New Years Wishes!

May you get a clean bill of health from your dentist, your cardiologist, your gastro-enterologist, your urologist, your proctologist, your podiatrist, your psychiatrist, your plumber and the I.R.S.

May your hair, your teeth, your face-lift, your abs and your stocks not fall; and may your blood pressure, your triglycerides, your cholesterol, your white blood count and your mortgage interest not rise.

May New Year's Eve find you seated around the table, together with your beloved family and cherished friends.

May you find the food better, the environment quieter, the cost much cheaper, and the pleasure much more fulfilling than anything else you might ordinarily do that night.

May what you see in the mirror delight you, and what others see in you delight them. May someone love you enough to forgive your faults, be blind to your blemishes, and tell the world about your virtues.

May the telemarketers wait to make their sales calls until you finish dinner, may the commercials on TV not be louder than the program you have been watching, and may your check book and your budget balance - and include generous amounts for charity.

May you remember to say "I love you" at least once a day to your spouse, your child, your parent, your siblings; but not to your secretary, your nurse, your masseuse, your hairdresser or your tennis instructor.

And may we live in a world at peace and with the awareness of God's love in every sunset, every flower's unfolding petals, every baby's smile, every lover's kiss, and every wonderful, astonishing, miraculous beat of our heart.

from an email from former industry executive Jim Gray

Christmas is Upon Us!

For the last ten years, I have paid particular attention to the Sales figures reported by online merchants as compared to bricks and mortar retailers. Invariably, the early reports always underestimate the online sales and over estimate the traditional retailer's numbers. The online numbers continue to amaze and this year will be no exception. My sense is that we are going to see an incredible increase in online sales over previous years.

First, I am being inundated with promotional offers to buy online.
Second, I am hearing more people who dislike fighting the crowds at the retailers and prefer the comfort of their own home for shopping.
Third, I am hearing more comments about the products being offered at the stores are the same from store to store. Unique items are only available online or at very unusual retailers.
Fourth, The number of online retialers offering free shipping makes buying online more economical than traveling to some distant retail outlet.

Watch the numbers and the incredible power of online retailing.