The Power of Retail

Here’s another of my favorite photographs from my parents Ladakh trip in summer of 2006. I do hope to be able to take such a trip one day. It would be an amazing trip I’m sure, one that would stand out among all the other trips and vacations. Ladakh is not a place that one can zoom through, one has to savor each place for its amazing beauty, its history, its geography and its people.

Popularity: 51% [?]

As much as I like to have a complete home theater system linking the entire house with speakers in every room and so on, I hate the thought of cables everywhere. There has to be a way to get it all done without making a mess, as there is nothing quite like a wonderfully decorated room spoiled by some messy wires. Cables these days are quite modern and carry a lot more information than ever before, so the number of wires that you now need is much less than before. It still does mean that you need to organize them well, though. I’ve been wanting to get hold of a cable that will connect my laptop to the TV, so we can see stuff that I have downloaded from the Internet on the TV, but am ye to go to the store to get such a a cable.

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The Ikea store in Amsterdam will be organizing a “husselmarkt” so people can swap furniture. The concept of swapping items of clothing, music, movies, and so on has become across the world lately. Springwise reports that the swap is to take place on February 9th and Ikea will allow only 250 people to bring in their furniture, which may or may not be from Ikea. The company will add about GBP 12,000 worth of furniture to the mix as well. Ikea also is offering a tool where it will be possible for consumers to test out different furniture arrangements. The company understands how consumers live and feels that once people rearrange a room they will need new items such as a lamp or a rug and will continue to shop at Ikea.

Popularity: 50% [?]

The hotel and travel industry has completely changed the way it functions thanks to the Internet. The entire system of finding a hotel room to stay in has changed and the power is now in consumers hands. No matter where in the world you want to go to, chances are that you will find the best deal for a hotel and airfare online. When it comes to Vegas rooms, it is no different and you are sure to find the best deals on the Internet no matter what time of the year it is. Las Vegas is not an easy place to find a hotel room as there are always lots of things going on there, from conferences, to shows and so on. Most hotel rooms are also very expensive, so getting a nice place to stay at an affordable rate can be tough. Test it out for yourself and you’ll see the difference.

Popularity: 43% [?]

Been spending a lot of time lately uploading pictures onto Flickr. Ever since Yahoo photos shut down and I transferred all my photographs onto Flickr, I have got addicted to taking photographs and trying to get better at it. The variety of photographs on Flickr is pretty amazing as is the skill level. I haven’t got into photoshop and stuff, but would want to and just need to spend some time to read up on stuff and try it out on my photographs. Here’s a photograph that my father took on their trip to Ladakh in summer of 2006.

Popularity: 39% [?]

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately in getting my house to look good and with each move that we make, I realize the importance of being able to own our own home where we can make whatever changes we would like to and create a sense of permanence that is not possible in a rented space. It would be great to find a real estate agent that understood just what we were looking for, who would help us find the kind of place that would be just perfect for us. As one lives in a number of houses, one gets ideas on what would be the perfect arrangement to suit your lives, and with the number of places that we have lived in, we have a ton of needs when it comes to creating a perfect home.

Popularity: 36% [?]

Starbucks is reportedly testing a $1 coffee with free refills according to The Wall Street Journal. The company usually charges between $1.50 and $4.00 for a coffee depending on its size and has been the target of several fast food chains who are planning to open coffee chains and compete directly with Starbucks. McDonalds and Dunkin’ Donuts are both opening coffee chains and Starbucks is aiming its $1 coffee at a price that is lower than both these companies. The $1 coffee will be sold as a “short” in Seattle area stores.

Starbucks has been making lots of changes in the company and brought back its founder Howard Schultz as the CEO to make the company popular once again. Share prices of the company have been dropping as well. Starbucks will be closing down its under performing stores in the US and will focus on expansion in the overseas arena. Currently, it has 15,000 stores in total of which 10,000 are in the US.

Popularity: 49% [?]

The thing about shopping for clothes and fashion accessories is that it really is never done. It is an ongoing process for one’s entire life, so if you find a coupon or a discount for a store that you shop at regularly, it’s something that is very usable. Some purchases are not made too often in ones lives, but that’s not the case with clothes, and getting some Macys coupons is always a good deal. Shopping online these days has become much easier and straightforward that people are turning toward buying things online that they usually would go to a store for. The biggest hassle with online shopping used to be sizing, but if you’re shopping at a store that you’re familiar with, then that’s not a problem at all. So, it’s all good actually, as you can shop in the comfort of your home and pay a lower price as well.

Popularity: 39% [?]

Browsing through some of the old cartoons on bLaugh, I found this delicious one. It is simply superb and is a wonderful commentary of how popular culture invades our lives and especially those of children. Considering that blogging has been around as a mainstream activity only for the past 5 years or so, it has reached far and wide and caught the fancy of everyone young and old. As a blogger, I love seeing cartoons on the subject of blogging and this is definitely one of the best I’ve seen so far.

Enjoy!

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Since I spend a lot of time on the internet, it is important for me not to get distracted or sidetracked by emails or popups while I work. Installing a good popup blocker was one of the best things I ever did. I also make sure I turn off all instant messengering services when I work, else I just wouldn’t be able to get any work done at all. Popups are a real nuisance and I wonder why anyone would even spend money to advertise on them, since everyone hates them. If you want consumers to hate your product then maybe you should think of advertising via a popup. As a consumer I would not be interested in purchasing anything that was advertised in one of these and I wonder why marketers don’t understand this simple point of view.

Popularity: 35% [?]