I'm pretty sure I sound-off on this every year for the past couple of years, but this year takes the cake. I've been looking through these black friday ads and wondering, where's the deals? How are any of these deals worth not sleeping and getting up super early, waiting in a massive long line, to save a few bucks?
Better yet, are these deals even worth it? Almost every deal I saw, I've seen the same selling price on various online retailers, including the massive Amazon.com. Amazon has their own Black Friday sales and they kick the butt out of any of the local retailers. So I ask you, why are people frantic about getting to the malls and shops early?
Exclusive deals? Return policies? What? I guarentee you can order 90% of the advertised specials on the store's website at Midnight Thursday night, or even as early as Thursday morning. I know this for a fact as I've done in the past and I did it this year. In fact, I can sleep in to my heart's content, wake up, roll over to grab my laptop, and press BUY NOW... and then roll back into bed and sleep some more. :D
This and you can avoid the crazies! The perfect, tragic, case... A Walmart employee in Long Island was trampled to death today because he manned the door at store opening. What the heck is wrong with this? Why? To save a few bucks on some crappy china-made products? This is Walmart, they dont sell anything that'll last you more than a few months. A $139 Blu-Ray player? Uhh go look online, you can find Samsung and Sony Blu-Ray players for $149-179 easily, and free shipping and no tax? What more do you want?
Cheap TVs for your family? Mad rush to the stores? Stupid. Just look at amazon.com's specials or their marketplace for the best deals.
What, you want cheap clothes and shoes? Ever heard of just buying the same thing on a website? Macy's has all their sales online. Foot Locker etc, same thing. Better yet, you can use microsoft's Live.com cash rewards program and get even more money savings on top of your Black Friday Deals.
And finally the kicker... Cyber Monday. Check it out, it's coming and the deals there are just as good.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Nutritional Labeling to Appear in King County Restaurants
Well, King County is going to be enforcing nutritional labels for menus at chain restaurants next year. Pretty interesting idea, which NYC apparently has already adopted. While I wouldn't mind reading a label on certain items I eat, I just can't see it affecting a significant percent of our population in general. They'll just eat what they eat.
I think people already do understand that McDonalds or Taco Bell, or even Claim Jumpers is absolutely horrific foods, but they eat it regularly anyway. I do see some benefits to show how really bad a Starbucks latte or mocha, or even worse, a frappucino is for you, and why you should stick with just americanos and espressos, but people still won't care. It's a good cause, I just think the benefits won't see action for a while.
The perfect example is the grocery store, where there's nutritional facts everywhere. People still line up the junk food aisles and buy to their heart's content. Im not denying that I do the same. But I have been a bit more wary of what I choose now at the supermarket, trying to eat a bit more healthy and whatnot.... anyway, pretty interesting change.
I think people already do understand that McDonalds or Taco Bell, or even Claim Jumpers is absolutely horrific foods, but they eat it regularly anyway. I do see some benefits to show how really bad a Starbucks latte or mocha, or even worse, a frappucino is for you, and why you should stick with just americanos and espressos, but people still won't care. It's a good cause, I just think the benefits won't see action for a while.
The perfect example is the grocery store, where there's nutritional facts everywhere. People still line up the junk food aisles and buy to their heart's content. Im not denying that I do the same. But I have been a bit more wary of what I choose now at the supermarket, trying to eat a bit more healthy and whatnot.... anyway, pretty interesting change.
Nutritional sticker shock from restaurants
As of Jan. 1, most chains must post data
Starting Jan. 1, customers at most chain restaurants in King County will get a full plate of information along with their food.
They'll be faced with the 1,000 calories (and 85 grams of fat) in their BLT Salads at The Old Spaghetti Factory and the 1,910 calories in the Jack Daniel's Ribs & Shrimp at T.G.I. Friday's. At Starbucks, they'll be able to judge not just whether they're in the mood for a tall latte or a mocha, but whether they want to take in the latte's 150 calories or the mocha's 270. At Taco Bell, they can decide if the benefits of ordering a 600-calorie Border Bowl are outweighed by the 2,120 milligrams of sodium it contains, nearly an entire day's recommended allowance.
The nutritional sticker shock will be prominently displayed at those and other eateries as part of trailblazing regulation passed by the King County Board of Health earlier this year -- and restaurants have been busy getting ready for the change. The law, which goes into effect on the first of the year, requires restaurants with 15 or more outlets nationwide to post calorie counts directly on, or in some cases next to, menus and also to prominently list the grams of saturated fat in each menu item, the milligrams of sodium and other markers of nutritional value.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/387456_menulabeling12.html
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Washington Ski & Ride License Plates
The Washington State Department of Licensing has new SKI & RIDE license plates out now! For more information, check out the DOL website: http://www.dol.wa.gov/vehicleregistration/spskiroad.html
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