Thursday 23 February 2012

A surprise keeps things interesting.

Anne Sexton
 (1928 -1974)

  Today I was surprised by the service I received
 ordering a book online.   It was a good surprise.
  One that reminded me of something that happened
 a few years ago. A bit before the internet was in
common use. I was married and we were living in
 a basement apartment at the gate of High Park 
 in Toronto. I had read a poem by Anne Sexton
that I really liked. She  had transformed the fairy
 tale Cinderella into something a bit more modern
(for the early 1970’s). It is a long poem so I have
just included a few line here:

                                                  Cinderella (exert)
                                           You always read about it
                                          the plumber with twelve children
                                         who wins the Irish sweepstakes.
                                          From toilets to riches.
                                          That Story.…………
 
                                         Or a milkman who serves the wealthy,                         
                                         eggs, cream, butter, yogurt, milk,
                                         the white truck like an ambulance
                                         who goes into real estate 
                                         and makes a pile.
                                         From homogenized to martinis at lunch.
                                         That story………...

                                        Cinderella and the Prince
                                        lived, they say, happily ever after,
                                        like two dolls in a museum case
                                        never bothered by diapers or dust ,
                                        never arguing about the timing of an egg,
                                        never telling the same story twice
                                        never getting a middle aged spread,
                                        their darling smiles pasted on for eternity.
                                        Regular Bobbsey Twins.
                                        That story.

                            (Click for the complete  Cinderella poem)              

John Lord

  I was interested in reading more of her poetry but couldn’t find any.  I checked many bookstores and libraries with no luck – her books  were out of print. I was working in sales at the time and my territory included a small town north of the City – Stouffville. On the Main St. was a new  and used Bookstore John Lord books. I had driven by it a few times and could see it was jammed full of books and lots of  people. I stopped in and got the same story. Sexton’s work was out of print and they rarely saw a used one. They asked for my number and said if they found one they would give me a call.
  Two years later. We had moved out of the city to buy our first house
-in Stouffville. With a new baby and busy career I wasn’t thinking
much about poetry, until I got a call. It was John Lord books. They had found Anne Sexton: The  Complete Poems and wondered if I was still interested in it. I couldn’t believe it. Two years later and they were still looking for my book. That’s what I call customer service.

 I was reminded of that today with the delivery to my house. It was another hard to find book I needed. I was busy launching our new contest iPad so I didn’t have the time to go to book
stores. Yesterday  afternoon I checked online at Amazon and they had a copy. I picked  the free shipping option for 2-3 days
delivery. It was delivered early this morning.  Ordered in 5 minutes and  delivered in less than 24 hours, for free. This is great service.

 Amazon is not unique in delivering great service, ordering jeans from Sears on Sunday evening means a delivery by Tuesday morning.
 My Friend ordered a laptop from Tiger Direct. It damaged in shipping. She called Tiger Direct and they sent a replacement overnight at their expense with no hassles.
 
If it was bought in a store think how long it would take to return it. Finding time to go back to the store, taking the time to travel to the store and spending  time  waiting in line for customer service.  It would not be as convenient  as having it delivered to your doorstep the next morning.

 If you haven’t tried online shopping you might be in for a good surprise
 as well.

 If you are wondering about John Lord books - the store closed in 2001, but he is still in the business. You can find him among the thousands of booksellers on AbeBooksAbeBooks is an online marketplace where you can buy new, used, rare and out-of-print books.  
  We added it to yhoti last month.
  

Tuesday 21 February 2012

A new contest at yhoti

Wouldn’t you love to win a new iPad or have $50 to spend?
 
We want more people to know about yhoti’s great online shopping with Cash Rewards.
 Our Launch Contest for a  Kindle keyboard 3G was a great success in spreading the word.
Now we want to do it again with our yhoti iPad Contest.



Entry is easy:
                            Join yhoti.com & then 
                         LIKE us on Facebook
        
 You will get an automatic entry to the contest. That’s it!

No purchase is necessary and yhoti membership is free.   

  Plus, as a yhoti member (for the duration of the contest) you will get Bonus entries:

-       Make a purchase on yhoti and get 1 extra entry.
-       Refer your friends to join yhoti and get 1 extra entry.  

 There is no limit to the number of bonus entries you can get so refer your friends and keep shopping on yhoti.

Even if you don’t win, as a yhoti member you get Cash Rewards for your purchases. 2%, 5%, 10% even 15%,  the cash adds up.

Plus, when the members you refer make a purchase through yhoti of $25 or more we will give you $5 cash.

So visit yhoti.com to join for your chance to win!
Want to learn more? Click Here

Open to Canadian and United States citizens over the age of 18.





Sunday 19 February 2012

Get paid for what you are already doing

 A good friend told me that the reason she likes yhoti is because she get's paid for doing something she was already doing.  
Just sign in and shop at the stores on yhoti as you normally would. The Cash Rewards are calculated automatically and added to your yhoti account. It’s an easy way to get cash.
 Cash Back websites have been very popular in the UK for some time. Consumers have made this so popular that now even large grocery chains have joined online Malls like yhoti. Imagine getting cash back on you groceries every week? This is on top what you are collecting on your credit cards. It’s just a matter of time before that is available here.  
 I found an excerpt from a BBC Radio Program in England from a few years ago and some of the key points are below.
 
Taken from BBC Radio 4's Money Box broadcast


'Cash back' websites lure shoppers
As the number of people shopping over the internet increases a new kind of portal is appearing, offering cash back on purchases made at linked online stores.
A woman shopping online
Cash back sites offer money back when you buy through them
One in every 10 retail purchases in the UK is now made over the internet, according to figures just published by the Interactive Media in Retail Group. Cheaper prices, the ability to make quick comparisons and the convenience of online shopping means increasing numbers are being lured away from the high street.
A new kind of website is capitalising on this and promises to make members' money go even further by refunding a fraction of the price each time they buy through a linked retailer.
  
'Old rope'

 "It is not a lifestyle change, for people that actually shop on the internet, it is money for old rope."
  
  "It is relatively new, people do not know about it and perhaps people are distrustful of a website that claims to give them free money but in this case it is absolutely genuine."
 
  If you shop online and haven't joined yhoti yet you are missing out on a great opportunity. Membership is free and there are many popular stores as well as many you may not know about. Take a look at yhoti.com today.
 

Sunday 12 February 2012

Happy Feet do make you and your feet happy.



Fun Leggings
 

Stripy, spotty, diamonds, bright colours.....
  Whether you wear them for the attention you will get, or as your own little secret - Happy socks will make you Happy when you wear them.

 Launched in Sweden 2008 their motto is “colouring the world with happy socks.“ Word quickly spread worldwide through fashion stylists and the celebrities they dress. These include fashion setters Gwen Stefani and Jessie J.

Happy socks are built with quality in mind. Don’t let caring for the the bright colours concern you. They are colourfast, pre shrunk,and have 
reinforced toes and heels.

One of many styles

Great gift Boxes
 These steps to make them unbreakable won’t take away from comfort.
Their high quality fabrics will always feel soft on your feet.  Plus they are one size fits all and have many unisex designs so you won’t mind sharing with someone special.







Browse Happy Socks through yhoti and get 9% Cash Rewards.





Saturday 11 February 2012

Candy.com - be a kid in a Candy Store

  When I lived in Calgary I looked forward to family trips
Gold Mine Gum
 south to the town of Nanton. We loved the drive on the
smooth prairie roads because the Rocky Mountains
filled the skyline to the west. While Nanton was known for grain elevators and Western themed antique stores, we were anticipating something else - The Candy store.
 This old fashioned store had candies I had eaten as a kid and had forgotten. Razzels, pixie sticks, Bottle Caps, sacks of gold mine gum, jars of penny candy, licorice cigars. It was as much fun as a kid in a candy shop.

Unique gifts
When I saw Candy,com it brought me back to the
Nanton candy store. They
have over 6,000 products.
 Browsing the website b
rings back childhood memories,
and cravings.      
   With candy ranging from retro / nostalgic to the latest in Natural and organic, the site can easily pull you in for a long look. Candy categories include: Novelty, Gifts, powder candy, Theatre candy, and Hot & Spicy. Brand names I had never heard of like Just Born, Redbird and Oakleaf are there with Godiva, Hershey’s and Wonka.
For people that like to decorate or organize parties there are specific Baking and decorating candies, but you will want to see the special occasion section. 25 categories covering major holidays, Weddings, Mother’s Day, Mardi Gras and even Summer candies. Th esite is fun to look at and they have a great blog. The latest post gives tips for making candy Mardi Gras beads.

Fish pops for summer fun

Retro Candy Pack














  
 Candy.com is new to yhoti but is quickly becoming a popular site offering 6% Cash Rewards.  Check it out today on yhoti -   candy.com

                                                                  

Wednesday 8 February 2012

yhoti Shopping Tips for February

Time Management - Many people like to shop at lunch or after work, but find it very rushed and stressful.  With yhoti you can shop in the store and find the items you like, then skip the long checkouts that eat up your time. yhoti never closes so you can make the purchase when it's convenient for you.
    My Friend Lynne has time to shop but prefers to skip the checkouts and go for a coffee. She uses the coffe shop's free Wi-Fi to make the purchase and the yhoti Cash Rewards cover the cost of the latte. Now that’s stress free shopping.
Seasonal shopping - This is the time of year where your boots are eaten through with salt, or you’ve lost one glove and need new a new pair.  It’s still winter for a few months (I know what you’re thinking, but it will go fast). Just try to replace them in a store - they’ve moved on to spring inventory.  All that is left in winter gear is strange styles that don’t sell or sizes that don’t fit. This is when internet shopping makes sense.   
   Websites still have the seasonal products that you want and you can easily check the styles and sizes that they have. Forget about going to 10 stores and getting strange looks because you want to buy winter clothes in February, shop online and get what you need.
Your own personal Shopper - Not sure about getting the look and size you want when shopping online? Many websites offer a free personal Shopper/ Stylist service to help you out. yhoti has a number of stores that offer this. Check these great sites out:
Dealux: A women's fashion shopping website made to take the stress out of online shopping. Luxe Services include:
Virtual Stylist: Style and product recommendations to give you a great look.
This Just In: Be informed the minute your favourite Designers clothes go on sale. 
The Hunt: Support to find those fashion items you covet but can't find on your own.
Anthropologie: You can choose between a Personal Shopper for Women's Fashion and Interior decorating or both. Book your online appointment today.
Guess: Not sure how to pull together a great look? Tops, bottoms, shoes, accessories: the Guess Shop by Outfit section gives you many great looks that work for
 
Safe online Transactions - Worried about using your credit card for online shoping?  PayPal is a great option. Many shopping websites now accept PayPal. This allows you to shop without sharing your financial information with their website.
 PayPal also allows you to continue collecting credit card rewards like points or cash back.  yhoti can also pay Cash Rewards
directly to your PayPal account - no need to wait for your
monthly cheque to be delivered.
Check out www.paypal.com to learn more and open your account.