The Rise of Beds, and Falls of Dogs
As mattresses get thicker and thicker, more canines struggle to get on them; introducing the staircase for pets
December 12, 2008
Kevin Helliker
This article talks about the new trend of doggy staircases and gives a logical explanation for it. Until about 10 years ago, eight inches was the standard thickness for both a mattress and a box spring. Now, mattress thickness is growing along side consumer preference for a thicker mattress. Mattresses today are as thick as 20 inches.
This doesn't pose a problem for humans, but it sure does for their tiny tag-alongs . . . dogs. For years, pet retailers have sold products that prohibit pets from jumping on furniture. But somehow pets have managed to snuggle their way back onto furniture. According to the article, about 40 percent of American households have dogs. In 2006, a study showed that nearly 40 percent of those dogs slept in an adult bed and 7 percent slept in a child bed.
Combine this thicker mattress trend with the increasing number of pets (specifically smaller breads of dogs) sleeping in human beds and you get a few problems--elbow and shoulder arthritis, hip dysplasia and degenerative disk disease in dogs. "For a little dog to take a flying leap off a bed that's five to six times higher than he stands is an act of courage, and a recipe for injury," says Stephen Crane, an academic animal doctor and diplomat of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Pet retailers have quickly recognized a new demand from consumers. Instead of selling products to prevent dogs from jumping on furniture, retailers are selling tiny staircases to take the jump out of getting on a bed. According to the article, pet staircases are one of the fastest growing categories at pet retailers. These tiny stairs range anywhere from $40 to $535 for a designer model.
The whole idea of providing your pet with a mini staircase to get into bed does seem a little silly. But to a tiny dog owner like myself, it makes perfect sense. I have a Maltese that struggles to jump up and down from the bed. However, my family didn't splurge on a $40 staircase; Lizzy was forced to settle for cardboard boxes. Beside each of our beds sits a little box with a blanket draped over it. Twenty years ago, that would have been the dog's bed. But now it serves as a stepping stone to get to a bigger and better bed.
Call me crazy for allowing my dog this luxury, but it's better than having to roll over and pick her up off the floor a hundred times a night. Yes, she has a cage and she sometimes sleeps in it. But Lizzy is the size of a cat so why not let her sleep with us? No one has a problem with cats sleeping in human beds.
(Please note: My parents started babying this dog. I have been forced to follow suit. Lizzy runs our house and there's nothing anyone can do about it now.)
Friday, December 12, 2008
Christmas spirit or children being selfish? (Week 3)
Santa Needs a Bailout, Too: Kids Sell Old Toys to Raise Cash for New Ones
December 12, 2008
Jennifer Saranow
This article describes the phenomenon of children offering to sell their old toys in order to have money for new toys. With the economy in its current state (tired of hearing that yet?), parents are being forced to say no to their children's many requests for new, expensive toys for Christmas.
The majority of these old toys are being sold online on Web sites such as craigslist.com and eBay.com. According to the article, the number of postings for "games/toys for sale" has more than doubled. In November of last year, there were 190,157 postings on craigslist in the "games/toys for sale" category. November of this year brought 396,197 postings in the same category.
According to the article, the parents of these entrepreneurial children said the primary motive behind selling old toys is to earn money for new toys . . . for themselves. And I use the term "earn" loosely. Sure, the idea of finding a different way to get what you want is great. Smart kids. But why do these parents seem so proud of this?
I get that they figured out a way to make some money. Great. But this money isn't for charity. Most of it isn't even to buy gifts for their siblings, friends, or parents. The entire purpose behind these children selling old toys is so they can get new, better toys. What has happened over the past 20 years or so that children, teens, and even people my age can't be satisfied? We've grown up with the mentality "Ask and you shall receive." As painful as it is to admit, parents should say no more often.
To the new wave of entrepreneurial children, take a break from "gimme, gimme, gimme." Relieve the monetary pressure on your parents. Sure, keep selling your old junk online but reevaluate what you do with the money. Replacing your one-year-old iPod with the latest and greatest won't help you much in the future . . . but college certainly isn't getting any cheaper.
A final note about gift-giving during Christmas . . . what happened to giving something with meaning or love or thought? If the shortage of money should teach us anything, it should be that gifts don't have to be expensive or top-of-the-line. Gifts should come from the heart, not the wallet (cheesy but true). Doesn't anyone remember the Cratchit family?
December 12, 2008
Jennifer Saranow
This article describes the phenomenon of children offering to sell their old toys in order to have money for new toys. With the economy in its current state (tired of hearing that yet?), parents are being forced to say no to their children's many requests for new, expensive toys for Christmas.
The majority of these old toys are being sold online on Web sites such as craigslist.com and eBay.com. According to the article, the number of postings for "games/toys for sale" has more than doubled. In November of last year, there were 190,157 postings on craigslist in the "games/toys for sale" category. November of this year brought 396,197 postings in the same category.
According to the article, the parents of these entrepreneurial children said the primary motive behind selling old toys is to earn money for new toys . . . for themselves. And I use the term "earn" loosely. Sure, the idea of finding a different way to get what you want is great. Smart kids. But why do these parents seem so proud of this?
I get that they figured out a way to make some money. Great. But this money isn't for charity. Most of it isn't even to buy gifts for their siblings, friends, or parents. The entire purpose behind these children selling old toys is so they can get new, better toys. What has happened over the past 20 years or so that children, teens, and even people my age can't be satisfied? We've grown up with the mentality "Ask and you shall receive." As painful as it is to admit, parents should say no more often.
To the new wave of entrepreneurial children, take a break from "gimme, gimme, gimme." Relieve the monetary pressure on your parents. Sure, keep selling your old junk online but reevaluate what you do with the money. Replacing your one-year-old iPod with the latest and greatest won't help you much in the future . . . but college certainly isn't getting any cheaper.
A final note about gift-giving during Christmas . . . what happened to giving something with meaning or love or thought? If the shortage of money should teach us anything, it should be that gifts don't have to be expensive or top-of-the-line. Gifts should come from the heart, not the wallet (cheesy but true). Doesn't anyone remember the Cratchit family?
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
A Bag is a Bag is a Bag (Week 2)
Bagging Holiday Shoppers
With customers' moods black, retailers' gift bags are a riot of color; Saks's snowflakes
November 22, 2008
Jennifer Saranow
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122730915056249231.html
With customers' moods black, retailers' gift bags are a riot of color; Saks's snowflakes
November 22, 2008
Jennifer Saranow
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122730915056249231.html
This article is about how retailers are hoping festive shopping bags will offer motivation to consumers during this slow shopping season. Stores such as Bloomingdale's, Saks, and Barneys New York are not cutting back on fancy shopping bag costs, but pushing forward stronger than ever. Bags are adorned with images of snowy streets, snowflakes, Christmas trees, and a Volkswagen Beetle with the saying "Peace + Love: Have a Hippie Holiday."
"We would like the bag to inspire people to go out and buy something at whatever price range they can afford," says Lina Kutsovskaya, vice president of advertising for Barneys New York. Elaborate bag decorating began in the early 1950s. These first bags featured realistic Christmas images that were similar to Norman Rockwell's style.
In addition to keeping with the tradition of fancy Christmas bags (fancy enough that some people actually collect them), some retailers are also trying to get with the current push for "going green." Many of these decorated bags are completely recyclable.
That's the gist of the article. At first I was interested in the topic, but then I realized it was not important to me at all. The decorations on shopping bags have no impact on what or how much I purchase. Sure, the Victoria Secret bags are nice, but I don't buy items from there just to get the bag.
I just finished my Christmas shopping today. Every single bag I received was the standard, plastic bag that cuts into your arm until it has stretched to its limit. The bag doesn't matter to me, and it certainly isn't going to lift my spirit or make me spend more. In the end, I just throw it away. I, unlike retail stores, have not jumped on the recycling bandwagon.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Holiday Target: Men (Week 1)
Counting on Guys to Buy
Retailers hope fashion sales to men will salvage the troubled holiday season
November 29, 2008
Ray A. Smith
Article Link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122790986698265333.html
This article reported that retailers are counting on men to keep sales up this holiday season. In an effort to cater to men, stores have expanded, remodeled, and added new products to their men's departments. This strategy of switching the focus to men is based on data provided by MasterCard SpendingPlus, a service that tracks all spending no matter the payment type (i.e. credit card, cash, debit, etc.). The most important statistic reported by MasterCard SpendingPlus states, "For the first nine months of the difficult retail-calendar year that began Feb. 3, sales of men's apparel have risen 1% to $4.3 billion from year-earlier levels . . . " Sales of women's apparel have decreased 6 percent.
I understand that consumers are cutting back on spending and retailers are doing all they can to alleviate these losses. However, remodels, expansions, and new products seem pretty drastic for only a 1 percent increase. The cost of these changes most likely will not be covered by profits from the men's department.
Obviously retailers have conducted more research than me and have constructed a business plan that supports this idea--but the data presented in this article would not convince me to make such severe changes in business just before the holiday season.
On a more personal note--None of the men I know enjoy shopping. They can't be relied upon to shop during great economic times, let alone during our current economic crisis. I am blown away that retailers are putting this much faith in men . . . and their ability to shop.
Retailers hope fashion sales to men will salvage the troubled holiday season
November 29, 2008
Ray A. Smith
Article Link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122790986698265333.html
This article reported that retailers are counting on men to keep sales up this holiday season. In an effort to cater to men, stores have expanded, remodeled, and added new products to their men's departments. This strategy of switching the focus to men is based on data provided by MasterCard SpendingPlus, a service that tracks all spending no matter the payment type (i.e. credit card, cash, debit, etc.). The most important statistic reported by MasterCard SpendingPlus states, "For the first nine months of the difficult retail-calendar year that began Feb. 3, sales of men's apparel have risen 1% to $4.3 billion from year-earlier levels . . . " Sales of women's apparel have decreased 6 percent.
I understand that consumers are cutting back on spending and retailers are doing all they can to alleviate these losses. However, remodels, expansions, and new products seem pretty drastic for only a 1 percent increase. The cost of these changes most likely will not be covered by profits from the men's department.
Obviously retailers have conducted more research than me and have constructed a business plan that supports this idea--but the data presented in this article would not convince me to make such severe changes in business just before the holiday season.
On a more personal note--None of the men I know enjoy shopping. They can't be relied upon to shop during great economic times, let alone during our current economic crisis. I am blown away that retailers are putting this much faith in men . . . and their ability to shop.
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