Over the weekend I was walking around the Bourke Street mall when I spotted the above billboard. Surely, I thought it was only me who had their mind in the gutter. But alas, it’s another ad using double entendre to sell a product. Clever. If only it was Paris Hilton instead of Erin McNaught.
Links:
Herald Sun: Erin McNaught upset about advertising billboard
After a successful action day last year, Safeway is again running Woolworths Drought Action Day. All profits from Safeway and Woolworths across the country today will be donated to the Country Women’s Association. The Country Women’s Association is working to help farmers suffering from the drought. Even though we have heard little about the drought recently, it is still a serious and desperate situation. Water catchments are at 36.5% (the same amount as last year) and dipping.
All you have to do is shop at Safeway today. Can’t be any easier.
Technorati Tags: Melbourne, Australia, Woolworths, Safeway, Drought
Did people go for the Boxing day sale? Did anyone queue up for the big opening early in the morning, 6 am for Myer and 7am for David Jones? I didn’t.
Instead, I strolled into Myer in the city today around 7 pm. It was relatively quiet. There wasn’t any rush, and still plenty of items on sale. That is, if you are into shoes, clothes, manchester and handbags. (I will never understand why anyone need more than 1 pair of shoes and handbag … but to each his/her own.)
So, that’s my shopping done for the year.
Since Darren has stated the obvious, I should say there will be more people visiting the city as well as all the surrounding shopping malls to do all their Christmas shopping. Most department stores are trading until late for most of this week and will start their 24 hour trading spree on the 2 days prior to Christmas.
The city, Chadstone and Highpoint are going to be crowded! Think about finding a carpark!
So, one tiny little bit of advice … lots and lots of patience. Patience to find a carpark, patience while paying for items, patience while waiting in line to view the Myer Christmas window display, patience while waiting to board a train, tram or bus while all around you are people rushing to get their shopping done.
There are a lot of things one could complain about such as our erratic trains, the crisis in Burma, or the worm. Lately, my number one gripe has been the deli counter.
In a perfect world, a person rocks up to the deli counter and takes a ticket from the ticket machine. Eventually, both visually and audibly your number is called and you are served by the deli person. It’s a simple and efficient system that even our own government successfully uses around the country.
In our world, well at both Safeway and Coles locations in Melbourne anyway, staff refuse to use this remarkably easy to use system. While I understand it seems pointless to have a ticket system in use when there is only 1 person waiting for service, there is a high probability of multiple persons showing up for service after. Without any system or line the deli counter becomes chaotic.
At one local Safeway, there weren’t tickets in their ticket machine for at least 2 months! Either serve people with a ticket only or lets form some kind of orderly line.
P.S. Why the hell is the exact same chicken breast $3 cheaper a kilo from the deli counter?
Picture via Tshirtstudio
Technorati Tags: Melbourne, Australia, Deli Counter, Deli, Safeway, Coles
At your closest department stores as well as supermarkets. Cruising through the supermarkets such as Coles, one can find Christmas decorations, chocolates, cookies and various other items for the silly holiday season. Isn’t it a wee bit early to think about Christmas?
I know stores such as David Jones and Myer prepare for their Christmas shopping season at least 6 to 12 months in advance, but to start selling the items now in October is really really pushing it. If they are selling last year’s stock, they are not even on discount!
Maybe they should start a Christmas day countdown as well!
In case you have not received a catalogue in your mailbox, Kmart is having one of their mega toy sale. I can assume this is to help them empty their warehouses for new Christmas wares. The sale has been on since 5th July until 18th July 2007. Its not a bad time to stock up on toys for relatives and friends, especially for the Christmas stockings.
And just in case you plan to miss it, Target will be having their toy sale in the following week: from the 19th July until 29th July 2007. So it is going to be rather difficult to avoid toys this month!
I suppose this falls in either the blatantly obvious or didn’t know that category. In the past, the Queen Victoria Market was an essential place to buy cheap vegetables, meats, cheese, etc. More recently, the markets have been classed as a tourist attraction which has brought a majority of vendors selling all kinds of Melbourne and Australian souvenirs.
In many countries (such as the US), supermarkets are the cheapest and fruit and vegetable markets are few and far between. In Melbourne, meat, fruit and vegetables are considerably cheaper at markets. On average, you will spend at least half of what you do at the supermarket.
A couple of tips:
Picked up some Fuji apples, typically around $3/kg at normal times, for $2/kg right before closing.
Safeway/Coles: Around $5/kg if available.
Feel free to add any other tips in the comments.
Technorati Tags: Melbourne, Australia, Queen Victoria Market, Vic Market, Coles, Safeway
I was at Chadstone for their VIP shopping night earlier. Crowded at 10pm, even. Its amazing how many people are at the mall, and I’m wondering if having extended hours daily (instead of store closures at 5-5.30pm) will make more sense?
Point-to-note (since I saw a lot making the same mistake): no more Fly Buys usage at Myer. They’ve not been part of the Coles group for over six months, afaik.
Saw 4 annoying people, 2 couples, young, buying a doona and 2 pillows for someone’s birthday. Smart aleck boy decided to ask a lot of silly questions about the warranty on the doona, while standing in line at the cashier. He made a lot of people queue up for longer than they should have. I’m fine with sensible questions, but here he was asking about an insurance policy, if lumps came up in the doona, will he get a replacement while his is getting fixed, and so on. Ridiculous, for the sake of asking, kinds of questions. </observation>
Part of the Melbourne Conversation, where the research was into the Transnational & Temporary, was the use of public space. Why is it that malls like Melbourne Central or QV were much more populated, as opposed to parks like Lincoln Square, the State Library (when there was grass), and so forth.
I think many doing the study, haven’t actually studied foreign geography closely enough. Where do the 37% (or 50% if looking at the northern fringes - does this include Melbourne Central/QV? Where exactly does this fringe end? - if Figure 1 was online, its safe to assume the area around RMIT (Latrobe) to UniMelb) of students from overseas come from? Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, mainly (going from memory, afaik - I’m sure there are more, but the major classification stated by the researchers seemed to be these).
Is there a park culture in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong or Vietnam? Having been to four out of the five countries in that list, I can assure you that nobody hangs out in parks. The idea of sitting down on the greens, in the humid sweltering heat, is just not fun. You hit up malls and shopping strips. Air-conditioning is good (same can be said for the heating, here, I guess).
Its only normal that if you’ve grown up spending time in malls, you’d do the same when you go overseas. The park is foreign, as a culture.
Is the solution having little seats below a shady tree? (suggested last night) I don’t think so. Will the use of open public space like parks make them more community members? Or should change be embraced, in where we head for a mall culture?
Years ago (and this was not long ago - 5 years is a good bet), Melbourne didn’t know of Starbucks, Gloria Jeans, or Coffee Bean. Coffee, was to be had at small corner cafes. Now, does anyone want to count the density of coffee joints on Swanston St., for example? Changing culture, has led to a new, more commercialized coffee culture.
Any guesses as to why we have such changing culture? You guessed right, it came from the mall culture that the overseas students brought with them. Businesses recognize this - change is the only constant, and we’re all in it to make a profit. However, some people are still holding on tightly to the past.
