At 4:55 this morning, a group of 2,000 shoppers began pushing at the doors of the Walmart in Valley Stream, NY. The mob broke the doors off of their hinges and pushed inside the store, knocking down Jdimypai Damour, 34. No one helped him as he lay on the floor.

The NYT says:

People did not stop to help the employee as he lay on the ground, and they pushed against other Wal-Mart workers who were trying to aid Mr. Damour. The crowd kept running into the store even after the police arrived, jostling and pushing officers who were trying to perform CPR, the police said.

“They were like a stampede,” said Nassau Det. Lt. Michael Fleming. “Hundreds of people walked past him, over him or around him.”

Mr. Damour was taken from the Wal-Mart to nearby Franklin Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 6:03 a.m., the police said.

The NYT said that crowds were allowed to begin forming at 9pm the previous night. The police were called at around 3:30 AM, but were apparently overwhelmed by calls from other stores.

At the time the doors were broken, several Walmart employees, including the one who died, were trying to hold the doors in place but were overwhelmed by the crowd.

Wal-Mart Employee Trampled to Death [NYT]

* The Wall Street Journal lists gifts with a real return on investment. These ideas promise to save or make money for the recipient. Not a bad idea at all.

* Kiplinger suggests giving financial well-being. How exactly is this done? According to them, it's achieved through gifts like a paper shredder, home safe, and (of course) a subscription to their magazine. How romantic. Of course, there is some sense to these for those of you who are more practically minded.

* Bankrate offers some recession-proof holiday gifts including both 12 suggestions as well as low cost alternatives for each of these dozen.

Then again, you may be tried of the commercialization (and expense) of the holidays and are looking for alternatives. If so, you may agree with Free Money Finance's call to celebrate simply, not over-spending and leaving a huge debt for yourself in January. They offer four ways to do this: cut back your gift list, limit how much you spend, decide to be charitable, and determine which activities bring you real joy.

Whatever your plans for this holiday season, we wish you a joyful time, full of happiness and good cheer. Oh, and great deals at your favorite store too...

— FREE MONEY FINANCE (Photo: strobist)

• Charity Navigator www.charitynavigator.org "Charity Navigator, America's premier independent charity evaluator, works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of over 5,300 of America's largest charities."
  
  
• BBB Wise Giving Alliance www.BBB.org/charity "The BBB Wise Giving Alliance (the Alliance) helps donors make informed giving decisions and advances high standards of conduct among organizations that solicit contributions from the public."
  
  
• Guide Star www.guidestar.org "GuideStar's mission is to revolutionize philanthropy and nonprofit practice by providing information that advances transparency, enables users to make better decisions, and encourages charitable giving."

...And just for good measure here are some tips from the Arizona Attorney General that will help you avoid scammers.

Here are our favorites:

• Be wary of emotional appeals, especially those that insist that, due to an "emergency," you must send money now.
• Be careful of charities with names that sound impressive or resemble those of other organizations. Some scam artists use names similar to reputable organizations to confuse donors.
• Call the charity directly; ask for financial accounting if you feel you need more information.
• Remember to ask for a receipt and a statement that the contribution is tax-deductible.
• Be extremely skeptical of anyone asking for a donation by requesting your credit-card number or bank account information over the phone.

Don't be taken in by scams that target holiday giving [Arizona Daily Star]
(Photo: frankieleon )

...it's up to the company to ask the bankruptcy court to allow it to continue accepting gift cards. If they don't ask, you're out of luck. So spend them quickly if you get them, and before you buy them, maybe check the financial pages to see if the company is headed for Chapter 11. Aha, you say, I'll just buy one of those ones backed by VISA or the like. Not so fast. If they're backed by a bank or credit card company, they can have all sorts of hidden fees and various ways for them to quietly depreciate in value.

The Gift Card Comes Wrapped in Growing Risk [NYT] (Photo: paper house)

After they picked up her money, she got another email saying that the PS3 is shipping out of Spain and is stuck in the UK because DHL will only allow a minimum of 5 devices of this type to be shipped from Europe to the USA. They're ever so sorry but now they want Rebecca to Western Union $1040 for all 5 PS3s.

Rebecca isn't about to do that and is demanding her money back. In all likelihood, she never will. Once money is sent via Western Union, it can be picked up anywhere in the world as long as they have the control number. Once picked up, there is no possibility of a refund or cancellation.

Unfortunately, some of the "people" who chose to "power" Beatmyprice.com are scammers. I feel really bad about one of our readers getting scammed of one of our posts. Everyone needs to be aware of the following caveats when shopping online:

• Never give money to a stranger via Western Union.
• Only buy things online using a credit card.
• Never just go by the lowest price you find. As we warned in the Beatmyprice post, if you haven't heard of the retailler, check out their reputation first.

—- On Mon, 11/17/08, Rebecca Hatfield wrote:

From: Rebecca
Subject: Fw: Western Union: Pickup Notification.
To: omexelectronics@yahoo.com
Date: Monday, November 17, 2008, 7:39 PM

I just received this notice from Western Union saying that my payment was picked up. I would like to request a tracking number please. Thank you.

—-

From: Omex Finco
To: Rebecca
Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 4:11:35 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: Western Union: Pickup Notification.

Ms Rebbeca.

Yes your payment has been picked up and also, this is to inform you that your Order has been shipped out of Spain and it's presently in United Kingdom, DHL refuse to shipout 1Unit of the Brand New PS3 Sony Playstation 3 , They said the Minimum Unit that can be allowed to enter into your Country is 5Units due to the new president elected and for this reason any consignment that is below 5 to 10 kgb will not be allow in FOR SECURITY REASON BEST KNOW TO YOUR GOVERMENT and your consignment is just 1kgb, So for this reason My Company shipped out 5Units of the Brand New PS3 Sony Playstation 3 to you.

We used another Private Shipping Company to deliver the PS3 Sony Playstation 3 to you, The name of the Company is GLOBAL PRECIOUS SERVICE ( www.glopre-int.com ) The Tracking Code is ready, So the shippers will shipout once the balance of the payment is confirmed.

The balance amount to send is $1040, The PS3 Sony Playstation 3 will enter U.S.A by Tuesday Evening once the payment is confirmed tomorrow.

Note the custom officer in respect and in hold of your consignment is Mrs Caroilne Smith and you are free to contact her if you wish to. You can call her on +447031939379.

We are truely sorry for the delay

Thanks for your Understanding.
www.omexelectonics.biz

—- On Mon, 11/17/08, Rebecca wrote:

From: Rebecca
Subject: Re: Fw: Western Union: Pickup Notification.
To: omexelectronics@yahoo.com
Date: Monday, November 17, 2008, 11:05 PM

Absolutely NOT.

YOU will refund my money! YOU will wire me the cost of the merchandise PLUS the Western Union fee! YOU will send me an MTCN number confirming that you are wiring me 294.00 OR ELSE I will post in AS MANY PLACES I CAN FIND ON THE WEB THAT YOUR WEBSITE IS A SCAM WEBSITE and I will detail how this transaction went.

You have 24 hours to get me an MTCN number or else I will start spreading the warning people NOT to make purchases from your website.

—-

From: Omex Finco
To: Rebecca
Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 5:32:32 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: Western Union: Pickup Notification.

Please i will not take such word from you anymore SCAM how and when have you getting to just conclusion,listen we are real and qualify legit company you can go as far as doing what you wish to do,the deal btw our company and you is too open that any one esle can come in to judge for us,it was not our fault and i went as far as expalining to you but it seem you are not giving me any litening ears trying to take judgement into you hand which may turn out to a total lost to you at the end of the transaction and if you wish to have your money back that will not be any problem ok but you will need to give sometime to us to get read of these off.i have explained to you as a brother here and you keep been hard on me,get the 5 consignment you have just pay for on,but i am begging you pay just for two now and all total you payed for will be three and when ever you have money for the remaining two balance you can do so,but seem to be too hard on me.

So what do you want me to do now?mrs rebecca

—- On Tue, 11/18/08, Rebecca wrote:

From: Rebecca
Subject: Re: Fw: Western Union: Pickup Notification.
To: omexelectronics@yahoo.com
Date: Tuesday, November 18, 2008, 12:02 AM

As the merchant, it is your responsibility to research the customs policies in the countries through which the merchandise must go to make it to your customer. I don't appreciate being threatened with a total loss at the end of this transaction. I've already lost. I basically gave you $294.00 for nothing.

I will not be sending you any more money and I have contacted my credit cards to let them know not to make any unapproved transactions. As I said before, I'm going to report OmexFinco.biz as a scam to anyone and everyone who will listen. Unless you can get me my money back.

—-

From: Omex Finco
To: Rebecca
Sent: Monday, November 17, 2008 6:35:03 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: Western Union: Pickup Notification.

With this word if you wish you are not comfortabale with my ideal here i am sorry about it

(As the merchant, it is your responsibility to research the customs policies in the countries through which the merchandise must go to make it to your customer)

But Madam why not for this time give to me a listening ears.i am not threateneing you but if all this hot you at the same time i am sorry but madam the true still remain on what i am tell you please i am begging you let try to have second thinking and i belt you this will be our long lasting relation in business,your ps3 are in UK under the care of mrs caroline smith,please i will beg you in the name of god to call her tommorow morning.so you will see all iam telling you is real, let see you have your ps3..

point of correction madam rebecca we are not SCAMM company ok.stop such words you are my customer and is my duty to treat you nice.

please bear with us all the cost

—- On Tue, 11/18/08, Rebecca wrote:

From: Rebecca
Subject: Re: Fw: Western Union: Pickup Notification.
To: omexelectronics@yahoo.com
Date: Tuesday, November 18, 2008, 12:46 AM

I don't care who has the PS3s at this moment. I only ordered ONE of them. I'm not calling anyone tomorrow because I'm not going to throw away any more money on this.

It doesn't matter if what you are saying IS true. I can't afford to pay any more money. I could barely afford what the single PS3 cost. You won't see a penny more out of me.

—-

OK MADAM,SINCE YOU WISH NOT TO ACT ACCORDILY WITH WHAT I WISH WILL HELP ACHIVE OUR AIM HERE,THEN YOU WILL NEED TO GIVE OF SOMETIMES AND RESOLVE THIS ISSUE.

THANKS."

(Photo: joka2000)

• homemade truffles
• homemade hand warmer
• gingerbread house
• gift of time or skill
• personalized calendars
• gourmet salt assortment
• love coupons

He also lists additional sites that offer "thousands of other great Christmas crafts." Among all of these ideas, there's bound to be something to appeal to almost everyone, giving us the option of giving less expensive yet oftentimes more heartfelt holiday gifts.

But these ideas come with a warning as well — that in order to complete many of them, you need to get started soon. So, what are you waiting for?

A Do-It-Yourself Christmas: 34 Great Gifts You Can Make Yourself [Get Rich Slowly]

— FREE MONEY FINANCE (Photo: saramarie)

"I'm not sure if this counts as Christmas creep, but it's definitely pre-Thanksgiving."

Scandalous.

Best Buy says:

A Message from Brad Anderson, Brian Dunn and Bob Willett
To all employees:

This morning, we announced that we've seen a sudden change in consumer spending, in our comparable store sales, and in our expectations for this year's earnings. We'd like to provide more context around these changes and their impact on our business.

The year started off well, with total company comparable store sales (sales at stores open more than 14 months) growing 4 percent for the first half of our fiscal year, a period that runs March through August. Our results were fairly consistent until September, when our comparable store sales turned negative, declining by 1 percent. Then our comparable store sales softened further in October, declining by nearly 8 percent, amid unprecedented changes in the financial markets, a deteriorating economy and weakening consumer sentiment. From where we stand today, we could see total company comparable store sales for the rest of the fiscal year decline by 5 percent to 15 percent.

Revenue gains are important to our business model because the majority of our costs ─ such as rent and store operating costs ─ are fixed. Typically, when comparable store sales increase by 3 percent or better, revenue growth outstrips expense growth (including merit increases, rising health care costs and the like), and our earnings rise. Currently, due to comparable store sales declines as well as spending increases, we have expenses rising faster than revenue. That's why we're now anticipating an earnings decrease for the year.

Specifically, today we also announced a new range for our earnings expectations: $2.30 to $2.90 per diluted share. The midpoint of our range is a 17-percent earnings decline compared with the $3.12 per share we earned last fiscal year.

Let us be very clear. These reduced earnings expectations reflect the unprecedented tumult in the financial services industry, which has reduced consumer spending across the board in retail. The outstanding work of our 165,000 employees doesn't make us immune to our environment. We can't change the overall level of consumer spending, but we can focus on deepening our relationships with customers wherever we interact with them: in our stores, on our Web sites and through our call centers.

While our comps have been negative, we gained market share in September and October. So we're getting a bigger piece of a business that is currently shrinking. Customer satisfaction remains at all-time highs. Employee turnover is at historic lows. We firmly believe that our strategy of customer centricity is of great value in driving our performance versus the industry, and that's the strategy we plan to pursue to continue to strengthen our position in the marketplace.

We must find ways to win with the customers who are coming to us today. Serving our customers better than anyone else is the best way to create value for customers, employees and shareholders alike. We need every employee engaged in serving customers better, and more efficiently. We want your unique perspective on what we should do differently in this market, based on what you see and touch, and using the talents you have.

We could let today's turmoil distract us from serving customers. Other retailers might do that. But we will not. Instead, we will use these circumstances to redouble our efforts and deepen our commitment to each other, to our company, to our strategy and to the customers we serve. In so doing, we will strengthen and fortify ourselves as a team. A winning team. That's who we are, and that's Best Buy.

Brad Anderson, vice chairman and chief executive officer
Brian Dunn, president and chief operating officer
Bob Willett, chief executive officer of International and chief information officer

Santa bookings have dropped so steeply that the Amalgamated Order of Real Bearded Santas, which represents 700 jolly souls in red velvet, held a series of meetings to discuss their economic survival. Among the tips: If clients can't afford an extended Santa visit at $125 an hour, offer them a quickie drop-in. "Have him read a story to the group instead of having everyone come sit on Santa's lap," suggests Nicholas Trolli, who says bookings are down 50% for the 20 Santas he represents along the East Coast.

This trend of skimping on civic cheer comes as a blow to many families. Their holidays at home will be more modest this year. Office parties will also be subdued. Now they can't even count on cherished holiday traditions in the town square.

This is tragic, because as everyone knows, if Santa is broke he'll have to cut back on health care for the elves and that's just going to place an undue burden on the taxpayer. Or worse yet, he'll have to outsource his toy making contracts to gnomes.

Glum Tidings: Santa Gets Sacked as Cities, Companies Look to Save [WSJ via Buzzfeed]
(Photo: silent (e) )

Reader Matt says:

I'm probably one of the biggest fans of the Christmas holiday on the planet but the spirit isn't typically shown after Thanksgiving. I've gotten a few laughs on how many stores started with the Christmas Creep extremely early this year. Well it extends beyond the stores. After dropping my fiancee off at Logan Airport this morning, which is in Boston for those not familiar with the area, I started scanning the radio to find some decent tunes. And what did I find on Oldies 103.3? You guessed it Christmas music. When I got home and took a look at their website, http://www.oldies1033.com/ , it really put the icing on the cake. The "holiday season" has gotten out of control this year and I just wanted to share my experience with you guys.

My manager began playing Christmas music the week before Halloween. I've had numerous customers come up to me and complain.. saying we're pushing to much into the season. The music continues to play, nonstop. We only stopped for a short hour or two on Halloween to play Michael Jackson's "Thriller" a couple of times. Christmas is here, at Borders Books and Music in Massachusetts.

From Time:

Best Buy is staging an essay contest: applicants vie to describe how important a family ritual Black Friday shopping is. The 25 winners get a $1,000 gift card, a limo ride and early admittance at 4:30 a.m. to the Black Friday deals. The electronics dealer will provide hot chocolate and outside movie screens showing holiday films to tired customers who wait in overnight lines.

Ah yes, the Black Friday ritual. At our house my dad used the flyers to start a nice, cozy fire, then laughed at the news reports about people trying to kill each other over a cheap TV. After that we ate turkey sandwiches. Do I win?

Can Retailers Get Consumers into the Christmas Spirit? [Time] (Thanks, Jeff!)
(Photo: Tengaport )

The photo was taken at HyVee grocery store in Kansas City, MO.

Wikipedia says The Halloween Tree is a novel by Ray Bradbury, but somehow I don't think this is what he had in mind. Maybe the Halloween decorations are mating with the Christmas trees?

(Thanks, Darrell!)

Here's a quick summary of the list:

1. Oil! Oil prices have dropped 50% in 3 months. Maybe this means that you won't have to burn your furniture to stay warm.
2. Car makers are waking up. They've realized that you want more fuel efficient cars. Finally. Also, don't forget about 0% financing. Assuming you have good credit, of course...
3. Low interest rates. Kiplinger's says "The interest rate on a traditional 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is averaging 6.5%, the highest it's been since the summer of '07, but still not too far from the historic low of 5.8% reached in 2003-05 and 1963-65."
4. Real estate is less expensive. If you have the money for a down payment, perhaps a deal can be yours.
5. Your bank savings are safe. FDIC insurance is now $250,000. FDIC insures small business non-interest bearing accounts, and a temporary program is in place to guarantee Money Market Mutual Funds, says Kiplinger's.
6. Stocks are cheap. Bonds are looking good. "Triple-A-rated tax-free bonds, an extraordinarily safe investment, are paying 5%-plus for ten years and 6% for 20. That's more than the Treasury offers for bonds of the same maturity."
7. Technology is awesome and cheap. You can buy a big TV and use it to keep you from crying all the time, apparently.
8. We grew a lot of stuff. "The fall harvest is shaping up as one of the best ever, despite the destructive weather and floods in the Mississippi River corridor since last spring. Exports of U.S. farm products will increase more than 40% by value this year."
9. New government. Whoever wins, it will be someone new.
10. Holiday bargains. If you still have some money, you can expect some crazy deals. "Both brick-and-mortar and online retailers are gearing up to offer huge discounts to boost sales." Just try not to get trampled, especially if you have substandard health insurance.

10 Things That Are Going Right [Kiplinger's]
(Photo: taberandrew )

Meg says:

It really disturbs me. Pumpkins should NOT wear Santa hats, and little candy corns should NOT mingle with Christmas trees! Seemingly we can't even have Halloween anymore without the mention of Christmas!

Yeah! This is Halloween, Halloween, Halloween...

Reader Aaron says:

Today I was in Rite Aid in Bellport, NY with my wife getting her prescription filled. When we walked down an aisle, I was greeted by a nice, long display of Christmas decorations and items to purchase! I groaned and told my wife how it is just obscene and obnoxious to have this stuff out when it's September and I'm still wearing shorts. I mean, Halloween is still a month away!

Anyhow, I share in your anger of how a single day out of 365 is exploited beyond belief.

Aaron, you're just lazy. By today's standards, you should have been buying your Halloween decorations two months ago. Get with the program!

The Lowe's in Cary, NC already has Christmas decorations up. Right next to the Halloween decorations.

Argh! It's not even the MLB post-season yet!

From Reuters:

"This a staggeringly bad number," said pollster John Zogby, referring to the number of people who said they would spend the same amount on gifts this year. He noted that with inflation, even flat sales means retailers won't be making as much.

"You're still going to have people standing in line at three in the morning at Wal-Mart, but the lines may be thinner this year" on Black Friday, he said, referring to the day after Thanksgiving in late November that kicks off the holiday sales season with a barrage of promotions.

Oh well. You'd have shot your eye out anyway.

Shoppers to cut back holiday gifts [Reuters]

Was walking through my local Gaithersburg, MD Costco shopping for my 55 gal drum of mayo when I spotted the creep. Now America's cries for 100 yard bolts of wrapping paper and 50 yard rolls of ribbon have been answered. Forgive the somewhat craptastic photo, was taken with my cell.

You are forgiven, of course. It's the Christmas Spirit in us, we guess.

Spotted some Christmas Creep? Send us your photos at tips@consumerist.com.

Most agree that AFTER Thanksgiving should be the start of the CHRISTMAS season, but this idea has been lost on retail for a long, long time.

I spotted this wrapping paper at Walgreens, and although its on the unreachable top shelf and probably just overflow from the stock room, I definitely think it qualifies.

Christmas Creep at Walgreens [FutureGringo]

Check out the full set here (caption has a bad word).
Have you seen some Christmas Creep? Tell us about it at tips@consumerist.com.

... the show starts it’s run on November 7th! I’m still too high on Halloween candy on Nov 7th to start thinking about Xmas (Full disclosure: I’m Jewish, so I really couldn’t give a crap about Xmas anyway, but you get my point).

We get your point loud and clear, Scott.

Have you seen some Christmas Creep? Tell us about it at tips@consumerist.com.

Last night during a leisurely stroll through the mall, I happened to snap a shot of the Christmas Creep in a storefront window. And it's only July! The picture is pretty crappy — I took it with my Blackberry, but I thought I would share it anyway. You know, there's only 148 days until Christmas!

Nooooooooo. Christmas Creep in July? We realize they're probably trying to be funny, but for some reason we still find it depressing.

Keep in mind, local ordinances may apply. Don't end up like this poor guy who accidentally drove over a stretch of road that had been annexed by Houston after legally buying fireworks and got slapped with a $500 to $2,000 fine.

From the CPSC:

The following is a summary of state regulations as of June 1, 2008.

I. STATES THAT ALLOW SOME OR ALL TYPES OF CONSUMER FIREWORKS (formerly known as class C fireworks), APPROVED BY ENFORCING AUTHORITY, OR AS SPECIFIED IN LAW (39 states, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico):

Alabama
Alaska
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maryland
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Mexico
Nevada
North Carolina
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

(The District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, in addition to the above states enforce the federal regulations and applicable state restrictions.)).

II. STATES THAT ALLOW ONLY SPARKLERS AND/OR OTHER NOVELTIES (total of 5 states):

Illinois
Iowa
Maine
Ohio
Vermont

III. STATES THAT ALLOW ONLY NOVELTY FIREWORKS - (total of 1 state):

Arizona

IV. STATES THAT BAN ALL CONSUMER FIREWORKS (including those which are allowed by CPSC regulations) - (total of 5 states):

Delaware
Massachusetts
New Jersey
New York
Rhode Island

Houston's short fuse [Houston Chronicle]
Fireworks Fact Sheet [CPSC]
(Photo: The Joy Of The Mundane )

Zachary Prell shirt: $165
"Prell spun his experience on Wall Street into the smart fitting business of shirts. And what he came up with looks as good under a three-piece suit as it does with a pair of slacks - thanks to a slim fit, contrasting stripe down the side, and spread collar that works opened or closed."

The Art of Shaving kit: $100
"Rather than splurge on an old-fashioned hot-towel shave at a pricey men's spa, give the do-it-yourselfer the tools he needs for a perfect shave from home.
The Art of Shaving's full size kit with pre-shave oil, shaving cream, badger hair brush and after-shave balm promises optimal results (read: no ingrown hairs or razor burn)."

Krups BeerTender: $299
"The sleek countertop machine fits Heineken's compact 5-liter draught kegs and is engineered to ensure that each serving pours a perfect pub-style draft. Beer is kept fresh for up to 30 days while a volume indicator shows how much is left in the keg so you never have to worry about tapping out. And with free shipping, your wallet won't get tapped out either."

Tivoli Model One radio: $119
"Even though it looks retro, the technologically advanced Tivoli is compatible with iPods and other MP3 players. Sound too good to be true? Enter the code DAD20 at checkout and take 20% off. "

A day of driving: $1,495
"You could go from zero to happy Father's Day in under 4 seconds by putting dad on the list for a brand new 2009 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4, which starts at $203,000. But, for about $1,500, drivers can drive five such supercars along the wide open country roads of French Lick Indiana. As an extra gift, dads get crystal car keepsakes and a picture with their favorite car, which might just replace the family portrait he got last year."

Last-minute Father's Day deals [CNN Money]

My daughter and I ordered a book as a Mother's Day gift, and I was disappointed to learn it would ship late and miss the big day. I had waited until the last day of the promotion (April 30th at about 9:00 PM EST), so I didn't want to complain. Then this landed in my inbox.

Dear Daniel,
 
Thank you for your recent Apple photo order.
 
I understand that you submitted your order to us in time to be received by May 11th.  You may have noticed that the tracking information for your order indicates the estimated delivery date is after May 11th.
 
To ensure that your order is received by May 11th, your order is being reprocessed free of charge and will be sent via expedited shipping. When it ships, you will receive a separate email with the tracking number for your duplicate order. Please accept both orders as a goodwill gesture.
 
I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you. I hope you continue to enjoy using Apple Photo Services for your creative projects. If you have any questions or concerns, please reply to this email and we will assist you further.
 
Thank you for being a loyal Apple customer and have a wonderful day.
 
Sincerely,
 
Sofia
Apple Photo Services Support

Apple saved Mother's Day! Landed at 10:00 AM on Friday - plenty of time to wrap it up. Very impressed that this was an unsolicited effort to make an annoying situation perfect.

My grandfather ordered an engraved Tiffany silver bracelet as a surprise Christmas gift for my grandmother. He had custom engraving put on the bracelet, and had arranged for the bracelet to be delivered to my house about 2 weeks before Christmas. Two weeks after the order (when we should've received the bracelet), there was no bracelet. We gave it another week, and the my grandfather emailed Tiffany customer support. He received an automated response stating that because of the overwhelming Christmas rush, he needed to contact customer support via their 800 number. Of course, the 800 number was impossible to get through to also.

My grandfather, being the laid back man that he is, wasn't really angry, but he wanted to know what was going on with the bracelet. Tiffany customer service ended up calling him on the Friday before Christmas. As luck would have it, he was out fishing, and my grandmother talked to them, thus ruining the surprise. When he returned home, he was able to actually get through to the rep who called him earlier. She informed him that because of a Christmas rush they were not expecting, the bracelet would not be arriving before Christmas. To make up for the fact that they had ruined the surprise and would not be getting the bracelet to my grandfather before Christmas, they would be giving him the order FREE. He asked to clarify, asking if they just meant the shipping or the engraving free, but no, the ENTIRE COST of the order was FREE. Of course, he was blown away (after all, this is a $255 bracelet, plus the cost of engraving and shipping).

Tiffany ended up shipping the bracelet on Saturday, overnighting it to my house where I received it on Monday. There was no invoice or such in the box, so we were still wondering IF the bracelet was actually going to be free (with the final call coming from the credit card bill). Sure enough, when the credit card bill came that would've contained the charge, there was absolutely no charges from Tiffany.

So, it's nice to know that there are indeed some companies who want to keep their reputation that treat their customers well.

The laws differ from state to state, and companies tend not to report on gift card income, so it's hard to get an accurate idea of what happens to all those forgotten or abandoned cards. New York state is trying to push other states to support a "uniform federal solution" that would let all states grab a slice of the gift card pie—which certainly can't impress businesses, who must report gift card amounts as liabilities until they're spent or expired.

Who gets to keep that money depends on where the retailer locates its card division. Some states, including Delaware and New York, demand unspent balances be sent to them after periods ranging from two to five years. (If the card is used after that point, the retailer generally honors it but can apply to the state for a reimbursement.) Other states, including Florida and Virginia, allow retailers to hang on to the money. In those cases, after periods ranging from 18 months to seven years, the retailer can move the money from the balance sheet directly into operating income.

Reginald writes:

For Christmas, my wife bought me a lawyer bar hutch (Order XXXXXXXXXXXXXX). She also paid extra for delivery and setup.

The delivery company scheduled the delivery for between noon and 2 p.m. on 2007-12-26. I planned my day (including re-scheduling a family event) so that I could wait for the deliverers.

When I arrived home at noon on 2007-12-26, I learned that the deliverers had dropped off the piece 45 minutes earlier (and it was just pure luck that someone happened to be there to open the door for them). Furthermore, the setup was incomplete.

Needless to say, I was fuming. I called the Pottery Barn number that I had. The call service representative was nice, but apparently this particular call center did not handle this type of issue. She gave me a phone number in case I was disconnected, and of course, I was disconnected.

Unsurprisingly, I was livid and at that moment frankly not someone from whom you'd want to get a service call. Fortunately, I reached Jim. He was polite, sympathetic, and seemed generally concerned about my situation. More importantly, though, he solved my problem: He quickly reached the delivery company and had them return to complete the setup later that day.

What Jim did was great service. Then he provided stellar service. He followed up. He called me to make sure the deliverers had properly set up the bar. He also sent a gift card to compensate me for the inconvenience.

Too many companies view call centers as just cost centers and neither empower nor adequately pay their customer service representatives. But that kind of thinking is counterproductive in the long term: Every company makes mistakes, but great companies fix their mistakes and turn potentially disgruntled customers into their ambassadors.

And Pottery Barn, through Jim, showed me that it was a great company. Before this incident, I was ambivalent about Pottery Barn. The millions the company spent on advertising were mostly lost on me. Before speaking with Jim (and after the deliverers' mistake), I despised Pottery Barn. I planned on telling everyone in the world about how Pottery Barn ruined my Christmas. Then Jim intervened. I hate to sound so fawning, but not only did he defuse the situation, he solved it. I now will tell everyone how great Pottery Barn is.

I would like to thank Jim for his help. I also hope Pottery Barn shows Jim its thanks.

Reginald

Has there really been that much innovation in stupid reindeer doorknob cozies in the past decade? No. No there has not, so get out there and buy some dumb crap.

Also, we're not Martha Stewart or anything, but we never felt that pine or candy cane scented candles were inappropriately "holiday themed" when used during the rest of winter. Just sayin'.

(Photo:saramarie)

So what has turned the tide for Wal-Mart?

Johnson traced it back to strategy changes that the retailer made in January.

Wal-Mart hired a new advertising firm, Martin Agency, ranked by Advertising Age as one of the top five agencies of the year in 2006. In the same month, the company named Stephen Quinn as chief marketing officer.

Said Johnson, "Quinn used to be CMO at Frito-Lay. Industry insiders say he has a very strong marketing mind."

Wal-Mart strengthened its branded electronics offerings by introducing Dell computers to its stores in June. In September, Wal-Mart discarded its staid "Always Low Prices" slogan for a new tagline - "Save Money. Live Better" - in time for the holidays.

"If you make a promise like that, you have to deliver it in your store," Johnson said.

Industry experts said Wal-Mart backed up that theme by being the first to aggressively slash prices on thousands of toys in late October followed by a round of early discounts in November on some of the year's hottest electronics.

Target chose not indulge in an early price war with Wal-Mart.

Analysts said Wal-Mart appears to have outperformed Target on grocery purchases as well, which account for a big chunk of both retailers sales.

"There's a real sense of urgency at Wal-Mart. The stores had that festive feel and look in early November," Johnson said. "In some Target stores I visited, the level of service varied from indifference to non-existent."

"This holiday season Wal-Mart really outmaneuvered Target in service," Buxbaum said.

"As a merchandiser, you can't ignore the customer experience. The level of helpfulness in Target stores is approaching Home Depot territory," Johnson said.

How Wal-Mart stole Christmas [CNNMoney]
(Photo:meghannmarco)

Of 52 items the Globe tracked over the five-week holiday shopping season, only five items were cheapest on Black Friday. The vast majority of the products either stayed the same price or fluctuated above and below the Black Friday price from week to week. Seven items were actually cheaper the day before Christmas than on Black Friday.

"If you wait it out, you'll often do better," said Joseph Feldman of the New York retail consultancy Telsey Advisory Group.

The Globe tracked prices of items ranging from digital cameras to laptops by checking advertising circulars from stores such as Best Buy, Sears, and Circuit City each Sunday, starting the weekend before Black Friday. To be included in the survey, an item had to appear in the circulars for three of the five weekends before Christmas. Five of the items were cheapest on Black Friday, including a JVC 30GB hard drive camcorder at Best Buy that rose $70 by Dec. 2 to $399, before climbing another $100 the following Sunday. The last time the item was advertised was on Dec. 16 at $399.

The prices for 20 items stayed the same, including a Sony PlayStation 3 from Circuit City that held at $399. On 20 items, the price changed from week to week - meaning some weeks buyers paid more than the Black Friday price and some weeks they paid less.

And late sleepers and the last-minute procrastinators could beat the Black Friday prices on seven items. For example, Circuit City featured a $119.99 AIPTEK camcorder that includes an MP3 player, voice recorder, and webcam on Black Friday. By Dec. 16, it had dropped to $89.99 - a 25 percent savings. And Best Buy offered a Nikon Coolpix navy blue digital camera for $199.99 on Black Friday. It jumped to $229.99 and then $279.99 in the following weeks, only to fall back to $199.99 by Dec. 16. It wasn't advertised on Dec. 23, the Sunday before Christmas.

For shopping early birds... [Boston Globe]
(Photo: The Searcher)

He writes:

I love dealing with UPS. The package comes when they say it will, and the regular deliveryman knows when, and when not, to leave a package when nobody's home. I hate dealing with FedEx. They claim they came when they didn't and leave packages at the door without even knocking when we are home. For Christmas, I ordered a pair of skis for my wife and told the shipper to insist on a signature. TrackingUpdates@fedex.com sent me a shipment notification that clearly said "Must Obtain Signature DO NOT LEAVE AT DOOR."

The tracking page said that the delivery would be on 12/26. No problem, since I ordered too late to get it in time for Christmas. We changed our plans to stay up in the Adirondacks for the long Christmas weekend only because of the heavy Sunday rain that wiped out the great skiing conditions that existed just a day before. I went to work Monday, Christmas Eve, checked the tracking page, and found out that they were now delivering the skis that day. I called my wife and told her to hustle home to be there for the package.

I later checked the tracking page before she got home and found that they had delivered it with the notation " Left at front door. Package delivered to recipient address - release authorized." I submitted a complaint online: "Despite specific instructions from the shipper: 'Must Obtain Signature DO NOT LEAVE AT DOOR,' the package was left at the door based on 'Signature Release on file.' [please note — that's B.S.] I HEREBY REVOKE ANY AND ALL SIGNATURE RELEASES THAT YOU HAVE ON FILE."

Their reply was: "Our records indicate that your shipper is not requiring FedEx to acquire a signature to complete this delivery. Our drivers often can deliver packages even when no one is available to sign for them." I e-mailed them again and suggested that they re-read my e-mail and the specific instructions from the shipper.

Then I got this reply: "FedEx authorized release of residential packages without a release agreement on file to expedite deliveries because of possible weather/volume issues and to ensure packages were delivered in time for the holiday. FedEx reserves the right to release packages at residential locations without obtaining a signature."

In other words, FedEx doesn't care what instructions are given by the shipper — they reserve the right to do whatever they want with the package — like leaving it outside so various undesirables can happen by and help themselves to your stuff. By the way, the toe piece on one of the ski bindings was damaged. Thanks, FedEx.

I no longer will do business with any merchant that will not give me the option of shipping with some company other than FedEx.

Thanks for listening

Frank