I find it a little difficult to accept the big retailers’ claims that ensuring GST is applied to mail order goods ordered online from overseas will make a big difference. GST is only 10%. Take for example the DVD of Edge of Darkness, which I mentioned the other day. Amazon UK price: 3.97 + 3.68 ... [More]
If you have your own internet domain name, you may have come across the Domain Registry of America (DROA), also known as the Domain Renewal Group. They’re a bunch of scammers who regularly and repeatedly send out letters which look like an invoice for a domain name, but are in fact custom advertisements for overpriced ... [More]
Last week Safeway Woolworths replaced all their trolleys as part of the makeover. And they all require a deposit — a $1 or $2 coin. Excellent. ‘Cos while I don’t usually use a trolley, when I do, I’m sick of them having wonky wheels because people have pushed them for miles and dumped them in ... [More]
It was my turn in the express checkout. I had to manoeuvre past a trolley someone had left in front of the checkout. Trolleys shouldn’t go through there anyway, but this one had been abandoned, with a single bottle of wine in it (wrapped, so I assume paid for). Why you need a trolley to ... [More]
I’d been wondering how they were going to swap the very-high-up Safeway sign for a Woolworths sign. With a very big crane, that’s how. They did it yesterday. Many of the other Safeway signs have already disappeared. I’m not sure how long it’ll take me to get used to calling it Woolworths.
I can’t say I miss the old Readers Digest promotions, with their endless letters, gimmicky stickers and knick-knacks. It’s nice to see that their spirit is alive in this paper spam I got from Toyota. Note the “Priority Express” flashy banner in faux Express Post colours — purely decorative, as the flyer arrived in a ... [More]
Also last night, how’s this for combining my interests of transport and classic video gaming? The Super Mario tram — celebrating 25 years of Mario games.
Billboards for Big M’s limited edition Egg Flip flavour are popping up all over the place. I had a hankering to try it, to see if it was good if I remembered. So the kids and I went looking, in all the places that usually sell Big M (aka “Big M seller fellers”). Safeway? Nope. ... [More]
I’ve written before about peak oil, when oil production peaks and then starts to decline, getting more and more expensive. There are various predictions around the place, but many seem to agree it’s going to hit this decade. Some argue it’s already hit, and only the Global Financial Crisis dampening demand has masked it. What ... [More]
Spotted (by Marita, actually), this amusing van: Meanwhile on the corner of Latrobe and William Streets, they’ve painted arrows and lines to help show drivers where to wait to make their hook turns: PS. There are also animated/flashing signs signalling for right-turning drivers to wait. Will see if I can snap a pic of one. ... [More]
Oh great. The other day while opening the dishwasher, a “sproing” sound was heard, and now the door’s springy thing doesn’t work — that is, once open, it just drops down to horizontal with gravity, rather than a gentle drop or springing back towards closed like it was before. And it triggered an F1 alarm, ... [More]
The ANZ-sponsored free wifi at Southern Cross Station is a nice idea, and would be quite useful… if it worked. I tried for several minutes one day the other week to get it working, and couldn’t. My mobile could detect both an ANZ Wifi and a “Free public Wifi” network, but neither seemed to actually ... [More]
Some supermarkets require a deposit (usually a $1 or $2 coin) to get a trolley. Some don’t. Personally I wouldn’t object if deposits were required universally, given the number of (almost always non-deposit) trolleys that get wheeled away, and end up in stupid places. Hopefully it’d mean less trolleys get a wheel broken and are ... [More]
Why are hawkers and chugger surprised that I don’t want them to waste my time?
I’ve mentioned it before, but Joel Spolsky wrote a great article a few years ago about pricing, and noted that companies would ideally like everybody to pay as much as they are willing to for their products. In economist jargon, capitalists want to capture the consumer surplus. Let’s do this. Instead of charging $220, let’s ... [More]
I only go into the post office for three reasons. 1. To buy postage (either stamps, or to send packages). 2. To pick up parcels. 3. To renew my post office box. (And in fact I think you can pay that online these days.) I don’t understand the people that go to pay endless numbers ... [More]