The Power of Retail

I’ve been looking for a new cell phone and am getting thoroughly confused as to what all options I must have and which are the ones that I’m OK without. It’s not been an easy ride, I tell you, since the things that cell phones have these days keep changing by the minute it seems and just as I decide on one, I learn something about another new cell phone which is said to be the next best thing and so it continues.

Here’s a cartoon from bLaugh.com that illustrates it perfectly!

Lately a lot of my assignments have to do with the banking and insurance worlds and so I’ve been spending a lot of time doing reading and researching these segments. What I find very surprising is that even thought it is so easy to get an online auto insurance quote, a lot of people just don’t bother and end up getting their insurance from the agent who is tied up with the dealer, which is by far the most expensive insurance you can find. it makes a lot of sense to do a little search of ones own before signing, since once you do, you’ll be stuck for a year at least. Finding this information online could not be easier, so spend a little time on it first.

The retail scene in Dubai is always buzzing. There is no off season for shopping it seems and people are flocking to the malls, coming from across the world and so happy to be buying the things that they are sure to have back home too. That’s the thing about shopping when one travels, one never bothers to do such an in-depth study of the markets in one’s own city, so often have no idea of what all is available and at what prices. When one visits another city, especially a city like Dubai, one wants to shop, regardless of whether it is something that we need or not, and often not even if it is available back home or not. One must have something that is bought on the trip. Thankfully, I am over my shopping stage, and would much rather see a place and buy just one or two small things to bring back as keepsakes.

The other day I looked at the classified section and was amazed at the number of used Harleys that were listed. Considering the weather here, one can only use them for a portion of the year, but the demand is quite phenomenal, especially in the younger segment who cannot afford a new one and would first buy a used Harley and only later buy a new one. One of my colleagues is mad about them and goes to the shop at every opportunity he gets, and will soon be buying his own Harley.

Even though I do enjoy blogging, I really enjoy taking and posting photos on Flickr. It’s been such an unexpected ride to even think that I could take decent pictures and share them with people from across the world. Having a good set of flickr friends makes all the difference I think. Anyhow, here is a shot that I took last month when we had gone out to dinner. Took this while I was on the escalator going down.

Enjoy!

Even though we moved in here close to a year ago, we still haven’t finished buying things for the house. In a way it’s fun to spread out ones shopping, so one does not end up with everything from one store, but in others it seems like the work is endless. On recommendation by a friend, I checkout out these tv furniture items to see if they would work for us, and since going shopping online is so much easier than the real thing, it definitely seemed like a good idea. Just the thought of picking everything out in the comfort of ones home and having it delivered and installed without even having to go to 10 different shops in opposite corners of the city makes me smile!

The continuing rising costs of construction are making retailers push back or even back out of some shopping center projects. Major retailers such as Home Depot, J.C. Penney, Toys R Us and Michael’s stores do plan to continue with their expansion, although they are scrutinizing theiir plans more carefully now. Many markets just cannot take any new shopping centers. Take the Dallas market for example, where there will be more shopping centers than the market can support.

According to John Webber, president of Weber and Co, the rising construction costs are due to higher commodity prices and not labor costs. Michael Stores plan to have 45 new stores this year, which is the same amount that it has opened each year for the past ten years, but will be backing out of a project if it is the only retailer left in it.

It happens every summer and this year is no exception. The sales for all kinds of diet pills, plans and formats increases significantly. I am not doing any of them, but wanted to post some diet pill reviews for those who are interested in finding out about them. I would highly recommend getting a physician’s advice on what diet plan to take since the body can only take so much and might react negatively, which can affect ones health for a long period of time. So, it only makes sense to be a bit cautious and understand the risks and side effects before jumping into the fire, so to speak!