Your link to Northwest Indiana. tm
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Power Shopping By Thomas 7-21-05 Ni Hao! Thomas is back from an extensive 4-week tour of China, which includes Tibet, a cruise on the Yangtze River, and a shopping spree in Hong Kong. Thomas is now fluent in the Mandarin Chinese language. Other than Ni Hao (means hello), I only had to master two other phrases…Duo Shao Qian (how much?) and Bu Yao (don’t want it). Thomas didn’t use Bu Yao very often…unless some street vendor was pestering me to buy some garbage trinket! Oh, Xie Xie (thank you) also came in handy, as did Za Suo Zai Na Er (where is the toilet?)! Thomas had a terrific time…the sightseeing was fabulous, the food was wonderful, the 5-star hotels were ‘tolerable’ [I crack myself up], the people were enchanting, and the shopping was exhilarating! Well someone has to lead this glamorous lifestyle and I nominate…ME! I know... I know…it is always about me, isn’t it? . What about shopping stories, you ask? Thomas has shopping stories that even shocked me! Let me tell you about one in Lhasa, Tibet… home of the Buddhist religion & their Dalai Lama. My Power Shopping followers know that Thomas will go to great lengths to get a super deal. On July 4, Thomas braved the heat (110 degrees in the shade), dust, burning incense (cough, cough, hack, hack), tea with Yak butter (don’t ask…but it sounds nasty…and it is), and obnoxious street vendors to find such a deal. But the day would belong to someone else! 4 fellow travelers in my group became ‘devotees’ of Thomas and his ‘power shopping madness’. Goldie, Jade, Pearl, and Coral became my ‘shopping buddies’. Every city, every town, and every village were put on alert that Thomas and his ‘gems’ were on the loose! Goldie would ultimately steal Thomas’ fireworks (4th of July…get it?)
Goldie had purchased some jewelry from one of the thousands of street
vendors. Necklaces, rings, sunglasses, silk prayer scarves, Buddhist
prayer wheels, and jade carvings were among the thousands of items that
every street vendor offered. Once Goldie returned to the hotel, she noticed that one of the wheels was not to her liking…it didn’t turn as smoothly as it should. Goldie tells me that she is going to take it back to the street vendor the next day and ‘exchange’ it. “Goldie”, I said. “Exchange a one dollar item…in a foreign country, and besides, how are you going to locate the vendor among the thousands here in Tibet? You don’t have a prayer’s chance (pun intended)” “I’ll find her tomorrow”; she confidently answered. This Thomas had to see…so the next day, I tagged along with Goldie. We decided to go after the morning tour and lunch. After walking 20 minutes past the thousands of vendor’s booths, Goldie stumbles upon the street vendor she was looking for. Ni Hao was stated Goldie pulled out the dysfunctional prayer wheel. The vendor, who spoke no English, realized the dilemma and graciously exchanged the merchandise. “I was impressed that 1. Goldie found her, and 2. She was able to exchange it.” Goldie thanked the lady and purchased a turquoise bead bracelet for approximately $2.00. We walked back to the hotel. At dinner that evening, Goldie tells me that she really didn’t want the bracelet and was going to take it back the next day. I said, “Goldie, it only cost $2.00 and what are the odds that she will be there anyway?” Again, Goldie confidently stated, “I will find her tomorrow”. Hmmm, Thomas had to witness this one. The next day, Thomas, and another traveler followed Goldie. She located the street vendor and, using sign language and a smile, managed to exchange that bracelet opting for another prayer wheel charm. Before you know it, Goldie had Thomas and the other traveler purchasing prayer wheel charms (maybe Thomas was a Buddhist in a past life). I estimated they cost us less than $ .85 per. Hmmm, do you think Goldie wants to change the name of this column to “Power Shopping by Goldie?” And now… DON’T DOUBT THOMAS! THINK FILM DEVELOPING! Thomas had 5 digital cards containing over 700 shots. Wal*Mart [worldwide] currently offers $ .19 per digital print. And, they can be done in one hour… which they were! THINK BACK TO SCHOOL SUPPLIES! Almost every department store and office supply store is offering specials on Back-to School supplies. OfficeMax [nationwide] has deal on writing pencils (12-pack of #2 lead) for $ .12. A 24-pack of crayons, by RoseArt, is $ .09. THINK 2-WAY RADIOS! Value City Department Stores [nationwide] has a 2-pack of 2-way radios for $9.99. The 2-pack usually runs $25.00. They have up to a 2-mile range. I am getting 3 sets so that the Spice Girls and I can keep in contact the next time I take the girls shopping. THINK TV/DVD COMBO! Meijer [nationwide] has a 20” pure flat TV/DVD combo, by Apex or Sylvania for $109.97. Meijer is also using Kelly Clarkson (American Idol winner) in their advertising. THINK GIFTS FOR YOUR PET! Target [nationwide] has a dog/cat bowl, by famed designer Isaac Mizrahi, for $7.77. Talk about pet couture! Do you realize that Christmas is only 5 months away? I am sure that Goldie has already bought, exchanged, bought, exchange…exchanged…exchanged all of her Christmas presents. Thomas |
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