Tag Archives: prize giveaway

The Future of Shopping?

the futureWhen I think of “Future Shopping,” I think of George Jetson trying to give his wife a twenty, but she takes the whole wallet instead! Anyhoozle, there’s an article in the Wall Street Journal on the future of shopping entitled, oddly enough, The Future of Shopping. The basic nugget o’ wisdom goes like this:

Thirty years down the road, much of the change in retail is going to be driven by a complete reformulation of the relationship between how we make the stuff, how we sell the stuff and how we consume the stuff.

Here are some of the predictions:

Malls become “Alls”: I can remember our mall back in the 70s had not one, but two grocery stores in it. That seems ridiculous now but, apparently, it will be coming back. Aside from clothing, food and electronics, you will see “gyms and innovative fitness centers, medical services and even schools, grocery stores and luxury spas”.

Artisanal everything: Handcrafted clothes, furniture, foods, etc.This is about the counter trend of being local. It is about a need to be different and nostalgic for things that are timeless and somehow pure.”

Highly personalized clothing: Super-precise tailored measurements for clothing made immediately by robots. They’re already doing it in Korea!

A Different Kind of “Mobile”: They’re doing this in Charleston SC already. There’s a restaurant on the well-to-do/upscale tourist part of town. They have long waits, so on weekends, this truck full of upscale ladies apparel/accessories parks outside the place to take advantage of the captive. (“Go ahead, honey; I’ll be in the bar.” – Me)

Are you seeing some of these already? Which ones? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!

A Modest Prom-posal

promProm spending peaked back in 2013 at $1,140. It fell to $978 in 2014, and this year is expected to slip again to $919.

While I would like to think that this means people are being wiser with their money, I have my doubts. There’s something new on the prom scene (well, it’s the first time Visa has mentioned it in its annual Prom Spending Survey, anyway) called The Promposal. Because the invitation to the prom has to be the dopest, raddest, illest event of the season, second only to Prom itself! Thank you, MTV.  The average cost of this nonsense is around $300, or one-third of the total Prom expenditure. If you absolutely have to learn more about this nonsense, go here.

Another sign that we aren’t minding our dollars and cents is that parents, who only kicked in 56% of the cost last year, have gone soft and are parting with 73% this year.

Now, to me, the best thing about the Visa Prom Spending Survey is that it’s not just a way for us to sit in judgment of the poor saps blowing all this money (of course, that IS part of the fun!) but it’s also a teaching tool. Visa has several tips for saving money, and has also published a prom budgeting app that helps you stay on track with your prom spending. Check it out!

How about you? Spending more, less or the same for prom this year? Are the kids chipping in, or not? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!

Easter by the Numbers 2015

lily2 copyFavorite Easter memory: I was about five, and it snowed 6 inches the night before Easter (Ohio, y’all!) I came downstairs Easter morning and my father said, “Look outside!” I did, and I saw giant bunny prints in the snow leading from the street to the house. I was thrilled. It took me YEARS to realize that it had been my dad in his size-13 construction boots, heels-in/toes-out, who had made the footprints. By then, I was 19, and hadn’t been into Easter baskets for over a year.

Simple pleasures, right? And I wonder if that has been lost. That commercial on now – is it Sears? Where the kids run downstairs on Easter morning to find TWO BRAND-NEW BIKES!!! Bikes? I was lucky to get a hollow chocolate bunny! Kids these days…

As Americans, we do holidays big, even when (especially when) we can’t afford it. So let’s take a look at Easter Spending by the Numbers 2015!

  • $16.4 Billion: Total Easter spending. (Up half a Bill from last year)
  • $140: Average Americans will spend on Easter (up $3)
  • 86%: Will have a special dinner, and spend $5 Billion, or $62 per household
  • 87% will buy candy, and spend $2 Billion, or $28 per household
  • $2.4 Billion: Spent on gifts, or $47 per household
  • $1 Billion: Spent on Flowers, or $32 per household
  • $1 Billion: Spent on decorations, or $28 per household
  • $700MM: Spent on cards, or $17 per household
  • $61.00: Spent on Easter clothes per household

Well, that’s the tale of the (register) tape for this year. While we’re at it, let’s not forget that Easter (and Passover!) is a very important religious holiday for many millions of folks. However you spend it, at church, temple, with family or friends, we hope it’s GREAT. Happy Easter and Chag Sameach from MindField Online! Share your weekend plans with us over at our Facebook page!

Sources: Natl Retail Federation, StatisticsBrain.com, Forbes

Fast Food Funk

sad burgerWe talked last week about people’s favorite fast food joints, with Chick fil A coming in at #1, and Hardee’s at #20. Here is the flip side. An article in Business Insider reports on a survey done by Morgan Stanley asking folks, “If you have stopped going to a certain fast food place, or you’re thinking about quitting…Why?” The answers ranged from Too Expensive, to Quality Going Downhill, to Eating Healthier, and so on. See if any of these sound familiar to you…

Why Would You/Did You Quit…

  • McDonalds: Eating healthier, don’t trust quality, artificial ingredients
  • Starbuck’s: Too expensive
  • Red Lobster: Too expensive
  • Burger King: Quality, service decline
  • Domino’s: Boring, unappealing menu

Now, these are subjective, personal opinions. They don’t always reflect facts on the ground. For more on that, read this piece about how Millennials gripe and complain and disparage McD’s…but they eat there far more than any other place! Anyway, lots more at the original piece, so check it out!

So, how about you? Have you cut back on fast food? Any place in particular? Why? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

This Fast Food Survey is Making Me Hungry

hamburgerThere’s talk of a fast food backlash, but I don’t know. McDonalds is certainly hurting; Millennials just don’t want to go there. Others are doing OK, however, and it’s not just the new upstarts. Old warhorses like Dairy Queen are getting excellent scores in public opinion.

A recent survey asked 10,000 people to rate fast food chains, and here are the top 20 achievers for 2015:

  • Chick-fil-A
  • Papa John’s
  • Dairy Queen
  • Panera Bread
  • Subway
  • Sonic Drive-In
  • Dunkin’ Donuts
  • Pizza Hut
  • Popeye’s
  • Taco Bell
  • Starbucks
  • Chipotle Mexican Grill
  • Wendy’s
  • Arby’s
  • Little Caesar’s
  • Domino’s
  • Panda Express
  • KFC
  • Burger King
  • Hardees

It’s a pretty tight spread, with #1 Chick-fil-A earning 82% satisfaction, and #20 Hardees earning 72. By the way, McDonalds was in 21st place. Of course, your mileage will vary. Asking folks to describe their feelings is a pretty subjective thing!

How about you? Does this look like a good list? Any of your favorites missing? Any here surprise you? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

Customer Satisfaction: Who Stands Out?

shopcartA big study just came out. It interviewed 10,000 U.S. consumers to rate their recent interactions with 293 companies across 20 industries and then evaluated their experiences across three dimensions: success, effort, and emotion.”

Who are the big winners? Grocery stores, as a whole, get the highest marks. Publix takes the top spot. I have to say, I do like the overall vibe of Publix, but MAN! That experience comes at a high price! Interestingly, the grocery store Aldi also placed highly. Um, has Aldi changed? I remember it as the bare-bones, no-frills store that carries all the foreign knock-offs of your favorite products, e.g., the detergent in the orange box is called “Surf” instead of “Tide.” Must be a price thing? I can see how that would score these days!

Other achievers, getting positive ratings, include fast food, retailers, parcel delivery services, and banks. Meanwhile, Internet service providers, TV service providers, and health plans received “poor” ratings.

As for “movers,” companies that have improved or gotten worse, Residence Inn, US Cellular, and JetBlue Airlines moved up, while Subaru dealers, TD Ameritrade, and Buick dealers went down.

How about you? What do you look for in a retailer? How do you define customer satisfaction? Who’s at the top of YOUR list? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

Retail Customer Satisfaction Declines

shopgirlIf retailers could accurately, scientifically predict customer satisfaction…then every store would be a success! But there are so many variables. And new technologies keep changing the game every year. And, while the recent results aren’t HUGE declines,  customer satisfaction is down overall.

So, to hear that consumer retail satisfaction has declined for the first time in 4 years, is a bad sign. Basically, the old-school brick-and-mortar stores are down, and online stores are up.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index surveyed almost 9,000 consumers (and if you know anything about surveys, that’s a big sample!) Here’s what they learned about customer satisfaction. Do these percentages of LIKES sound familiar to you?

  • Department/Discount Store Scores: Nordstrom 86% LIKE, Dillard’s 81%, Kohl’s 80%, Target 80%
  • Supermarkets: Trader Joe’s 85%, Wegmans 85%, Publix 82%,
  • Drug Stores: Rite Aid 78%, Walgreens 77%. CVS 75%
  • Specialty Retail: Costco 84%, BJ’s Wholesale Club 81%, Sam’s Club 80%
  • Lowe’s beat Home Depot
  • Internet Retailers: Amazon, at 86% is the top of the heap

So, do these results match your shopping experience? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

Valentine’s Day by the Numbers 2015

valentine bucksWell, the statistics are in, and the retailers are thanking their lucky stars. Valentine’s Day spending is back, baby! In almost every category, V-day spending is up. To the extent that this predicts retail sales, or consumer confidence, or whatever, it’s all good in the retail ‘hood.

According to the National Retail Federation, and as reported in USA Today and Yahoo Finance, here are some of the bullet point from this year’s survey. Or as we call it, “Valentine’s Day by the Numbers!”

  • $18.9 billion: To be spent in 2015. That’s up 1.5 billion from last year!
  • $88: Average spent per person, up $10 from 2014
  • 53%: Will buy candy
  • 21%: Will buy jewelry
  • 38%: Will buy flowers
  • 35%: Will have a night out
  • 1-2-3: In order, MEN buy 1) Flowers, 2) Candy, 3) Cards
  • 1-2-3: In order, WOMEN buy 1) Cards, 2) Candy, 3) Evening Out
  • #1 Destination for women: Discount stores
  • #1 Destination for men: Department stores
  • 21%: People who will buy a Valentine for their pets
  • 54%: Men who foolishly believed their wives when she said “I don’t really want anything for Valentine’s Day.”

OK, I made that last one up. Anyhoozle, it’s nice to see that, even in VERY uncertain times, a nice little romantic holiday like this can break through the anxiety. Whatever you spend, however you spend it, spend it with somebody you love!

What are YOUR Valentine’s day plans? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page!

 

 

 

 

Money Questions for Potential Young Marrieds

"OK, kids, scootch in a little closer to the dollar sign..."
“OK, kids, scootch in a little closer to the dollar sign…”

Love is in the air. Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Many candlelight dinners will be consumed, and many nervous young dudes will be popping a certain question. Well, slow down tiger. You can barely afford this fancy dinner. Can you afford to be married?

A lot of young folk skip right over this question, and this can lead to heartache down the road. One problem is that people just don’t like to talk about money.

If your relationship is heading toward joint finances, it’s essential to talk about it first – openly and honestly. A 2014 survey…found that 13 percent said they had failed to share information about their personal debt or income, which had “an effect on the relationship.” YourHoustonNews.com

So here are some questions for prospective brides and grooms to discuss openly:

  • Where are you financially as individuals?
  • What are your money personalities?
  • How do you want to live?
  • How will you handle everyday spending?
  • What if you need help?

As usual, these are the bullets. Lots of further explanation at the original piece. How about you? Were you once young and dumb and skipped over these questions? I WAS and DID. How did it work out for you? DID it work out for you? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend!

Rising Prices in 2015

We talked last time about the variety of items and services that will cost less in 2015, from falling gas prices to just about everything affected by gas prices, which is a BUNCH.

Unfortunately, there’s always another side to the equation, and other factors that affect prices. According to MoneyTalksNews.com, weather, livestock diseases, rising demand, poor planning among suppliers, and government regulation all play a part.

So which items will hit you pocketbook a little harder this year? Here are the bullet points:

  • Bourbon
  • Beef and pork
  • Avocados
  • Chocolate
  • Air travel
  • Hotels
  • FedEx and UPS fees
  • Coffee
  • Olive oil
  • Some sports cars
  • Redbox rentals
  • Girl Scout Cookies
  • Health care

For all the hows and whys, check out the original article. Which of these will affect you most? How will it affect you spending behavior? Let us know over at the MindField Online Facebook page, and have a great weekend before the prices go up!

(And don’t forget about the Valentine’s Day Makin’ it Rain giveaway!)