PUT A SPIN ON IT!

 I absolutely love it when people are so creative that they can take something that already exists and put a spin on it, taking it to a whole new level of greatness!  Personally, I love fried pickles. This guy takes a fried pickle, but instead of serving it the traditional way, he serves it deep fried on a stick! Now you can eat it on the go!  I love it! I find it amazing and fun when someones takes a concept, whether it be fried pickles or any other number of ideas, and turns it into a novelty. I would say that eating at places like this is as much about the experience as it is about the food itself.  This is exactly the type of business I am drawn to.  NYC's best fried pickles

 Another novel idea I came across is this place called  Roll With It Creamery.
It is so neat to watch them make the ice cream in front of you and "roll" it by using a scraping tool and forming the rolls then topping them with all sorts of things. On the website, make sure you click the Instagram link and scroll until you find some of their demo videos!

Have A Great Day!

Kristy

Facebook

Facebook has become really great at advertising and staying connected in so many ways.

I love being able to stay connected to old friends and family that I no longer live near by means of social media.  It is fun to be able to connect and see photos of people that you wouldn't otherwise be able to stay in contact with.  However, sometimes, I feel like facebook has become so overcrowded with a lot of junk.  Pictures, videos, links, and all sorts of things fill my feed daily and it can be such a waste of time.

On the positive side, though, it has become a one stop shop for so many things, it seems.  Now, if you want to sell something, there are multiple pages for you to do so.  There is tons of advertising for all kinds of businesses.  It is a means for a photo or video to go viral in short periods of time, bringing attention to people, situations that normally would not have access to publicity. You can even follow local and national news stations to keep up with the latest news. In essence, it helps spread information very quickly.  I even had a friend tell me they registered to vote from a link on facebook!

Have A Great Day!

Kristy

ZAPPOS

Web shopping has become so popular over the last several years.  You can buy almost anything without leaving your house now.  It is very convenient, but there are some things that I hesitate to purchase on-line.  For the most part, hings that need to be "tried on" are probably better to be purchased in a brick and mortar store rather than on-line.  If you get something that doesn't fit, then you run the risk and hassle of having to return it.  Zappos.com takes that risk away because they offer free returns.  I think it is a smart move for them, as well as the importance placed on customer service.


Have A Great Day!

Kristy

Kleenex

When it comes to good branding, one company that comes to mind is Kleenex.  
The name is so synonomous with tissues that sometimes all tissues are referred to as Kleenex, no matter the actual brand that is being used.  It's almost as if the product is a Kleenex, rather than the brand of the product. 

Have A Good Day!

Kristy Alexander

Commercials

Commercials can be pretty boring, especially if it is for something as mundane as insurance.  There are a couple insurance companies that I think have been pretty creative with their commercials. Geiko and State Farm.  I think, if they can pull off an entertaining commercial, they have really pulled something off.

Geiko....

State Farm....

Have A Great Day!

Kristy Alexander

K Mart

I live in town and drive down Hwy 31 everyday.  Many times, I pass K Mart and feel bad at the lack of cars in the parking lot.  I hate to see a business that's been there for so long not do well.  I especially feel bad for the employees. 

As everyone probably knows by now, the Cullman KMart is closing. Because of this, they are having a sale and the once-empty parking lot is now filled with cars. I graduated High School with one of the employees there and see some of the comments being made on Facebook about the situation.  Sometimes they talk about how crazy busy it is.  They are even hiring and training new employees to help close the store down. 

One of the comments I saw had to do with wishing the people had given the store business before now.  In on sense, I agree.  I feel bad that the store is only getting business because it is closing.  Shouldn't we have supported this business before now?  I mean, everyone could tell it was only a matter of time before this happened, right? 

On the other hand, is it our job to make sure the business stays open?  OR....Is it their job to give us a reason to buy from there? 

I occasionally shop at K Mart.  I like going there sometimes because they have different things than Walmart. BUT....does the good outweigh the bad?  

In my opinion, the pros are that it has cute clothes, toys, home decor, and kitchen-ware.
The cons are that some of those things tend to be overpriced and the grocery section doesn't even hold a candle to Walmart, as far as the size and selection goes. 

So, why should I shop there? 

I think, if what you are doing isn't working, then you need lo reevaluate the situation.  They already have everything in place- the store, the employees, etc.  Bring in different brands and lines of merchandise that will appeal to the people, offer something that no one else does, and hire a good marketing team.  I get tired of Wal Mart sometimes.  I would love to have more choices. 

With that being said,  I do hope the employees are able to find a job replacement quickly.  Maybe the company will close and reconfigure.  I have heard of companies closing and reopening under a different name.  There may already be plans in place that I know nothing about.  These are purely thoughts from my point of view. 

Have a great day!

Kristy

SIX FLAGS

This weekend I had the pleasure of going to six flags.  It is the first time I have been in almost twenty years.  I went several times as a young person with my youth group and just never made it back in all these years.  Now my daughter is old enough to be in the youth group and they go every September.  My son is almost thirteen, so I thought he would like to go, as well, so I ended up getting season passes for all of us.

It turns out that is a way better deal to get season passes than to just get a one day ticket. A one day ticket costs around $46, give or take, depending on which day you go and which ticket you choose.  When I went to the website, I found that they were having a back to school special.  The price of the season tickets were marked down to $53.99, but you have to order four or more to get the deal.  I only needed three, so I asked some friends if they wanted to take advantage of the offer, and they did, so it worked out perfectly!  There was tax and a small fee added to it, which brought the total price per ticket to approximately $60.  It lasts the rest of this year and all of next year.  Not a bad deal!  I kept thinking, how are they making any money like that until I got there. 

Once you get inside, you can ride the rollers coasters and other rides as many times as you want, but they have strategically placed other money making opportunities all throughout the park.  First of all, food.  You are not allowed to bring your own food inside the park.  They have restaurants and food stands all over the place and, of course, everything is overpriced.  Another thing is photo booths.  I somehow let my son talk me into paying $6 for one of those photo strips!  Now they have lockers at some of the roller coasters that you have to pay to put your personal items in, since they are not allowed on the rides.  There are carnival games for the kids to play. Then then there are the gift shops with all the really cool souvenirs.

To sum it all up, they get you in with the cheap tickets, but entice you with all the goodies that you've just got to have!

Have a great day!

Kristy Alexander