Why Don’t We Demand Truth in Advertising?

Advertising is the art of convincing people to spend money they don't have for something they don't need.

Will Rogers

My mother has been asking me to take her to a particular outlet mall and today was the day; so off we went. We spent several hours wandering around the mall and went into most of the stores. I want to know why this mall is called an outlet mall. When I go to an outlet mall I expect DEEP discounts, not regular mall prices! I won’t even look at an item unless it’s 50% and at an outlet mall I expect better than that. There were very few items in the entire mall that were marked down by more than 30%. Why on earth should I schlepp out to this supposed outlet mall when I could do better at the Bay or the Eaton Centre?

Who decides what mall can be called an outlet mall? Shouldn’t there be some kind of criteria? Or can anyone call their establishment an outlet mall for the sole purpose of duping the public? Is this a Canadian issue? I ask this question because I have never encountered an outlet mall in the U.S. that wasn’t a legitimate outlet mall. Perhaps this is why Canadians still go to the U.S. to shop, even though the Canadian dollar is very weak. Lineups at the border attest to that.

Every summer my friend Sue and I make our annual pilgrimage to an incredible golf resort in northern Michigan called Boyne (I’ll tell you about it in another blog). Directly in our path is the Birch Run Outlet Mall and let me tell you, this is the mother of all outlet malls. This enormous discount shopping Mecca is surrounded by motels because it’s actually a destination. People arrive and shop for the weekend. Sue and I shop ‘til we drop and we get amazing deals! There’s none of this 30% crap. We buy top quality merchandise at incredibly discounted prices; typically 60% - 80% off. This is legitimate outlet shopping.

As a society we’ve come to expect that there is no truth in advertising. We’ve become so accustomed to the lies and manipulation that when we come across it, as was the case today, we’re momentarily pissed off and then we move on. Our complacency is the reason that there is no truth in advertising. Shame on us!

Advertising: the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it.

Stephen Leacock

Make someone smile today.

Geri

Golf Scores Can Be Like Fish Tales

I can't believe that it's already October, which means that my remaining golf days are sadly numbered. I'm hoping to get a round in this weekend but the Weather Network isn't inspiring hope. Sue and I will head out Sunday afternoon to Nottawasaga and if worse comes to worse, we'll detour to the outlet mall... You gotta do what you gotta do.

I'm always amused when you talk to golfers about their scores. Women are usually self-deprecating about the state of their golf games and consider a great score an accident. Many men on the other hand have a tendency to tell fish tales. They're superb golfers who shoot in the 80s - in their dreams (or on 9 holes).

Golf is a game in which you yell 'fore, shoot six, and write down five.

Paul Harvey 

My golf game is interesting and falls into one of 4 categories:

1. There are days that no matter what I do, meaningful contact with the ball is a virtual impossibility. After a picture perfect practice swing, the ball pathetically dribbles off the tee. Its distance can measured in inches, not yards. On days like these, I don't keep score. I enjoy the day, hitting the ball (or not).
2. On an average day I shoot between 105 and 110. I happily make some terrific shots, some that suck and some that won't win any style points but move forward. Sue and I refer to these as utility shots.
3. There are days when I'm being punished and rewarded in the same round. On 9 holes I can't buy a ball and then on the other 9 I'm ready for the tour. In my last round I couldn't hit a ball on the front 9 and shot 43 on the back 9.
4. On very rare occasion I'm blessed by the Golf Goddess and I break 100. I hit wondrous shots like a 240 yard drive straight down the fairway or hole a chip. These days are few and far between but when they come, it's magic!

I have no idea what my next round will bring. The only thing that I do know is that there's no better way to spend an afternoon than on the golf course, regardless of the state of my game.  

Make someone smile today.

Geri