So is it “new” or is it “original”?
Special K has changed … to embrace contradiction
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Category Archives: Commerce
Commercial Contradiction
It has become increasingly common in recent years for manufacturers and advertisers to try and piggy-back on to environmental awareness, and promote their products as natural, but when I saw this display in Bunnings this week my brain nearly melted trying to deal with the paradox!
A week to do what?
I think I know why NRMA insurance aren’t answering phone calls in a timely manner, they’ve assigned all available resources to direct marketing. In the last month I’ve received multiple physical mail, phone calls, and e-mails to multiple addresses pushing their stuff. While unsubscribing from an e-mail list I noticed this …
Say what! Up to 5 working days (= 1 week) to unsubscribe from an e-mail list! What century are they working in?
Cheap, and nasty
Buying cheap computer accessories from eBay – I’ve had mixed success. Some things I’ve bought in the past have been perfectly fine, others, just a little bit short on quality. My most recent purchase is definitely the low point in quality. It was a USB memory card reader and the very first time I tried to plug a memory card in, it just burst apart at the seams.
I’m currently contacting the seller to get a refund.
Update 23 Mar 2013: The eBay seller quickly refunded the purchase price with no dramas, so a good ending
[This content was originally posted to Google+]
Amazing footy
There are three things that amaze me about going to a big footy match, even four that astonish me.
- The price of food and drinks;
- the vast amount of advertising squeezed into the stadium;
- the lameness of pre-match and half-time ‘entertainment’;
- and the unfettered blind optimism of 4WD owners attempting to park 100m from a 30,000 seat stadium in an illegal and impossible position 30 minutes before game time.
[This content was originally posted to Google Buzz, #183]
How big is a family?
How big is a family when you’re on a family holiday?
Almost universally, at any tourist attraction, accommodation or transport option, a “family” ticket means 2 adults and 2 children. I’m often tempted to say “Hello, can I have a family ticket and leave my bored and hyperactive 3rd child (who misses out on being in the “family”) to roam your gift shop unattended for the next 2 hours.
In a sad attempt to get around the definitional problem of “family”, the Scitech museum in Perth doesn’t have family tickets – they have “mini-group” tickets – still only 2 adults/2 children though.
All in all, thinking about this too much is putting a bit of a downer on our “mini-group plus additional child” holiday.
[This content was originally posted to Google Buzz, #173]
Coffee thoughts from across the continent
I was in Melbourne on Sunday and out of necessity/convenience I got the $1 cappuccino from 7-Eleven. I was pleasantly shocked. It wasn’t just acceptable, it was actually very good.
In contrast… The $3.40 cappuccino from the bakery in Busselton this morning… to call it ordinary would be doing it a favour.
[This content was originally posted to Google Buzz, #165]
Sensory overload
I visited a multilevel consumer sensory overload facility on the weekend (otherwise known as a Westfield shopping centre) and had difficulty in locating a particular shop. I grabbed a centre complex map from the info desk and was disappointed to find that it had no compass bearings or scale!
I suppose it’s all part of the design of prolonging your time inside in the hope of extracting more cash from the wallet.
Note to Westfield: please consider issuing visitors to your facility with emergency beacons that can be activated in times of sensory overload and severe disorientation, so that SWAT teams of consumer advocates can come to the rescue of dazed and confused shoppers.
[This content was originally posted to Google Buzz, #144]