Be Careful buying Gift Cards

Buyer Beware.  If you plan on buying gift cards for the holidays, be careful.  Some stores are going out of business and won’t be honoring those cards. Below is a partial list of stores that you need to be cautious about.

1. Circuit City (filed Chapter 11)
2. Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide closing
3. Lane Bryant
4. Fashion Bug
5. Catherine’s to close 150 stores nationwide
6. Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January
7. Cache will close all stores
8. Talbots closing down specialty stores
9. J. Jill closing all stores (owned by Talbots)
10. Pacific Sunwear (also owned by Talbots)
11. GAP closing 85 stores
12. Footlocker closing 140 stores more to close after January
13. Wickes Furniture closing down 
14. Levitz closing down remaining stores
15. Bombay closing remaining stores
16. Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January
17. Whitehall closing all stores
18. Piercing Pagoda closing all stores
19. Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.
20. Home Depot closing 15 stores, 1 in NJ ( New Brunswick )
21. Macys to close 9 stores after January
22. Linens and Things closing all stores
23. Movie Galley Closing all stores
24. Pep Boys Closing 33 stores
25. Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores
26. JC Penney closing a number of stores after January
27. Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.
28. Wilson Leather closing down all stores
29. Sharper Image closing down all stores
30. K B Toys closing 356 stores
31. Loews to close down some stores
32. Dillard’s to close some stores
33. Mervyns

Happy Shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday!

Here are some helpful websites to plan your holiday shopping deal hunting…Have a memorable Thanksgiving!  Enjoy, Becky

Black Friday: http://bfads.net/  and  http://www.blackfriday.info/

Cyber Monday: http://www.cybermonday.com/

My favorites:

www.woot.com – 1 great deal per day

www.newegg.com – for all things electronic (I like to put price alerts on items)

www.amazon.com – great gift buying guides/ideas

Gifts that Give Back:  This is a great article by CCN & Oprah with links to all the charitable sites that have great gift giving ideas that help a good cause!

Liberty Market in Gilbert, AZ

Liberty Market, located at 230 N. Gilbert Rd in historic downtown Gilbert, is the new restaurant by Joe Johnson (Joe’s Farm & Grill, Joe’s BBQ).  I’ve eaten here 3 times since it opened in Nov. 2008.  I’m writing this post in November 2008 – so yes, I’ve been here 3 times in it’s opening month!  Liberty Market has a hip, Italian vibe to it.  I personally love paninis so each time I go I’m trying a different “pressed sandwhich”.  My favorite so far has been the Arizona Sky for $7.50.  You can find their website and menu here. Also, when you go – check out ALL the bathrooms.  Seriously, open every door…the bathrooms alone deserve a blog post! – Becky

 

Italia Panini and the Sloppy Joe (extra sloppy).

Outside patio at Liberty Market

Liberty Market in downtown Gilbert

Now THAT’S a Wishlist

File this under nifty new website thing I had to share….

I’ve always had a WISHLIST on Amazon.com.  Now Amazon has added a little feature that changes my wishlist from “okay” to THE ONLY WISHLIST YOU WILL EVER NEED.

You can now add items from ANY website to your Amazon wishlist.  Amazon has created a button that you “drag and drop” on your Internet browser (no install)…you click this new button and WAA-LAA you have added that item to an easy to use list Santa and Mom appreciate.  

CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF! - http://www.amazon.com/gp/wishlist/get-button/ref=cm_wl_uwl

Amazon also has another great feature – gift giving organizers so you can shop online and tuck any ideas for mom, dad, sister, husband in their very own list.  I know my strategy for saving money this holiday is going to include shopping online.  That way I get in & out quickly for the things on the list, don’t pick up any impulse buys, and never have to battle crowds and consumerism.  How peaceful.  And more time for eating pie.

What are your ideas for saving money this holiday? Will you be using an online shopping cart?

-Becky

Cure for Breast Cancer!

CALLING ALL HEALTHY WOMEN & BREAST CANCER SURVIORS! Help the medical researchers find a cure for breast cancer by helping with their research!  Be part of making breast cancer a disease of the past at www.ArmyOfWomen.org – Becky

For Animal-Lovers

A friend shared this “reunion” video with me.  It features Christian the Lion and I verified this is indeed a true story.  I hope you enjoy it! – Becky

Here is an album of pictures I took on vacation 9/13/2008 at the Wild Animal Park in Escondido, CA.  My husband and I went to a special event called “The Cheetah Run” which was a memorable experience! Enjoy our photos! – Becky

My Interview with “The Celebrity Experience” author Donna Cutting

How would you describe the state of customer service today?

Well, it’s certainly easier for most people to come up with poor customer service stories than it is for them to come up with exceptional ones. The good news is that it doesn’t take much to make an “ordinary” person feel like a star! Just give them your full attention and do what you can to go the extra mile.

What can service providers learn from Hollywood about how to treat their customers?

So many things – but I’d like to share this one here: Be Trustworthy! Celebrities are some of the most insecure people on the planet, because so many people are out to take advantage of their fame. They tend to feel comfortable doing business with people they know they can trust. There’s a great story about this in my book in the chapter called ‘The Booger Principle.’ (You read that right!)

The same is true of non-famous people. When it comes to realtors, auto mechanics, anyone with something to sell, we don’t know who we can trust. It’s tempting in a down market to lead your prospective clients onto paths that are not best for them in the long-run just to make the sale. However, people will only buzz about your service if you did right by them. Let your clients know that you are in their corner – and eventually, what goes around, comes around.

What do customers want from a service provider?

They want friendly service, quality products, efficient systems, and attention to detail. They want someone to listen to their needs, and stay with them until their problem is solved or their question is answered. They want you to respect their time.

Master those basics, and you deliver great service. However, it’s what they don’t know they want that truly WOW’s them! That’s an experience that is unique, personalized, and unforgettable. An experience that makes them stop short, get excited and run out to tell all their friends. It’s when you can master that kind of service that you are giving your customers The Celebrity Experience.

I Heart Google Chrome!

Hi Everyone,

Just a note to say I am LOVING the new web browser by Google called CHOME.  It is genius.  Forget Internet Explorer, Firefox, Mozilla, Safari….If you want it too visit www.google.com/chrome - it came out today!!!

Lover of all things Google,

-Becky

Here is a link to see some screen shots of the new web browser by Google called CHROME - http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/007645.html

Cool parts I like so far (been using it for only an hour!)…

1 – The search bar field is a google search and your url http:// area – it does both!

2 – Easily bookmark frequented sites that are placed so conveniently!

3 – The tabs are swell.

4 – Your homepage can be a collection of your most visited sites (thumbnail images of each site)

5 – You can put shortcut applications of websites on your desktop/start menu.

As an example I have my gmail and google calendar as a desktop application now which can run without being on the Internet!  I also have gmail, googlemaps, amazon.com, azcentral, and the FlexMLS as easy to reach bookmarks near the search bar.  And they look so cute and sleek.  Try it out and let me know what you think in the comments below! 

God Bless the Russert Family

I’ve been so touched by the passing of Tim Russert.  Here is a wonderful interview by Matt Lauer with Tim’s proud son Luke.  Luke shares some of his favorites memories of his dad, Tim Russert.

Unique Business Cards

I wanted to share my new business cards with everyone!  Feel welcome to let me know what you think of my card by posting a comment.  (Card photography and design by Cefalu Photophraphy) Also, I found the most entertaining website with pictures of very unique business cards.  Check it out at http://creativebits.org/cool_business_card_designs - let me know which one is your favorite! – Becky