing, I had to purchase something there for Mr. Shore to sign. Can you guess what I bought? Go ahead, try. Need a hint? Really? OK...mooooooo. Now do you know? Yep uh huh, I bought a cow!

I'm not giving it to my brother though. This will be a keeper for me. It's special because of the cow story :-)

Jim Shore was an extremely nice/kind gentleman. He told me the history of this cow, why he did it and what his inspiration was. If I was a complete fanatic for his art, I would have peed my pants that he took so much time to chat with me.

My Mom's friend went with us and he told her a delightful story...she commented on what a beautiful signature he has. He said that when he and his wife were very young and just struggling to make ends meet, they spent a weeks pay on a piece of art they really wanted. They had an opportunity to have it signed by the artist but the artist just scribbled his name and didn't say anything to his wife and him! Fast forward a couple decades and now people are spending their hard earned money on HIS artwork. He said he made a promise to himself when he "made it", that he would never treat his fans that way. I have to say, I was pretty impressed with the time he took with every single person who was there.
 

Pity party

Yes, I have my own pity parties too. I had a pretty good one yesterday.

After my appointment with the ENT, I went to Vera Bradley store and bought myself a super cute tote bag. I'm not actually a Vera Bradley fan, but I really like this print. I liked it even more yesterday when I was feeling sorry for myself.

Cute huh?! And I came THIS close to getting a second one because I had trouble deciding which print I liked better. This is the other one...

In the end, I decided to not to get the 2nd one and go over to DSW instead! Then I went home and had a glass of wine and a nap.

Today is a new day and I feel better. I'm looking forward to doing MY part in the bathroom this weekend and getting the tile grouted. Then I'm looking forward to motivating the man to do HIS part and installing the new vanity and sink. Hey, it could happen!

Also, there's the local Independence day fair and ELEPHANT EARS!!! And fireworks too! What could be better :-)

Bee safe everybody!

My expanding library!

Oh man, the Half Price Books sale was awesome! It was so fun, I almost went back on Sunday. And Mom went hog wild too! I think she said she ended up with 21 books! Plus some movies and CD's as well. We had a whole cart full! After almost 3 hours, we finally had to stop ourselves :-) I was especially proud of myself for getting some "out of the ordinary" books for myself;

Airframe by Michael Crichton

Prey by Michael Crichton

Next by Michael Crichton

Skipping Christmas by James Patterson

Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Snow Day by Billy Coffee

A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn

A Little Yellow Dog by Walter Mosely

Complete Idiot's Guide to Total Nutrition

How to Embroidery

Totally Weird and Wonderful Words by Erin McKean

A Christmas crafts book

A Christmas treats book

Some girly book I can't remember the name of

and a collection of Nora Roberts w/Honest Illusions, Montana Sky and Carolina Moon.

Oh, and 3 movies:

300

Hidalgo

The Phone Booth

All for $36.00

Someday, when I retire, I'll NEVER be bored!

But I didn't grout the bathroom tile. I feel so guilty. Phooey!

Ahhhhh Friday

LOVE Fridays. First of all, there's breakfast. YumO. Then, it's a very quiet day at work. I like that. Then I can start looking forward to what's going on this weekend.

Tomorrow is Half Price Books 2nd annual clearance sale ~ at the fairground! Everything is $3 or less. Books, movies, music. Yessssss. It could be a total bust but you never know. Then, grouting the new bathroom tile. The ball is in my court now and I don't want to be the one who is holding things up! Also, I have a couple movies on the DVR that I want to watch. I haven't seen Inception yet. Mostly because it's a l-o-n-g movie. You know how I feel about committing to those. And Darling Lili :-) It's an old one, with Julie Andrews and Rock Hudson. I saw it in the theater when it came out, in 1970. I remember liking it so I recorded it off of TCM. Julie Andrews = singing...Bill will hate it.

And Angie's dad says the weather will be delightful tomorrow so I guess I better get out in the yard and do something :-)

And just for fun,
http://www.manbabies.com/
Some of them are a little creepy but some of them are really funny!

Happiness

What could better...happiness that comes in a LIME GREEN envelope!! $10 off at DSW AND a free (super cuter) tote bag! Yessssssssssssss

A long long time ago...

No really....a long, long time ago, when I was in high school there were several fun jewelry trends. One was anything turquoise. Way back then you could get a super cool ring for $5. ~sigh~ The other one was puzzle rings. Especially these

Usually you got 12 bands. Sometimes though, you could find one with 24! I loved these.

The other kind of puzzle ring looked like this


This one was harder to figure out. I had an Uncle in the Navy that sent me a two tone one when I was in my early 20's. I wore it on my thumb up until just a couple years ago, when it broke. I was going to have it fixed but then I lost one of the rings. Phooey.

Anyway...I've been wanting to replace it but then I got to thinking about that other kind and wondered how come you never see those in a store or gift/craft show? So I Googled it. I found a lot of the 2nd kind. Then I checked Ebay. Eureka!! You can really find anything on the www. I'm continually amazed. Oh yeah...so I bought it, the one with 24 bands!!! I'm so excited. I can't wear it on my thumb but it will be so fun to have, in a nostalgic sort of way.

It was less than a pair of shoes, which is usually what I buy when I'm angry with my man. He got off cheap this time. Remember ~ happy wife, happy life.

Cool!

This is SO fun! I don't know what I would actually do with a spy pen and I would hate it if someone used it on ME but it's so James Bond that I want one!!! Geez, I wish I had somebody to spy on, dangit!

http://spypen.factoryoutletstore.com/?cid=12059&chid=22


(3hr later...Bill said I could go to ACORN and spy on them! I love it when he plays along!!)



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Black Friday

Here is the Black Friday ad for Walmarts;

http://www.black-friday.net/walmart-ad-scan.html

or for a complete listing so far, you can go here;

http://www.black-friday.net/

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