store

Casino Conundrum

Poker chips

Is it really a conundrum?  Nah, but the alliteration sounds good.

A few weeks ago, planners in a nearby town started considering allowing a casino to be built in their failing mall.  The hope was that it would help to revive the mall and the town with new jobs and new revenue.

Editorial columns in the local paper have been filled with letters reminding city leaders that casinos do not generate wealth, only redistribute it….and this area doesn’t have a lot to start with.  To add another wrinkle to the plans, this past week one of the three remaining anchor stores in the mall announced that they are closing their doors.  Yikes.

I know that this is part of economic cycles and that the nature of retail will change from generation to generation.  That doesn’t stop me from panicking about not being able to find goods when I need them.  I counted on Sears for sturdy cookware and outdoor lawn and gardening tools.  The only B & M store left in this area is Walmart.  Unless you are looking for stretchy tween leggings or oversized stuffed animal heads, you are going to be out of luck.

Two Cairn terriers sitting in the grass.

The boys are encouraging me to go to the Sears closing sale to stock up on whatever we might need to last us until B&M stores come back into fashion.  Since that might never happen, we might need to buy a lot of stuff!

4 CommentsLeave a comment

A Happy Barkday

 

A smiling, happy Cairn terrier wearing a party hat.

Friday was my little man’s barkday, and what a happy pup he was!

My mom had the idea to take the boys to the store to pick out presents for them to celebrate Geordie’s birthday.  The trip would be part of the present.

Geordie tells his story:

While we were good in the car, that all went out the window when we got to the store.  TSC is an agricultural business that sells supplies for all sorts of animals from bunnies to dogs to horses and cows.  At this time of year they also sell chicks and ducklings to farmers.  We could smell all of that as soon as we got to the parking lot.  Woo hoo did we pull!  Mom made us pee before we went in, and Toby did a poo.  Then we FLEW into the store dragging our humans behind us.  First thing we did was meet a puppy black lab girl. Then we found the huge pallet of 100 lb bags of dog food.  Then…then….I pooped all over the floor.  Well, I was just so excited!  We continued to do our best impressions of sled dogs as we tried to break all of the glass lawn decorations foolishly placed out where we could get to them.  (We failed).  When we got to the checkout, the cashier gave us biscuits, so I guess we weren’t too naughty.

Mommy says:  I am hoping that the ears the boys got as their presents keep them quiet so I can maybe get some work done and grab something to eat.  That will be MY part of the gift this year!

*************************************************************************

To read more of Bitey and Toby’s adventures, pick up a copy of Poopiter.

Bitey Dog and Toby in POOPITER

Available at Amazon.

**********************************************************************

 

 

 

 

 

1 CommentLeave a comment

What Do You Do With All The Time You Save?

I am part of a focus group for a major retailer.  So many of the things they ask us about have to do with changing checkout so that you buy your items with your phone as you go through the store, or doing online grocery ordering for curbside pickup.  Lately they have been asking about those services that send food to your house which are supposed to provide fresh cooked meals in 30 minutes.   Evidently they want a piece of that economic pie as well.

Commercials would lead us to believe that families use these services then rush from the dinner table, flinging paper plates into the trash so that they can play soft ball with their kids.  I can’t tell you the last time I saw a family in my neighborhood play ball outside or even throw a Frisbee (ahem, “novelty flying disc”) for their dog.

So, I wonder, what do you do with all of the time you save?

Whee!

*************************************************************

 

 

 

 

 

0 CommentsLeave a comment

Is It Thanksgiving Yet?

Cairn terrier puppy hold his food bowl.

Am I Snoopy?  I feel like Snoopy.

Like so many in the US, Toby is eager for Thanksgiving to arrive.  He is optimistic that if he jumps quickly, he will get the contents of the table first.

*********************************************************************

Unfortunately my pups’ online lives have once again been overshadowed by my quest for a new home for my store.  There are many choices out there, but it is difficult to find an honest review of each to determine if they would fit the needs of my business.

Wix is an attractive site for those of us who want to spend time creating items to sell but who are not tech savvy.  There are extremely varying views about whether or not Wix shops are good for SEO, though.

Etsy works for many, but it is easy to get  lost in the crowd there.  I finally left several years ago because I had to spend so much time updating my shop to meet their constantly changing listing requirements.  (That and I wasn’t getting any sales.)

WordPress also offers an ecommerce package.  I have read that WP sites can have security issues, though, and that makes me reluctant to take the risk.

If I  had more  money, I would try Shopify.  It seems to get the best all-around reviews.  Sadly this change is coming on the heels of a not-stellar business year.  I am reluctant to invest that heavily on an new site when money is tight.

I have looked at even more sites, and it seems that the marketplace ones want to discourage individual branding.  The more independent sites get poor ranking with Google.  The choices are all so ugly and expensive.  There ought to be a better way to go about online marketing,

So, until I make a decision, I guess poor Bitey and Toby will have to hover by the keyboard, waiting for their turn at the computer.  Guys, I would love to turn it over to you.  If I could just figure out the lesser of the evils…

***************************************************************************

 

Pick up a copy of  A Tired Mommy Is a Good Mommy for a virtual escape into Bitey’s world over the holidays.

Cover 8 (800x778)

0 CommentsLeave a comment