I've cut my Target shopping down to almost nothing and Walmart IS nothing. That said, there are times that I've literally looked EVERYWHERE I can think of for something (liquid starch, so I could paste fabric on the walls as economical, easy to remove wallpaper) and could only find it at Walmart, or Target.
I'll keep it up. My thinking is, I miss mom and pop stores and if so, I shouldn't continually and constantly patronize the one that put them out of business.
And, stuffwhitepeoplelike.com is extra super fabulous. Even though I am very (but not ridiculously) white.
I got my two $40 coupons, and ended up getting one each of the two $50 converter boxes available at walmart. One of the boxes is a RCA built unit, and the other is Magnavox.
After a couple of days of testing the Magnavox one went back as it just wasn't as effective at tuning in the channels, as well as the remote that came with it not controlling the volume on the TV.
The RCA one, however, was great. It controlled the power on the TV and the converter box, had great reception, nicely designed menus, and a program guide to boot. After returning the magnavox one, we got a second RCA one.
So two old TVs feel like new for only $20 total after the coupons.
Stein is being just a wee bit too disingenuous by claiming that people who earn low wages should not complain because they voluntarily accept the wages they earn.
Those of us who live in the real world know better. Many people are compelled to accept sub-standard wages simply because they have bills to pay and must put food on the table. Sometimes when people lose good paying jobs in a poor economy, they are compelled to accept poorly paying jobs in order to meet their financial obligations because waiting to land the big-money job means not eating and watching your credit go straight down the tubes.
So, Mr. "Stein", it's very easy to sit up on your high-horse and kick people when they are down, but God help you if misfortune ever comes your way, sir. You might not appreciate being on the receiving end of the "kick" from some other pompous, arrogant, jacka** like yourself.
Location is by far the most important thing for the budget traveler. Not only does the proximity of your hostel to city center/attractions usually determine the cost per night, but the choice of which cities to visit (and how many) can be a major determinant of the cost. It's already been pointed out that Galway is cheaper than Dublin, and anywhere is cheaper than London, but you should also consider how many places you want to visit on the trip. While it's great to see a lot of different places, each new location trades off with time getting to know one city even better, and each trip costs that much more money.
This isn't to say that you can't get around Europe for cheap. I've seen ride-shares advertised on couchsurfing, and I hear craigslist is active in some European cities as well, but pay-for travel always has added costs. Reservations on top of rail passes (though you can often avoid this if you're willing to risk not getting onto a train - check the details for your route) and the taxes, bag-check fees, and out-of-the-way airport costs make the budget airlines less of a bargain than the .01c sticker price appears (though still worth it!).
There are advantages to the beaten path - the sites are likely to be open, you'll have little trouble getting around if monolingual, hostels will rarely be in short supply, you'll always be with a community of travelers - but you trade off so much. When traveling the standard Western European routes, or the recent Eastward expansions, in the peak summer season, you'll be paying more, dealing with bigger crowds, and seeing less of the place your visiting and more of the tourist culture that's taking over it for the time. Not that this makes Cinque Terre in July a bad decision, it just means that you might want to consider the Dalmatian coast of Croatia instead, or even Montenegro - a country functioning on the Euro but affordable nonetheless.
"With their low prices, both stores have the effect of putting smaller, more specialized and often locally owned retailers out of business."
Yes, it sure is EEEVIL of these corporations to offer goods at lower prices and literally force consumers at gunpoint to abandon locally-owned shops and fork over their hard-earned dollars!
Oh, wait... Is it true the consumers actually choose to shop at Wal-Mart and Target on their own? Is it true that Target and Wal-Mart unlock the doors every morning and these shoppers choose to walk inside and spend voluntarily?
Maybe we should be talking about how EEEVIL the individual consumer is, for having the nerve to patronize Wal-Mart and Target, or to compare prices on the internet, or to frequent yard-sales and classifieds instead of retail outlets, or to dare to look around for the best deal instead of paying full MSRP.
And I'm pretty sure you meant Old Europe in that sentence as well . . .
The thing that has always frustrated me about most "frugal" travel writing is that the budgets always far exceed my own meager means. Anyone can make it on a $500 budget -- I think it takes a lot more knowhow to enjoy London on $25/day. Sadly, many people are discouraged from traveling because they think (and travel sections seem to support) it must always be expensive. Readers who visit sites like Wise Bread already practice many of the budgeting skills they need to be "no-budget" travelers -- sometimes a few things just need tweaking to get the most bang for one's buck (especially at this exchange rate -- ouch!).
And David, if you make it over here, I'll *treat* you to a coffee in Berlin. The city's got a great cafe culture as well, and I think the price would max out at 3 euros ($4.50) per cup :)
I fixed the link to SpiritAir, and I did mean to say "intrastate" - or within the same state (Florida, for example.) I have heard about RyanAir... and I'm jealous! Thanks for commenting.
My husband and I have been trying to get to Germany for FOREVER. At almost $1K per plane ticket though, we haven't mustered up the enthusiasm to go. Lower prices would be so awesome.
My husband and I are taking our 2 year old son with us to Europe this September. We got our flights via miles...but still, we're very stressed about what this is going to cost us. We've been there many times, so we know some good cheaper hotels. Food can be very expensive. We rarely eat at restaurants and tend to get our food from bakeries and street vendors. And we don't drink anything but water.
We're also thinking of changing over some American dollars into Euros now...just to get in before the dollar falls even more.
I think it's all about traveling without expecting things to be like they are in America. Go ahead and get a hotel where you share a bathroom. It's cheaper and really not that big of a deal. Ride the Subway. Use RyanAir. Eat something you aren't used to. It will save you money and give you awesome memories.
Employment is voluntary? Only to the extent that living is voluntary. Without regulation everyone--including children--would be working 14-hour days for the same daily wage as they are now.
I've always assumed you just get rid of the broken devise.Now I realize there are ways around having to spend a whole lot more.Thank you for the revelation.
Both employers, all employers as a matter of fact, pay what the market will bear. Employment anywhere is voluntary. Education and experience - if you think you're better qualified and don't like what they are paying, then go work somewhere else!
Every corporation has jerks that are unpleasant to work with - uh, that's called life. No one said it was always going to be a bed of roses and yet, that is what people expect these days.
I am a loyal Target customer - grew up with it in the midwest and when I moved west when they were first building stores I worked there on and off throughout college. Then, Target offered tuition reimbursement for whatever classes, books you wanted (not just business courses as I know some retailers do). So I paid most of my way through college this way and came out with very minimal loans. I also had stock through the employee purchase plan that I sold several years later at a nice profit - not too shabby for such an evil retailer.
I simply don't like Walmart - products, while cheaper, don't seem as well made and while I don't want to buy everything "made in China," I am also realistic about being on a budget so it is sometimes necessary. Walmart's selection of products also seems to be less than Target in a lot of cases. Lucky for me, there hasn't been a rush to put a Walmart on every corner like in some areas of the country.
I read the article, I would say we don't have enough details to determine who is right here. If Walmart is suing for the costs that they have already paid out via the woman's health insurance policy, then they are correct in this. If they're adding on additional costs, then that would be wrong.
This is how insurance works in all cases. I learned this in a car accident several years ago. The person at fault (i.e. their insurance company) is responsible for paying all bills related to the accident.
In the case of my car accident, I was not at fault. Thus, monies paid by my insurance company had to be recovered from the insurance company of the person at fault. This was true both for the insurer of my car as well as the insurer of my health.
Sounds like this woman did not have a good lawyer. Her attorney should have been aware of this and should have settled with all companies before giving her her judgment. In other words, if the total judgment against the trucking company were $1 million, but Walmart paid out $500k, they should receive their $500k before she ever sees a dime. Additionally, the attorney gets his cut for the work performed (usually about 30% as these are often contingency cases, with the plaintiff not paying anything up front) and in the end, she sees what remains of the cash.
Walmart is doing whats right and, IMO, were they an individual or even a smaller company rather than Walmart, folks would not be so quick to judge against them in the media.
I wholeheartedly agree that working college students are being treated unfairly when they are not eligible for the stimulus rebate because their parent's must claim them because of student loans, etc. If you are a taxpayer - you're a taxpayer! It's your taxes that are paying out these payments and you should be eligible for a $600 payment too! If anyone needs this payment is a college student!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe a class-action discrimination suit is in order.
I guess I'd just ask what you mean when you say a plan "worked"? Do you mean the employees did better work than they otherwise would have done? More work? The same work, but they got it done sooner? All of those would be hard to measure--you don't have a control group of matched employees that didn't have an incentive plan.
It's easy to feel like an incentive plan was a success: everybody worked really hard, they hit their deadline, and the product was a success. But what if you look at things a bit more broadly? Did some of the key people who made that project a success take their bonus money and move on? Was the next product harder to create, because developers trying to hit their metric took some shortcuts? Did workers on some other project, who didn't meet their target (and didn't get a bonus) become so demotivated that they started spending their work hours updating their resumes?
Alfie Kohn's book looks at some of these issues--and does it with actual data, rather than just anecdotes.
One good way to save money in Europe is avoid the larger cities, Dublin is horrendously expensive but Galway is much more reasonable with beautiful countryside, beaches and restaurants. A lot of the cheap airlines fly into smaller towns in mainland Europe and it is a great way to discover new places.
I found a fix for my iPod once...apparently, if the hard drive gets stuck, you throw it as hard as you can at the floor. Seriously. My husband thought I'd lost my mind, until it worked.
I'm sure you didn't mean it, but your chosen words come across quite terribly.
While you can say Europe has a history, you cannot say Europe has an "atmosphere" or that Europe has a "food" - any more than you can say Europe has a smell, or Europe has a shop..
We know very to say the USA has an atmosphere - because that of New York City is a world away from that of Birmingham, Alabama.
How do you explain the incentive programs that have worked?
What happens when you add extrinsic motivation to a set of already intrinsically motivated employees? My best guess and anecdotal evidence suggests the intended effect (I was there, it really happened).
Perhaps the wisdom here is for hiring managers: don't bother with the extrinsically motivated worker.
Dueling anecdotes are unlikely to change minds, but I assure you I've been a part of incentive programs that succeeded.
"Your television has an analog tuner, also called an NTSC tuner, if it is a picture-tube TV bought before 1998, a smaller LCD set (15- to 18-inch screen), or is a set that was sold as HD-ready. If you have an analog TV and are receiving over-the-air broadcasts via an antenna you need to take action to continue to receive broadcast signals after Feb. 17, 2009.
Your television is more likely to have a digital tuner, also called an ATSC tuner, if it is a 25-inch or larger TV purchased since 2005. To confirm that your TV is digital, you should check the instruction manual for a statement that the TV has a digital tuner. If you don’t have the manual handy, look for a menu function that allows you to scan for digital channels; this is typically in a submenu sometimes called “set-up” or “channels.”
So, you're saying more flair??
I've cut my Target shopping down to almost nothing and Walmart IS nothing. That said, there are times that I've literally looked EVERYWHERE I can think of for something (liquid starch, so I could paste fabric on the walls as economical, easy to remove wallpaper) and could only find it at Walmart, or Target.
I'll keep it up. My thinking is, I miss mom and pop stores and if so, I shouldn't continually and constantly patronize the one that put them out of business.
And, stuffwhitepeoplelike.com is extra super fabulous. Even though I am very (but not ridiculously) white.
Great article.
I just left my part time job and started a small housecleaning business. I am baffled by prepaying taxes, as I have no idea how much I will make.
Thanks
Angie
I got my two $40 coupons, and ended up getting one each of the two $50 converter boxes available at walmart. One of the boxes is a RCA built unit, and the other is Magnavox.
After a couple of days of testing the Magnavox one went back as it just wasn't as effective at tuning in the channels, as well as the remote that came with it not controlling the volume on the TV.
The RCA one, however, was great. It controlled the power on the TV and the converter box, had great reception, nicely designed menus, and a program guide to boot. After returning the magnavox one, we got a second RCA one.
So two old TVs feel like new for only $20 total after the coupons.
Stein is being just a wee bit too disingenuous by claiming that people who earn low wages should not complain because they voluntarily accept the wages they earn.
Those of us who live in the real world know better. Many people are compelled to accept sub-standard wages simply because they have bills to pay and must put food on the table. Sometimes when people lose good paying jobs in a poor economy, they are compelled to accept poorly paying jobs in order to meet their financial obligations because waiting to land the big-money job means not eating and watching your credit go straight down the tubes.
So, Mr. "Stein", it's very easy to sit up on your high-horse and kick people when they are down, but God help you if misfortune ever comes your way, sir. You might not appreciate being on the receiving end of the "kick" from some other pompous, arrogant, jacka** like yourself.
What size area does this mixture for the 10 gallon sprayer cover. how many square feet????
Location is by far the most important thing for the budget traveler. Not only does the proximity of your hostel to city center/attractions usually determine the cost per night, but the choice of which cities to visit (and how many) can be a major determinant of the cost. It's already been pointed out that Galway is cheaper than Dublin, and anywhere is cheaper than London, but you should also consider how many places you want to visit on the trip. While it's great to see a lot of different places, each new location trades off with time getting to know one city even better, and each trip costs that much more money.
This isn't to say that you can't get around Europe for cheap. I've seen ride-shares advertised on couchsurfing, and I hear craigslist is active in some European cities as well, but pay-for travel always has added costs. Reservations on top of rail passes (though you can often avoid this if you're willing to risk not getting onto a train - check the details for your route) and the taxes, bag-check fees, and out-of-the-way airport costs make the budget airlines less of a bargain than the .01c sticker price appears (though still worth it!).
There are advantages to the beaten path - the sites are likely to be open, you'll have little trouble getting around if monolingual, hostels will rarely be in short supply, you'll always be with a community of travelers - but you trade off so much. When traveling the standard Western European routes, or the recent Eastward expansions, in the peak summer season, you'll be paying more, dealing with bigger crowds, and seeing less of the place your visiting and more of the tourist culture that's taking over it for the time. Not that this makes Cinque Terre in July a bad decision, it just means that you might want to consider the Dalmatian coast of Croatia instead, or even Montenegro - a country functioning on the Euro but affordable nonetheless.
"With their low prices, both stores have the effect of putting smaller, more specialized and often locally owned retailers out of business."
Yes, it sure is EEEVIL of these corporations to offer goods at lower prices and literally force consumers at gunpoint to abandon locally-owned shops and fork over their hard-earned dollars!
Oh, wait... Is it true the consumers actually choose to shop at Wal-Mart and Target on their own? Is it true that Target and Wal-Mart unlock the doors every morning and these shoppers choose to walk inside and spend voluntarily?
Maybe we should be talking about how EEEVIL the individual consumer is, for having the nerve to patronize Wal-Mart and Target, or to compare prices on the internet, or to frequent yard-sales and classifieds instead of retail outlets, or to dare to look around for the best deal instead of paying full MSRP.
And I'm pretty sure you meant Old Europe in that sentence as well . . .
The thing that has always frustrated me about most "frugal" travel writing is that the budgets always far exceed my own meager means. Anyone can make it on a $500 budget -- I think it takes a lot more knowhow to enjoy London on $25/day. Sadly, many people are discouraged from traveling because they think (and travel sections seem to support) it must always be expensive. Readers who visit sites like Wise Bread already practice many of the budgeting skills they need to be "no-budget" travelers -- sometimes a few things just need tweaking to get the most bang for one's buck (especially at this exchange rate -- ouch!).
And David, if you make it over here, I'll *treat* you to a coffee in Berlin. The city's got a great cafe culture as well, and I think the price would max out at 3 euros ($4.50) per cup :)
I fixed the link to SpiritAir, and I did mean to say "intrastate" - or within the same state (Florida, for example.) I have heard about RyanAir... and I'm jealous! Thanks for commenting.
My husband and I have been trying to get to Germany for FOREVER. At almost $1K per plane ticket though, we haven't mustered up the enthusiasm to go. Lower prices would be so awesome.
My husband and I are taking our 2 year old son with us to Europe this September. We got our flights via miles...but still, we're very stressed about what this is going to cost us. We've been there many times, so we know some good cheaper hotels. Food can be very expensive. We rarely eat at restaurants and tend to get our food from bakeries and street vendors. And we don't drink anything but water.
We're also thinking of changing over some American dollars into Euros now...just to get in before the dollar falls even more.
I think it's all about traveling without expecting things to be like they are in America. Go ahead and get a hotel where you share a bathroom. It's cheaper and really not that big of a deal. Ride the Subway. Use RyanAir. Eat something you aren't used to. It will save you money and give you awesome memories.
Employment is voluntary? Only to the extent that living is voluntary. Without regulation everyone--including children--would be working 14-hour days for the same daily wage as they are now.
http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/2008/03/05/82-hating-corporati...
I've always assumed you just get rid of the broken devise.Now I realize there are ways around having to spend a whole lot more.Thank you for the revelation.
Both employers, all employers as a matter of fact, pay what the market will bear. Employment anywhere is voluntary. Education and experience - if you think you're better qualified and don't like what they are paying, then go work somewhere else!
Every corporation has jerks that are unpleasant to work with - uh, that's called life. No one said it was always going to be a bed of roses and yet, that is what people expect these days.
I am a loyal Target customer - grew up with it in the midwest and when I moved west when they were first building stores I worked there on and off throughout college. Then, Target offered tuition reimbursement for whatever classes, books you wanted (not just business courses as I know some retailers do). So I paid most of my way through college this way and came out with very minimal loans. I also had stock through the employee purchase plan that I sold several years later at a nice profit - not too shabby for such an evil retailer.
I simply don't like Walmart - products, while cheaper, don't seem as well made and while I don't want to buy everything "made in China," I am also realistic about being on a budget so it is sometimes necessary. Walmart's selection of products also seems to be less than Target in a lot of cases. Lucky for me, there hasn't been a rush to put a Walmart on every corner like in some areas of the country.
I read the article, I would say we don't have enough details to determine who is right here. If Walmart is suing for the costs that they have already paid out via the woman's health insurance policy, then they are correct in this. If they're adding on additional costs, then that would be wrong.
This is how insurance works in all cases. I learned this in a car accident several years ago. The person at fault (i.e. their insurance company) is responsible for paying all bills related to the accident.
In the case of my car accident, I was not at fault. Thus, monies paid by my insurance company had to be recovered from the insurance company of the person at fault. This was true both for the insurer of my car as well as the insurer of my health.
Sounds like this woman did not have a good lawyer. Her attorney should have been aware of this and should have settled with all companies before giving her her judgment. In other words, if the total judgment against the trucking company were $1 million, but Walmart paid out $500k, they should receive their $500k before she ever sees a dime. Additionally, the attorney gets his cut for the work performed (usually about 30% as these are often contingency cases, with the plaintiff not paying anything up front) and in the end, she sees what remains of the cash.
Walmart is doing whats right and, IMO, were they an individual or even a smaller company rather than Walmart, folks would not be so quick to judge against them in the media.
I wholeheartedly agree that working college students are being treated unfairly when they are not eligible for the stimulus rebate because their parent's must claim them because of student loans, etc. If you are a taxpayer - you're a taxpayer! It's your taxes that are paying out these payments and you should be eligible for a $600 payment too! If anyone needs this payment is a college student!!!!!!!!!!!
Maybe a class-action discrimination suit is in order.
...dueling anecdotes aren't likely to be helpful.
I guess I'd just ask what you mean when you say a plan "worked"? Do you mean the employees did better work than they otherwise would have done? More work? The same work, but they got it done sooner? All of those would be hard to measure--you don't have a control group of matched employees that didn't have an incentive plan.
It's easy to feel like an incentive plan was a success: everybody worked really hard, they hit their deadline, and the product was a success. But what if you look at things a bit more broadly? Did some of the key people who made that project a success take their bonus money and move on? Was the next product harder to create, because developers trying to hit their metric took some shortcuts? Did workers on some other project, who didn't meet their target (and didn't get a bonus) become so demotivated that they started spending their work hours updating their resumes?
Alfie Kohn's book looks at some of these issues--and does it with actual data, rather than just anecdotes.
One good way to save money in Europe is avoid the larger cities, Dublin is horrendously expensive but Galway is much more reasonable with beautiful countryside, beaches and restaurants. A lot of the cheap airlines fly into smaller towns in mainland Europe and it is a great way to discover new places.
I found a fix for my iPod once...apparently, if the hard drive gets stuck, you throw it as hard as you can at the floor. Seriously. My husband thought I'd lost my mind, until it worked.
I'm sure you didn't mean it, but your chosen words come across quite terribly.
While you can say Europe has a history, you cannot say Europe has an "atmosphere" or that Europe has a "food" - any more than you can say Europe has a smell, or Europe has a shop..
We know very to say the USA has an atmosphere - because that of New York City is a world away from that of Birmingham, Alabama.
I've also had good luck with appliances. I've fixed a washer twice and gotten a free replacement for a broken rack in my fridge.
How do you explain the incentive programs that have worked?
What happens when you add extrinsic motivation to a set of already intrinsically motivated employees? My best guess and anecdotal evidence suggests the intended effect (I was there, it really happened).
Perhaps the wisdom here is for hiring managers: don't bother with the extrinsically motivated worker.
Dueling anecdotes are unlikely to change minds, but I assure you I've been a part of incentive programs that succeeded.
"Your television has an analog tuner, also called an NTSC tuner, if it is a picture-tube TV bought before 1998, a smaller LCD set (15- to 18-inch screen), or is a set that was sold as HD-ready. If you have an analog TV and are receiving over-the-air broadcasts via an antenna you need to take action to continue to receive broadcast signals after Feb. 17, 2009.
Your television is more likely to have a digital tuner, also called an ATSC tuner, if it is a 25-inch or larger TV purchased since 2005. To confirm that your TV is digital, you should check the instruction manual for a statement that the TV has a digital tuner. If you don’t have the manual handy, look for a menu function that allows you to scan for digital channels; this is typically in a submenu sometimes called “set-up” or “channels.”
This was taken from a VERY good article at consumerreports.org. See the full text here.