MindComet

How Do You Pay For Stuff?

I’ve noticed something happening… There are now vendors like stores, service providers, and medical professionals who are limiting how they accept payments.  Instead of taking all conventional forms of payment such as cash, credit, debit, and checks.  They are only accepting specific payment types. For example, I was out with a friend getting an ice cream cone (yeah, I’m really a little kid at heart) and had to have my friend buy my cone because the ice cream parlor didn’t accept credit/debit cards.  It happened at Caboose’s karate school as well, they are no longer accepting credit/debit cards because the cost to the business is too high.

I understand that there are steps that need to be taken in order to preserve efficiencies on the vendor’s side, after all this is a difficult economic time.  However, is the cost of inconveniencing your clientele a price you really want to pay?  The name of the game at this point is customer satisfaction, ease of use, and experience.  Limiting how you allow people to pay may cause unnecessary stress and a customer who may or may not return.  In my case, the karate school was a necessity so I was forced to alter my habits to conform but that may not be the case for every scenario.  It has also forced me to carry around a small amount of cash, which I don’t like to do as I find it spends easier than my debit card.  The things I will do to have the occasional ice cream cone.

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Posted by Jennifer Carey on Sep. 24, 2009

Soldiers Angels

With the announcement of the CommuniCause winner, Soldiers Angels, I went to take a look at their website.  They are doing amazing work, they give soldiers reminders of home when they are so far away and enduring tremendous difficulties.  As I was reading through their site, I was struck by the desire to “adopt” a soldier of my very own.  After reviewing the requirements, I decided that this was something I wanted to do with a buddy.  I enlisted my good friend, Jamie Brooks, to co-adopt with me. 

A few minutes ago, I received the name of my soldier.  Her name is Margaret.  Jamie and I were very excited to have a female (and as a bonus, she has a dog) as we have a better handle on what kinds of things we would like to send in a care package.  Our soldier provided us with an email address, so we reached out with a welcome/about us email.  The good folks at Soldiers Angels told us not to get our hopes up about two-way communication, but sending the email seemed like the right thing to do.  I’ll keep you updated on how it goes and hopefully it will lend some moral support to Margaret.

If you are feeling like you need to do something to help your fellow man, then I suggest that you look into adopting your own soldier.  Soldiers are not at war for their own gain, but to protect all that we hold dear and precious.  The least I can do is to help one feel appreciated and a little more comfortable.

Soldiers Angels

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Posted by Jennifer Carey on Sep. 17, 2009

September 11th

It’s amazing how wrapped up in little things we can become…  It wasn’t until I was searching for bits of trivia for our internal communication board that I remembered what today actually is and what it means to so many people.  I am fortunate enough not to have been directly impacted by the events of 9/11/01 like so many others.  Someone called me to tell me what had happened.  I was oblivious as I had “Dora The Explorer” playing on my television.  I was safe in my home in South Carolina, my baby in my arms, watching the horror unfold on the television.

I knew that those actions would change the world my son grew up in and there was nothing I could do to change that reality.  I still feel like I have no control over the world, but I do have control over my reactions to it and how I teach my child to relate to it.  I was proud to be an American then and I am proud to be an American now.  It doesn’t mean I agree with everything that we do as a nation, but it’s my right as a citizen to have and voice an opinion.  God Bless America.

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Posted by Jennifer Carey on Sep. 11, 2009

Getting Ready For The Fall

Warning: This post will be about boots.  If boots do not excite you, please feel free to come back again later for new posts.

Now that it’s officially September and Labor Day is just a few days away, it’s time to start thinking about boots again.  I’ve missed them in my wardrobe.  But this fall, I am thinking about buying an addition to my boot family.  I am considering purchasing a pair of cowboy boots.  Now, I realize that I am a Mid-Western turn Southern Belle transplant and that as such shouldn’t technically be allowed to wear cowboy boots.  I just cannot help myself.  I also know that I am planning on wearing them all inappropriately.  I will wear them with corduroy skirts and tights.  I will wear them with demin skirts and fleece.  I will never wear them with Levi’s/7/Lucky Brand jeans.  I will never wear them in the mud (or not on purpose) and I will never wrangle, wrestle, or rope livestock in them.  These boots are made for walkin’ and that’s what they’re going to do!  (Thanks Nancy Sinatra!)

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Posted by Jennifer Carey on Sep. 01, 2009