Monthly Archives: November 2016

Food Court Waste, Nicely Done

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Many of us have faced a row of confusing waste bins at a food court labeled “Organic Waste”, “Recyclable”, “Mixed Waste” etc.  After a few moments of trying to decide whether you have a Number 6 Recyclable or if your paper waste is contaminated, we usually get discouraged and dump everything into the bun marked waste.

Kudos to the Metrotown Center in Burnaby, BC for the Tray Return Center.  Just place the tray on one of the tray center counters and the mall staff will take care of sorting the waste before cleaning the trays.  Nicely done!

The last of the Geneva Chocolatiers

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Switzerland is famous for watches, cheese and chocolate.  While in Geneva, we saw all three but it was only the chocolate that really interested us.  After all, chocolate is a very affordable luxury unlike swiss watches.  We made a quick stop at Favorer’s shop which was near our hotel for a little indulgence.

Favarger, founded in 1826, is the last remaining Swiss chocolatier actually producing in Geneva.  All we picked up were a couple of kilogram bars of milk chocolate.  How could we resist, they were 2 for 1!

Uniqlo in the Marais

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uniqloIf you happen to be in the Marais in Paris, you should check out Uniqlo’s store at 39 Rue des Francs Bourgeois.

The building, the former Usine de la Société des Cendres, (translated Factory of the Society of Ashes) was a foundry that reclaimed the scrap from jewelers and metalsmith and was redeveloped into a three-story, 8800 sq. ft. showroom.  The store is a new concept for Uniqlo.  Along with a selection of its menswear and womenswear collections, the brand also displays books, furniture and accessories; all in an effort to make the store a fashion-forward destination.

This is the 5th location for the company in Paris along with their Comptoir Des Cotoniers locations.

 

 

Guanggun Jie

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Today, 11/11, is Singles Day or Guanggun Jie.  The name derives from the four “1”s from the date that represent an individual that is alone.

Singles Day celebrates being single and is celebrated with other singles and is very popular with young Chinese.

Tracing its roots to 1993, the original celebrations were held at a number of universities in the Nanjing area of China.  The students took this celebration with them when they finished at the universities and entering the workforce across the country.  The day was further popularized by the expansion of the internet in China.

Seizing an opportunity, retails began to promote the idea of giving gifts to oneself as part of the festivities.  Alibaba trademarked the term “double eleven” as part of their sales promotion.  In 2015, Singles Day sales set a record for on-line sales at $14.32 billion.

Fashion Week in Paris

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By chance, our recent visit to Paris coincided with Fashion Week, the biggest week of the year for French designers.

We did not attend any events, but one night while walking back from a late dinner we found ourselves on Rue Montaigne where many designers have their shops.  It was late at night but every shop was open for private showings.

This is where, when and how some of the 1% shop.

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