Steph Bairey

By Ryan Menezes,Wayne Giles  Published: February 22nd, 2016 

Maybe they got the idea from their own store closing sales. Kmart announced today that it is seeking out a new type of merchandise in hope of finding more fabulous deals. It wants to compete with retailers like Big Lots and Ollie’s by purchasing dirt-cheap merchandise from liquidating companies. The chain’s president, Alasdair James, says that the retailer wants to offer its customers “truly brag-worthy” and “extreme-value deals.”

“Just as when we brought back Bluelight Specials last year, we continue to find innovative ways to provide our Shop Your Way® members with an extreme value proposition that can only be found at Kmart,” James said in a statement.

The press release announcing these deals uses the word “brag-worthy” five times, including in the headline. What kind of deals do they think shoppers will brag about? The one example so far is a big purchase of merchandise from Brinkmann, a now-defunct manufacturer of outdoor cooking and lighting equipment.

The Brinkmann merchandise will sell in the “closeout” sections of Kmart’s real-life and virtual stores, as well as Blue Light Special deals. Instead of hanging around the store waiting to hear the words “Blue Light Special” over the public address system, shoppers can stay home with their smartphones and receive push notifications that something is on special sale.

Will this work? Maybe. Americans like closeouts and off-price stores, which is part of what’s hurting Kmart parent company Sears Holdings. There’s nothing that quite packs people in the store like brag-worthy, extreme-value deals and a rousing anthem.

(via Chain Store Age)

Grocery Store | USA

(I work in the meat department, and we regularly cut prepackaged meats for customers. An elderly lady walks up and sets something on the counter.)

Me: “What can I do for you, ma’am?”

Customer: “I need these cut in half!”

(She then gestures at what she set on the counter: frozen Cornish game hens.)

Me: “I can thaw those out and cut them in half for you, but it will take a bit of time.”

Customer: “No! I want them cut in half while they’re frozen! I don’t want them thawed!”

(Normally I could do such a thing, and have cut frozen chickens and turkeys in half with a bandsaw. The Cornish game hens, however, are far too small to safely cut with the bandsaw.)

Me: “I’m sorry, ma’am, but the game hens are too small—”

Customer: “Quit being so negative! Just cut them in half!”

Me: “I’m sorry, but I can’t. They’re frozen—”

Customer: “So use that big saw! I know you cut frozen meat here!” *gestures at the bandsaw*

Me: “Yes, frozen things that are big enough to safely cut. These hens are too s—”

Customer: “Quit being so negative! Just cut the chickens in half!”

Me: “The hens are too small—”

Customer: “Just cut them!”

Me: “I am not cutting my fingers off over a game hen! They’re too small to put on the bandsaw! I can either thaw them and cut them, or you’ll have to take them home whole.”

(The customer took them whole, still grumbling that I was being “negative” and should just cut the hens despite the very serious risk of also cutting my fingers off. A few days later I was told by a manager that she attempted to complain that I wouldn’t help her and had a bad attitude – but he sided with me not cutting my fingers off!)

The post Frozen In A Repetitive Cycle appeared first on Funny & Stupid Customer Stories - Not Always Right.

Library | WA, USA

(We are a small library without a public fax machine. We have a private business fax machine for office use only. We still get spam faxes because the number is publicly listed.)

Me: “Well, I was going to send the weekly report to accounting but something is coming in on the fax.”

Coworker: “Ooooh, is it another offer for a discount trip to Bermuda?”

Me: “It’s some financial thing. Man, it’s eight pages long. Woah. This is someone’s debt consolidation paperwork.”

Coworker: “What? Is it for someone who works here?”

Me: “No… but they apparently live in town.”

(I attempt to call the customer multiple times as a courtesy, but their voice-mail inbox is full. They show up the next day anyway.)

Customer: “Hi. So, uh you should have some papers for me?”

Me: “Did you have your financial institution use the library’s fax line?”

Customer: “No, it was their idea. They say they do that for a lot of customers.”

Me: “Ok. You need to explain to them that isn’t appropriate. Our fax machine is for library business only. I actually thought your fax was spam at first because we weren’t expecting anything. It could have been shredded. It’s also not very secure. We have volunteers and maintenance staff coming and going all the time and we don’t guard the fax machine because we don’t normally receive sensitive documents. We had to look over these papers just to figure out what they were and there is information on here that we did not need to know about you, like your social security number. We couldn’t reach you to warn you either. If you had contacted us first we could have told you not to use our fax.”

Customer: “Oh… so, like, does that mean I can’t send my paperwork back through you guys?”

Me: “You may not. There is a pay-fax machine at the copy shop across town. Please inform the company not to use our fax again. Any other paperwork that is sent will be shredded.”

(The customer shrugged and left. I’m still not sure I got through to them. At the very least I know never do business with that debt consolidation company!)

MARIJUANA POLITICS - The News Source For an Informed Citizenry Post by Alibi Pierce

Last month Ohio Governor John Kasich debated his way into the mainstream spotlight at the first official Republican presidential showdown. In a sea of prototypical GOP voices attempting to out-Trump The Donald, his reasonable and measured demeanor stuck out like a pair of cuffed skinny jeans paired with a man-purse at the Iowa State Fair. While everybody else was talking about defunding Obamacare and forcibly removing Mexican migrants, Kasich was touting his state’s $2.6 billion dollar Medicaid expansion by way of Affordable Care Act dollars as an example of compassionate conservatism with echoes of Ronald Reagan. With calm passion he managed to make every on-stage rival look like a heartless buffoon with poor knowledge of history. Here’s his answer to a question about the Medicaid expansion from moderator Megyn Kelly:

“First of all, Megyn, you should know that President Reagan expanded Medicaid three or four times. Secondly, I had an opportunity to bring resources back to Ohio to do what? To treat the mentally ill. 10,000 of them sit in our prisons. It costs $22,500 a year to keep them in prison; I’d rather get them their medication so they can lead a decent life. Secondly [sic], we are rehabbing the drug addicted. 80% of the people in our prisons have addiction-problems. We now treat them in the prisons, release them in the community, and the recidivism rate is 10%. And everybody across this country knows that the tsunami of drugs is threatening their very families. So, we’re treating them and getting them on their feet. And, finally, the working poor: Instead of having them come into the emergency rooms where it costs more, where they’re sicker, and we end up paying, we brought a program in here to make sure that people can get on their feet. And you know what? Everybody has a right to their god-given purpose. and finally our medicaid is growing at one of the lowest rates in the country.”

With mental health, social welfare, criminal justice reform, drug addiction, health care, and even God thrown in the mix, Kasich was definitely pushing all of the right buttons for centrist, socially progressive-minded Republicans (if such a beast is still in existence). And liberals watching the debate loved him too. But at a time when the GOP grassroots seems intent on voting in the exact opposite of a compassionate conservative, the overall Republican response was cool. He’s currently sitting at 6% in the national polls–tied exactly with Ted Cruz, though statistically (and optimistically) with Jeb Bush if you take into account the 4 point margin of error.

Bizarrely, Kasich’s views on marijuana don’t seem to mesh with his reform-minded statements and legislative record. In fact, he seems completely blind to the direct correlation between harsh drug laws and mass incarceration. Despite the fact that he signed a progressive prison reform bill and made it easier for released felons to get jobs, and the fact that more than a quarter of those jailed in Ohio this year were imprisoned for drug crimes, Kasich has been outspoken in his unshakable opposition to cannabis decriminalization. Earlier this week, in an interview with MLive, he said legalization is a “terrible idea,” and “sends mixes messages to young people about drugs,” because it gives the impression that “some drugs are okay but others aren’t,” and “Why don’t we just say don’t do drugs, period.”

Earlier this year, in an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Kasich made similar statements, equating cannabis to heroin and saying that all illicit drugs are “a scourge in this country.”

Despite that fundamental misunderstanding of cannabis and drug reform, Kasich takes a more nuanced view of other states’ legalization experiments. He has been outspoken in his opposition to his home state’s recreational bill that will go before voters this November, but sees the issue through a states’ rights lens and is, in that regard, more in line with rivals Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, and Rand Paul who have promised a “hands-off” approach if elected in 2016. Speaking with MLive, in comments that echoed those made to Hewitt, Kasich said he most likely wouldn’t interfere:

“I would try to discourage the states from doing it. Hopefully we’ll defeat it in Michigan and Ohio, but if states want to do it … I haven’t made a final decision, but I would be tempted to say I don’t think we can go and start disrupting what they’ve decided.”

John Kasich has fashioned himself as a compassionate conservative carrying Ronald Reagan’s mantle in expanding Medicaid, and is in many ways more progressive than any other GOP candidate running, especially when it comes to prison reform and social justice. Unfortunately Kasich’s views on marijuana legalization echo the Reagan presidency which saw the dawn of mandatory minimum drug sentencing and the devastation of entire communities due to unfair and immoral profiling and policing. The fact that Kasich is unable to recognize the chasm between his views on drugs and his views on social welfare is indicative of either poor judgment or cognitive dissonance. The good news is that there’s plenty of room to grow–in both perspective and poll numbers.

Featured Image Credit: Michael Vadon via flickr Creative Commons.

 

The post John Kasich: Right on So Many Issues, Wrong on Marijuana appeared first on MARIJUANA POLITICS.

39 years after its arrival at the facility, and on the 70th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing, the tree is being honored.

For the third year running, Burger Week brings you limited edition, $5 burgers from your favorite Portland bars and restaurants, for one week only! This year the promotion will run Aug 10-16, giving you just one week to try as many burgers as you can from over 30 participating establishments! To get you prepared, we'll be previewing each Burger Week burger over the next couple weeks so that you can prioritize your game plan.

THE VENUE: Kells

THE BURGER: The Lamb Burger

THE MOUTHWATERING DETAILS: With the Kells Lamb Burger, Kells Brew Pub is serving up an Irish twist on an old favorite. Savory ground lamb on a potato roll will make you want to don your woolens, and not even the addition of feta and basil to the meat can snap you out of it. Baby arugula, thick slab of tomato and pickled red onions balance the flavors and provide brightness, while the rosemary aioli keeps the toasted bun well lubricated.

Once again, the Portland Mercury would like to thank our generous partners, world-class meat provider Nicky USA, Widmer Brothers Brewing, and Jim Beam!

Important reminder: THESE BURGERS WILL SELL OUT. Last year’s restaurants had one main issue with the event last year, and that was people getting angry and rude when they found out that they are part of a reality where restaurants that are getting slammed run out of food. We have better forecasting numbers this year, but please: go early, be kind, get a drink, and, most importantly, remember that a $5 burger is a privilege, not a right. Don’t ruin it for everyone! Please be kind and respectful, exercise the golden rule, and treat our restaurants the way you want to be treated (unless you’re a masochist).

All photos by Katie Summer.

The fourth annual Malt Ball took place on February 28 at the Wonder Ballroom and was a splendid time for all. A dozen excellent Portland bands and 19 just-as-excellent Oregon brewers converged for a festival that brought out the best of both thriving scenes. While you cannot drink or listen to the terrific photos that Katie Summer took for us, take a look at all the action that went down.

Check out all the Malt Ball photos after the jump! And click on each photo to enlarge.

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Talkative:

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Sama Dams:

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Blue Skies for Black Hearts:

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Máscaras:

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Like a Villain:

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EDJ:

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Holy Grove:

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Malt Ball:

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