Wicked Wednesday: Shopping Online vs. Retail

Source: livingnotesfromnyc.blogspot.com

 Like a lot of women, I'm a self-confessed shopaholic. I'd like to believe that I'm not as bad as some, seeing as I am able to walk away from a good bargain or refrain from buying something I don't need. So for someone who is big on shopping, I am very much aware of the great shopping debate: online vs. retail.

There is an increasing number of consumers hopping on the internet to shop. I'd know because people around me, including myself, have hopped on the online shopping bandwagon. Now, I'm trying to get off it and it's a bit hard. Why am I trying to get off it? After all, there are so many advantages to shopping online.

Source: mamamia.com.au

Online

Pros

• It is much cheaper. 
• It's easy. Just a click of a mouse without getting our butts off our seats. 
• It's time-saving. Don't have to drive anywhere or walk for hours. 
• Access to brands or items that are not available locally. 
• It's much cheaper. 

Cons  

• Delivery is not always guaranteed. Just like a lot of things, mail can get lost too.
• Fakes. The internet is crawling with them. 
• Does not always come with warranty. 
• No physical samples. Not from the online store anyway*.

You're probably think "blah, blah, blah, I've heard all of that before." Most of us are willing to take the gamble. Here the pros outweigh the cons. I mean, real stuff that we want at a cheaper price! Why not? Well, there's a lot more to it than that. Here are two big reasons why buying online can be a really bad thing.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

The Damage

• Retail is dying. This means that more and more people will lose their jobs or there will be fewer jobs available. 

• We're losing money. Whenever we buy things from/in other countries (whether online or physically), our money/currency flows out. The other country becomes richer and ours becomes poorer. That's why we're always encouraged to buy locally.  

 It doesn't sound like it will affect you (or maybe it already has). Try thinking back on those summers when you were in high school, you worked in shops to make more pocket money. It is thanks to those retail store owners that you had a job to make money from. The simplest solution is to get retail stores to compete with online prices but most can't or won't. Online stores are usually one-man-shows, running with very little cost. Retail store owners have to pay for staff, rent, equipment, furniture, renovations and tax. All those are expensive, particularly in Australia. 

Source: jugglingair.blogspot.com

What do we do now? 


If retailers want to survive, they should also stop being so greedy and lower their mark-up price. It is understandable that they need to make a profit (otherwise you can't live, can't buy food to feed yourself) but it should still be reasonable.


As Australian consumers, we should support our own economy by buying products locally whenever we can. Not only will we be helping those who work in retail, we'll be helping those who work in factories. We do not want any of our factories moving to China or Vietnam.


As people who work in the retail sector, we must do our best to give the best service we can. This justifies our high labour cost. The more we can sell, the less likely our bosses will go bankrupt and the more likely we can keep our jobs. Service is a powerful weapon. It's something that online stores cannot easily provide.

Lastly, I would like to clarify that I am by no means admonishing you for buying things online. As a consumer, it is your right to buy what you want wherever you want. Now, I only purchase things that I can't obtain locally online. Everything else that is available in shops/stores, I buy from them... unless they give me terrible service! I am only encouraging you to support your fellow Australians, just like how you'd like them to support you. Don't be afraid to ask for a good deal or a discount from retailers. Subtly remind them that you are here to support them! 

Disclaimer: I am by no means saying that everything in this post is 100% true and correct. These are merely my opinion at this point in time with the knowledge that I currently have (hence the bias that is evident in this post). If I've offended anyone in this post, I sincerely apologise.

What's your take on this? 

Featuring Ellen DeGeneres

Source: noorfashionhouse.blogspot.com

 I am a big fan of Ellen DeGeneres. If I could only choose one talk show to watch for the rest of my life, it'd be hers. Well, that's assuming her show will continue for as long as I live of course. I decided to feature her today because I received an interesting email.

No, Ellen did not send me an email to say that she's sending me VIP tickets to her show. Although, that would be very nice of her. Okay, so what is the email about? Pinterest sent me a notification to say that Ellen "liked" one of my pins! I know it's not a big deal and it might be an imposter (which I really hope it isn't the case) but I'm such a huge fan of hers that I suddenly felt closer to her upon reading the email.

So here's a print screen shot of the email. I had to blot my name out for privacy purposes (because there are lots of bad people lurking on the internet these days). I was a bit stunned and surprised when I read it. Normally, I'd get people whose name I don't know or recognise, liking or reposting my pins.

So there you have it. On the lower left hand corner you can see that Ellen likes my floral Forever New shoes! I knew those shoes were a good investment! I even clicked on her avatar/icon which led me to her Pinterest page. It looked pretty convincing to me. Anyway, the point is I'm just happy with the prospect that Ellen liked one of my pins!! I hope to one day watch her show live in LA.

If you've never watched Ellen (her show) before and you like something with lots of humour, I highly recommend you start watching it. If you need convincing or some proof that it's a great show, look no further, below is a hilarious video of an interview with Kristen Bell.



Enjoy!

Do you share my love for Ellen? What talk shows do you watch?

Sweet & Sassy Saturday: Dandruff Drama

Hooray! It's finally Saturday! Okay, I know there's nothing sweet or sassy about dandruff but I really wanted to post about it so here we go. Dandruff has been a long time enemy of mine. It's been popping in and out of my life relentlessly. I've been plague by it again these past few months (since the end of 2011). I've been trying, in vain if I must add, to get rid of it.

Source: xpress.onlinegrocery.my

In December, I tried TBD's recommended Listerine treatment. My scalp becomes comepletely dandruff-free for a day or two, which is great until it comes back. The other drawback is that the baby oil component leaves my hair extremely greasy. It looked like I haven't washed my hair in months. It's not because I didn't rinse the treament off. It's just really hard to wash the baby oil off and it usually takes me up to three washes before my hair gets back to its normal non-greasy state. I only recently watched Andrea's video on Listerine treatment. She did it without the baby oil and maybe that's what I should have done.

Source: oliveoil-akash.blogspot.com

In January, I gave olive oil a try. I thought I might be flaking because my scalp was too dry. So everytime before I washed my hair, I would massage my scalp with olive oil and let it sit for about 15 minutes or more. Perhaps I didn't employ this treatment for long enough but I didn't see or feel any difference. My scalp was still itching and flaking, making second-day-hair unbearable. My hair was still falling out more than usual.

Source: growing-herbal-remedies.com

In February, I decided to use a garden plant. That sounds crazy but it isn't. I applied aloe vera gel straight from the plant to my scalp (this is as organic as it gets). I did this at least 15 to 30 minutes prior to washing my hair. It really soothed my scalp and reduced itchiness but it did not help with my dandruff. On a separate note, fresh aloe vera gel is very good for the hair. It gives me shiny and bouncy curls when I use it as a hair styling product. Just slice off a stem/leaf and you will get its gooey goodness oozing out from the cut. Peel it open as you use it. I apply it on wet hair and then blowdry. Don't forget to remove the spikes first or it's a one-way ticket to ouchville!

Source: beautydirectory.com

By the time March rolled around, I was too busy and lazy to bother with any treatments. I've been living with my horrible dandruff condition until about a week or two ago. I bought myself a Head & Shoulders Scalp Massage Cream for Anti-Dandruff Care. It's been keeping my dandruff and itchiness at bay so far. I will have to use it for a few more weeks before I can post a proper review.

So I have my fingers crossed for the H&S product. I'll post a review and a dandruff update in a months time (hopefully). You're probably thinking "why isn't she worried that she might be balding?" I'm not because I'm still growing hair; I have tons of baby hair sprouting out from my scalp, which is ironically annoying yet comforting to see.

Edit: Happy Easter! 

Have you ever had any dandruff dramas? What was your method of treatment?

Wicked Wednesday: Featuring Andreaschoice

Source: wmich.edu

Greetings! I hope everyone's been having a good week so far. From now on, I will be posting regularly. Expects posts every Wednesday and Saturday. "Why?" you might ask. Well, I think people generally love routine and consistency. By doing this, you don't have to constantly check my blog, wondering when my next post will pop up!

I chose Wednesday because it's in the middle of the week. I'm calling it Wicked because it's the most tiring day of the week; it's two days after the last weekend (when you got your fun and rest) and it'll be another two days before the next weekend (when you get more fun and rest). Hopefully, by reading my posts on Wednesdays, it'll help get you through the week!

I also chose Saturday because everybody loves weekends! And you're more than likely to have time to read blog posts. Okay, maybe you don't because you're probably too busy partying or out having fun on a Saturday (how was I supposed to know that?). If you're not doing anything wild but just winding down or resting at home, rest assured that my posts can help keep you company. I'm going to call it Sweet & Sassy Saturday or Triple S. Neat huh? Okay, not really. In addition to Wicked Wednesday and Triple S, I will be posting on other days, whenever I feel like it. They will be the extras. 

So for today's Wicked Wednesday, I'm featuring my newfound favourite Youtuber Andreaschoice. She's currently one of the stylists on myglam.com. I found her through a link on a friend's Facebook wall. She's really sweet and funny and, let's not forget, pretty! I love her DIY videos the most. I'm learning new things just from watching them.

Source: http://www.andreaschoiceonline.com

Videos by Andreas that I like:
Lighten your hair with honey! Who knew?
Pimples be gone! With a salt scrub?
Make your own hairspray! No, not the musical. 

Enjoy!

Announcement: Winner of My Giveaway

Good Sunday morning, everyone! It a beautiful day today (or at least it is where I live). The skies are blue and the birds are chirping. Can anyone ask for a more perfect Sunday? Anyway, I better stop rambling on about the weather. I bet you're all dying to find out who the winner of my giveaway is. I also bet that some of you thought that I had forgotten all about it but no, I haven't!

So I got the random number generator on random.org to cough up a random number.

So without further ado, I'd like to announce the winner of my blog giveaway is...

*drumrolls*

Jacqueline! Congratulations!

I've already contacted the winner and if she doesn't reply within 5 days, I will redraw and a new winner will be announced. I'm happy to say that this giveaway was a success!... I think. If you did not win this giveaway, don't fret. I promise you I will be throwing more and better giveaways in the near future!

I would like to thank everyone who has been reading my blog. Thank you so much for the feedback that you've given me through the giveaway entry form. I'll keep what you have said in mind. In fact, I've already implemented some changes. I hope I can continue to write blog posts that you enjoy reading.

Have a great day!

P.S. I know it is April Fool's today but this post is not an April Fool's joke.