For those who entered the contest to receive a free sample from Garnier we blogged about here, many members received an email before the contest was over saying they had won the grand prize.

It was clear by just the number of SmartCanucks members that this was an error, many of us received an email stating we had won one of seven $100 Lululemon gift cards and a full size lotion, which is the week 4 prize.

Last night, Garnier sent these ‘winners’ an email stating:

We understand your disappointment and appreciate your patience. In gratitude for your loyalty to Garnier, a voucher for a FREE full-sized (400 ml ) bottle of our new Garnier Body Intensive 7 days will be sent directly to your home within the next two weeks.

Good for them trying to make it right instead of just saying ooops, sorry.

iloveagreatdeal has posted on the forums that as of this week, No Frills is to become more lenient in price-matching including allowing multi-buy deals.  Their fineprint on the price-matching terms does seem to have dropped the multi-buy language, so hopefully this rumour proves to be true.

For me, No Frills is the hardest to price-match at, between keeping my flyer or writing on my flyer and then giving it back to me, getting a manager approval and printing a duplicate receipt I have not bothered price-matching there in some time.  I will be interesting to try given the new rules and so many stores offering multi-buy deals.

MrsSunshine on our forums brought up an interesting topic.  She bought a bedding set and the cashier mentioned that it was non-returnable.  On opening the packaging at home, there was an awful smell coming from it, not something that makes you want to snuggle up in your new bedding.

The store in question has offered a refund but should stores be required to allow refunds when the item is not as you expect? Obviously worn underwear would be a no no for me, but what about other items.

While SmartCanucks has an active coupon trading section, I love attending local coupon swaps with other SCers.  Some of them have become very close friends as we bonded over our coupons.

If you attend swaps, how do you arrange your swaps to make it fair for all involved?  We each share our wish-list and participants put together packages for those they have coupons for and then share a ‘Free For All’ package that everyone is free to take what they wish from.  That way our most prized coupons stay safely in our binders.

It’s that time again, Back To School. As a child, this time of the year, I distinctly remember trips to Office Depot and maybe Zellers if there were some good deals advertised in their flyer. Now, on the rare occasion that I’ve step foot inside an office supply store, it’s virtually a ghost town. So what caused this shift?

The only thing that I go to Staples for are packs of a 12 padded envelopes that I can’t seem to find anywhere else in this quantity! Walmart only carries smaller packs, while Dollarama only has singles. And recently, I needed a specific calculator for a course that I was taking that I was able to find at Staples. Other than that, I don’t really have a need to head to these stores.

I don’t have any children, but I am assuming that Back-To-School shopping at Office Depot/Staples/and even Zellers (R.I.P.) has been replaced by Walmart & dollar stores. So what items do these office supply stores carry that I can’t get elsewhere?

Computers/laptops? Best Buy/Future Shop/or other stores like Apple or Canada Computers. Printers and other computer peripherals? See above. Office furniture & chairs? Maybe Staples/Office Depot, but most likely, it’s Ikea or other stores that specialise in furniture.

There are still a couple of office supply stores left in my city, but based on the lack of business, I don’t think they’ll be ’round for much longer. So who or what ultimately killed the office supply store?

Even though you may not have noticed them, I can guarantee that you’ve seen them: “Mattress Sale”, “Going Out of Business”, “$5.99 Pepperoni Pizza To-Go”, etc. However, behind these moving signs is probably someone falling asleep…while getting paid minimum wage. 🙁

I was a sign shaker once and felt a bit humiliated/exploited by the experience – although I did get a few cars to turn into the parking lot, hopefully, walking into the place that I was advertising.

So as a consumer, do these sign shakers get your attention and ultimately your business? Or do you just ignore them and keep driving by??

As I finished up my bottle of toner, I looked at the bottom and saw the $22.50 price tag. 🙁 But what’s the purpose of toner?

Most people skip this step in their skincare mainly because they think it’s just an extraneous, unnecessary step that just ends up costing more money! And they’re sorta right…especially if your toner is $10+!

From my understanding, toner is supposed to do the following:
– remove residue leftover from the cleansing step;
– restore the pH balance of your skin, and;
– remove dead skin cells

Of course I’m not a scientist, so I cannot prove the above theories. The only thing I can vouch for is that toner does remove stuff that my cleanser can’t get rid of like heavy makeup and my homemade coffee/oatmeal scrub! <– Cotton pad is the colour of dirt after I wipe.

Since I’m trying to go more natural with my skincare, I thought that I’d share with you a diy recipe that I discovered for an Apple Cider Vinegar Toner that’s totally on the cheap!

You’ll need the following ingredients:
– Apple Cider Vinegar* (with the ‘Mother’, don’t skimp on this! Less than $5/bottle!)
– distilled water (I used green tea which was cooled down)

In a clean bottle, preferably made out of glass with a spout to control pour, mix a 1:1 ratio of the ACV and distilled water.

Apply toner to cotton ball and wipe across face, after cleansing. Don’t worry, vinegar smell will eventually fade. I’ve been using it for 2 weeks with great results, less breakouts, smoother texture. 🙂

Now if only I can find a replacement for those darn cotton pads/balls…

* Can be purchased at a health food store, Bulk Barn, or organic section of a large grocery store

Phoenix, Arizona  police have arrested three women believed to be involved in the largest counterfeit coupon scam in history. Investigators and private detectives have been on the case for over 4 years. With finally enough evidence gathered police raided one of the homes Thursday afternoon and found over 25 million dollars in fraudulent coupons. They sold these fraudulent coupons on various avenues including Ebay.

Click here for the full article on ABC

Do you think they will get much jail time? I hope they do.  This is large scale fraud!

Thanks Katincan for the post on our forum.

…And Rona has declined the offer.  I’m very surprised that they turned this hefty offer down.  While Rona’s revenues have been down over the past year, they are one of the few Canadian chains left that hasn’t been taken over buy the USA. On the other side, I do really like Lowes and go there more often then Rona.

Do you think this was a good move by Rona to decline. Or do you think their just waiting to see if Lowes will bring more money to the table?

Click here for the full article on Msn.ca.

How many of you got to shop at a Woolworth’s?

Recently, I’ve been contemplating getting an electronic toothbrush. Why? Well, probably the #1 reason is laziness. There are some mornings/nights that I just don’t have the energy to move my wrist and apply pressure to my teeth for a full 2 minutes.

The second reason for getting an electronic toothbrush, which still has to be confirmed via Google, is whether or not an electronic version is more ‘green’ than its manual counterpart. One thing’s for certain is that the cheapie throwaway electronic brushes certainly aren’t good for the environment as you cannot change the heads and they’re made out of bulky, non-recyclable plastic!

(I’ve actually begged my bf to stop buying them for me because I feel guilty once they’re ready for the trash.)

Probably the third pro for switching to electronic is that it supposedly gets your teeth cleaner. According to Adria Vasil’s Ecoholic Body, the oscillating types are particularly better for cleaning than the type that just moves back ‘n forth.

And now for the cons: The added expense of electronic toothbrushes, the replacement heads alone seem to be average $10/brush and again, the uncertainty of whether or not they’re more environmentally-friendly in the long run. How often do you replace the head? And what do you do with the unit once the battery dies, within 3-5yrs?

So SCers, when it comes to toothbrushes, do you prefer manual or electronic?

Have you spotted local Peaches for sale yet? I spotted some last week. Peaches are one of my favourites next to pears.

Here are some peach facts:

1. Peach origins: The fuzzy peach is actually a member of the rose family and originated in China.

2. Peaches on the Silk Road: The peach’s scientific name, Prunus persica, is a direct reference to the fruit’s travels to Persia along the Silk Road.

3. Peach varieties: You can buy two main varieties of peaches: clingstone (the flesh sticks to the stone) and freestone (the stone is easily separated from the flesh).

4. Peach colors: The peach can have yellow or white flesh, which is sweeter and less acidic than its more traditional golden counterpart.

5. Top peach growers: China is the largest producer of peaches, followed by Italy.

6. Peach nutrition: A large peach has fewer than 70 calories and contains 3 grams of fiber. It’s also a good source of vitamins A and C.

7. Biggest peach cobbler: “The world’s largest peach cobbler” is made every year in Georgia, which is known as the Peach State. That cobbler measures 11 feet by 5 feet.

8. “The Peach State”: That would be the nickname for Georgia.

9. Peach season: Peaches are best from June to the end of August.

10. Peach ripeness: The flesh of a peach should have a slight give, but use your whole hand vs. fingertips to check since the fruit bruises so easily. Also, check for an even coloring of golden or creamy yellow.

Credit Webmd.

Remember Consumers Distribution, K-Mart, Eaton’s, and now Zellers? Well, if not, don’t even worry about it ’cause they’re all closed OR soon-to-be as in the case of Zellers. So what caused these stores to shut their doors, while places like Sears (barely breathing btw!), The Bay, and Walmart seem to thrive? Pause for a moment of reflection.

(Frankly, I’ve shocked that Zellers died such a long death. Secondly, I predict Sears will be the next victim  that place is always d-e-a-d, DEAD whenever I pass through!)

Lately, whenever I do walk through a department store, to get to the rest of the mall, it’s always a sad, depressing sight: Seniors rifling through already-picked-over clearance racks, Perfume Ladies with no one to spray :(, Beauty Counter Reps who turn their noses at you if you ask for help at another counter…where there isn’t anyone working, and the list goes on.

In terms of The Bay, it’s still ’round ’cause they’ve responded to what consumers want by bringing in better labels, including some exclusive to the States (Material Girl), promoting their Canadiana/Hudson’s Bay stripes come the Olympics, and bringing stores-within-stores like the UK’s Topshop/Topman.

So with news of US stores like Target and Nordstrom landing on Canadian soil, what will make them succeed here where others have failed? After all, isn’t Target kinda-sorta like Walmart with the occasional designer-collabo clothing and Nordstrom kinda-sorta like The Bay…with a better shoe department? What will Target and Nordstrom have to offer that we don’t already have? <– Lower prices, hopefully! 🙂

YES, Canadians embrace American novelty, think: Bath & Body Works, but after the initial months of business, don’t things take a nose-dive? Canadians also like and want the variety that America has to offer, yet we’re unwilling or simply unable to spend like our American counterparts, re: luxury market.

A friend of mine who recently went shopping in NYC was called “cheap” by a retailer who said, “You Canadians are CHEAP!”. So whether or not that’s a good thing, Canadians aren’t the biggest spenders. (Financially speaking, being cheap is probably a GOOD thing!) The luxury market just isn’t here, at least not yet. So Nordstrom, prepare to have lots of sales!

So going back to my original question, are department stores just a thing of the past?

In the Summer when I was a kid, I spent virtually every waking hour in the waters of Lake Huron. Nowadays there is permanent warnings at all my old “watering holes” that I frequented as a child. High e coli and bacteria levels.  Rained in the past few days? It’s your funeral, is what the sign basically reads.  I do shudder when I see tourists ignoring the signs, especially when little kid “a” is throwing sediment from the rain at little kid “b’s” face.

I do  allow my kids to swim in the lake when there hasn’t been a rain for a few days. I remind the kids not to swallow the water, and we try to be as safe as possible.  Recently I was watching a news story that mentioned that the highest bacteria levels are in the wet sand and just off shore where little ones tend to play more.

Do you still swim in your local lake or body of water, or do you keep it to the pool?  Is it worth the risk?

For your local swimming water quality testing results inquire with your local Health Unit. They will direct you to the appropriate website.