Black Friday 2009: People as a Collective are Stupid and They Don't Realize how to be a smart shopper. (Random thoughts from someone behind the counter.)

Nice video huh?  This was taken form a Wal-Mart Employee who is clearly making a great point.  PEOPLE ARE STUPID.  You throw something like 40" HDTV that normally costs $1,000 and cut it by $200, and people are willing to punch kick and throw like we are all primates throwing our feces at each other for walking in on our stake to claim.  Now I'm clearly a fan of saving a dollar or two, in fact I have attended a Black Friday door buster special before, and from that experience needed to be reminded how things run on the other side of the fence.  That means behind the sales counter, now for professional reasons I will not mention the location, name of business, and people involved, but for those of you who know me, that should be easy to figure out.  Anyways, our business was offering a really affordable special for electronic equipment and in this special we ran it for a limited time, to be close to exact, it was for 3 days.  This was to be very competitive for business selling similar equipment during Black Friday.  We sent out mailers across the country and also advertised on TV and also during Thanksgiving from our website.  So now that the picture is painted here are some of the grips that have caused me to write this post.  Please feel free to be offended if you are one of the following;

• The-Know-It-All:  The Shopper that knows everything and makes the purchase interaction easy, this is exactly what every Black Friday Shopper needs to be.  Read about the deals, call ahead of time if you can, and do RESEARCH!  (We definitely can help but at the same time it works when we work with shoppers that know how to shop, make sense?  This makes it easier for you and the person who is helping you.  Not only will be maximize your time, but also be productive as well.) 
• The-I-Think-I-Know-It-All:  This Shopper knows all the info about the deals and specials but at the same time, needs and seeks confirmation from you and when you make your attempt to help them understand they reply back with "I knew that already." (Really?  If you knew that you needed to have a commitment to get a discount, then why are you asking me for the 4th time what the length of the commitment is and why you need to sign it?  You my fellow human, are STUPID.)
• The-Under-estimator:   This shopper thinks things will work out in favor of their daily agenda, and then get hit with the reality that stores actually get busy on Black Friday.  They call everyone under the sun to complain because they thought they had their life under control.   (Looks like you'll have to put off picking up the dry cleaning today and call your spouse to pick the kids up from grandma's.  Either that or you'll miss out on this deal.  Stores get busy my friend, please remember that next time you try to breed so that your offspring may remember that, um actually on second thought, don't breed, you'll do the human race better that way.)
• The-Whiner:   Upset with the reality that they have to wait in line and try complaining, hoping it will make them move forward in the line faster.  When in reality, it just makes things worse, you either get other people to join in or they end up starting an argument with other shoppers or even the employees.  (Listen to me clearly please, you are not the only person in the world and there is such a thing as call before hand or do your shopping research before hand.  Better yet, maybe you should of had your spouse help you out with the shopping errands to you could prepare to embrace any possible lines that may form at your list of stores.  Now stick your head in the over and go to sleep!)
• The-Business-Consultant:  This shopper is the one that may get your stress levels pumping, but to be honest with this, everyone acts like this at sometime in their life, the only difference is that they feel free speaking their mind at a time where it doesn't matter or it's too late to even care or address the issue. "I wish you people had more on staff to help everyone faster, that's what you guys need to do here, you guys should just hire someone to help answer my questions while I wait." Answer back, "Well we have the whole store staff here today, working right now."  Shopper reply's back, "Well I don't care you guys need to do this, I feel like my time is wasted!"  Answer back, "Sorry to hear that sir, but unfortunately we don't have that luxury of more staff here, you can come back another day if you like."  Shopper consults back "No, if I did then I'll miss the deal, I don't want to do that."  Answer back, "Well, then it looks like you need to wait till we get to you then."  (Oh My Lord!  What a complete jack-off!  Really?  Are you serious?  We need to hire more people just because your waiting in line?  How about you call before hand or actually know how to shop or be a savvy shopper and show up early like the first 40 people before you.  And I just remembered your face, I like that fact that you act in front of strangers that you have good business acumen, when in reality, your the same guy that pumps my gas for me after I get out of a long day of making money.  If all you idiots knew this was gonna be a good bargain, then why the hell you treat it like a normal shopping errand?  You my fellow human, need to gouge out your eyes because you don't deserve to see the light of the next day!) 

So in conclusion my fellow peeps, please do your research and ask questions about hours of operation, time-lines for deals, requirements (if any) to qualify, and also understand you are not the ONLY person in the world who will be going to the same place, around the same time, for the same thing, ESPECIALLY ON BLACK FRIDAY!!! 

This Epic Fail has been brought to you by the letter F and the number 1.  Till next time my peeps, have a great time fighting for your life to get that extra $10 off the new Elmo Doll.  

Barack Obama: May Use 2 Devices If He Keeps His Blackberry, Dispute Put To Rest

The Follow is from an Article post on RCR Wireless and can be found here.

Commander in chief gets to keep treasured smartphone

January 23 2009 - 11:36 am ET | Colin Gibbs | RCR Wireless News

Barack Obama has won the battle of the BlackBerry.

The president will be allowed to use his BlackBerry “to stay in touch with senior staff and a small group of personal friends,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said. “The use will be limited and the security enhanced.”

The decision was a compromise between Obama — who earlier this month told the New York Times “I’m still fighting” to hold on to the BlackBerry — and Secret Service protectors and government lawyers who voiced security concerns, Gibbs said. The spokesman declined to discuss specific security features or outline usage constraints.

Research In Motion Ltd., which has long dominated the mobile e-mail space, is widely praised for the security features of its BlackBerry, which uses RIM’s Elliptic Curve Cyptography encryption technology. Government personnel had expressed concerns not just about messaging security, though, but also about GPS information that can pinpoint the location of the device within feet.

Legal, political concerns

Just as importantly, the president must deal with a tangle of issues CEOs never have to worry about, according to Joe Hagin, who as George W. Bush’s deputy chief of staff helped craft White House policies regarding the use of wireless devices.

“The president’s particular issue goes beyond a technical issue,” explained Hagin, who now serves on the board of SMobile Systems, a Columbus, Ohio-based developer of mobile security software. “In addition to the technical challenges, you have a legal and political issue, which are tougher to solve. On the legal side you have records-management policies in place. Every one of those e-mails he sends on that BlackBerry becomes a presidential record.”

Which can be especially problematic, Hagin said, if Obama receives those e-mails directly. Even an unsolicited message can become subject to those policies once it hits the president’s eyes under the Presidential Records Act, meaning an e-mail from a lunatic can easily become a legal headache — and, potentially, a public-relations nightmare.

“That stuff is usually weeded out by the staff; the controversial stuff is not winding up on the president’s desk,” Hagin continued. “But when the president is sitting there with a BlackBerry, there is no filter. It goes right to his eyes. And that’s when it goes from a technical issue to a legal issue.”

And while there are “narrow exceptions” for personal communications, Gibbs said, “the presumption from (White House Counsel Gregory Craig) is that they will be subject to the Presidential Records Act.”

$3,350 alternative



Given the constraints placed on his BlackBerry, it’s possible Obama will also carry one of the very few mobile devices cleared by the National Security Agency. Industry insiders have predicted he may use the Sectera Edge, a $3,350 smartphone manufactured by government contractor General Dynamics.

Regardless of the ultra-high-level ramifications, though, the tug-of-war over Obama’s beloved BlackBerry highlights a mobile security space that is sure to heat up as smartphones gain market-share. While the industry has long been overhyped by companies looking to use scare tactics to sell their wares, hackers and other nefarious types are sure to expand their focus beyond PCs as phones are increasingly used as on-the-go computers.

The problem, according to those in the mobile-security segment, is one of education on the part of the user and IT departments. The tools are there to address the overwhelming number of security threats, some developers say, but most people don’t know they exist — or that they may be necessary. And the answer isn’t for business types to limit the use of their smartphones, SMobile CTO Dan Hoffman said.

“It’s the balance between productivity and security, and that very much is a balance,” Hoffman opined regarding Obama’s struggle to hold on to his BlackBerry. “People run across it every day, and this is not different. It’s just a little bit more high-profile.”

Washington bureau chief Jeffrey Silva contributed to this article.

My Thoughts:

As Bad as it is to part with one's favorite mobile phone, it's also a pain to carry two devices, although from some friends of mine swear that CNN called the Sectera Edge a "Blackberry" it doesn't hide the fact that I was correct about Obama carrying two devices. It goes to show that no matter how much you like to dispute reality, reality will also be the way it was meant to be. If CNN really called it a Blackberry then why would you believe them in the first place? I know wireless and I know to look for more supporting outlets other then CNN. And I hope this article finally puts it to rest. PWNED!