Local Merchant vs. Big Retailer drilled down

I know, its been a while since I've posted. So long this should probably be a whole new blog. But its coming up on winter, our favorite season...until January when we'll be thinking fondly of ANY other season. And its coming up on the holidays and everywhere I go I hear one of two things. People are either talking about "great deals" or "buying local". For the world's biggest anti-shopper, me, this is a hellish time of year.

There is a whole new movement from a local non-profit which is promoting Buy Venango and such. I've always been one to buy local whenever possible, mostly food though....YUmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm and crafts...we have the prettiest jewelry right by my work!

But recently I've come to realize, you know, its just not worth the hassle. Buying online, paying shipping, even being WRONG and having to return, rebuy and reship sometimes beats "buying local".

For a few things this year, and we're talking bigger things, I've tried to buy local.

Local is more personal! Local might cost more but there is that "relationship", that getting to talk to someone who knows and have them right here in case you need them again. Local saves jobs, feeds families!

Right now I'm all blah, blah, blah, whatever.

Local stinks. And I have to qualify this - when I say local I take this to mean pretty much anything in WesternPA minus Erie and Pittsburgh (because in a store in Pittsburgh, omgosh even Boardman!, we could find better).

Went to a local store for a product I knew quite well enough. Wound up with pushy sales, not exactly what I wanted, a couple lies, absolutely NO refunds (even if we screw up, the product is crap refunds) and NO desire to ever shop this store again (you are safe Venango county - it was the next county to the east).

Went to another local store for a product I really needed help with and didn't wind up with any better.

The funny thing is, the Big Retailer competition of these Merchants is exactly the opposite. They go out of their way to be available any way that is convenient for you. Even if they have a tighter refund policy they go out of their way to communicate it and STILL help you be happy. Then there are the Deals (yes the Deals are capitalized) that everyone else (not happy hippie local shoppers) is talking about.

I could have saved triple digits (before the decimal) and been supremely happy.

And people wonder why Local Merchants continue to lose. Its not about "a few dollars cheaper" when Big Retailers beat Local Merchants on their only virtues.

And since all 3 of you who read this blog could leak secret holiday stuff to the one person who can't hear it (read that id-kay, lol how does one type pig latin?) that is as far as I can vent without naming specific stores or I would. I would take out an ad with the money I'll save next year at Cabelas! to tell the region how much these stores stink.

Oh and if you are in the market for anything Dunham-ish - just know what the heck you are doing before buying anything or they will try and sell you things that should, ahem, float (sort of) that have holes and all other kinds of weird stuff but at least their return policy rocks so when you finally run into someone who knows what the heck they are talking about you can fix your problem. Thats the wicked morphed mutant version of Local Medium Retail Merchant.

Sometimes the "big" stores are big for a reason, they are good. And when you are talking about supersecretBigGuyintheSleigh stuff its the time for "good" and if its the only time you are getting me to think about shopping then looks like there will be a whole lot of 'buy local' loss. Unless you sell something yummy or sparkly :)

Halloween is almost here!

We love where we live and we love Halloween and we love it even more that lots of others where we live love Halloween.

I have family coming to visit for Halloween just because we have the coolest spookable neighborhoods. Maybe some day I could actually be with it enough to be a spookable kind of house but its getting late and it still hasn't happened this year.

So, since I have kids coming the next two weekends that want to be spooked I start thinking about Halloween...Franklin...spook...Venango... nearby (enough) there are corn mazes and haunted hayrides (we're going to have to check out the Boy Scout camp one) and wicked spooky looking houses all done up dread. But I still had to check online.

And found http://masksofmesingw.blogspot.com/

I had to look up Cryptozoological. Apparently I'm missing an entire genre of spooky.

This blog is right up the kids' alley. There was some giant moth larvae form (or maybe a weasel) and a spook wolf. Yeah its all over PA and MD but we like to roam and that's our roaming area. There even seems to be some history and biology woven through there so I could claim I'm educating not just scaring the nieces and nephews right?

So now I am left wondering, at what age is is appropriate to introduce the next generation to "spook walks", ghost tales and Halloween time spooky destinations beyond the crowded mazes and hayrides but not up to the seriously scary haunted houses?

Last weekend after a long afternoon and evening of wedding and reception I had a car-full that was loud and rowdy and calmed them down by begging my brother to start a ghost story. Judging by the reactions from the dark back seat I'm thinking we need to be better than Spookable Pooh but not as bad as Reeds Furnace or that Lady with the Lantern over Greenville/Fredonia way.

I could ask my Dad and neighbors from growing up. That is probably not a good idea. I spent so many Autumns scared out of my wits that to the ripe old age I am now I would still not consider going parking or walking on crunchy leaves after dusk and it is THEIR fault!

So if you have any material, stories, locations I can use to scare some elementary age kids please feel free to comment...oh heck, even if its for the big people - there is always my brother and sister to scare :)

Thankful for how the city runs

I don't much get involved with The City of Franklin doings. Fests, yes. City business, not so much. But I can't seem to avoid it in the town in which I work where things don't work so well and you hear more about the bickering and bad than the good.

This week has made me extremely thankful to live in Franklin.

I don't have to put up with broken and rotting things run by the city. Either things in Franklin are pretty well maintained or the City is really up on correcting/ fixing problems.

I don't have to put up with cars that like to run red lights and run down people in cross walks crossing at a light JUST for pedestrians.

And pipe up if I'm wrong but in the places I drive I don't have to put up with axle-eating potholes either.

As I see residents getting their residences pretty for Apple Fest I'm most thankful to live in a city that shows its care and pride first. Maybe that is what makes the community want to do so as well.

Maybe its foresight, maybe its luck, maybe its skill or maybe its learning from past mistakes (like using mats in high traffic areas of AppleFest to avoid mud WOOT!). Whichever, it is taking care of the little details that can be problematic, overlooked and unappreciated.

Well I appreciate!

I might actually have to buy The Derrick today

I have not been a fan of our local paper since taking the "welcome" package offered when I moved here. I won't rant here about them though. I value newspapers. Just not so much this paper.

But today I actually saw a couple things on the online edition I'd like to follow!

First the UPMC virus scare...only because I've been through so many medical things and that bit with the mom and 4 year old...och! I could cry.

But what made me come over here and blog instead of cry was the trouble CDC is having getting an expansion approved in Oil City.

Now I know this blog isn't about Oil City but I work there. And CDC has their stuff together and operates in a few communities in the area. Lately I've had many employees come to me stressed to the max because their daycare is closing or their home provider can no longer afford to operate because they aren't getting paid from the state (for subsidized care). I've been helping people figure out alternatives and working with them to "get by" until alternative plans can be finalized.

The one place I feel confident in referring them is to Child Development Centers for quality care, receiving assistance with the evaluation of the facility and registration process and having the flexibility to cover what they might need.

I have had the opportunity to speak to others and have contact with CDC staff here and there and everyone feels they've made tremendous strides in program development and funding quality care since the time day cares were babysitters basically. I think if any center can weather the storm (with its eye in Harrisburg) it would be CDC. So, there wouldn't be any need to repeat this whole process with finding a new center when another closes.

I wonder why local bureaucracies have to be so archaic? Can there not be a liason for a quality organization wanting to spend money and create jobs all while taking care of local children so their parents can be productive members of society and power local businesses (because really, if people can't work how will businesses function here?). So there might be a couple technical glitches with their proposal. Why not have someone available to suggest, guide and help instead of just "deny"?

Oh wait, I get it. Its all those rowdy 3-6 year olds! Dang it! Waayyyy too noisy for my neighborhood! Really? I'm thinking "oy vey" but have no idea how to spell or type it.

Its these kind of moments I think "dang it, I'm actually glad The Derrick is around to tell these stories".

Water Pollution - The New York Times

Additional Data - Water Pollution - The New York Times

Download the data, sort by zipcode. The only organization in 16323 with major violations is the City in 2006 & 2008.

I grew up in a zipcode where industries (long dead) polluted the waters much. I always wonder what their pollution did to contribute to my and my siblings health problems. I think its wonderful that newspapers haven't let the issue die even though our governments that take our tax money HAVE.