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I wake up every day and thank G-d that my husband and I started an online shopping catalog driven website instead of his 1st entrepreneurial idea (an international catalog featuring ladies sexy lingerie manufactured in Mexico -- a very sexy idea -- until the peso devalued in the course of a 4 hour plane flight). As co-founder of Catalogs.com, I am busting at the seams with enthusiasm and optimism at the latest online shopping statistics!

$211 billion: projected 2006 online sales, including travel, from Forrester Research study

$32 billion: Projected 2006 U.S. online holiday sales, according to Jupiter Research

61 million: Number of consumers expected to shop online for holiday gifts from work in 2006, up from 51.7 million in 2005, according to BIG research survey

96.5 Percent of shoppers in Biz Rate Research survey who said they have been at least somewhat satisfied with their online holiday shopping experience

50 Percent of consumers 18-34 years old in Consumer Reports poll who say they will do their shopping online

39 Percent of all shoppers in Consumer Reports poll who say they planned to purchase holiday gifts online

28.9 Percent of holiday purchases consumers in BIG research survey who say they will use the Internet for

9 Percent of children 5-18 years old who say they plan to do most of their holiday shopping online, according to a poll by market research group Weekly Reader Research

The National Retail Federation projects 13.6 million consumers will purchase online during the holiday season and pick up items in person at stores that offer the option.

Ask yourself WHY such tremendous increases in online activity?

My belief is as follows:

1. Because Web visitors are not only looking for gifts online, but also ways to escape and save time during this busy time of year.

2. Consumers have greater options to hard-to-find unique merchandise.

3. Consumers have the ability to compare prices quickly and efficiently.

4. Employees can “shop” while at work (though their bosses probably don’t appreciate it).
5. Consumers LOVE receiving print catalogs, leafing through them at leisure, and then having the convenience of going online and quickly placing the order without dealing with telemarketers.

6. Internet preferred pricing (or online specials only) are encouraging and motivating consumers to take advantage of special discounts.

What about CATALOGS?

According to the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), it has released a white paper on holiday shopping which indicates that the average combined Internet and catalog holiday sales are 8.3 percent higher than they were during the same period in 2005.

“We are seeing a healthier year than we did during the 2005 holiday season, which saw a 7.5 percent increase over 2004,” said Anna Chernis, senior research manager for DMA. “For the holiday season to date this year, online sales have increased by 11.3 percent while catalog sales have increased by 2.2 percent.”

DMA’s survey also found that approximately three quarters (72.0 percent) of those surveyed marketers report that their Internet sales were higher than for the same timeframe last year. A third of catalog sellers report 2006 holiday sales that are higher than they were for the same period in 2005. Both of these showings are comparable to last year’s survey.

Posted by Melody at 08:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

It’s Christmas Day, all the shops are closed and most restaurants as well. So we decide to take the kids to see Deck the Halls with Matthew Broderick and Danny DeVito. An absolutely uninteresting, boring movie that looked much better in the previews than throughout the 1 ½ hour movie.

As we exit the theater it was as if the starting gates at the race track opened up … thousands of people poured out simultaneously from Muvico 24 Theaters.

What happened to planning exit strategies, or logical planning of dismissals? I’m looking for a business term that implies carefully planning how large groups of people leave facilities in a timely fashion, all orderly and without chaos. For the life of me, I can’t remember the business term used. If you know it, please comment back with the answer.

Why would all 24 theaters appear to have ended at the same time, with masses pushing, shoving and being utterly rude and obnoxious?

Ho Ho Ho … Merry Christmas to all and Happy Holidays!

What happened to planning exit strategies, or logical planning of dismissals? As we exit the theater it was as if the starting gates at the race track opened up …

Posted by Melody at 10:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Despite Royal Caribbean’s best attempt to rid the high seas of the nasty, despicable norovirus, all 5 of us just contracted it on the Freedom of the Seas – the largest cruise ship in the world.

The ship itself was spectacular. Boarding this magnificent vessel I noticed marble everywhere, spiral staircases lit-up onto the Promenade deck, featuring shops and restaurants and side walk cafes. Yet as we made our way into the ship, what caught my eye most was a shocker! Everywhere you looked, there were round looking globes, standing upright on white pedestals, with anti-bacterial germ fighting fluid inside each ball. You simply ran your hands under the laser beam and it automatically squirts out disinfectant into your hands. Every doorway, every food station, every bar area had these light blue germ desanitizing balls present.

And now - I can’t believe it, after waiting 15 months (not days but months) for our long awaited first time family cruise … it ended with contracting this high seas neurovirus and being quarantined. Yes, for 72 miserable hours my husband, I and our 3 kids were confined to our cabin. Even housekeeping wouldn’t enter - so guess who got to clean-up after all 5 of us? That’s right … none other than good old MOM, me.

Freedom of the Seas – ha, more like confinement in my cabin!

Ring a ding ding … “Room service please. Hello, I’d like to order your special gastrointestinal diet please for people with the neurovirus.”

“Yes, please give us our dry toast, plain white rice, bananas, apple sauce and Gatorade.”
For two days … this is what we lived on. YUCK.

Oh … and then the very kind Norwegian ship’s doctor turns to me in-between my mad-dashes to the bathroom and asks, “Would you like a shot in the behind, or a suppository?” The first round I chose the Phenergan in the form of a shot in my left cheek. WOW, did it burn and sting. Because I was double blessed with cleaning up after all my kids, plus being sick myself, that at 2 a.m. I wondered back to the kind doctor for a Compazine cocktail in my right cheek.

The staff on-board the ship was great, and extremely sympathetic. They offered us free in-room movies and to do our laundry for free. They even went so far as to bring a portable play-station into our room with a whole case of game cd’s to try to keep our kids pre-occupied. When we called up asking for clean towels, we had them within minutes. The staff really did bend over backwards to help make our recovery better. Even the doctor’s charges and the shots were on the house!

Given all the bad publicity over the last several weeks about the cruise line industry having to dock several ships due to rampant norovirus outbreaks, we were very well aware of how careful we had to be. Nevertheless, we still got it.

I guess just like the captain of a ship, this norovirus also has to run its own course.

Despite Royal Caribbean’s best attempt to rid the high seas of the nasty, despicable norovirus, all 5 of us just contracted it on the Freedom of the Seas – the largest cruise ship in the world.

Posted by Melody at 10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

What is the ideal gift to give to teachers? Do you give cash, a personalized gift, or a generic gift?

Do you give a gift at all?

Will your teacher think you are trying to “bribe” them to give your kids good grades?

Well, I must admit … bribery certainly has crossed my mind (but I quickly justified my thoughts in realizing that "most" teachers have my kids’ best interest at heart). And for those that don't .. bribery isn't so bad.

I have a true, extremely funny story to tell. Last year I was looking for unique teacher gifts. I bought an “assistant” teacher a cheese board with knife at a local gift store. I go in 1 week later, and find her exchanging the gift, and “COMPLAINING to the cashier that she would much rather have had cash. The assistant teacher didn’t realize I was in line, behind her, listening to the whole saga. She turned around, wasn’t even embarrassed and said, “What the hell am I going to do with a cheeseboard and spreader” not realizing it was ME that gave it to her. But I find cash so "impersonable" and if you get a really good deal, it will appear that you've spent much more than what would have ended up in an envelope as cash.

My advise ... DON'T GIVE CASH ... GIVE A GIFT!

This year I am taking care of EVERYTHING via internet and catalog shopping. Since this is “year-end” I have a ton of work, financials and tax preparation to do … and don’t have time or desire to drive to the store, wait in long lines, then drive home.

Below are my Top 5 Teacher Gifts I would suggest:
1. Audio Book Rental Membership – teachers love to listen as well as read.

2. After putting up with screaming, obnoxious kids all day … teachers NEED pampering, and I happen to LOVE Bath and body gift sets from Caswell-Massey. Save 10% Off Your entire order -- Enter code - CMCAT10 - at checkout at Caswell-Massey.

3. Hand-cut ribbon candy is gorgeous & sentimental with ruby red ribbon & green stripes of cinnamon from Vermont Country Store

4. Teachers love healthy snacks, and truly would love 14 pounds worth of Texas Ruby Grapefruit, Navel Oranges and Avocados. Save $5 off your first order! Enter certificate code "CWS" into the Key Code Box at Red Cooper.

5. You can never have enough note cards … even in the age of email and Internet, teachers like to write hand-written notes. I personally LOVE receiving whimsical note cards that are blank inside. Galison has a great sunny striped note card that comes in a gift box. Get 15% OFF your first order! Enter discount code: ZZZD in the coupon code box at Galison .

Will your teacher think you are trying to “bribe” them to give your kids good grades?

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Posted by Melody at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)