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Fun and Flabulous!

Day in and day out, women, young, middle-aged and very mature complain about the villain of all villains: Arm flab. So many cute blouses and elegant dresses are being neglected due to arm flab. Arm flab is affecting a lot of women in our communities and it should be rectified immediately!

Solution: Stop whining! Unless you plan on working out, get over it! No one ever notices the flab until you so kindly jiggled it and gave it life! Your friends, family and coworkers all have it too! Embrace your flab and wear that sexy dress like you've never met flab before! Work that runway and enjoy the compliments as you strut with confidence! Thank your flab for always being there with you; dependable flab!

Go and be Flabulous!

Up-sell or Not!

In the culture of selling (professionally), we are taught to up-sell. We are trying to entice the customer into spending more money, either leaving with two items or one item with the highest price point. The metrics are calculated within a special system that identifies the salesperson, amount spent and number of items. The metrics measure not only the associates performance but the store's performance as well. Now, with an understanding of how most retailers work, you will understand the situation below and how the associate could have created a win-win for herself and closed the sale much sooner. 

So, I was shopping in a prestigious shopping center located in a very affluent area. The assumption is that every customer can afford everything they touch. The thing is, just because one can afford something doesn't mean it should be purchased. So, I mosey on into this plush and proper baby store where headbands started at $30, etc. I'm browsing and admiring all of the beautiful dresses and fine woven sweaters and cardigans. Another mother was shopping for her two girls: a two month old and a four year old. The mother was debating between two dresses; one frilly with pink and white stripes in two different sizes and one solid pink dress with a subdued ruffled trim for an infant. The debate took place at the cash-wrap with the associate. As I was walking by, the woman asked me what I thought about the dresses she had chosen. The question was if the solid pink for the infant would match the pink and white frilly that was intended for the four year old. The real question was if it was appropriate to spend so much on a dress for an infant to only wear once, whereas the pretty pink and subdued was priced a little less that the other frock. The intention was to have the girls in matching dresses. She asked if the pinks in each dress complimented the other. I agreed that the pinks were close enough to wear for a picture. I also explained that a hair accessory could be worn by the infant that accentuates the floral applique on the frilly dress. The woman agreed and she already had something at home to accessorize the baby and both girls would have a new dress. So, she asked the associate what her thoughts were and the associate continued to push for both frilly dresses. I think the woman was set on the plan I suggested and got the pink, ruffled trimmed dress with a cute headband for the infant and the pink frilly frock for the four year old. 

The lesson for the associate is to listen to what the customer is saying and when the sale is slipping, don't push for the item the customer is contemplating against. Instead, provide some options for the customer and allow the customer to make an informed choice on their own. Doing so, the associate is removed from the decision and the customer is now in control. It's a win-win because you get the two items sold to satisfy the store's goals and the customer is happy. Don't up sell and loose the sale for pushing for too much. Remember, you want the customer to return and trust your opinion on the next visit.
#customers #shopping #cutegirls #dresses #spring #salesassociates #headbands #springtime

Mommy 39

Back in the Baby Business

Babies are a blessing and they smell good but there is so much preparation and energy that comes with this wonderful gift. First of all, if you’re like me and have a huge age gap between the first and second-15 years, you have the opportunity to pretty much raise two children from two different generations. For instance, my first was born in 1999 during the Y2K phenomena and the next one is due in 2015. So many things have changed from 1999 to 2015 like car seats and pacifiers (some you can squeeze food through i.e.: bananas). Organic food choices are more accessible and more ways to manufacture from home.

Aside from the technological advances and creative “new” parenting aspects, we have to address the mindset of older parents. Becoming a mother again at 39 is challenging on the body and mind. At 39, you have concerns that were not present 15 years prior. The medical community will kindly place you in the “high risk and elderly” category. If you didn't already feel old, you will after leaving that first pre-natal appointment. Overall, I’m pretty healthy, hardly ever catch colds and occasionally suffer from seasonal allergies. However, with this pregnancy, I have felt every symptom ten times more than I did the first time around. The bodily functions are more exaggerated like flatulence and aching breasts and I don’t have any shame when I let loose or go bra-less. I have never felt so liberated! On top of all of this, the doctors strongly recommend genetic testing. I guess for some it gives the option to discontinue the pregnancy if certain genetic markers are found. For us, it didn't matter what the tests revealed, we were prepared to take the pregnancy full term.

The approach with the second pregnancy felt more routine, with no surprises. With our first, the sex wasn't known until the birth. We literally, came up with a set of names for both sexes the night before giving birth. With this pregnancy, we wanted to know the sex right away. I guess knowing the sex did make it easier to decide on a name by eliminating one of the sexes. With our first, I didn't consider the name as factor leading to discrimination. We choose a name and meaning that we liked not really projecting what the future would/could entail. Post September 11^th attacks, we had to consider if the Arabic name we have chosen will have any undue repercussions. We all get questioned about our heritage but I think our newest offspring will endure more questions and assumptions. We decided to keep our Arabic name and like our first child, this child will be taught to be a proud citizen no matter what.

Is He or Isn't He?

Over the past few days, I've been reading status updates, tweets and overhearing some good ole conversations. The one commonality between each was the topic of men and how they were treating each of these particular women. The question is, why is it allowed? How did we arrive to the point of allowing someone else to steal our joy?  I think we believe that this person is for us, and therefore, we believe and lean on everyone word or thought he (she) may have about our realities and character. With this said, we slowly began a process of dependence (mentally) and we put our joy and mental health in the hands of someone who may not have/had good and honest intentions about our well-being or future. We shut out our family and friends (some of whom saw the writing on the wall before us) and the only reality were are allowed or told to rely upon is that of the person dictating the how and what we should be or shouldn't be. Again, the question, is he or isn't he the right one for me? The answer requires a complete honest conversation with the self and perhaps a detachment from the dictator of your reality. Listen to that inner voice; it's the one that loves you:) 

Customer Service

Question: What do you do when you receive unsatisfactory customer service? Do you leave comments on Facebook Pages, call owner, write a letter?? How are you advocating for yourself?

Student Loan Debt

I recently read a few articles regarding student loan debt. The articles supported arguments for all angles of the issue: Legislation, Creditors and Lenders, Educational Institutions, Parental Guidance and Student Responsibility. I am at a point where I can argue from at least two perspectives. For those of you that can relate to this issue please share your thoughts. Who is the responsible party for student debt? Factor in tuition, books, living expenses, credit card companies, banks, universities. Do you have any solutions or suggestions?