Archive for the ‘Friday: Random’ Category
Watch your Planogram!
I was going through some old pictures on my computer and I came across a picture that I had taken quite a while ago (in fact, Bug was 2 and she is 4 now).
Being a small business owner and inventor of kids belts, and therefore the face of my company, I have to be careful what I say and how I express my opinions as well as what language I use and what my political and religious views are so as not to offend anyone. I tend to feel like I am being censored. There have been many-a-time, MANY-A-TIME I tell you, where I have been merely a thumb stroke away from tweeting my discontent about something and then all of the sudden, I remember that what I say is what my brand says, and I quickly delete aforementioned tweet. Therefore, I have debated on whether or not I would write about this incident. Ahhh…. oh well, here goes…
Travel back in time with me… 2 years ago I was shopping at a Rite Aid with Bug. We were getting the normal stuff you get at a pharmacy type place. I’m wrangling a two year so I’m not paying too much attention to my surroundings. Then, as I am in the check out lane something caught my eye (mainly because Bug picked something up and I needed to make sure she couldn’t sever a limb with whatever it was). What on earth???? Is that a lighter in her hand? Where did she get that?? And then I saw it…
Let’s take a look at this picture, after all it is worth a thousand words. Ok, we have batteries, film, baseball cards, toothpaste… all seem innocent enough, and then… lighters? Really? Is that appropriate placement? At eye-level with a 2 year old? I mentioned it to the cashier and the manager and they said something like “Well, we will look into it, but that’s how the planogram is set up so I’m not sure what we can do.” Uhh… how about move the lighters up and replace them with something less threatening? I wanted to call the company and complain and raise a fuss, not just for Bug, but all of the other little kids out there.
I was mad… but I left it at that because, alas, I am the face of Dapper Snappers and I must be cordial. Afterall, I may even sell to Rite Aid one day and I am fairly certain that they will place my product up on the top shelf so as to save room on those bottom shelves for lighters, razors and pesticides… Yeesh!
Blessings
Trip from H-E-Double Hockey Sticks
We had the best of intentions when we headed off to the ABC Kids show to display our kids belts…
Bear with me, this may be a lengthy one.
We packed up the U-Haul, so we wouldn’t have the added expense of shipping and plane tickets, and we piled in the car. Off we went with a twinkle in our eyes and nothing but optimism for the trade show.
I should have known it was going to be a bad trip when we had to turn around after only 20 miles because we forgot something. So, off we went (again) with a (tad smaller) twinkle in our eyes and mostly optimism for the trade show…
The beginning of the trip (once we really started) was smooth. We made it through Florida and into GA. My dear sweet husband was needing a break so we stopped for gas and to change places. I get in the car which is pulling the U-Haul trailer (my first time pulling a trailer, mind you) and we proceed to the interstate. I get on the road and start accelerating and merging and then… sirens and flashing lights? What? I wasn’t even up to speed, yet. I can’t imagine them pulling me over for doing 50 in a 70. Crud, the lights were for me.
I pulled over and the city police officer (yep, city cop, not state trooper) followed. As I am waiting for him to walk up to the car, I feel myself fuming inside. What could I have possibly done that warranted pulling me over? The officer comes up and asks “Do you know why I pulled you over, ma’am?” Uh… If I did, don’t you think I wouldn’t have done it so as not to be pulled over by an Adele, GA cop? “No, sir” I say, trying not to cry (not because I am sad or scared, because I am furious and when I am furious, I cry).
“Well, you failed to move over to the other lane when you passed the cop who had someone pulled over.” What?!? That’s a law? I don’t live in GA, I don’t know your silly laws. Ok, so we have a similar law in FL, but I was under the impression that it was move over OR slow down 20mph.
As it turns out, it doesn’t matter that I don’t know their laws. They gave me a ticket anyway. Phil asked what the fine was and the officer told him, “I can’t really give you that information.” Phil said “Can’t you just give us an idea?” The Officer said “Well the maximum fine is $500.” Yikes! Now I really hate this town of Adele, GA.
Anyway, back on the road. The rest of the drive up is relatively uneventful and we make it to Louisville safely.
The first day we unload and set up. We pile back into the car to head to the hotel and… nothing? The car won’t start. Seriously? It’s like 10pm. Phil checks it out and there is no water in the radiator. Great… we’ll have to worry about that later.
The next day comes and I get a text early in the morning from my assistant. She’s running late for the Expo because she spent the night in the ER with her son. I head down to the lobby to grab breakfast and run into her and her son. I ask how she is, and she becomes a blubbering mess. Poor thing! I tell her to go nap and to come over whenever she’s ready.
The show starts off dismal (but that’s for another blog post). My wonderful assistant shows up a round noon only to get a call a about an hour and a half later from her mom explaining that they are taking her grandmother to the ER. My word what a trip so far!
On the last day of the very disappointing show, Phil takes the car to get checked out since we were having problems. He waited patiently for their call to not get one. He decides to call them at about 3:30pm only to find out that they had just taken the car in to look at it. Ugh… the show ends at 4:00pm and we have to find someway to get the trailer her so we can pack up. Thank you U-Haul for renting us a truck with a tow hitch.
We woke up the next morning and called the mechanic. They hope to have it fixed by the afternoon. In the mean time, we are stranded in KY with no transportation, Phil’s asthma acting up and my allergies driving me crazy. We did find out that Kentucky’s motto is “I’ll get to it when I get to it” and Louisville’s is “It’s not my fault”.
Finally, we get the car back and can load up and head home to Bug and Super Dude. (I can’t tell you how much I missed my babies) We got on the road at about 5:00pm on Tuesday and stopped outside of Atlanta (only 8 hours from home) for the night at an amazing Holiday Inn Express.
At last! We got home around 6:00pm and our kids rushed out to greet us! That was the best hug ever!
PS: Remember those allergies I told you about? Yea, they were not so much allergies as they were a virus. Yay… Oh yea, and my assistant has it too. Turns out the girl in the booth behind us was sick for the whole show.
Blessings,
The Birds and the Bees…and the Lovebugs
We all have that ideal age we think would be a good time to tell our kids about the birds and the bees. For me, it’s some time in the beginning stages of puberty. This seems like the best time to talk to them about their bodies, what’s going on, and what’s going to happen. This opens me up to the question that so far, I have been successfully avoiding; “Mama, where do babies come from?” I think, when they actually get to the point of asking, I’ll pretend to be in the middle of making my kids belts and let daddy handle it!
Here in Florida we are plagued with a twice yearly occurrence of Lovebugs. They sound cute and like they should be ladybug-looking insects with smiles and kisses. They are not. They are ugly. They are everywhere. My kids, upon seeing two lovebugs attached and flying around together, wanted to know what they were doing. “Well, Sweetie,…they are kissing…with their butts…” Now you can imaging the giggles and fits of laughter this statement was met with.
At our most recent lovebug-palooza (at Disney World of all places), Super Dude asked again…no, more like stated, that the lovebugs “aren’t just kissing, right Mama? They are making eggs.” “Yes, son” I answered in shock. “They are making eggs. The eggs will turn into baby lovebugs and they will start all over again.”
Of course the biggest part of me is screaming that it’s way too soon, that I’m not ready. He’s all of 6 1/2 and in 1st grade. He’s very popular with everyone in his school, even the older kids, which I’m sure is how he comes up with some of the smart-mouthed answers he has for us on occasion. And I am also sure this is how he found out about the lovebugs making eggs. The tone in his voice was more of a “Mama, I already know the truth. You wouldn’t tell it to me but the big kids did.” Okay, maybe I’m reading too much into it. Maybe he was just tired.
I guess I’m just stuck in that weird place between not enough and too much information. At what age did you, or do you plan to, tell your kids about the Birds and the Bees (or the Lovebugs, as it were).
Blessings,
The show must go on!
The ABC Kids Show, that is…
Here we are a week away from the show and I feel like we still have so much to do to get our kids belts display tradeshow worthy! I am a bit of a procrastinator, I know this, but is it my fault that everything important has to be done last minute? NOOoooo, well ok, maybe it is partly my fault, but I am blaming it mostly on the dog. Mainly because she can’t argue with me and even if she could, I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be a very compelling argument, I mean, really what reasoning skills does a dog have? Plus, if I didn’t have to constantly take her for walks or endlessly pull bits of soggy chewed paper from her mouth, then I would have much more time on my hands to do actual tradeshow type work.
Current to do list…
- Finalize Booth Layout
- Layout & Print Promo Sheets
- Take a nap
- Lose my mind
- Make sure we have enough product to completed to display everything
- Finish unpacking my house so I can finally find Bugs brush and no longer have to comb her hair with a plastic fork
- Finish cleaning out the old house so as to ensure the return of our security deposit
- Pack for Tradeshow
- And on and on and on…
Aside from all of that, we are super excited about being involved in the ABC Kids show and really are working day and night to get everything perfect. We will be unveiling some exciting new patterns for our original Dapper Snappers line as well as showcasing the Big Kids Belts, the Dapper Snappers for Moms and Mitten Clips. The show is in Louisville, KY this year so we could go and visit Churchill Downs on our off time (ha ha ha). I am ready for it to be here so I can see the turn out, meet some great new people and feed off of the energy that always goes along with these types of events.
If you are planning on attending, come see us at booth #2433!
Ok, now I have to get back to work….
Blessings,
Why AT&T Sucks but I’m Going to Use Them Anyway
As you probably know, I am moving. The joys of moving involve such wonderful things as getting mail forwarded, getting a new license (because for some stupid reason they won’t give us a sticker), and of course, changing all of our services over to the new house. Hubby decided that he’s tired of DirecTv charging us up the wazoo for TV and the AT&T internet service we have bites the big one. He wanted me to check to see what we could get set up for both TV and internet at a better price. I was all over that!
Our choices that include both the services we require are pretty limited. We either go with AT&T Uverse or Brighthouse Cable. Brighthouse has a deal where we can get 250+ channels and up to 10 Mbps download speed for $94.99 with the price locked in for a full year. AT&T Uverse has a deal where we can get 270+ channels and up to 12 Mbps for $88, but it’s only good for 6 months and then it jumps to $117/mo. I’m bewildered that they wouldn’t offer up a good price for a whole year. I don’t want to change services every 6 months because I can’t afford the outrageous price hike. So, between a phone call and an online chat, I found out why AT&T sucks but I’m going to use them anyway.
During the phone call, the guy I talked to was an @#%. He offered no help whatsoever and basically told me to go suck an egg (my interpretation of the poor customer service I was rendered). During the chat, I finally got an answer I could live with. Mind you, I gave the poor customer service guy absolute hell, but he held up well. Here’s the chat:
AT&T product specialists are happy to assist you with your questions. Click below to begin your live text chat.
Chat representatives will not have access to your personal account. This service is provided to you under AT&Ts Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.Info: Hello and welcome to AT&T, my name is Denzel. I specialize in setting up new AT&T U-verse service. Please provide me with the complete address where you would like U-verse services connected.
Denzel: Hello! How may I assist you today?
you: what’s this $300 back offer?
Denzel: Ordering online today with AT&T U-verse TV (U-family or above), Internet and Voice selecting “AT&T Promotion cards” would qualify you for $ 300 Visa reward card.
Denzel: Which AT&T U-verse services are you interested in ordering online today (TV, Internet, and/or phone service)?
Denzel: To confirm, are we still connected?
you: wanted just tv & internet but it seems if I want to have a whole year in savings, I have to have a phone too
you: that sucks
Denzel: Thank you for the information, Have you decided on a specific AT&T U-verse plan TV, Internet and home phone online today? If not, I would be happy to help you choose one.
you: no
you: I just want tv & internet
Denzel: Great!
Denzel: Allow me to ask you a couple of questions to provide you with a plan that best suit’s your needs.
Denzel: What do you (or will you) use the Internet for in your home (i.e. downloading music, watching videos, gaming, pictures)?
you: I want tv + internet and want the price locked in for a whole year, not just 6 months
Denzel: I understand your concern, however currently we do have just 6 months offer for TV and internet.
Denzel: Would you like to place an order online and secure the online promotions?
you: No, I want it for a year. If I can’t get it for a year then I will go to Brighthouse instead
Denzel: I see, in this case I would suggest you to call the customer care team to check for the 12 months offer for TV and internet.
Denzel: Would you like me to provide you with the number of our customer care department?
you: I’m on hold right now. Have been on hold for 20 minutes.
Denzel: I see, I would recommend you to try to call after some time. I assure that you will get your service set up through the customer care team.
Denzel: Can you think of any additional information you might need, or any questions I can answer about AT&T services?
Denzel: Do you have anymore questions for me? I would be happy to assist you with them.
you: no
you: the first person i talked to gave me the wrong number
Denzel: I see, Would you like me to give the number ?
Denzel: Could you please tell me which state you are in?
you: Florida
Denzel: Thank you for the information.
Denzel: For assistance with AT&T U-verse via phone, please contact Online Support at 1-877-252-1717. Customer service is available Monday – Friday from 8 am – 5 pm CST. On Saturday and Sunday we are closed.
Denzel: Do you have anymore questions for me? I would be happy to assist you with them.
you: I finally got through to someone who said I have the wrong department (no fault of my own mind you) and she gave me another number 877-999-1085 and transferred me to some system that asked me repeatedly to “Please Wait” and then hung up on me.
Denzel: To confirm, do you currently have local home phone service (not wireless phone service) with AT&T?
Denzel: To confirm, are we still connected?
you: yes
you: no local
Denzel: Thank you for the information.
Denzel: Can you think of any additional information you might need, or any questions I can answer about AT&T services?
you: The guy I just talked to told me there is nothing he can do
you: I cannot believe that in a company the size of AT&T I can’t get the price locked in for a year.
you: I can’t believe that AT&T is so greedy that they would not allow their sales agents to make changes or exceptions to plans and pricing.
you: This is the worst service I’ve ever had to deal with and I will NOT be getting Uverse or telling anyone else to use it
Denzel: I understand your concern, currently as an online chat representative I do not have the information with regards to 12 months offer for TV and internet bundle.
you: Neither do the people on the phone. It seems no one can do anything.
you: If I can’t get a good deal now, I know that customer service down the road will also be very poor.
Denzel: I understand your concern, but due to security reasons, our online chat department only has the ability to assist customers while they navigate through the online order flow. For this reason, we do not have access to change any prices or offer any promotional deals or rebates that are not already stated online.
Denzel: There is no contract with AT&T U-verse service. The service is on a month to month basis.
Denzel: I am happy to inform you that there are no upfront charges right now. You will be billed on your first monthly bill.
Denzel: Your monthly billing for AT&T U-verse services will only begin once services have been installed at your location.
Denzel: I would suggest you to place your order now to secure the online promotions and after 6 months you can call the customer services to check for exciting offers for existing customers.
you: I can get better service elsewhere. The “security reasons” line is a load of bull. And I would gladly be locked into a service plan to have the price stay down (which is what I’ve been requesting from the get-go). So the fact that AT&T is unwilling to work with me tells me all I need to know.
you: You want me to check back in 6 months on the chance that there might be a deal for existing customers? Does that happen very often?
Denzel: Yes, we offer wide range of offers and discounts to our valued customers.
you: And what do you have right now?
you: for example…
you: Still there???
Denzel: I certainly understand your concern; however all the online promotions are based on market analysis and hence I would not be able to offer you the promotions for 12 months.
you: I’m confused
you: What are you talking about?
Denzel: We always have promotions for existing customers and hence I would suggest that you place an order online and then call the customer to check the promotions.
you: Are you saying that I would have the service for 6 months, then not be able to get any promotions for another 6 months after that?
you: I want to know what you are offering existing customers right now. This way I have an example of what to expect 6 months from now.
Denzel: What I meant to say is that you can have the promotions for 6 months and then you can call the customer services to check for additional promotions after 6 months.
Denzel: As an online chat representative I specialize in setting up new account for AT&T U-verse TV, internet and voice and hence I would not be able to share the promotions for existing customer.
Denzel: We have a 30-day money back guarantee that allows you to cancel within the first 30 days of service without incremental termination fees and your cash back on any of the monthly recurring or one-time charges for service. However, you will be responsible for any additional charges including, but not limited to Video On Demand, Pay Per View, international calls, any pay for use feature and non-returned equipment charges.
you: So you know the promotions but you can’t share them because I am not an existing customer?
Denzel: I am sorry for the confusion, what I meant to say is I do not have the promotions as I specialize in setting up new account for AT&T U-verse TV, internet and voice.
you: Okay, so what assurances are there that in 6 months from now I will be able to get an existing customer promotion?
you: Or am I to take my chances in hope that there is one?
Denzel: I can assure you that we always have promotions for existing customer and there are always changes made depending on the customer’s requirements.
you: Thank you. That’s all I wanted to know.
Denzel: Also as you would not be signing a contract for TV and Internet bundle you can always cancel the services and you would not be charged anything.
Denzel: Do you have any additional questions for me before we begin your order online? I would be glad to answer any questions you might have.
you: As I said before, I don’t care about cancelling the service. I don’t want to cancel a service. I just want tv and internet at a reasonable price.
you: I do not have any other questions. I thank you for your time.
Denzel: Thank you for chatting with AT&T today. It has been a pleasure assisting you. Should you need further assistance today, please click on the chat button to chat with us again. AT&T appreciates your business. You may click the Close button on the chat window to close this chat.
As I said, I gave him hell. I just wanted to know that in 6 months time I can call up AT&T customer retention department and have them kiss my booty to keep me as a customer. And now you know too.
That’s all I have for now. I will let you know how it works for me. Oh, and DirecTv; I will miss you very much!
Blessings,
$1 Books, not such a bargain
Occasionally, I take a break from the wonderful world of making toddler belts for a little “me” time. A couple of days ago, my me time included shopping at a local chain store (ok, it’s Target) with Bug. This specific chain store has one of those “bargain” sections.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I am always looking for a bargain so I love to look through those bins. It’s especially nice with little kids, because it’s generally stuff I can cheaply (let’s face it, those items aren’t just inexpensive, they are cheap!) get to entertain them while I shop.
So, here I am shopping with Bug. We are looking at all of the little bargain goodies, trying to decide what we would like to throw into the cart. Do we want some water guns, or some cutesy little stickers? How about some beach toys, or some princess toys? Look there are some storage bins for mommy and some little appetizer plates. (Really? Appetizer plates? What corners are you cutting, exactly, that you can sell ceramic plates at such a bargain?)
Anyway, back to the story… Bug see’s some Sesame Street books with Bert and Ernie that look interesting. Let’s take a look, I mean books for $1.00? I’m game!
Upon further inspection of the book, it starts to become clear as to why they are in the $1.00 bin. Apparently, proper spelling and a grasp of the English language costs extra to produce. What with the whole editing expense and everything.
Seriously, have we become so accustomed to deals that we are truly willing to sacrifice not just quality, but actual “correctness”? It’s one thing to skimp on the quality of ink you use or the thickness of the paper, but actual spelling and grammar?
One explanation could be that the book was manufactured and produced in China, maybe they got a bad version of Google Translate, who knows. I was just sadly disappointed to see our beloved child educators, Bert & Ernie, being discredited in such a manner. After all, isn’t that what Sesame Street is all about, for the most part, teaching our kids to read?
This post was brought to you by the letter P for proof… would it have killed you to proof this book prior to printing?
Who would have guessed it, $1 books, not such a bargain after all!
Blessings,
The murky world of in-between sizes
When Super Dude as was a toddler, it was difficult to figure out the different sizes. Was he a 2T or a 24 mo and what the heck is the difference? Am I missing something here? Shouldn’t there be a standard template somewhere that says what a 2T is, how can they all vary so much? It’s a tad ridiculous if you ask me. How can one company label something as a 2T and another company label it as a 2T but when you hold them against each other there is clearly a huge difference?
Now he is beyond toddler sizes, but not quite big boy sizes. Case in point: Socks. You would think socks could be an easy fit right? No. They have 4.5-8.5 and then 9-2.5. The small size is way too small and the big size is HUGE! What were they thinking? That is a huge size range. That would be like saying “These socks fit ladies size 5-ladies size 10,” ummmm NO, they don’t! Did they never have a boy in a size 10-11? The big size is way bigger than that.
We have the same problem with clothes. A 5T is too small. A regular 6 is too big. We’ve been in limbo for a year now. Granted, my son is small for his age, thus the Dapper Snappers kids belts invention thingy. But c’mon! Couldn’t you at least give me a little help in the shirt size arena? And why are the neck openings so small? There have been times that we have had to buy a size bigger just to get the shirt over his head.
While we are talking about sizing, the other thing I noticed was that when Super Dude was smaller so many of the clothes were sold as sets. I’m not sure about you, but he was never the same size on top as he was on the bottom, so here we were with a shirt that fits perfectly and pants that were huge, that was another reason for Dapper Snappers. Are there really that many kids out there that are equally sized? Are my kids just odd-balls? Well, yes, they are, but I’m specifically talking about the size arena right now. 
Don’t even get me started on “one-size-fits-all”… Biggest fabrication ever!
Any other clothing complaints out there?
Blessings,
School Days, School Days, Dear Old Golden Rule Days…
In case you haven’t seen all of the “Back to School” TV ads, print ads, radio ads, posters, mailers, the meet the teacher flyers, school supply lists and so on and so forth, let me be the first to tell you, “It’s time for the kids to go back to school!” YAY!! Oh, wait, I probably shouldn’t be so excited, but I am.
Super Dude goes back to school on Monday and he couldn’t be more excited (Although I’m not as physically fit as I once was, I am definitely doing cartwheels in my head). He’s going onto first grade this year and I can’t believe it. We have gone through this twice now (pre-k and kindergarten) but doesn’t seem to get any easier. When did he get so big? And where was I when it happened?
We have bought into the hype and purchased all of his “back to school” supplies. He picked out a Transformers “Bumblebee” lunch box and a very cool camo backpack. Don’t get me wrong, I want my son to be “supplied” but it seems like the list gets larger and larger each year. I kind of feel like we are supplying for the whole class! Seems like retailers and the school board are getting together to single handedly improve the economy.
We got to meet his teacher today and I am very pleased. He seemed to really like her, as well. I think this year will be a great year and Super Dude is such a little sponge, he will do amazing.
Bug gets one more week of freedom, but after being stuck with us at the kids belts factory all summer, I think she’s chomping at the bit for some new scenery! I can’t say that I blame her. I mean, I love being here so much I hardly leave long enough to go to sleep (ha ha…), but for a 4 year old, it gets awfully monotonous.
She seems eager to start her pre-k adventure. We will see if that holds up once the day actually gets here. I gave her the option of a princess backpack or a monkey backpack, surprisingly she picked the monkeys! It even came with a super cute, matching lunch box. She’s already had plenty of experience with her new teacher from staying for “Lunch Bunch” after school most of last year.
I am thrilled that they are going back because they need a break and the social interaction (as well as the education) that comes with school, but it’s always a sad day in our household. Seriously…Didn’t they just learn to crawl?