Snow and Flowers

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About Costco:

 
Recycle your Electronics, get Costco Cash Card.
If you need to dispose some of your electronics, you can “sell it to Costco
also take notebooks, MP3 players, LCD monitors, camcorders, digital cameras, game consoles, and phones.

 
It’s gets better yet: There’s no trade-in value, but if you have an old CRT, printer, or fax machine, Greensight , with which Costco contracted, will recycle it for you and pay to ship the item to them.

 
You get “paid” with a Costco cash card. If you’re not a Costco member, you can use the cash card towards the membership fee; members can use the card to buy merchandise.”
The article doesn’t indicate a starting date of this program or the states, where it will take place. I couln’t find any info about it at www.costco.com, either.
Source: blogs.pcworld.com

 
About Amazon:

  
Why Amazon is the world’s best tech retailer.

 
“And it’s for this reason that maybe Amazon isn’t the very best retailer in the world, it’s just the best tech retailer by default. After all, if it’s always in front of you and you’re always wondering what the site is offering products for, wouldn’t you naturally buy products from it? Not to mention, it’s a site you can trust.

 
Sadly, we currently live in an era of retail limbo brick-and-mortars are giving way to online stores. With that in mind, none of the retail offerings are really that great, but some are definitely better than others. But with a fine shopping experience, Amazon is simply a cut above the rest.”
“the company was offering pre-Christmas arrivals on all its products up until midnight on December 23rd and according to reports filed after the holiday, it enjoyed a 99 percent success rate of on-time delivery.”
Source: blogs.cnet.com

 
Motley Fool came up with an interesting article, about Amazon and Starbucks.
“You rarely see companies as large as Amazon taking bigger and bigger steps. But the top dog in online shopping is becoming the first stop for most potential buyers, thanks to its sterling reputation and sticky programs like its Prime membership, which offers subsidized shipping in exchange for an annual fee.”

 
About Starbucks:

 
“Starbucks is more than just a java peddler. It’s a lifestyle pimp…Folks pay a premium at Starbucks because the place is a treat for the senses. The aromatic bliss of flavored grounds fills the nostrils. The jazzy tunes soothe the eardrums…Now that the chain is testing out baked eats, putting out rock CDs, and installing drive-through speakers, is anyone sure what kind of lifestyle the company will be pitching in the future? ”
Source: www.fool.com

 
At the same time Starbucs is visibly loosing its ground (economy, too many close locations, or prices at fault), so “Howard Schultz, the chairman and founder of Starbucks, is returning to the post of chief executive, replacing Jim Donald, in response to a sharp fall in its shares and growing anxieties about the impact of rapid growth on the company’s brand and performance.

 
A company statement said the move was part of a set of initiatives aimed at “refocusing the company on providing customers with the distinctive Starbucks experience, and building on Starbucks’ legacy of innovation”.
Mr. Schultz has been chairman since stepping down as chief executive in 2000 after 13 years.”
Source: www.ft.com

 
There is a news, that Starbucks, famous for its wide selection of products and a great treatment of its employees, will close some of the less profitable locations to pull itself to the success it used to purvey.

 
The following paragraph in www.therealdeal.net is dated 2006:
“The ubiquitous caffeine concessionaire has more than 200 stores in New York City (including 175 in Manhattan), and operates in 37 countries worldwide. Indeed, the coffee purveyor has become the most frequented retailer in the world, with an estimated 40 million customers visiting their 11,500 stores worldwide each week.”

 
But now “The Seattle-based coffee giant will close the cafes it operates in 13 Chicago-area Jewel stores early next year…While Jewel is losing Starbucks, its biggest rival, Dominick’s Finer Foods, is adding them.
Dominick’s has about 50 stores containing Starbucks — four times as many as Jewel has. That’s a significant number, considering Jewel stores far outnumber Dominick’s.
With about 175 stores in the Chicago area, Jewel is the region’s biggest supermarket chain, with 41% of the local grocery market. ”
Source: www.chicagobusiness.com

 
You may read the letter posted by Howard Schultz at the www.starbucks.com where he talks about his commitment to the company and the customers, and promizes to keep good things coming.

 
About Google:

 
Google, of course, is the company, which strives to please its customers. Sergey Brin’s motto “No evil” is being followed meticulously and every day. There are so many features and programs to help you, that regular users simply don’t know about it, and if they do, unfortunately, they wouldn’t know what to do with it. If you are one of the techies, then you know what I am talking about. Power to you.
Whenever I find out about a new useful and relatively easy invention, I post it under the category “Info of the Day” or “Useful Information”.

 
Some time ago I read a book titled “The Google Story” written by David A. Vise and Mark Malseed, which is full of history, facts and much deserved praises to the founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page. If you are interested in the intricate details of this company and its people, get the book. You’ll enjoy it.
It’s available at Amazon books:The Google Story

 
And, in case you’d want to read about the Starbucks, there is a book, too. Where else? At the Amazon. Starbucks Experience Principles Ordinary Extraordinary

 
This post is a tribute to the companies, that care.

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Why it’s good to have a disposable camera in your car’s glove compartment (even if your cell phone has a photo option):
You may meet a long lost friend or see something of a huge importance or interest.
Also, if a person is involved in the accident, the pictures from the site will prove to be an invaluable help in showing the exact damage

to the cars, the distance and a location of the surroundings, as well, as the witness’s (if any) cars and faces. You can buy at most grocery stores.

Books
Always a great gift. Also a subscription to a trade or a hobby oriented magazine or a newspaper.  Ask if a person has a wish list at www.amazon.com or anywhere else. If not, suggest it for the future use.

A Watch
Before you choose what you like, observe the person’s style, try to find out the preference for the size, the shape, the wristband (leather band or metal bracelet) and silver or gold finish. Also, keep in mind, that black or gray face may pose a problem for visually challenged.

The Museum Membership
It is an appropriate gift for anyone, but especially for those, who likes going to the museums. Don’t forget to get it in the recipient’s name and address. A lot of museums have affiliates in other cities, as well. Besides, it could be tax deductible, too (only, if you have a property and Sch. A is involved. Talk to your tax adviser about it).

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