*** this excerpt accompanied a photo and between the two, i had a fairly strong reaction. btw, the city is called shinjuku. here is the image link: http://www.androniki.com/images/homeless/01-Sinjuku.jpg
November 24, 2008
just a thought or two...
"Homeless in Tokyo - Tokyo
A homeless man in front of the lockers outside Keio department store. Sinjuku is a very busy area with a lot of department stores and a lot of people passing from there every day. While the shops are still open homeless people just wonder around waiting till they close so that they can lay their paper mattresses outside them and sleep. There is usually no interaction between the homeless and people passing by as homeless people don't usually beg and passers by try to ignore their presence. Tokyo, © Androniki Christodoulou"
The way homeless people are treat across the world is much the same. During the Great Depression many people were homeless due to no fault of their own. Sometimes that is still the case. Sometimes I wonder how it would be if ever I were to become homeless. That's why I try to help when I can- even when I haven't had an income. My mother and my great uncle also do what the can, each in their own way (she gives food and he is a minister at a homeless shelter). I know charity begins at home first, but sometimes I feel like my poverty may be a king's wealth to another, so I try to help when it doesn't absolutely break me because I, too, am usually hurting for money. I would be one of those people, silently hurting, never asking for help. To be in such a position is embarrassing enough as it is without having to as for help as well...
Showing posts with label humanity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label humanity. Show all posts
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
back-words... of consumer frustrations with a favored product...
*** Downy never did reply to me. perhaps they considered me to be a flake or worse? i think they could have at least addressed my product inquiry...
Sunday, November 2, 2008
of consumer frustrations with a favored product...
Who has a favorite product? Chances are that we all have at least one. Chances also are that at least one of our favorite products have become hard to find or even discontinued. If it starts to happen to you too many times you might feel a little frustrated as a result. The following is a letter I sent to Downy because I can no longer find a product they declare is not discontinued and should be found at any of my local stores. What transpires of this is yet to be known, but I thought I would share my experience thus far...
Citrus & Light™ Ultra Downy® with Febreze® Fresh Scent-
This is possibly one of the best products Downy has ever released. My family has used Downy for generations beginning with my grandmother. Now I use it, too. However, being a male, I prefer something a little more masculine which is why I prefer the Citrus & Light scent.
Unfortunately in recent months I cannot find it anywhere anymore- not at my usual grocery stores (Giant, Safeway, Harris Teeter) nor at places such as Target, KMart, or WalMart. I cannot even find a way to purchase it online. What is the situation? Your Q&A section does not specify Citrus & Light as being discontinued, only "compacted." The product line area of your site does not indicate anything is discontinued at all. I find the lack of continuity distressing.
About a month ago, I tried to acquire a coupon for Downy on your site, but it was for a specific line I had no interest in. Shouldn't I, the consumer, be allowed to choose which style of Downy I choose to apply a coupon toward? It's a little misleading to offer a coupon toward downy and then realize it is toward only one specific style or type.
The lack of continuity between shapes, sizes, and opaqueness of bottle is also disconcerting- it becomes difficult to search for things if they do not mark a basic commonality. Downy's effort to shake things up to look fresh, new, exciting, and different fails- and this is coming from a multi-generational family user. I'm sure opinions and concerns from a user with a background such as mine bares more heft. As I say, I love the product; I am just dismayed at how Downy has been handling things as of late.
Additionally, I do not see a point in making multi-lingual product labeling. As your company has specified, this product is for North American users- not South American, not Central American, nor others. While the Unites States in particular may be a massive multicultural melting pot, our national language is still English and we should encourage all new-comers to this great country to learn its national language if they haven't already. Downy should realize English is a major international language being learned and used world-wide, especially for business. With foreign countries actively searching and hiring native English-speaking teachers to teach the language, it would seem that Downy, a North American company, would choose to sell a North American product in North America in its native tongue, English. All the extra translations do is clutter up the packaging and aside from that Downy is pretty easy to use- one doesn't even need pictographs; one capful for one load and it can either be tossed in during the rinse or a Downy ball can be used, which is what I do.
The Downy ball really eliminates the hassle of an extra step in my laundry process, which saves me time to get other things done. Clearly I love the product and the convenience it adds to my life, so why why not make things easier for longterm users such as myself by making the bottles easier to buy, find, and read?
I really would like to buy some Citrus & Light™ Ultra Downy® with Febreze® Fresh Scent, but I just can't seem to find it anymore. I can't adequately describe what a frustrating experience that is. Surely many of the individuals who comprise Downy have endured similar situations with being unable to find favorite products.
Additionally of note, I am aware my little tirade may not be received with open arms, but is it not the desire of a company to please existing customers and not to lose them in the hopes of acquiring potentially new customers? If there are multiple departments within Downy as I suspect there are, it would be my wish to have my letter forwarded to as many of those departments as possible so that they may gain the perspective of an existing customer with a longterm multi-generational consumer commitment such as mine. Otherwise, it would seem my thoughts are merely in the rinse. Thank you for your time and consideration. I remain in hopes you can shed some light on where I can purchase more Citrus & Light™ Ultra Downy® with Febreze® Fresh Scent.
Sincerely,
Scott Cherry
Sunday, November 2, 2008
of consumer frustrations with a favored product...
Who has a favorite product? Chances are that we all have at least one. Chances also are that at least one of our favorite products have become hard to find or even discontinued. If it starts to happen to you too many times you might feel a little frustrated as a result. The following is a letter I sent to Downy because I can no longer find a product they declare is not discontinued and should be found at any of my local stores. What transpires of this is yet to be known, but I thought I would share my experience thus far...
Citrus & Light™ Ultra Downy® with Febreze® Fresh Scent-
This is possibly one of the best products Downy has ever released. My family has used Downy for generations beginning with my grandmother. Now I use it, too. However, being a male, I prefer something a little more masculine which is why I prefer the Citrus & Light scent.
Unfortunately in recent months I cannot find it anywhere anymore- not at my usual grocery stores (Giant, Safeway, Harris Teeter) nor at places such as Target, KMart, or WalMart. I cannot even find a way to purchase it online. What is the situation? Your Q&A section does not specify Citrus & Light as being discontinued, only "compacted." The product line area of your site does not indicate anything is discontinued at all. I find the lack of continuity distressing.
About a month ago, I tried to acquire a coupon for Downy on your site, but it was for a specific line I had no interest in. Shouldn't I, the consumer, be allowed to choose which style of Downy I choose to apply a coupon toward? It's a little misleading to offer a coupon toward downy and then realize it is toward only one specific style or type.
The lack of continuity between shapes, sizes, and opaqueness of bottle is also disconcerting- it becomes difficult to search for things if they do not mark a basic commonality. Downy's effort to shake things up to look fresh, new, exciting, and different fails- and this is coming from a multi-generational family user. I'm sure opinions and concerns from a user with a background such as mine bares more heft. As I say, I love the product; I am just dismayed at how Downy has been handling things as of late.
Additionally, I do not see a point in making multi-lingual product labeling. As your company has specified, this product is for North American users- not South American, not Central American, nor others. While the Unites States in particular may be a massive multicultural melting pot, our national language is still English and we should encourage all new-comers to this great country to learn its national language if they haven't already. Downy should realize English is a major international language being learned and used world-wide, especially for business. With foreign countries actively searching and hiring native English-speaking teachers to teach the language, it would seem that Downy, a North American company, would choose to sell a North American product in North America in its native tongue, English. All the extra translations do is clutter up the packaging and aside from that Downy is pretty easy to use- one doesn't even need pictographs; one capful for one load and it can either be tossed in during the rinse or a Downy ball can be used, which is what I do.
The Downy ball really eliminates the hassle of an extra step in my laundry process, which saves me time to get other things done. Clearly I love the product and the convenience it adds to my life, so why why not make things easier for longterm users such as myself by making the bottles easier to buy, find, and read?
I really would like to buy some Citrus & Light™ Ultra Downy® with Febreze® Fresh Scent, but I just can't seem to find it anymore. I can't adequately describe what a frustrating experience that is. Surely many of the individuals who comprise Downy have endured similar situations with being unable to find favorite products.
Additionally of note, I am aware my little tirade may not be received with open arms, but is it not the desire of a company to please existing customers and not to lose them in the hopes of acquiring potentially new customers? If there are multiple departments within Downy as I suspect there are, it would be my wish to have my letter forwarded to as many of those departments as possible so that they may gain the perspective of an existing customer with a longterm multi-generational consumer commitment such as mine. Otherwise, it would seem my thoughts are merely in the rinse. Thank you for your time and consideration. I remain in hopes you can shed some light on where I can purchase more Citrus & Light™ Ultra Downy® with Febreze® Fresh Scent.
Sincerely,
Scott Cherry
back-words... Energizer energized me...
Monday, November 3, 2008
Energizer energized me...
Recently, I purchased a pack of batteries and I was surprised at what I found inside.
It turned out to be a coupon, except that the coupon had expired about eight months earlier. So my thoughts followed the following sequence:
Woohoo! a coupon- that's rare!
Ooh, a buck off; I can use that.
Oh, it's expired...
Damn, I bought old batteries!
...because of course, if the coupon is expired, it means that the batteries are also old since coupons are meant to expire ahead of purchase time. Simply going back to the store would most likely result in an exchange for more old batteries with an expired coupon contained within. Who needs more of that? Not I...
With this thought in mind, I decided to navigate my trusty browser to the Energizer website to see if I could find a direct way to contact them and indeed they had the typical contact form one would find on many websites. I explained to them what happened and that while i wasn't specifically looking for restitution, I felt they should have a heads up that a store was selling a less than fresh version of their product. Having completed my little note, I sent it off ans gave it very little thought.
Days later, I received snail mail from Energizer. It was in response to my online communication with them, which surprised me as I expected if anything at all, I would get an email. However, as I poured through the hard copy template communication, I realized they were indeed acknowledging a foul up and as a way of making amends they gave me a $10 coupon! Granted it's only applicable toward the purchase of only one product, but if I apply it wisely I can get something very useful out of this coupon and maximize its worth, plus it expires toward the end of next year so I have time to consider my options. Not bad, huh?
Energizer energized me...
Recently, I purchased a pack of batteries and I was surprised at what I found inside.
It turned out to be a coupon, except that the coupon had expired about eight months earlier. So my thoughts followed the following sequence:
Woohoo! a coupon- that's rare!
Ooh, a buck off; I can use that.
Oh, it's expired...
Damn, I bought old batteries!
...because of course, if the coupon is expired, it means that the batteries are also old since coupons are meant to expire ahead of purchase time. Simply going back to the store would most likely result in an exchange for more old batteries with an expired coupon contained within. Who needs more of that? Not I...
With this thought in mind, I decided to navigate my trusty browser to the Energizer website to see if I could find a direct way to contact them and indeed they had the typical contact form one would find on many websites. I explained to them what happened and that while i wasn't specifically looking for restitution, I felt they should have a heads up that a store was selling a less than fresh version of their product. Having completed my little note, I sent it off ans gave it very little thought.
Days later, I received snail mail from Energizer. It was in response to my online communication with them, which surprised me as I expected if anything at all, I would get an email. However, as I poured through the hard copy template communication, I realized they were indeed acknowledging a foul up and as a way of making amends they gave me a $10 coupon! Granted it's only applicable toward the purchase of only one product, but if I apply it wisely I can get something very useful out of this coupon and maximize its worth, plus it expires toward the end of next year so I have time to consider my options. Not bad, huh?
Saturday, January 24, 2009
back-words... kindness for a criminal...
Sunday, April 15, 2007
kindness for a criminal...
ok, honestly, whos guilty of file sharing? anyone? i know i have, and it hasnt always been as acceptable (or legal) as i would have liked. the idea of file sharing is actually something i support as long as its approved of by everything it personally affects. its a great way to promote. its also a great way to get in trouble.
recently i offered a variety of shares by one of my favorite artists. btw, im also guilty of not keeping up to date on things... i knew two of the labels that featured several shares were defunct but i wasnt aware of any other information. sometimes non-commercial edm doesnt get stocked well, if at all, which leads me to believe just because something is not available to me means that it is also not available to the public- not always true! to make this even more difficult, not only do i try to collect edm, but i especially make an effort to collect older edm from the 90s when most of it was at its best. my heart will always belong to that era. most of the music i collect are oop's. a lot of label have gone belly up. it becomes hard to keep track of whats what sometimes, esp when you have an extensive collection such as mine. ignorance is not an excuse, however it was the only excuse i had to offer. i wasnt even trying to stick it to the man, because in non-commercial edm, there really is no man to stick anything to. those who run things are as ordinary as the rest of us. i was only sharing something rare that i love.
today, i exchanged emails with the artist whose works i was sharing. as you can imagine he wasnt pleased and he had every right to let me know. in fact, he probably had an excellent case to send my ass to jail. not only did he not take legal action against me, but he even forgave me and made a joke over the matter. relief doesnt even begin to describe what i feel, but even more so is the heightened level of respect i have for this man. he couldve busted me into a million bits and instead he chose to hear me out and assumably believe what i had to say. not that it made things right, but i admitted i was ignorant and had made a mistake that i try really hard not to make. i also took action of stopping my shares and publicly recommending others do the same. i think perhaps that was some small act of amends that could be viewed as acceptable. this takes a big person to let something go of this nature.
i already respected this artist for his creative integrity. i have seen him perform live. i have collected his music. i have videos which feature interviews with him. i have always had a genuine interest in this artist and now today i also respect the caliber of his character. in a world where ppl are ready to file lawsuits at the drop of a hat, he offered me the benefit of the doubt and forgave me. that takes a mighty big person to do that.
i cannot begin to express my gratitude...
kindness for a criminal...
ok, honestly, whos guilty of file sharing? anyone? i know i have, and it hasnt always been as acceptable (or legal) as i would have liked. the idea of file sharing is actually something i support as long as its approved of by everything it personally affects. its a great way to promote. its also a great way to get in trouble.
recently i offered a variety of shares by one of my favorite artists. btw, im also guilty of not keeping up to date on things... i knew two of the labels that featured several shares were defunct but i wasnt aware of any other information. sometimes non-commercial edm doesnt get stocked well, if at all, which leads me to believe just because something is not available to me means that it is also not available to the public- not always true! to make this even more difficult, not only do i try to collect edm, but i especially make an effort to collect older edm from the 90s when most of it was at its best. my heart will always belong to that era. most of the music i collect are oop's. a lot of label have gone belly up. it becomes hard to keep track of whats what sometimes, esp when you have an extensive collection such as mine. ignorance is not an excuse, however it was the only excuse i had to offer. i wasnt even trying to stick it to the man, because in non-commercial edm, there really is no man to stick anything to. those who run things are as ordinary as the rest of us. i was only sharing something rare that i love.
today, i exchanged emails with the artist whose works i was sharing. as you can imagine he wasnt pleased and he had every right to let me know. in fact, he probably had an excellent case to send my ass to jail. not only did he not take legal action against me, but he even forgave me and made a joke over the matter. relief doesnt even begin to describe what i feel, but even more so is the heightened level of respect i have for this man. he couldve busted me into a million bits and instead he chose to hear me out and assumably believe what i had to say. not that it made things right, but i admitted i was ignorant and had made a mistake that i try really hard not to make. i also took action of stopping my shares and publicly recommending others do the same. i think perhaps that was some small act of amends that could be viewed as acceptable. this takes a big person to let something go of this nature.
i already respected this artist for his creative integrity. i have seen him perform live. i have collected his music. i have videos which feature interviews with him. i have always had a genuine interest in this artist and now today i also respect the caliber of his character. in a world where ppl are ready to file lawsuits at the drop of a hat, he offered me the benefit of the doubt and forgave me. that takes a mighty big person to do that.
i cannot begin to express my gratitude...
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