Over the years lots of mom and pops have closed up shop not being able to compete with the big box stores. Some great stores have closed down because of this, but on the other hand some stores that shouldn’t of been in business still; finally closed too.
I find certain items I like to buy at small stores such as flowers including green house plants, and hard to find items. With a recent bad experience at a small pet store (Critter Barn, Exeter Ontario) it has me thinking there are certain items that your better off buying at a large chain store rather then a small store. Pets at least come with a 7-14 day guarantee where this pet store didn’t care if my turtle died the second I walk out. It was money in her pocket, no replacement or warranty from the time her cash register slammed shut. Maybe this was just unfortunate luck for me and generally smaller pet stores have more compassion for their animals.
I recently was in a kitchen specialty store (Kulpepper’s) where the owner was very helpful, honest, and even offered me a special order for a Tassimo cup holder. I received a call that evening letting me know on the status of the order. The owner knows what excellent customer service means and is striving to provide it. If this had been a big box store there would of been little to no expertise and of course the mention of a special order would of had me possibly laughed out of the store.
Honestly, I don’t mind paying a bit extra for a small store that goes the extra mile to provide great customer service and appreciates my business. Of course there are small stores that are just horrible to deal with and aren’t worth your time. How can you tell?
I’ve compliled a small list of what to look for in a mom and pop shop. (feel free to add to my list)
*Inviting atmosphere
*Personal Greeting When You Walk In (Walmart Greeters Excluded)
*Genuine service. Example: they aren’t trying to sell you something you don’t need, and if it’s a specialty store they know their product. They shouldn’t be rude to you.( I just learnt this one, if the owners nasty from the start. Run don’t walk away, no matter how cute their stuff is.)
What do you prefer, The big box or the mom and pop shop? Is there a small store that you’d like to give a shout out too?
Starting tomorrow (saturday March 19th 2011) when you spend $125 or more (before taxes) at the beautyBOUTIQUE in your local Shoppers Drug Mart or Pharmaprix you will receive a one-of-a-kind tote bag desgined by Canadian textile designer Virginia Johnson and 12 free beauty samples! The tote looks very nice and it isn’t plain like most free totes. The samples you will receive are:
Peace Love & Juicy Couture Mini Body Crème, 15ml
StriVectin – SD™ Intensive Concentrate for Stretch Marks & Wrinkles, 22mL
Tri-Aktiline Instant Deep Wrinkle Filler, 5mL
Ceramide Plump Perfect Ultra All Night Repair and Moisture Cream, 7mL
Biotherm Skin Vivo, 7mL
Clarins Vital Light Day SPF 15, 5mL
Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula, 50mL
Lancôme La Base Pro, 8mL
Bourjois Effet 3D Lipgloss
Benefit BADgal Lash Mascara, 4g
Smashbox Photo Finish Luminizing Foundation Primer, 7.1mL
Vichy Capital Soleil Mexoryl XL SPF 60, 15mL
This promotion is running until April 1st 2011. Once again, you must spend $125 or more at the beautyBOUTQUE, purchases from other areas of the store will not count towards the $125 you must spend. The gift has a value of $140.
It’s not a lollipop, a piece of cake, or even a cake on a stick, but a Cake Pop. There are 3 flavours which are part of Starbucks’ new line of treats called “Petites“. Each Petite is supposed to be under 200 calories.
Despite the low-ish calorie count, don’t let it fool you into thinking that it’s “healthy” as the list of (at least half of) the ingredients reads like a chemistry textbook! Click here to read what’s in the Tiramisu Cake Pop.
A barista was handing out these artery clogging fakies and for some reason, I choose the Tiramisu flavour. (I dunno why ’cause I think Tiramisu is gross!) I also had a nibble of the ballet pink Birthday Cake Pop. Visually, the Petites sure look cute!
Verdict? Both were surrounded by a soft, fake chocolate shell and super sweet with the Tiramisu taking the “cake”. (It didn’t taste like Tiramisu, btw.) The texture of the inside reminded me of marzipan, but it didn’t taste like almonds. I literally looked ’round to see if there was a poster with a description of what I was eating ’cause I didn’t have the faintest.
According to other blogs they’re like $1.50USD/ea which will likely equal $2CAD with a broken down currency calculator. We always get the shaft!
The next time I’m at Starbucks and feel like something sweet, I think I’ll bypass the Petites and bakery items (just as bad – I checked!), and just add a bit of honey/raw sugar to my coffee.
(Minus the neon sign in the background, you’d think that you step foot inside H&M!)
Starting this Fall, The Bay’s flagship store on Queen Street will be carrying Topshop/Topman. Not sure about the specifics, quantity, price points, etc., but I hope that they’ll give it more of a fighting chance than poor Material Girl. 🙁
When I heard this on the news yesterday, I was uber-excited. However, my excitement has since waned mainly due to how Material Girl was turned out and that fact that it’s…The Bay.
(You know how I feel about buying clothes at department stores!)
The second culprit to my quashed excitement is the question of WHO. Namely, who will determine/edit the line that’ll eventually make it onto the racks??!! Obviously The Bay has a ve$ted interest in hosting Topshop/Topman in-house, hence no stand-alone store, which means limited space, so not everything will make it ‘across the pond’. So who’ll be the buyer, some style-challenged individual who’d be a perfect candidate for Style By Jury? <– I *love* this show, btw.
Although I welcome another player on our field of stale fashions, I am a bit skeptical about the results. I guess it’ll be a case of wait ‘n see.
Click here to read the news story, courtesy of CTV British Columbia. Btw, I completely disagree with the author’s quote that Topshop is “cheap-chic”. I just visited their women’s tops section and a sleeveless blouse is 38GBP = just under $60CAD which I wouldn’t consider “cheap”.
Today Tim Hortons is introducing their version of a cold fruit smoothie. A 10-ounce smoothie will cost $1.99 and contain 130 calories, zero grams of fat and a full serving of fruit. You can add yogurt for 70 cents, adding another 30 calories. Flavours are mixed berry or strawberry banana. From what I can tell it’s made from a mix, not fresh fruit. I’m assuming it will basically be the same as what Coffee Culture offers currently. If in fact my assumptions are right I will not be rushing to Tim Hortons to get one.
Are you interested in trying the Tim Hortons Smootim?
Not that Katy Perry is the fashion plate for the masses, but a major trend for this Spring, as seen on the March cover of Elle is colour…finally! I’m sick of seeing a sea of black, puffy coats walkin’ ’round.
(Personally, I really try to steer clear of wearing all black…unless of course, I’m at a funeral or work! 🙁 )
In addition to the colour trend is the way it’s worn which is known as colour blocking. Basically, it’s wearing blocks of colour in order to make a fashion statement. There doesn’t seem to be any quick and hard rules to this trend so you can pair rich jewel tones, as pictured above, or even do a monochromatic palette, i.e. different shades of the same colour.
Colour blocking can also be incorporated within a clothing item, for example a dress that is purple on the top and orange on the bottom. The key to colour blocking is boldness, so a top with microscopic stripes doesn’t count!
Warning: This trend is definitely not for the shy, wallflower types! In fact, colour blocking is a much bolder look from the Springs of yesteryear, re: black and white, pastels, wash-out-beige, and other muted tones.
If you want to try out colour blocking this Spring, but aren’t as bold as Katy, take baby steps. Try mixing a bold coloured skirt – corals are also a HUGE trend this season! – with a taupe top or vice-versa. (I find taupe fresher than khaki!) Take some chances this season by wearing some colour!
Shopping here bores me to tears! I actually never buy anything at the mall ’cause it’s expensive, poor quality, and there is really no selection.
If you want something “different”, you either hafta pay through the nose or scour through the racks at the thrift store. I do + can only afford the latter option.
So where do the fashion conscious/working gals with moderate budgets shop? H&M (okay, but not the best quality), Forever 21 (yes, even for the 30+ crowd, again fairly bad quality), or Winners (which requires patience to go through the racks). And forget about shoe shopping ’cause that’s particular abysmal!
And since the majority of the female population shop at these stores, I find everyone starts looking alike. There is very little individuality on the streets…in the ‘burbs! Downtowners aren’t quite off the hook either. 😉
So as this is the current state of affairs, I do do the occasional online binge – especially when it involves sales + free shipping!
Recently, I visited Asos.com to find out that they provide free delivery worldwide which is definitely a plus for deprived Canadians! NO MINIMUM SPENDING REQUIRED. It’s a UK site, so styles are slightly more edgy. (I hate the word “trendy”, btw.) Huge selection of clothing, including accessories, purses, beauty, and men!
Decent prices, deals to be found in clearance section. Prices are listed in £, so be sure to use a currency conversion site before you checkout!
On and offline, where do you do your shopping for clothes+shoes?
(Or maybe I should ask whether or not you would wear a knock-off of this style as Kim Kardashian’s particular studded trench by Burberry Prorsum will set you back a mere $4,495USD from their S/S2011 collection!)
Studs and spikes have been seen all over the runways for the last few seasons, and now, they’re being bedazzled on the sleeves of the iconic trench. Talk about extreme fashion!
Personally, aside from the whole $5k for a coat and whether or not the spikes will rust, I have enough issues with the trench on its own:
1. Why does it seem to only come in a shade of beige which completely washes me out? Tip: To avoid the washed out look, wear a trench in a colour that is darker than your skin tone.
2. Who looks good in anything double-breasted??!! (I’m shocked that Kim manages to pull it off as she isn’t exactly part of the itty-bitty…you get my drift!)
So mass clothing producers like H&M, Gap, Banana Republic, Zara, etc. take some notes! Make trenches in colours other than wash-out-beige, think jewel tones like olive green, navy, burgundy, etc. If wash-out-beige is the only fabric available then would you at least consider using darker coloured buttons and epaulets to make the trench more chic?
Aside from the right colour, good tailoring is key to a good trench! And this doesn’t necessarily mean being double-breasted. In fact, double-breasted in general, makes people look wider. Unless of course the buttons taper to a V-pattern, towards the waist, which makes the middle appear slimmer.
April Showers are right around the corner, so consider the search for my dream trench…on!
So back to the title of this post, if money isn’t an object, would you rock the studded, spiked trench coat?
So tonight I was trying out the “one minute manicure” that I recently purchased at Bath and Body Works. While reading the directions I came across the statement “We never test our final product on animals.”
Say what? What does this mean? Does that mean that they test all the products before they are finalized on animals? That the individual ingredients are tested on animals? Or does it mean that the Bath and Body Works employees don’t personally test the final product shipments on animals, but the companies that actually make the product do?
Generally when a product doesn’t test on animals they are pretty clear about it. This was really vague and has me wondering if some quick wording has made us think they are an animal friendly company.
I did some online research (read Google) and came across a pretty big mix of yes and no’s to my quandary. Now I’m just really confused. I’ve found a majority of answers such as
Often times, products claim to be “cruelty-free” or “not tested on animals,” but their claims may only refer to the finished product. As you may be aware, the majority of animal testing occurs at the ingredient level. Similarly, some companies may state, “We do not test on animals,” when in fact they merely contract other companies to do the testing. These kinds of claims are often confusing and misleading for consumers Source
Now; I am not a memer of Peta, or an activist but I find this very interesting and a tad misleading to consumers. Basically my final conclusion is that Bath and Body Works does not personally test their final product received on animals themselves, but anything before they receive their product from companies, ingredients, testing etc is up for interpretation.
For the first time ever Canada post is asking Canadians to vote for their favourite stamp in support of mental health. Vote by clicking here. Voting runs until March 14th. I’m not sure which one I’ll vote for. I kind of like the one with the puzzle pieces coming out of the head. Seems to hit the mark with me.
Mental illness affects one in five Canadians… seven million of our friends, neighbours, colleagues and loved ones will need help for mental health problems this year. Many will not get it because of the stigma attached to the illness or because the resources simply aren’t there to provide help
For more information on the fundraising that Canada Post has done for mental health awareness click here.
So it’s no secret that I don’t mind the Beebs. In fact I repect the kid. Not only was he born and raised close to where I live but he’s simply Canadian. Anyways Justin Bieber got his hair chopped off for a more “mature” cut. What do we think? Hit or miss? Should of he kept his signature locks? I think it looks cute and trendy. I wonder how many young boys will be at the hair salon tomorrow getting the new Justin do.
*If you can’t take a light hearted joke, maybe just skip past*
Today when I was browsing Kijiji, I saw someone had posted a list of Pampers Gifts to Grow bonus codes. Most were older codes that I already had or were expired, but there were 2 new codes that worked for me today. Each code is worth 10 points.
NC3XPM9YRD49EMT
PAMPERS4MOMJFM1
Not sure when these codes expire so enter them quickly!
EDIT~ I accidentally left out a number in the second code…should work fine now.
As many of you probably know, IBM’s computer Watson has been competing on Jeopardy and managed to beat Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, two very knowledgeable human beings and the best Jeopardy players. Well in the final Jeopardy category the question was about US cities. As soon as I read Watson’s answer I couldn’t stop laughing 😀
If you haven’t seen this girl sing yet, you have to. So cute.
[youtube]xG0wi1m-89o[/youtube]
Lady Gaga has endorsed a YouTube video of a young Canadian girl singing the star’s hit Born This Way.
The video was uploaded Wednesday, but exploded in popularity Thursday after Gaga shared a link to the video with her 8.25 million Twitter followers.
By mid-afternoon Thursday, the clip had been viewed at least 60,000 times, according to YouTube. Source
*Gaga will be appearing with the young girl at her March 3rd concert in Toronto! I will tape it for my readers if my battery hasn’t died by then. I’m third row for that one!
