Charlotte Prom, a store dedicated to selling prom dresses and renting tuxedos, is hosting a grand opening this weekend on South Boulevard with a fashion show.
The concept, co-located with New York Bride & Groom, is geared towards (obviously) high school students, and special steps are taken to ensure girls get unique dresses. Each dress sold is registered, and the store says it will only sell each dress to one student per school.
"Prom is the beginning," owner Tracy Burke said in a statement. According to the grand opening announcement, Burke believes prom is, "Much more than simply a school sponsored dance...one of the key rites of passage that helps girls blossom into ladies and boys mature into gentlemen."
The prom store has 15,000 square feet of retail space, along with a tuxedo department that features samples of available styles. Lines of designer dresses include Sherri Hill, Tony Bowls, Flirt, Blush, Paparazzi, Flaunt and Mac Duggal.
Sunday's grand opening and fashion show start at 3 p.m. A free prom dress and a free tuxedo rental will be given away at the event.
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19 Şubat 2013 Salı
Prom dress store open in Charlotte
Second Walmart Neighborhood Market coming?
Walmart could be lining up a spot in east Charlotte for its second Neighborhood Market, following on the heels of the concept's debut here late last year.
The city's first Walmart Neighborhood Market is gearing up for a grand opening on Independence Boulevard.
But an inquisitive reader let me know that a 4.72 acre site near Albemarle Road and East W.T. Harris Boulevard was acquired by Wal-Mart Real Estate Business Trust in October (Deed here, Java required). Property records show the land was purchased for $1.35 million. Wal-Mart also purchased the adjacent 1.7 acre parcel for $1.45 million.
The spot used to be the site of a movie theater, but that was demolished in 2006. The parcels appear to be too small to be a Walmart Supercenter, but could be the right size for a Neighborhood Market, which are about the size of a traditional supermarket.
Perhaps the most interesting detail, this same inquisitive reader pointed out, is that the Neighborhood Market on Independence Boulevard is store #4149. Property records list the parcel on East W.T. Harris as "c/o Wal-Mart's Property Tax Department (#4148-00)." And a project listed online at the Mecklenburg building permit website shows "Charlotte (Harris), NC #4148" for the address, though no permits have been issued yet.
So, you can believe in coincidences, or believe the successive numbers (4148 and 4149) likely indicate a project linked to the existing Neighborhood Market.
Walmart didn't respond to a question about whether the land they've acquired will be a new Neighborhood Market site. They currently have about 200 Neighborhood Markets nationwide, and are looking to expand the number of stores. Expanding the number of grocery stores in Charlotte could make sense for Walmart, as the company has been aggressively targeting Harris Teeter in its price comparison ads.
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Lowe's hiring 45,000 seasonal workers for spring rush
Mooresville-based Lowe's, Inc. is hiring 45,000 temporary workers to help staff its stores for the spring rush, the company said Tuesday.
Spring is the equivalent of the Christmas season for home improvement retailers, that magical time when everyone is motivated to rehab their yards and finally start some of those projects they've been putting off during the frigid winter months.
Lowe's also cut back some of its full-time employees last year in favor of more flexible, part-time workers to increase staffing at busy times. The company laid off about 1,700 middle managers in its stores, or about one per location.
In its news release, Lowe's said: The permanent part-time positions include store associates focused on direct interaction and expertise for customers. Employees in the permanent positions will be scheduled to work during peak weekday shopping times.
“We are focused on providing customers with outstanding service,” said Scott Purvis, vice president, human resources, operations. “We are looking for candidates who are experienced in any of the home improvement trades, and, most importantly, those who are committed to providing Lowe’s customers an exceptional service experience.”
You can see and apply for available jobs here.
Wal-Mart readies Charlotte's first Neighborhood Market
Workers are building shelves, stocking goods and preparing Charlotte's first Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market to open, as the mega-retailer continues to push for more of the region's grocery market.
 |
| The store's interior |
The store is a fraction of the size of a SuperCenter, and carries a full line of grocery items, along with a bakery, deli, pharmacy and other supermarket services.
 |
| Signage coming soon |
Wal-Mart has more than 200 Neighborhood Market stores. That's a small fraction of its more than 3,000 SuperCenters, but Wal-Mart has been opening Neighborhood Markets at an accelerating rate. Wal-mart opened 27 in fiscal 2012, up from two the year before and five in 2010.
 |
| Talk about low prices! |
The company recently opened its first Neighborhood Market in North Carolina in Cary, and is also building a store in Greer, S.C.
A look at Wal-Mart's annual report from 2012 shows how important grocery items are to the business. Grocery items made up 55 percent of Wal-Mart's total sales for the year, up from 53 percent in 2011. No other category of items came close. The other categories are entertainment (12 percent of sales), hardlines (10 percent), health and wellness (11 percent), apparel (7 percent), and home (5 percent).
At the Independence Boulevard location, Wal-Mart has hired about 90 people. The company is spending more than $3 million renovating the store, according to county building permits.
Wal-Mart has been going after the region's former grocery market leader, Harris Teeter, with an agressive advertising campaign that includes side-by-side price comparisons for a basket of goods. The company overtook Harris Teeter in 2011 as the No. 1 grocer in the region. Food Lion comes in at No. 3.
The Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market is the newest entrant to Charlotte's grocery market, which has seen a slew of new stores over the past several years. Publix is building stores, Whole Foods is finally open, Harris Teeter debuted its 201central stores and is rebuilding other stores throughout Charlotte. Family Dollar has added hundreds of food items, and Target has overhauled its stores to greatly expand their grocery selections. Food Lion is overhauling its stores and trying to win customers back.
They're all competing for a share of your food dollars, and with razor-thin profit margins and more competitors than just three years ago, don't expect the competition to slow anytime soon.
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Walmart Neighborhood Market opening Wednesday
Charlotte's first Walmart Neighborhood Market, a smaller store from the world's largest retailer, is holding its grand opening Wednesday on Independence Boulevard.
The store is set to open at 7:30 a.m., with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. There will also be product samplings and giveaways at the store throughout the day.
 |
| Store manager David Thomas inside the new Walmart Neighborhood Market |
Although Neighborhood Markets account for just a small fraction of the more than 3,000 Walmart stores nationwide, there are now 230 of them. For perspective, that's more than the total number of Harris Teeter stores.
The store on Independence Blvd. is the second Walmart Neighborhood Market in the state. The first was opened last year in Cary, and Walmart plans to open more in the future across North Carolina. Walmart has hired about 90 people to work at the new Charlotte store. The store will be open daily from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.
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18 Şubat 2013 Pazartesi
Cardinal Camera seeks to build on Wolf legacy at Arboretum
When Ritz Camera shut down and liquidated its operations, including the Wolf Camera stores in Charlotte, Cardinal Camera saw an opportunity.
"That's really become my second-best store out of the 15," said Seelig. This Friday and Saturday, the store is holding a camera buyback event in conjunction with used-camera dealer KEH, where they'll offer cash for old cameras. Last weekend, KEH bought back $40,000 worth of old cameras in Richmond.
Seelig said he chose the Arboretum location over the Wolf Camera SouthPark store because shopping centers have lower overhead than malls.
Claire Schweitzer, who works for Cardinal Camera management but doesn't have a formal job title, said customer service is the secret to Cardinal's continued survival in the Internet age.
"I don’t make them wait, because they can go on the Internetand buy something quickly," she said of customers. "At 10 o'clock Christmas Eve I was driving a canvas to someone's house because it got misplaced."
The company does old-school services such as developing film and printing, but also carries the latest photo equipment.
"Customers are surprised," said store manager Tony Ulchar. "We still have phone calls saying 'Do you develop film?'"
And remember, the Wolf Camera at Birkdale Village has also reopened under new ownership, meaning that in the end, Charlotte only lost one of its remaining camera stores (the Wolf Camera in SouthPark) and gained two new ones.
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Panera Bread coming to Cotswold Village
A new Panera Bread is headed for Cotswold, according to local restaurant leasing blog Restaurant Traffic.
Mecklenburg building permits show the upfit for the Cotswold Village location is costing more than $180,000.
An Italian eatery, Blu Basil closed last year. Panera was founded in 1981, and has more than 1,625 stores in 44 states. The company has seven stores in Charlotte, about Panera's stated mission is "A loaf of bread in every arm," which is also a registered trademark.
The company has been a Wall Street darling, with its stock rising from about $34 a share five years ago to $163.51 on Friday.
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Belmont Food Lion to close as Delhaize looks for growth
A Food Lion in Belmont is closing, as the company continues grappling with sluggish sales and stiff competition.
Delhaize is also closing 34 Sweetbay supermarkets in Florida, as well as seven Food Lion locations outside the Charlotte area. Each Food Lion employs 35 to 40 people.There will be about 1,120 Food Lion locations after the most recent closures.
There were just over 100 Sweetbay locations (none in the Charlotte area), so the closings announced represent about a third of the total.
It's the second mass-closure in just over a year. Last January, the company shuttered 113 Food Lion stores, as well as six Bottom Dollar and seven Bloom stores.
Delhaize also shook up upper management at Salisbury-headquartered Food Lion late last year. The company pushed out Food Lion president Cathy Green Burns and shuffled other top managers.
The company has been trying to revitalize sales at Food Lion, its largest and best-known U.S. supermarket chain. Food Lion has refreshed and updated hundreds of its stores, including those in Charlotte, and changed its produce practices to enhance freshness.
Food Lion has been seeing its market share slip in the Charlotte region. In 2011, Food Lion fell from 19.2 percent of the market to 17.7 percent, according to data from Chain Store Guide.
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/07/19/3390740/food-lion-rebrands-charlotte-stores.html#storylink=cpy
Delhaize remains a huge company: It's 2012 sales topped $30.2 billion, up 2.9 percent from the year before. But sales at stores open a year or more in the U.S. - a key indicator of a retailer's health - slumped 0.8 percent.
And competition is likely to only get tougher: Publix is expanding north, further into Food Lion's markets, and Wal-Mart is investing more into its grocery offerings and expanding its Neighborhood Market concept.
And all these store closings and management shakeups aren't cheap. Delhaize is taking more than $173 million worth of charges related to the latest round of store closures, and almost $20 million worth of charges stemming from the management changes, including Green Burns.
Delhaize CEO Pierre Olivier-Beckers said the latest closures will help the company. "These actions, coupled with the portfolio review announced last year, enhance the health of our store network and create a solid base on which to go forward," he said, in a statement. "We remain determined to accelerate the transformation of our business."
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Lowe's hiring 45,000 seasonal workers for spring rush
Mooresville-based Lowe's, Inc. is hiring 45,000 temporary workers to help staff its stores for the spring rush, the company said Tuesday.
Spring is the equivalent of the Christmas season for home improvement retailers, that magical time when everyone is motivated to rehab their yards and finally start some of those projects they've been putting off during the frigid winter months.
Lowe's also cut back some of its full-time employees last year in favor of more flexible, part-time workers to increase staffing at busy times. The company laid off about 1,700 middle managers in its stores, or about one per location.
In its news release, Lowe's said: The permanent part-time positions include store associates focused on direct interaction and expertise for customers. Employees in the permanent positions will be scheduled to work during peak weekday shopping times.
“We are focused on providing customers with outstanding service,” said Scott Purvis, vice president, human resources, operations. “We are looking for candidates who are experienced in any of the home improvement trades, and, most importantly, those who are committed to providing Lowe’s customers an exceptional service experience.”
You can see and apply for available jobs here.
Wal-Mart readies Charlotte's first Neighborhood Market
Workers are building shelves, stocking goods and preparing Charlotte's first Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market to open, as the mega-retailer continues to push for more of the region's grocery market.
|
| The store's interior |
The store is a fraction of the size of a SuperCenter, and carries a full line of grocery items, along with a bakery, deli, pharmacy and other supermarket services.
|
| Signage coming soon |
Wal-Mart has more than 200 Neighborhood Market stores. That's a small fraction of its more than 3,000 SuperCenters, but Wal-Mart has been opening Neighborhood Markets at an accelerating rate. Wal-mart opened 27 in fiscal 2012, up from two the year before and five in 2010.
|
| Talk about low prices! |
The company recently opened its first Neighborhood Market in North Carolina in Cary, and is also building a store in Greer, S.C.
A look at Wal-Mart's annual report from 2012 shows how important grocery items are to the business. Grocery items made up 55 percent of Wal-Mart's total sales for the year, up from 53 percent in 2011. No other category of items came close. The other categories are entertainment (12 percent of sales), hardlines (10 percent), health and wellness (11 percent), apparel (7 percent), and home (5 percent).
At the Independence Boulevard location, Wal-Mart has hired about 90 people. The company is spending more than $3 million renovating the store, according to county building permits.
Wal-Mart has been going after the region's former grocery market leader, Harris Teeter, with an agressive advertising campaign that includes side-by-side price comparisons for a basket of goods. The company overtook Harris Teeter in 2011 as the No. 1 grocer in the region. Food Lion comes in at No. 3.
The Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market is the newest entrant to Charlotte's grocery market, which has seen a slew of new stores over the past several years. Publix is building stores, Whole Foods is finally open, Harris Teeter debuted its 201central stores and is rebuilding other stores throughout Charlotte. Family Dollar has added hundreds of food items, and Target has overhauled its stores to greatly expand their grocery selections. Food Lion is overhauling its stores and trying to win customers back.
They're all competing for a share of your food dollars, and with razor-thin profit margins and more competitors than just three years ago, don't expect the competition to slow anytime soon.
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17 Şubat 2013 Pazar
ANC 1B readout: Consumer protection organization expanding to DC
ANC meetings are great for getting ahead of neighborhoodnews. At the ANC 1B meeting arepresentative of the National Center for Prevention of Home Improvement orHome Repair Contractor Fraud, whose site is www.ncphif.org,announced the non-profit organization is coming to DC. If I heard correctly,they’re moving into offices on the U Street corridor.
According to their website, ExecutiveDirector Phae Howard founded the organization after her grandmother wasvictimized. “I was shocked at how easy contractor fraud was. I don’t know how much money my Grandmotherlost, but I absolutely remember the pain on her face.”
I too have seen the embarrassment and financial strain ofelderly relatives who were ripped off by fraudulent contractors. Welcome to the neighborhood, NCPHIF. Now, if I could only figure out how topronounce your acronym.
Anyone who lives on the southern edge of Columbia Heightsmay want to attend ANC 1B meetings. They’re held in the second floor community room of the Reeves Center (14thand U Streets) at 7:00 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month. Their site is http://www.anc1b.org/
Mardi Gras party at the Red Derby on Tuesday
Sounds like a fun time. The Derb' is always a good spot for festivities, because it's always laid back and never too crowded.
And for good measure, here's a random zydeco jam I found.
Target's pharmacy getting a lot of bad reviews; what's your experience?
The ShermanAve_DC Twitter clued me into something interesting the other day: the pharmacy in the DCUSA Target is getting some really poor reviews on Yelp.Currently it has an average of 2 stars from 11 reviews, with most being 1 star. People complain about prescriptions not being available when they said they would be, long lines, unhelpful staff, wasting trips by coming to get something that isn't available, not being allowed to speak to the manager, and the like. It's really a litany of bad experiences. Of course, this is the just customers' points of view, but there does seem to be a pattern.
Personally I've never used this one, I mostly use a CVS near my work or the one at 14th and Irving, which has long lines but seems decent. What do you think? Any good pharmacies to recommend, or ones to avoid? There's also the Cardozo Healthmart at 14th and Fairmont, but oddly they don't seem to have a website or a Yelp page, nor are they listed on the Healthmart website. Strange.
Something else I'd suggest is looking up your pharmacist and seeing their licensing status and if they've received any complaints or charges against their license -- click here and go to Online Professional License Search -- although that's more on the medical side than on the customer service side.
Happy Valentine's Day! Here's our suggestions to celebrate or avoid the holiday
Valentine's Day is upon us, and some local establishments are having events for you. Here's some of them, and a couple of other ideas or recommendations for you, both if you have and if you don't have a main squeeze.The Pinch at 3548 14th Street NW is hosting Burlesque and Belly Laughs, a burlesque show with no cover. Their Facebook invite says "And to top it off, we're giving everything away for free* - FREE SHOWS! FREE IMPROV! FREE BOOBIES! Food never tasted better, drinks were never wetter. Your entire body is alive with passions and cravings that need to be quelled. Come for a night of great food, great drinks, and great entertainment." Might be a fun, non-traditional date.
The Blue Banana at 3632 Georgia Ave NW is hosting "BlackLightLoveBombs," a V-Day party with $4 drinks and beers and a video DJ "spinning sexy music all night long."
Over at The Getaway at 1400 Meridian Pl NW they're holding District Karaoke, which might be a good option for "Love Stinks" or "You've Lost that Loving Feeling" (or some Air Supply -- "You're Every Woman in the World to Me.")
Eatonville at 2121 14th St NW and Chez Billy at 3815 Georgia Ave NW are also good options for a nice date meal.
Some other nice date options I'd suggest would be Room 11 for drinks and dinner (though I bet it'll be crowded) and Mt. Pleasant's Last Exit for drinks. Last Exit especially is dark and intimate, might be a nice place for canoodling over a cocktail.
And if you don't care about this dumb holiday, Wonderland, the Looking Glass Lounge and the Red Derby are probably good options for just a regular night to complain or ignore it altogether and have a few drinks. The Derby especially is a good bah-humbug type place, and Wonderland has chicken and waffles today. Pretty awesome.
Those are my ideas, how about yours?
Beer brewing supplies now available at Old School Hardware
Homebrewing is legal (as long as you don't sell it) and it's getting a lot of news lately since Pres. Obama talked about the White House homebrew, White House Honey Porter. Some buddies used the recipe and made it, and it was quite tasty.
Any brewers out there in the neighborhood? What's your favorite type to make?
And here's more on the White House Honey Porter (featuring Medal of Honor winner Dakota Meyer.)
16 Şubat 2013 Cumartesi
Immigrants' arrests put firms in spotlight: Fourteen illegal immigrants were found in a Verizon contractor's van this week in Virginia Beach.
Byline: ChrisFlores And Mike Holtzclaw
May 9--VIRGINIABEACH -- Verizon Communications has been using an army of contractors toaggressively replace its old phone lines with an expensive fiber-optic systemin Hampton Roads and nationwide. The company's mainVirginia contractor doing this work -- Greensboro, N.C.-based Ivy H. Smith Co.-- was caught by Virginia State Police with 14 illegal immigrants in a vanduring a routine traffic stop Monday in Virginia Beach.
The detainment ofthe illegal workers sheds light on a question frequently facing majorcorporations today: Are businesses responsible for the hiring practices oftheir contractors? Verizon isn't the only party that will need to answer thisquestion for federal immigration investigators.
Ivy H. Smith,which has an office in Norfolk, is one of 28 subsidiaries of publicly tradedDycom Industries. Virginia state regulators have been dealing with complaintsfrom cable and gas companies about Ivy H. Smith and its contractors digging upcable lines for more than two years.
As problems mountedwith Ivy H. Smith and other Verizon contractors, Fairfax County tried to helpits residents. One of the promises that Verizon made was to ensure "eachwork crew would have one individual that can effectively communicate inEnglish."
Mike Netherland isassistant special agent-in-charge for the U.S. Immigration and CustomsEnforcement, or ICE, office in Norfolk. He said the illegal immigrants were alladult males, 12 from Mexico and two from El Salvador. They were riding in a vanowned by Ivy H. Smith.
Netherland saidICE had begun "actively investigating the employer" but said hecouldn't comment further on that matter. A woman who answered the phone at IvyH. Smith said the company had no comment.
Verizon said itregularly reviewed the performance of its contractors and had terminated somein the past. Verizon is reviewing this incident with Ivy H. Smith.
A state policespokesman said officers pulled the van over for a registration violation onInterstate 264 and found the 14 men in the vehicle.
Upon receiving thecall from state police, Netherland said, ICE determined the immigration statusof the men and then took them into custody to begin the process of deportation.He said the detention and removal section of ICE was now handling the matter,waiting to see whether the men will accept deportation or fight it.
"Individualscan stipulate to the order of removal, or they can challenge their removal andappear before an immigration judge," Netherland said. "These men arebeing detained pending those proceedings."
Based on previousICE cases, Verizon is unlikely to face any repercussions unless Ivy H. Smithsays it was specifically asked to hire illegal workers.
"It is thecontractor who is liable for the work force because they're vouching to thecompany that is hiring them that the work force is authorized," said PatRiley, an ICE spokeswoman in Washington.
There's a highburden to prove that a company knew its contractors were using illegal workers,but it happens occasionally. ICE reached a settlement with Wal-Mart afterdocuments surfaced showing the company knowingly hired cleaning contractorswith illegal workers.
The question ofVerizon's supervision over its Virginia contractors was raised two years ago byCox Communications in Northern Virginia. Cox was more concerned that Ivy H.Smith contractors were cutting cable lines while digging and repairing themwith tape.
A Cox executivesaid at the time that Ivy H. Smith officials said Verizon had 1,500 contractorsdoing this work and that they were paid for each foot of cable buried. Coxcomplained that this gave the contractors an incentive to try to move quicklywithout repairing lines.
The problems havecontinued into Hampton Roads and were bad at first in Virginia Beach. ButVerizon and Ivy H. Smith have improved quite a bit since the Northern Virginiaproblems, said Thom Prevette, the Cox spokesman for the region. "They'veadhered to, and abided by, a lot of our joint agreements we've workedout," Prevette said.
Under fire fromWall Street for the cost of the mammoth undertaking, Verizon has said in recentyears that it's working to reduce the costs of installing the lines.
The work inHampton Roads started in Virginia Beach about two years ago. Then Verizon begandigging in Newport News, where it started selling television service two weeksago.
Ivy H. Smith'sparent company, Florida-based Dycom, specializes in doing contract work withtelecommunications companies. Verizon's building boom has become the key tomaking Dycom the company it is today.
For the yearending in July 2005, Dycom received 25 percent of its revenue from Verizon --by far its largest customer. The previous year -- before Verizon startedbeefing up its fiber optics -- Dycom received only 3.7 percent of its revenuefrom Verizon.
Kids' Games - Less Than $2.00 at Target
Head to Target this week, where you can stack coupons to score some classic kids' board games for less than $2 each! These would be perfect for Easter baskets or to keep in the house for birthday gifts!
Spongebob Square Pants, Strawberry Shortcake, Cars Memory Game $7.04, Regular PriceUse $3.00/1 – Chutes & Ladders, Candyland, Cootie, or Memory Board Game, Target Coupon – (target.com)And use $3.00/1 – Hasbro Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, Cootie or Memory Game – (hasbro.com)
Final Price: $1.04
Chutes & Ladders $7.04, Regular PriceUse $3.00/1 – Chutes & Ladders, Candyland, Cootie, or Memory Board Game, Target Coupon – (target.com)
And use $3.00/1 – Hasbro Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, Cootie or Memory Game – (hasbro.com)
Final Price: $1.04
Cootie $7.79 Regular PriceUse $3.00/1 – Chutes & Ladders, Candyland, Cootie, or Memory Board Game, Target Coupon – (target.com)
And use $3.00/1 – Hasbro Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, Cootie or Memory Game – (hasbro.com)
Final Price: $1.79
Candyland $7.79, Regular Price
Use $3.00/1 – Chutes & Ladders, Candyland, Cootie, or Memory Board Game, Target Coupon – (target.com)
And use $3.00/1 – Hasbro Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, Cootie or Memory Game – (hasbro.com)
Final Price: $1.79
Scrabble Simon or Yahtzee Flash – $15
Use $5/1 Scrabble Yahtzee or Simon Flash Target store coupon
and use $5/1 Scrabble Flash; Simon Flash, Yahtzee Flash, exp 4/15/2012 (Playsaver 3/25/2012) or printable here
PLUS - Hasbro Card Game – $5.24 - FREE with purchase of Hasbro game $10 or more
Final Price: $5 for both items Battleship – $10Use $3/1 Operation, Battleship, or Twister Game Target printable coupon
And use $3/1 Operation, Battleship or Twister Game
PLUS - Hasbro Card Game – $5.24 - FREE with purchase of Hasbro game $10 or more
Final Price: $4 for both items
*Thanks Totally Target
Summer's No Fun When Your AC Unit Dies..
And then, one day, as luck would have it, I am sitting in the den when my breaker box starts making an on and off buzzing or humming noise, the lights begin to flicker and I am like "great, we have an electrical issue, wonder how costly this is going to be".
After isolating it to the breaker controlling the air conditioning unit, we replace the breaker switch, just to learn it wasn't the problem. So instead, to avoid a risk of a possible fire (I guess, I don't know it didn't sound too nice, don't want to take my chances), we turn the a/c off and wait until morning.
So, at this point, I am not sure who to call. The A/C is running fine, but the breaker box wants to sound like it's going to burst when it's on. Do I call an HVAC tech or do I call an electrician? hmmm, I think a while..
I call a random electrician here in Fayetteville, I explain my problem, tell him I replaced the breaker switch, tell him it's ONLY when the a/c comes on and the lights flicker the box makes a loud noise. I ask, "honestly, do you think this is an electrical issue or an hvac issue". He tells me, "it's electrical". I ask what is fee to diagnose the problem is, he tells me "$75 service fee and then $69 an hour to fix it". I tell him "okay, come on by".
He shows up, he and his assistant turn my oven burners on the highest heat setting EVER, leave them on and my smoke alarm goes off and my house smells like death. After a while he turns it off, does more testing with a meter at the breaker box then says, "let me try the a/c" - which is what i told him it was to begin with mind you! After that he says, "it's your ac" I say, "I know, so is it something on your end you can fix"? He says, "no you'll need an hvac tech". okaaaaay?? Did I not just ask him this? Did he just waste 20 minutes to test my oven which isn't even on the same circuit as my a/c to tell me what I told him on the phone?
So I feel kind of "duped" and when I am ready to pay I am expecting to pay the $75 service charge. Only he tells me $95!? I mean, I am all for paying the $75 because he came out, but why am I being charge $20 for 20 minutes?! NOTHING was fixed! There was no electrical issue, $20 is a lot to me. Anyway I don't say anything and pay it, but I can't help but feel totally blind sided and taken advantage of. I semi want to tell the world who the company was, but am hesitant. AND the kicker?! He has me make a personal check out TO HIM, not the COMPANY? He must be the owner..but very shoddy, to take advantage of apotential client and know the problem isn't electrical but weazle your way in to get 95 bucks..YOU'RE WELCOME sheister!! But do know you won't get reference in the market I work in :)) Bad call for you!
Moving along, we called our usual a/c guy, who will come today to diagnose it, which is a $65 service charge..part of me thinks it is going to be a pricey part, and the unit is old, I pray he can fix it for the time being, but I feel it is going to need a new unit.
I have no idea what a new unit will run for a just under 1300 sq. ft. home with existing duct work. I'm sure it's 3k+ and to be honest that exhausts both my savings and credit line.
(SIGH)..ooooh a/c, why couldn't you wait to take your final sputters towards fall. Why during the hottest summer in God's Green earth when times are already tight must you decide it's time to commit suicide.
If by chance an hvac tech happens upon this post and lives in my area, and wants to qoute me for a new unit, I'd be more than happy to consider it.
As it stands, I have a migraine, I want to cry and my luck just comes in the worst assortment.
THANK GOD I have been doing well with couponing..or else I'd really barely get by. Well, so much for budget remodels, more issues have suddenly sucked me dry of money.
It really is, waaaaaaaaaaay to hot for the a/c to be down :((
Happy Fall Y'all!
I don't often post photos of my children much anymore. Much to my dismay, my website has been mirrored and copied a few times (not sure why, it's not even one of the very top sites on the web). But needless to say, it still peeves me a bit. - Not to mention having to file copy right complaints - which tend to be tricky when the creepy person stealing your information has a .ca domain :( Shame on you! - You really should be ashamed of yourself for taking my work and copying my entire website. The things I do are special to me, and it's a shame you take credit for them.So as a result, I have decided to be persistent with water marking my images. (which I hate) :(
Anyway, here are a few photos of my children that I took with the new studio lighting. I must say, it makes a difference :)) I will, however, purchase some higher wattage bulbs for my umbrella lights!
We have been enjoying the fall (even though some days the temperature still gets hot and humid).
So far this October, the kids have visited a local (very busy) pumpkin patch, picked pumpkins at a local farmer's market and went on to harvest the pecans and grapes from our backyard. - I am hoping to plant pumpkin seeds next so that next year we will have our very own mini pumpkin patch :) Can you imagine the fun that would be??
(Below: Ethan showing off the grapes and pecans he picked in the backyard today.)
(Below: MiMi showing off one of her pecans from the yard)
(Below: Just an image of a grape cluster growing the the back yard.)
As some of my readers know, I have a slight Gymboree obsession, however, I will only shop with sales or gymbucks for the most part. Over the summer and during the last huge online sale they had, I gradually built up this collection and decided it would be perfect for MiMi's school photos. What do y'all think??
(Below: A whole lot of cherry!! Gymboree's cherry line makes for a great back to school girl's outfit!)
What else is new as far as the house is concerned? Well, little progress. Still waiting to complete the den flooring - I guess as time and money allows, but right now with the holidays fast approaching and being on a budget, it looks like the den will have to wait. It's come a long way, baby, with a lot of time and love - why not a little longer? ;) - It will happen! And, when it does, you'll be the first to see!! Bless! <3 p="p">
Free bodysuit + free shipping when you spend $10 at Gymboree - it's back!
Stripe Double Sleeve Bodysuit (for nephew)
$14.95 on Sale for $5.49 (ends up being free with free bodysuit code)
Poodle Stripe Panty
$5.95 on sale for $3.99
Dot Gingerbread Girl Panty
$5.95 on sale for $2.49
Gingerbread Cookie Panty
$5.95 on Sale for $2.49
Gem Bauble Bracelet$9.00 on sale for .99
Gem Bauble Bracelet
$9.00 on sale for .99
Totals Before Sales: $50.80
Totals AFTER Red Balloon Sale: $16.04
- FREE BODY SUIT AND FREE SHIPPING COUPON when you spend $10 = $10.95
or with taxes $11.74
That's a savings of $39.85
15 Şubat 2013 Cuma
Sunday Seminar
Last Sunday we decided to take the historical tour of theShrine of St. Anthony. It is something we’d often discussed but the timingnever seemed to work out. The tours are only held on the last Sunday of everymonth.
It’s a pretty interesting place in that it was once part of theoriginal Carroll estate and in 1832, the Manor House was completed on the farmthat was then known as Folly Quarter. Today the house remains true to its originalform.
At least what little we saw of it.
The tour begins in the Manor House but does take visitorspast the main hall. On Sunday we stood in that hall while our guide embarked onlecture about the history of the Catholic church in
Though the website says the tours are open to families, I wouldn't recommend bringing the little ones. They’ll be bored to distraction.In fact we noted that a few families began to peel off towards their cars as we moved from the Manor House and headed to the shrine building.
Even adults started getting fidgety as the tour moved intothe second hour and we had only moved through five rooms in the shrine. Thetour guide over shared just a bit. For example, in the dining room the wallsare lined with portraits of former popes. Our guide told stories about almostall of them.
The next tour will be given on Sunday, February 24th at 2:00 PM.
Victory Lap
Ed Reed and Jacoby Jones returned to
Overall it appears that
It was nice to see Ed Reed sporting an Orioles baseball cap too.Maybe some of that Raven mojo will pass on the other birds of
Hike the Gorge
This spring the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission(WSSC) will allow hiking and jogging on designated trails at the Rocky Gorge and Tridelphia reservoirsfor the first time. The 733 acre Rock Gorge and the 800 acre Tridelphia Reservoir help define HoCo’s southern border with Montgomery and Prince Georges counties.According to this story by Katherine Shaver in The Washington Post, therecreational season “also will be open 30 days longer, from March 15 to Nov. 30.”
You’ll have to pay for the privilege though. Hikers andjoggers will need to purchase a Watershed Use Permit from the WSSC.
“Seasonal permitswill increase to $70 from $60, and single-day permits will increase to $6 from$5. A new picnic fee will vary by the group’s size but will be $6 for up tofive people. People 65 and over can still use the areas for free. The utilityissued about 5,600 recreational permits last year.”
You can purchase permits online here.
Simpson Bowles 2.0
Erksine was entertaining and a bit scary too. As he sees it, ifCongress and the president fail to proactively take bold measures to fix the nation’sdeficit on their own, a crisis of epic proportions will force them to, soonerrather than later. He said that when they first started working on thecommission he believed this was something we needed to do for ourgrandchildren. He now believes the problem is much more urgent. “We need to dothis, not for our grandchildren or even our children. We need to do this forus.”
To point out the absurdity of our current situation, henoted that we are bound by treaty to protect
Once again the speaker series did not disappoint.
The good news is that he and Alan have not given up. They have launched a grassroots efforts “The Can Kicks Back,”as well as an online petition “Fix the Debt” to encourage citizens to getinvolved. Erskine also told the audience that next Tuesday they will announce ajoint effort with Pete Domenici and Alice Rivlin and their Debt Reduction Task Force to apply a full court press on Congress. He called it Simpson Bowles 2.0.
Blockbusted
Seeing this banner draped across the Blockbuster storefronton 14 Şubat 2013 Perşembe
Wal-Mart readies Charlotte's first Neighborhood Market
Workers are building shelves, stocking goods and preparing Charlotte's first Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market to open, as the mega-retailer continues to push for more of the region's grocery market.
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| The store's interior |
The store is a fraction of the size of a SuperCenter, and carries a full line of grocery items, along with a bakery, deli, pharmacy and other supermarket services.
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| Signage coming soon |
Wal-Mart has more than 200 Neighborhood Market stores. That's a small fraction of its more than 3,000 SuperCenters, but Wal-Mart has been opening Neighborhood Markets at an accelerating rate. Wal-mart opened 27 in fiscal 2012, up from two the year before and five in 2010.
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| Talk about low prices! |
The company recently opened its first Neighborhood Market in North Carolina in Cary, and is also building a store in Greer, S.C.
A look at Wal-Mart's annual report from 2012 shows how important grocery items are to the business. Grocery items made up 55 percent of Wal-Mart's total sales for the year, up from 53 percent in 2011. No other category of items came close. The other categories are entertainment (12 percent of sales), hardlines (10 percent), health and wellness (11 percent), apparel (7 percent), and home (5 percent).
At the Independence Boulevard location, Wal-Mart has hired about 90 people. The company is spending more than $3 million renovating the store, according to county building permits.
Wal-Mart has been going after the region's former grocery market leader, Harris Teeter, with an agressive advertising campaign that includes side-by-side price comparisons for a basket of goods. The company overtook Harris Teeter in 2011 as the No. 1 grocer in the region. Food Lion comes in at No. 3.
The Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market is the newest entrant to Charlotte's grocery market, which has seen a slew of new stores over the past several years. Publix is building stores, Whole Foods is finally open, Harris Teeter debuted its 201central stores and is rebuilding other stores throughout Charlotte. Family Dollar has added hundreds of food items, and Target has overhauled its stores to greatly expand their grocery selections. Food Lion is overhauling its stores and trying to win customers back.
They're all competing for a share of your food dollars, and with razor-thin profit margins and more competitors than just three years ago, don't expect the competition to slow anytime soon.
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Kids' Games - Less Than $2.00 at Target
Head to Target this week, where you can stack coupons to score some classic kids' board games for less than $2 each! These would be perfect for Easter baskets or to keep in the house for birthday gifts!
Spongebob Square Pants, Strawberry Shortcake, Cars Memory Game $7.04, Regular PriceUse $3.00/1 – Chutes & Ladders, Candyland, Cootie, or Memory Board Game, Target Coupon – (target.com)And use $3.00/1 – Hasbro Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, Cootie or Memory Game – (hasbro.com)
Final Price: $1.04
Chutes & Ladders $7.04, Regular PriceUse $3.00/1 – Chutes & Ladders, Candyland, Cootie, or Memory Board Game, Target Coupon – (target.com)
And use $3.00/1 – Hasbro Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, Cootie or Memory Game – (hasbro.com)
Final Price: $1.04
Cootie $7.79 Regular PriceUse $3.00/1 – Chutes & Ladders, Candyland, Cootie, or Memory Board Game, Target Coupon – (target.com)
And use $3.00/1 – Hasbro Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, Cootie or Memory Game – (hasbro.com)
Final Price: $1.79
Candyland $7.79, Regular Price
Use $3.00/1 – Chutes & Ladders, Candyland, Cootie, or Memory Board Game, Target Coupon – (target.com)
And use $3.00/1 – Hasbro Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders, Cootie or Memory Game – (hasbro.com)
Final Price: $1.79
Scrabble Simon or Yahtzee Flash – $15
Use $5/1 Scrabble Yahtzee or Simon Flash Target store coupon
and use $5/1 Scrabble Flash; Simon Flash, Yahtzee Flash, exp 4/15/2012 (Playsaver 3/25/2012) or printable here
PLUS - Hasbro Card Game – $5.24 - FREE with purchase of Hasbro game $10 or more
Final Price: $5 for both items Battleship – $10Use $3/1 Operation, Battleship, or Twister Game Target printable coupon
And use $3/1 Operation, Battleship or Twister Game
PLUS - Hasbro Card Game – $5.24 - FREE with purchase of Hasbro game $10 or more
Final Price: $4 for both items
*Thanks Totally Target