In Response to Gretchen

Gretchen asked if I think it's effective for a company to market to me while I'm already inside the store or if I find it annoying.

I think that to a point it makes sense for a company to market to people while they are inside a store, so the customer's will keep coming back and supporting the store. It would also make sense if they provided a good deal for the customer's so they will have an incentive to come back to buy more the next time they are shopping. They may go in to buy one thing, but it always ends up happening that the customer's see another couple of things they could use along with the item that they came in for. At grocery stores coupons generally print out for you for your next shopping trip if you buy a certain item or spend a certain amount. I always like getting a $3 off coupon at the end of my shopping trip because it will make me want to go back to get money off, especially since grocery shopping can get expensive.

I also find marketing to customers that are already shopping in your store can be annoying. Especially if you are pushing "your products" too much. Recently, I was shopping for a new car, so I went to the Kia dealership first because it's the first car dealership that I pass on my way to Honda and Toyota. I told the guy that I was looking for a used Honda, which they didn't have and I like the quality of Honda's so I wasn't willing to settle for a Kia. He kept pushing the Kia brand on me to the point that it go extremely annoying. I was at the dealership looking around, I didn't see the point of him pushing the brand on me, especially since I was there. I will probably never go back there because of that guy. If he had toned down his marketing just a little bit, maybe I'd recommend for people to go there, but instead I have told people how annoying he was and not to go there. By the time I got to Honda I was already sick of car dealerships, but the guy that came out to help me was nice and wasn't extreme on pushing a brand onto me because of that guy I will go to Honda again. Do you think marketing to people that are already in your store is annoying?

Jobs for College Grads

As college students around the country prepare for graduation, something they have worked hard for so they can get a good job, they will be entering a job market with an unemployment rate of 9.7 percent. This is double the rate that it was when all of these students started college in 2006. The good news is the job market has improved slightly from last year and some sectors like government, heath care and financial services are starting to hire more people. The job market for the 2010 class is better than it was for the 2009 class, but it's still weak. There just isn't the need right now to hire people as there was two and a half years ago. The graduates with the best chance of finding a job right away are the ones applying for health care, business administration, computer science and accounting or finance jobs. The accounting sector has seen a large increase in the need to hire people. Deloitte plans to hire 5,300 college graduates this year for full time positions and paid internships, this is a 10-15 percent increase from last year. One employer that is always hiring college graduates is the federal government. Government jobs are becoming more popular with students, partly because they are looking to seek a stable job in this shaky job market. For the graduates that can't find jobs, the best way to get their foot in the door is by doing an internship...even if it's unpaid. By doing this you can prove that you are a great worker and maybe the company will eventually take you on full time when they can afford it. If you are graduating this year, have you had a hard time landing a job?

In Response to Elizabeth V

Elizabeth asked the following question: do you think that having a coupon for a product will make you want to buy it more even if you weren't planning on buying in in the first place?
I would have to say that having a coupon would make me want to buy the product, even if it wasn't on my shopping list, but it would depend on the requirements that the coupon has. I usually look at the coupons every week that come out in the Sunday Sentinel, but the thing that bothers me is most of the coupons require you to buy two or three items of that product in order to only get one dollar off, so I usually talk myself out of buying it. It seems like a waste of money to have to buy three of the same product to get one dollar off, it's the companies way of make you buy their product to save one dollar. I never think it's worth it when the product costs three dollars, I will have to spend almost ten dollars to get a discount. Some of the coupons are good deals when you can buy six yoplait yogurts and get one free, but most of the time I would rather just buy what's on sale instead of going with the Betty Crocker brand just because I have a coupon. Do you use coupons or do you just buy what's on sale?

Airline Fees

Five major airlines have agreed not to follow Spirit Airlines in instituting fees for carry-on luggage. New York Senator Charles Schumer said he was hopeful other airlines would agree not to add extra fees for people that are flying. Schumer said American, Delta, Jet Blue, United and US Air are the airlines that will not be adding extra fees. He decided to reach out to the company CEOs after Spirit Airlines announced it would start charging up to $45 each way for passengers who bring a bag on board and put it in the overhead compartment. He is trying to make the fees nonexistent so people don't have to pay anymore money than they already are. The carry-on has been a known luggage that people bring to their seats with them and it's something they normally don't have to pay to have. Especially if you're only going away for a couple days, why would you want a huge bag? It makes sense for you to only bring a carry-on and bring it to your seat with you so you don't have to pay for it.
Since 2008, fliers have had to deal with a lot of extra charges being tacked onto their bills just so the airlines could make some extra cash with the slow economy. They have faced charges for everything from food to getting their luggage checked, adding the carry-on fee is making Spirit Airlines seems a little extreme in what they are charging people to fly. Right now, many airlines are trying to attract as many people as they can to fly with them, so adding a carry-on fee would be a very mad move because the flier can easily find another flight through a cheaper airline. Schumer and five other Democratic Senators: Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Rober Menendex&Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey are supporting legislation that would tax airlines if they charged carry-on fees. Schumer is planning to talk to the Spirit Airline CEO as soon as he can because he doesn't think it's right to charge people anymore than what they are already being charged. Flying is such a hassle for everyone, so why not make it a little easier by reducing the fees. Schumer said that the legislation would move forward until it becomes clear that no airline will institute the charges.
Do you think airlines have too many charges?

In Response to Chad Brown

Chad asked if I have ever been persuaded to buy an item because I wanted to buy something just for the logo. Honestly, I think everyone has been persuaded to buy something because of the logo. Even though we might be sad to say we have spent $30 on a t-shirt from Hollister, which we could have saved $15 on by just buying the same exact thing from Target...but we wanted the logo instead. I don't really think this way anymore, some of the clothes are just so expensive at stores like Hollister or American Eagle and I have other things to pay for, so it makes it hard to afford the big name brand clothes. When I was in high school and middle school I thought of it as a necessity to have name brand clothes because everyone else did, but by the time I was a senior I was over it. It's so much money for clothes at these stores and it's not really worth it. I'm so tall that I buy something and then forget it can't be put in the drier because it will shrink, and then I go to put the $50 pair on pants on the next day and they are up to my ankles. It's frustrating because you need clothes, but they are so expensive and what's so special about the "logo brands" that draws so many people in. They are all over campus, hundreds of people everyday wear these name brand clothes because of the name...maybe they don't even like the style of the shirt they are wearing they just want to fit in. Do you think name brand clothing has gone too far and is too overpriced?

Career Killing Facebook Mistakes

Facebook is arguably the most popular social networking site with more than 400 million active visitors. The site is known for the casual social aspect, but many users also use it as a professional networking tool. Facebook is a valuable tool for connecting with former and current colleagues, clients and potential employers. A recent survey suggests that approximately 30% of employers are using Facebook to screen potential employees, this percentage is even higher than those who check Linkediln, which is a professional social networking site. The following Facebook mistakes may cost you a great opportunity.

Many prospective employers or clients don't want to see their future employee or advisor chugging a bottle of wine with a cigarette in their other hand as their profile picture. They look at this as you being more interested in letting people know that you can drink wine, rather than having a maturer picture that shows you are ready to work. When you go to make a picture your profile picture, just think is this something you would want your grandparents or even parents to see? If your answer was no, you probably wouldn't want your future employer or client to see it either. They could get the wrong impression of you and pick someone else that has a more suitable Facebook profile picture.

Complaining about your job on Facebook is another big mistake. Chances are you are friends with someone you work with or someone that knows your boss. When you post something on your site about your job, that is then open to the public and people have access to it. If you want to complain about your job do it somewhere else rather than online because it will only come back to haunt you. Another thing you shouldn't do is post lies on your resume and then put the truth on Facebook. For example, if you put on your resume that you went to Harvard then the firm that interviewed you goes to check you out online and they see that you actually went to Keene State, there's a very good chance you will be cut from the interview list. Always be truthful on your resumes and Facebook because it will catch up with you and your work will eventually find out.

When you go to update your status, as many people do on a daily basis consider it before you do. Is this something you'd want your boss to see? For example putting something like "I am at work right now with nothing to do...I am so bored." If your Facebook friends with someone at your work, maybe even your boss that is not a very smart thing to put online. It would blow up in your face and could even cost you your job. If you don't want people to see any personal information about you change all of your security settings to private or have friends only for viewing your profile. There are so many potential employers checking on Facebook nowadays to see what kind of worker you could be and you should really think about what you're putting online for the world to see. It could cost you a job if they think you're too immature and not ready for the task yet. Do you agree with these Facebook mistakes?

In response to Sam

Sam asked the question if I have any techniques when it comes to selling items on craigslist.

If I want to get rid of items that I don't need anymore, I always think about selling them first. I want to be able to make some money, especially as a college student I will take whatever money I can get. If I were to put something on craigslist.org I would try to advertise it to make it sound as appealing as possible. I want people to look into it and be interested in it, so I can sell the product easily. It's important to appeal to people and create a catchy phrase. By creating a catchy phrase, it lures people in to see what you have to offer. They will then be drawn in by what you have and how you explain your product. When I was looking for apartments I would constantly look at ads that lured me in with everything included in the rent or if something had pictures on their page. It's important to think of the needs of the people looking at the ads and what they want. What do you think the most important thing is to have in a craigslist advertisement?