I hope you had a great Labor Day weekend. While many of us enjoyed a day off yesterday, those who work in retail, particularly those who work at 24/7 mega stores like Wal-Mart, weren’t so lucky. If you’re not one of the 9 million people who have already seen the video, watch The People of Wal-Mart to see what I mean…. In last week’s email, I included a diagram that detailed the different approach men and women take when charged with the same shopping mission. It is true that many men find shopping boring
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Last week, after waking up before dawn, making a special pancake breakfast, packing lunches, getting the kids off for their first day of school, getting ready for work and driving to the office, I breathed a quick sigh of relief: “Phew!” I thought as I checked my online bank account right before work, “Back-to-school spending is done and I’ll have some time to recover before the holidays roll around.” Then, I looked at the calendar and realized there are only fourteen more weeks until Thanksgiving! Like most women, my brain runs on about twelve
Read more →Today is my favorite day of the year–it’s the day the kids go back to school! Each year, when this blessed Monday arrives, I’m like a kid on Christmas. I pop out of bed at 4:30 am, ready to greet the day. In my house, it’s tradition that I make a big family breakfast on Saturdays, Sundays, and The First Day of School. So this morning, as per our annual tradition, I fried some bacon in a pan and poured tall glasses of milk for my 15-year-old, Denver, and my 6-year-old, Timothy (we fondly
Read more →I am no stranger to falling on my face, and sometimes falling on my…ahem…derriere. Last week, I did it again. In case you missed it, I wrote about my obsession with Star Wars (or Han Solo, in particular) as an intro to my newest Star-Wars inspired sales presentation. Despite checking my work and having at least four other people in the office proofread it, I managed to misspell Chewbacca. As Bob (my boss) pointed out, I referred to his distant cousin, Chewbecca, instead. Not once, but twice. When I realized my error, I let
Read more →I blame my brother for turning me into a Star Wars geek. In 1977, when the first Star Wars movie was released, like most boys his age, he became obsessed. My obsession wasn’t so much with the Empire as it was with a certain Han Solo played by a young Harrison Ford. Forget Princess Leia, I would have gladly traded places with Chewbacca just to get closer to my crush, Han. Who cared that I would have had to wear a costume made of yak hair and mohair? Who cared that my voice would
Read more →If you’re struggling to find a reason to smile this morning, you are not alone. According to British researchers, Monday mornings are so depressing that, on average, we don’t crack our first smile until 11:16 a.m. That early??? In my first installment of Just Another Mary Monday, I figured it was my duty to make sure you hit that target today. A couple of Fridays ago, our company President, Bob, shared an “out of the mouths of babes” moment he had with his daughter. His email prompted a friend to send a joke that
Read more →One of the great things about living in a coastal town like Wilmington, NC is that we live where other people go to vacation. This year, our Fourth of July vacation was a stay-cation of sorts, as we enjoyed boating, beaches and hotel pools with friends and family here and in neighboring Myrtle Beach, SC. If I learned anything this past week, it is that location is everything, especially when it comes to raising your kids and the way they talk. As a child raised in the Northeast, I grew up on “soda”. But
Read more →Summer is in full swing; the heat is on; and, the office feels more stifling than ever. Looking for a way to inject some fun back into your work routine? Check out these five fun purchases* that will bring some refreshing summer entertainment to you and your co-workers: 1. Chill out: A tiny desktop refrigerator can hold and cool exactly one standard 12 ounce can. It’s powered solely by USB via your computer, which makes it a fairly portable personal fridge that can sit on your desk and keep your drinks cool, one at
Read more →The Fourth of July has become synonymous with the barbecues and summer fun. While there are numerous variations on the menu for an Independence Day cookout, you can almost count on traditional favorites such as hamburgers and hot dogs, chicken, ribs, garden salads, potato salad, chips and watermelon. When you tuck in to that all-American fare this weekend, remember to thank the truck drivers and logistics professionals who made it possible: There’s a 1-in-6 chance the beef on your backyard grill came from Texas. The Lone Star State is the leader in the production
Read more →There’s an old adage: “A day spent without learning something new is a day wasted.” I was feeling about as old as that adage recently, but it was a small price to pay to learn something new from my employees. I learned about life hacks. Bear with me…the concept is actually much cooler than the scary-sounding term. No axes or serial killers involved, I swear! Life hacks are more along the lines of “sharpening your saw”. Life hacking refers to tips, shortcuts, and tricks that lead to productivity boosts. In other words, any clever,
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