The tryptophan from yesterday's turkey still had me sound asleep early this morning while tens of thousands of people lined up outside of department stores across the country. I realize that for many, the day after Thanksgiving is an annual social, shopping, and savings event - one that no doubt comes with its fair share of fun and excitement. I even witnessed a guy on TV claim that the crowds, the waiting, and the sleep deprivation were well worth it, because it amounted to "quality time with family."
Whatever happened to game night? And brunch?
It's entirely feasible that this family enjoys each other's company as they huddle in the cold and run blocking schemes for one another as they race toward this year's gadget stock. Yet a recent Nielsen survey shows that 81% of Internet users conduct holiday shopping online, citing reasons such as convenience, selection, price, and fuel conservation. Seems like these online shoppers are onto something.
As for me, I've spent my Black Friday morning clad comfortably in my robe and slippers, writing this entry at home. Between thoughts, I'm online looking for a gift for my parents with my sister, who's envying my position from a few miles away in her office cubicle.
With the Shop Together feature on NetShops.com, online shopping no longer has to be a solitary experience. Shop Together lets me shop, chat, and compare products with anyone, anytime, from anywhere we can access the Internet. Whether buying a shared gift or browsing for bedroom furniture with a spouse, Shop Together makes shopping with someone more convenient than ever. And that leaves plenty of time for proven quality-time activities. Like brunch.
It's crunchtime in the world of retail. Thanksgiving week and the days that follow are when those of us in the industry- both internet and brick-and-mortar stores- hit or miss our annual forecasts. Sure, the pressure is high and the hours long, but it's also a chance for us to shine.
Our busiest days over the next two weeks will bring over 500 orders per hour. That's an average, which means we'll be handling well over ten per minute at peak times. But we can't afford to get caught up in the numbers. The reality is that each order is a person calling upon us to perform a service- one that has the potential to make their holiday season a little happier.
As the pace quickens, we must remember that our responsibility is to our customers, not to our numbers. An order for a Christmas tree will likely affect an entire family. A crib could be a gift for a new grandchild. A young couple hosting their first holiday party might be counting on a fondue pot to make it memorable. Orders for Christmas gift baskets have to be shipped and delivered on time.
Giving each number a face and a family is one way to keep things in perspective. And remembering what's important is what makes the holiday season special.
As a dog owner, I don’t get to sleep in. My beagle Mr. Beef announces dawn's arrival with a lick attack that has me out of bed and on my feet faster than any alarm clock could (which is something of a shame because we have some pretty cool alarm clocks that I would like to actually use).
On weekdays, this trick of his gets me to the office on or ahead of time- a feat rarely accomplished before he joined the family. I'm still warming up to early weekends, but it just got dramatically better last Saturday.
On typical weekend mornings, Mr. Beef and I pile into the car and drive to a park where he can get out and run. Things went smoothly at first, but over the past few months his behavior has been consistently inconsistent. Just when I thought he was improving, we would have a morning when he would regard my words as mere suggestions rather than firm commands. It was even more difficult to get his attention when he'd start tracking a scent.
Not wanting to subject him to pain or discomfort, I was hesitant to use a training collar. But a few weeks ago, I read about Innotek's Basic Remote Trainer on DogKennels.com (where I purchased his kennel and dog bed) and noticed that it could be programmed with sounds. Since it offered this option at such an affordable price, I thought it was worth a try. I had the opportunity to do just that when it arrived last weekend.
I could not believe how well this product worked with my beagle. The tone emitted from the collar repeatedly redirected his attention back to me, and he heeded my commands almost immediately. Within an hour we had a clearly defined perimeter, which made our time at the park thoroughly enjoyable.
I still may not get to sleep in. But now that stress and frustration are no longer a part of our outings, I'm just as excited to get out there as he is.
I have this new thing for electric fireplaces. I'd always thought I was the traditional wood-burning type. A few days ago I would have scoffed at the idea of fire at the flip of a switch in favor of seasoned hardwood kindled with yesterday's newspaper. But these are the perils of defining your tastes when your career involves continually immersing yourself in the latest products.
It was Dimplex's new line of fireplaces for ElectricFireplaceSource.com that sparked my infatuation. I had no idea that there were electric fireplaces equipped with blower fans and heaters, or that their electrical operating costs can be just pennies a day. They're cleaner, safer, and environmentally friendly. They operate by remote! Suddenly I was having trouble making a case for real logs.
Then I had the chance to check out a few models here at the office, and they look good enough for the living room. Based on reviews from our customers, the consensus is that these fireplaces produce flames that look like the real wood-burning thing. We even have a large number of customers buying fireplace inserts to use in their traditional fireplaces.
Sometimes a product comes along that really does make life easier and more comfortable. It looks like this is one of them. If I do break down and buy one for my own home, I have a feeling that my electric fireplace and I will be more than just a winter fling.
Halloween is more than just a normal day at NetShops. We stretch the fun over an entire week. Since our stores GiftBaskets.com and ChristmasLights.com feature Halloween gifts and decorations, we have an excuse to get a little carried away.
We kicked things off Monday with an apple-bobbing contest. Given the breakneck speed at which several competitors were able to extract a dozen apples from their tub, it’s plainly evident that NetShops employees either practice regular bobbing or rise to meet any challenge with enthusiasm. Could be a little of both.
This friendly competitive spirit continued into Tuesday with a fall dessert bake-off, a contest whose only shortcoming was that I was not appointed to judge it - a gross oversight by the Activities Committee indeed.
With Halloween came our annual costume contest, which included prizes for Most Creative Costume, Best Group Costume, and Best Overall Costume. In a word, hilarious. That many companies eschew Halloween costumes at the office is a travesty. As our winners clearly demonstrated, Neanderthals and deciduous trees are perfectly capable of performing their duties with professionalism, if not an entirely straight face.
On Thursday, the Activities Committee was ready to combat our Halloween sugar hangovers with hot apple cider stations in the break rooms. Mmmm. Liquid autumn.
By Friday, it was time to wean ourselves from the sweets and buckle down for the next holiday season. And what better way to do it than gather the excess goodies and share the wealth? We did just that by collecting over 40 pounds of candy and shipping it off to U.S. troops abroad. Everyone here hopes our brave men and women enjoy this tiny token of appreciation, and more importantly, get themselves home safely.