shopping

Stay Put (MM #5022)

It may be the weekend before Christmas, but we’ve decided to stay put. Our Christmas shopping is done, but we have a few items we could pick up at the store. But the crowds are so crazy right now. Our malls are in high-traffic areas, and when holiday shoppers panic, the roads come to a…

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Hickory Farms (MM #5015)

A couple of nights ago, we stopped at the mall. I was looking for a shirt, so we stopped at one of the department stores. I used to love going to the mall to shop and hang out. Much of my formative years was spent working at a jeans store. We had a lot of…

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Christmas Shopping (MM #5006)

Have you been to the mall lately? It used to be a magical place this time of year. But it’s not the same. Christmas shopping used to be unique, but not anymore. It’s always been crazy. The crowds, the noise, the people have always made it special. I worked in retail when I was younger,…

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A Longtime Coming (MM #4961)

Long before Walmart was the biggest of the big box stores, Kmart was the king. But even if your fond memories include waiting for another blue light special, it started disappearing from most towns nearly a decade ago. The last Kmart in the Nashville area closed its doors six years ago. And this week, news…

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Too Early (MM #4925)

Is it too early for stores to start putting out their Christmas decorations? My wife and I went to Walmart the other night, and they already had five or six aisles filled with holiday decorations. For some, it’s never too early to start putting them together. Others think stores should at least wait until after…

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Cash Back (MM #4915)

Every time we turn around, someone seems to have their hand in our pockets. Businesses continue to find creative ways to separate you from your money. Some will say they’re still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. And while this may be true for small businesses, many companies are making record profits. But it’s still not…

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Saving Receipts (MM #4848)

I admit I’m obsessed with saving receipts. It’s something I’ve done for decades. If I can get a receipt, I’ll take it. It gets placed in my bill box. At the end of each year, I put that box away in storage. I even get receipts for the simplest things. Over the weekend, my wife…

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Annoying People (MM #4806)

Yesterday was a frustrating day. No matter where I was going or what I did, I ran into annoying people. And I mean that both figuratively and literally. On the highway, everyone was in a hurry, except for the people who were on the road to get in the way. We had to do some…

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Record Stores (MM #4728)

As I was scrolling through Spotify looking for music to play, I realized just how much I missed the record stores. While I do have everything I want to listen to available all the time online, the joy of searching isn’t the same. There was something magical about the record store. The big box stores…

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Skip Scanning (MM #4674)

The retail world struggles to figure out how to keep the store experience alive; with so many people moving to online shopping, retailers need to develop new ways to remain profitable. As discussed in previous episodes, self-checkout has been one-way stores have cut costs. But it’s increasingly becoming an issue. In recent months, a new…

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