Christmas at Galleries Lafayette by Remi Jouan
On December 21, 1896, novelty store owner’s Theophile Bader and his cousin Alphonse Bader acquired a shop at the corner of Rue Lafayette and the Chausee d’Atin in Paris and opened the Galleries Lafayette.
The company has since grown into a formidable department store company with stores across Europe.
I forgot that I had taken some shots of the Lolli & Pop shop in Washington Square. Thought you might enjoy seeing a few.
Lolli & Pops is a San Francisco-based “candy boutique” with locations in 17 states. The store is part nostalgic, part artisanal, part whimsical and all-around fun. Free samples are gladly purveyed. Check out a store if you have the chance, it is simply magical.
Whether it is Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Kwanza or just the end of Holiday shopping season that you celebrate, here is wishing you the best of Holidays and a great 2017.
We published our first blog one year ago today.
Have I accomplished what I set out to do? Sort of. I may have not written as many great posts as I would like to. I may not have gotten the readership I hoped for. I may not have taken the blog in the directions I had originally envisioned. Regardless, I have enjoyed my year as a blogger and continue to learn and grow.
Thanks for reading.
(Observed in the CityTarget in Portland yesterday)
The customer offered a heartfelt, “Thank you.”
The cashier stopped. Smiled. Then replied “You are most welcome!”
Well done. Slowing down for just a moment in this busy season demonstrated the employees sincerity.
At Moosejaw we want to make shopping as much fun as backpacking the Chilkoot trail, climbing in Yosemite, mountaineering in the Himalayas or playing red rover with the neighbors who you don’t like that much but they’re always ready to play any game in the cul-de-sac so you make do.
If you’re offended by ridiculous commentary don’t click on any of the Moosejaw Madness sections.
-from the Moosejaw website.
You have to admire an outdoor store that does not take itself too seriously. After all they sell toys to adults and are not transplant surgeons or diplomats from nuclear-armed countries.
Check it out yourself at http://www.moosejaw.com/moosejaw/shop/madness_home____
Car Vending Machine -Image & information sourced from http://www.trueactivist.com/crazy-japanese-inventions-that-are-simply-awesome-gallery
It appears that soon we may not need car salespeople. You cannot actually buy a car from this Japanese “vending machine”, but you are able to get information on the cars and purchasing. (Car salespeople can rest easy for a while yet.)
Is this the future for developing new consumers and retailers? (Spotted on a recent trip to Vancouver B.C.)
Great article.http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/667724/Shopkins-what-are-toys-school-playground-craze-where-to-buy
Several years ago, I saw a fascinating TV show on retailing. If my memory serves me correctly, it was called Buyology. One of the most interesting segments reported on the stress of shopping and Holiday shopping especially.
When you are under significant stress, the body creates the steroid, cortisol, to help you deal with the situation. It is your body’s chemical behind the “fight or flight” mechanism.
Another characteristic of cortisol is that you can test a person’s cortisol level using a simple oral swab, so researchers went out and swabbed people’s mouths during stressful events to measure the stress caused by certain events.
The researchers tested combat pilots; it seems they have high stress levels in when being shot at. (Only a governmental program would spend a lot of money to find that result.) They also tested Holiday shoppers at a major mall the weekend before Christmas.
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 Observant Customer 