Which shipping company is the kindest to packages?

One premise of consumer escapes is that time is precious. Therefore shipping services, including overnighting plays an important role in business and in sending holiday gifts around the country. Leave it to Popular Mechanics to test the carriers:

"A few years ago, Popular Mechanics shipped a custom-built gaming PC—a rather heavy and cumbersome beast—to a New Hampshire woman who'd won it in a sweepstakes. The computer arrived in pieces, delivering a crushing blow, so to speak, to the nice lady as well as to the PM staffers who'd built the computer. Even though we made good by reconstructing the PC and driving it to her doorstep, I still shudder at the memory of the gory photos she sent us of the shattered machine.

The overnight-shipping industry is a modern technological and logistical wonder, but it still can inflict medieval damage on parcels. Everyone has at one time or another received a dented, torn or otherwise mutilated package. And after our PC-shipping incident, I felt a sense of professional duty to find a way to get inside a package, as it were, and quantify the abuse it endures. Since my life insurance would become null and void if I attempted to ship myself, I needed a technological solution."

From the article: 'One disheartening result was that our package received MORE abuse when marked "Fragile" or "This Side Up." 

Click link to enjoy the rest of the story ...

GameStop should be called Game Non-stop

Oftentimes others describe the concept of consumer escapes far better than I. For example this paragraph concluded an analysis of retailer GameStop in last week's Barron's:

"Videogames may not be thriving like iPhones, but they're doing just fine, much to the consternation of girlfriends and wives across the planet. As long as men, who once mainly killed wild game, instead are preoccupied with killing time, they'll need distractions to fill the hours."

I've never had an energy drink ... so what

I have never had an energy drink. Maybe it's because my doctor's instructions were to avoid caffeine. Maybe it's because I'm just not that tired. Or maybe it's because I've never heard of some of the ingredients. Why do I bring this up? Red Bull is running an online ad contest and I'd like to enter. Yet how can I capture the way Red Bull vitalizes body and mind if I've never put the product into my body? Maybe I'll try to enter a concept that addresses first time trial. Or over the next few days if I appear a bit "wired" know that I'm just doing product research.

Get inspired and enter away...

Letting Go

"Letting Go" at Cabo Outdoor Adventures

For a couple of years now I've been blogging in and around the topic of consumer escapes. In our smz research early this year the escape identified as "most desired" given availability of time and money was to take a cruise. That made sense as the cruise industry markets itself as the ideal escape. Yet I'd never taken a cruise, only marveled at the size of the ships when encountering them in various ports.

Recently my wife and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary on board Holland America Line's ms Oosterdam Mexican Riviera cruise. We weren't sure if cruising was for us although we went in with completely open minds. (And a lot of luggage.) Happy to report we loved the experience. Guess that's why hundreds of thousands of people cruise every week all over the globe.

I'm going to post a series of posts on our experience. They say one of the great souvenirs of a vacation are the memories. This digital diary will help me capture and re-live those memories.

Taking "stock" of Apple

Eric Savitz who writes about technology for Barron's said, "as any tech blogger will tell you, nothing drives the page views like posting about Apple. Most-read magazine story last week on Barrons.com? My little 600-word curtain-raiser in this space on Apple's September-quarter results and Mac product launch. Two most-read items on my Tech Trader Daily blog last week? A report on Apple's earnings, followed by live coverage of the company's "Back to the Mac" product-launch event. People devour every scrap of data they can find about this company..."

Consider this a blatant attempt for views from someone who devours Apple information and as you'll see, product. On Sunday my wife and I ventured to the Twelve Oaks Mall Apple Store to buy the new Apple TV. One of the fifty guys in blue t-shirts was extremely helpful in the product education process. Not so helpful when informing us that the product was sold-out. No big deal, we ordered it online that evening. That most recent purchase caused me to take stock of Apple. No, not to buy the stock (fortunately I did that before the $300/share mark) but to take inventory of all products in our household with an Apple logo. It's Halloween scary. We have an ancient Bondi Blue iMac G3 that runs our household finances; two iTouches that allow my daughters to know the words to 4,000 songs (including a few good ones); an iPod Nano that my wife uses to secretly listen to Podcasts and The Carpenters; two white Mac Books that aid in chemistry and Facebook; a silver Mac Book Pro; an aluminum Mac Book that powers this blog; chargers, USB cords and whitebud headphones; an iPad, an iPhone 3Gs and the soon-to-arrive Apple TV. All told over $10,000 in Apple hardware not accounting for purchases at the App Store and on iTunes. Like I said, scary. And all this started 25 years ago when I bought the original Macintosh computer. I sure hope Apple appreciates us!?

Sure I fill my tank every 10 days at the Exxon station, yet by doing a simple household technology inventory I've got a better handle on why Apple is approaching the largest domestic market cap. And I've got a dozen devices to choose from in verifying that fact. Guess it's time to go change into my blue t-shirt. I must be approaching "genius" status.

Experiencing the new Bose VideoWave

Walk into any Costco store and you're immediately in the TV zone. Amazingly 60" screens look small in their cavernous stores. Yesterday I walked into a Bose store at the outlet mall. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, just being curious. Immediately the salesperson ushered me into a vault-like home theatre room in the back of the store for a product demonstration. I sat in a chair facing a darkened flat screen television mounted on the wall surrounded by various sized black speakers. After the effects of lightning and thunder filled the room with sound the screen came to life with concert footage, sports action, roller coasters, ... the usual beauty shots with distinctive audio. What was amazing was during the demo the salesperson from Bose went up to each speaker and pulled away black covering to reveal NO speakers underneath. Even the big subwoofer box on the floor magically disappeared.

Rather than painstakingly rigging wire all over the room to individual speakers and a receiver, the Bose folks invented VideoWave. It's actually Bose's first television, a 46" LCD with a secret. Behind the HD display lie sixteen built-in speakers, enough to fill the room with rich, real, and booming sound. The sound comes from left, right and all around. It was quite amazing. They even created an intuitive, non-intimidating remote. Unfortunately at over $5,000 for the whole set-up the price is quite intimidating. But what's is the escape of consumer electronics if not for some new gadgetry to jones for? See - and hear it - if you get a chance.

Big Red (Secretariat)

I vividly remember watching Secretariat's romp home in the 1973 Belmont Stakes. I was seven years-old and little did I know that I was watching a race that would influence me for life. As the movie Secretariat opens today I can proudly call myself one of a small set of fans who know Secretariat's race record, his breeding, his successful progeny and a devoted fan of the sport he "Kinged" for the intervening 38 years. Hopefully this film will excite new-found appeal for thoroughbred horseracing. (The betting part is parimutuel so the more the merrier.) Each spring racing fans will begin talking about the "next Secretariat." There will never be another Secretariat but it's proof that in horse racing hope springs eternal. And I sure hope the movie lives up to my memories.

Off on a true "escape," a Mexican Cruise. Possible postings to come from sea. If not, I'll be back on the case to report on buffets, beaches, and "bandits" in a week. Hasta luego.