Category Archives: Finances

Athletic ability  (or lack thereof)

Posted on July 15, 2016 | Leave a comment

​It’s like looking in a mirror…

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Posted in Advertising, Entertainment, Finances, Humor, Television

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Giving credit where credit is due

Posted on February 19, 2014 | Leave a comment

We hear about bad customer service all the time.

I want to highlight some amazing treatment I received from Miranda, a live chat representative at Discover Card.

discover logoAs most of you probably know, I earn ‘cash back’ for using my Discover Card — a percentage of my monthly purchases.  I can take that cash back as money; use it to pay online purchases; or buy gift cards from partner retailers.

I am a movie junkie…so I buy AMC Theatre gift packs every time.

amc theatresFor $20, I get two movie passes and a $5 gift card for concessions.

In New York City, that’s a $40 value since our movies costs so much more.

It’s a great deal.

Recently I was using some of those $5 gift cards at my local AMC theatre concession stand, and they didn’t work. I tried one after the other…

Nothing.

I used the live chat feature at Discover.com and told Miranda my troubles.  When she found out that six of my $5 gift cards were sickly, she immediately sent me six complete AMC Movie Theatre gift packs.

That’s $120 worth of gift packets — $240 by NYC standards — for a mere $30 worth of bad cards for my inconvenience.  Now, that’s amazing customer service — above and beyond what I expected.

Thanks, Miranda. (I gave you a great evaluation.)

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Posted in Business, Commentary, Entertainment, Finances, Humor, Internet, Life, Movies, Relationships, Shopping

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The little people

Posted on January 6, 2014 | 4 comments

I have often dreamed — and schemed –about winning the lottery.

image

How I would react. What I would buy. How my life would change.

This week I won the Powerball — albeit $4, but a win nonetheless — and learned something new to add to my imaginary lottery list:

How my family would glom onto me.

I won a lousy four bucks, and they all wanted a piece. I mean, after the $2 ticket price, the profits wre slim to none. But they still wanted their cut. So if I won a multi-million dollar jackpot, it seems pretty clear…

Changing my phone number is now job one.

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Posted in Family, Finances, Humor, Life

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Cash only, please

Posted on September 9, 2013 | Leave a comment

It’s a well-known principle of sales — don’t ask the customer if they want a product.

Ask them to choose between product A or product B.

Well, look at how some crafty salespeople are making  this thinking pay off  — literally — at the check-out counter.

tip as survey question

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(And the correct answer is, of course, “Harry Potter.”)

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Posted in Business, Finances, Humor, Life

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My green initiative (cont.)

Posted on July 31, 2013 | Leave a comment

If you’ve read The Sticky Egg this week, you know I’m playing the lotto again —  ’cause the jackpot is huge — even though I know a big city chick like myself has little-to-no chance.

Some folks have supported my views; others wanted more evidence, which I am happy to provide below.

Exhibit A:  The list of lottery winners over the past 12 months from my New York City neighborhood, courtesy of nylottery.org.  (Hint:  I live on the west side of Central Park…near the red balloon.)

LotteryMap

That’s of any dollar amount, people.  Encouraging, don’t you think?

Exhibit B: I played Mega Millions yesterday, even though it had a paltry $12 million jackpot. Didn’t win. Again.

(No one else did either…but still.)

Exhibit C: I have a ticket for tonight’s $235 million Powerball jackpot — the impetus for my renewed interest in the lottery.  If there are any lottery officials reading this —

About time for some random winners in my ‘hood…don’t cha think?

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Posted in Finances, Humor, Life, News, Travel

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Color me green

Posted on July 29, 2013 | Leave a comment

There’s another big Powerball jackpot looming on Wednesday — $235 million — so I’ll be buying a ticket along with every other optimist out there.

Except I’m not so optimistic this time.

lotteryI’ve seen who wins the lottery, and it’s not people who live in Manhattan. The system maybe random, but let’s face it —

In this case ‘random’ appears to like small town stories.  I’ve decided I need to take a train out of town and buy my ticket to have any kind of chance.

So, where should I go before Wednesday’s drawing?  Remember —

We’re looking for local color that attracts GREEN.

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Posted in Finances, Humor, Life, News, Travel

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Priceless

Posted on February 11, 2012 | Leave a comment

Ripped from the headlines in jolly ol’ England…

Downton Abbey meets Occupy Wall Street!

Manchester resident Steph Pike was arrested for aggravated trespass while protesting outside a Barclays Bank.

Friends say she was conducting a peaceful protest as a member ‘UK Uncut,’ a grassroots group formed to highlight ‘corporate tax dodging’ and alternatives to the government’s spending cuts.

Police say she was arrested to preempt the aggravated trespass that was clearly being established.

Seriously?

While I’m sure her presence outside the window was aggravating to certain Barclays employees, any charges of trespass are trumped up at best.

Me? I’d charge her with a keen sense of humor, creativity and — I gotta say it…

Balls.

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