Pedicures (and Manicures)

My search for a great pedicure has been frustrating to say the least.  I recently started looking for a new pedicurist because the woman I've been going to for nearly a year is sometimes a little harder on my feet than I'd like.  Don't get me wrong, she is very good.  Just not always what I'm looking for and I'd prefer to find someone who uses a different technique.

I will freely admit that I'm a tough client.  Tough feet, plus I am looking for someone who is really detailed oriented and does a stellar job.  Yes, beyond great.  Although I would settle for great.  This all started because for 5 years, I had an unbelievable pedicurist who cured all my foot woes.  Unfortunately, she moved out of the area, and I have not found anyone close to her level since.

Searching in all the wrong places?

So recently I called around to at least half a dozen shops or individuals.  First, let me say, only about half called back. Do you think the current economy is suffering?  Do you think people need work?  Would like more clients?  That's what I thought. So I was (slightly) blown away that so many didn't even bother to call back.

For the uninitiated I'd like to point out that pedicures are expensive.  Average $40-$50 in the area where I live. That's a lot of money to plunk down, especially if you get pedicures on a regular basis (like once a month or every 6 weeks).  So when I look for a good pedicurist, I'm looking for more than just someone to paint a little color on my toenails.  I would think they realize this, but you'd be surprised how many pedicurists think that's the main task.  The reason I am willing to pay a pretty price for this service is because my feet need a lot of tender loving attention.  I have a lot of callous and dry skin that needs to be worked off.  I am generally not impressed by lotions or "treatments" like masks that just sit on the feet and get rinsed off.  They just don't do much for feet. Also, I like my nails clipped evenly.  And at my age, it's just not so easy to see that far away.

So recently I tried someone new.  I won't mention her name, because sadly, I was just a bit more than disappointed.  First she did not clip my nails.  She used one of the tiniest files I've ever seen and lamely swiped it back and forth a couple of times on each nail.  Ho hum.  I guess this is what's being taught in beauty schools these days.  They're either afraid the client will sue if they're cut, or they're afraid of contracting a disease.  Okay, my nails weren't that in need of cutting, so I decided to reserve judgment.

Then, after a fair amount of soaking, to her credit, she did use some pumice to try to work on the callouses.  It would have been nice if she had done this a little bit longer than 1-2 minutes and with a bit more elbow grease, but she did do something. Then when it came to actually painting my nails, she chose to just use the polish that I'd brought without even putting down a base coat first. I do think polish adheres better with a base coat, but she said otherwise. That with toes she hadn't noticed a big difference.  Okay, again I decided on leniency in terms of my final judgment.

During the appointment, we made the usual obligatory smalltalk (ho hum some more).  Okay, she tried at least.  Better than some who won't even attempt to be friendly.  In the course of the conversation, she told me that all the salon employees at her business did everything--they all do nails, hair, and facials. I asked her which one she liked best.  Because I've also found over the years, it helps if the individual really enjoys what she's doing.  She answered "hair".  Okay, not a surprise.  But, sorry, wrong answer.  Again, I tried not to let this shade my opinion too heavily at the time.

The real test for me as to whether I will go back to someone for a pedicure is to see how things look over the next few days, or week, or month or so (if it lasts that long).  So in this instance, after seeing that my heels looked extremely ragged within just one day of my pedicure (maybe even the same day), and that within a week some of the polish was already coming off, I finally decided I would not be returning to this person for another appointment.

Aside
I have one of the best pedicurists in the world.  Seriously.  (Her name is Elizabeth Niderman and she has a salon in Mequon, Wisconsin.  If you want to make an appointment, call her at 262.370.0358.)  Not only is she an incredibly talented artist (yes, giving manicures is an art form when you're at her level), she is also an authentic and caring person.  So naturally, I highly recommend her. I've been her client for close to 10 years.

But the real topic of this blog is pedicures.  For some (unknown) reason, I have almost always gone to someone else for pedicures.  This started because I originally had a source for pedicures, but I decided I wanted to try overlays.  And a close friend recommended Elizabeth.

Back to the Story
Happily, this isn't the end of my story.  I spoke with my wonderful manicurist, Elizabeth, about my experience, and she said she'd love to do a pedicure for me.  I said I thought she didn't really give many pedicures, and she told me she does.  So who knew?  (Not me, obviously.)  So next pedicure will be with her and I'm very hopeful that it will be a success.

Shopping for Hotels

Searching for a hotel in a city away from home is no easy task.  Not even for the Shopping Maven.  Not even if it's a city I know and even used to live in.  Things change so fast.  Having just shopped for some hotels in the San Francisco Bay area--a place close to my former home of 17 years--I thought I'd share some of the experience with you in the hopes of making this task a bit easier for others.

A few tips when you're trying to find a good hotel at a good price:

1. Google Maps has a nice feature where you can easily and quickly bring up a bunch of hotels on a map. This way you can see exactly where the hotels are located. Just search on hotels near San Francisco, for example. Added bonus: Although perhaps not entirely accurate Google even provides the rate for dates you specify for a potential stay.
2. Check at different times in advance of your departure date to try to get the best rates.  Usually you want to consider booking at least a month or more before your travel dates to get a good rate.   Prices change--sometimes frequently, sometimes not so frequently.  Sometimes you'll just strike it right and find a great price at the right time.  Sometimes not.
3. Try checking a number of travel or hotel search sites, like travelocity.com, hotels.com, bookit.com, etc., to determine the best price for a stay. Generally the prices will be the same or within a few dollars but it's a good idea to check the rates and rules posted on different sites. Sometimes a site will offer a special rate.
4. Sometimes the hotel site itself will offer the best price. However, this is not always true. Sometimes the prices on the hotel's own web site are actually higher than those found elsewhere.

So to sum it all up...
You need to be thorough in your search.  As noted here, prices fluctuate. Also there is not one sure way to where to find the best price.  You really have to shop around.  Hopefully, this will give you some ideas on how to do that and when.

On another note:

Looking for hotels in Israel, I found this interesting description for a hotel in the Tel Aviv area (Click here if you want to see where this text actually occurs):

Located in the heart of Tel Aviv, steps from the beach, the Sun City Hotel offers cosy value-for-money accommodation in a lively district, ideal base both for holidaymakers and shop-alcoholics willing to roam the boutique on Sheinkin Street, Nahalat Binyamin Arts and Crafts Market or Bezalel Market. The Sun City Hotel, Tel Aviv , features 24 elegant guestrooms with free wireless Internet access and air-conditioning, for a pleasant stay in Israel, even during the hot summer days. The friendly staff will provide tailored service, warm hospitality and all the tourist information you might need, for an unforgettable stay in the vibrant ...

So I guess this is a hotel for people who love to buy booze. Okay, so maybe I wouldn't exactly know how to translate my blog to Hebrew either.  

Happy traveling!

Special prices and Last Minute Deals

Well, just a little more than one day before all h#$% breaks loose--you know the after Christmas sales!
Meanwhile, retailers are still trying to court shoppers and get some of our hard earned $$.  Well, even though I swore I would not go to the mall this week, in the interest of research (haha), I couldn't say "no" when one of my colleagues asked me to join her in a last minute trip to the mall.  The so-called excuse was so she could return a last-minute purchase she'd made for herself. 

Half-off Sales Coming Soon

I know there will be some great treats in just a couple of days.  Macy's typically puts all it's Christmas related goodies (candy, baked goods, etc.) on sale at 50% off or more the day after Christmas.  We stopped at Williams-Sonoma, and I found one of the treats that I was tempted to buy last week (some goat milk caramels--I know sounds weird but don't knock 'em til you try 'em) had already been reduced by 30%. They had also reduced a number of other popular goodies by 25% or more.  And there will be plenty of half-off sales on other merchandise as well as edibles.

One of the easiest purchases to make--at the last minute or any time of year--is for a gift card.  Nearly all retailers sell gift cards.  They've caught on to the fact that it's a great deal for merchants--something like 20-30% (or more) never gets redeemed.  Still, if you need a last minute gift, and you're not sure what to get, this can be a good option.  In a large department store like Macy's or Boston Store, you can usually pick one up at any cash register in the store.

One of my personal favorite gift cards to give (and receive) is a Starbucks card. I mean who doesn't like Starbucks?  Okay, I know there are a few of you out there, but I know many more individuals who love a Starbucks as either a little treat, or just a regular source of "fuel."  This is one gift card that I can personally guarantee will light up the face of its recipient.  Other than that one, I don't buy too many gift cards.  "Why not?" you ask?  Well, I've also noticed that most people still love the surprise of an actual gift.  Even if it's not what he or she wanted, it's still fun to get an actual "thing" rather than just the promise of something (a gift card). And if you do manage to find a gift that delights the recipient, that's even better! 

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

How would all you snow lovers out there like to experience some of those beautiful fluffy flakes without having to shovel it, without even having to step outside?  (Hey, that might even get the shopping maven to enjoy snow.)  For those of you who feel the holidays are just not the same without that fluffy white stuff, you're going to be able to experience it in the confines of one of your favorite places--a warm, cozy mall.  That's right--it started snowing at Mayfair Mall (in Milwaukee), as well as some other malls throughout the country, the day after Thanksgiving, and shows will continue right up until the day before Christmas.  How's that for a little holiday weather magic?  Go to Magic Snow for more details.

I haven't seen it yet.  I'm still waiting for them to bring in some live reindeer.

Color of the Year

Every year Pantone, the self-acclaimed "world-renowned authority on color" announces its color of the year.

Admittedly, Pantone has provided the standard on color for the print industry for many years. "In 1963, Lawrence Herbert, Pantone's founder, created an innovative system for identifying, matching and communicating colors to solve the problems associated with producing accurate color matches in the graphic arts community."

So for 2011, the color is (drum-roll)...HONEYSUCKLE! 

Pantone chose honeysuckle for the coming year because it's courageous, confident, and vital. "A brave new color, for a brave new world."  Really?  I didn't know a color could do all that.  Yes, color can evoke emotions and represent certain ideas, feelings, etc.  But really?  All that?  

According to Pantone Color Institute Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman, “In times of stress, we need something to lift our spirits. Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues”. And by warding off the blues, I'm assuming she means letting go of what's soon to be last year's color, turquoise, which was the color of 2010. 

Where Will You See This Color?

Everywhere (supposedly).  You'll see this color in:

• Fashion: sweaters, skirts, shoes, handbags, etc.  For starters, Pantone suggests: "Honeysuckle always works with the standard basics of black, navy, charcoal or light to mid gray. But using complementary bronze greens like Willow PANTONE 16-0632 and/or Tapenade PANTONE 18-0840 adds a new sophistication to the combination that showcases the energy of Honeysuckle."
• Wedding Apparel: Yes, you can have your bridesmaids and flower girl all color coordinated thanks to the Pantone Wedding Colors available from Dessy, a leading manufacturer of wedding apparel.
• Paint: Yes, Pantone paint is now available in its line of eco-friendly paint.
• Packaging: Available for a variety of packaging materials and products, it is especially recommended as a good shade for food or drink packaging. 
• And More!  You can even get a PANTONE Visa card in honeysuckle. See www.pantone.com/visacard for more information.

Have fun color coordinating all your walls, kitchen appliances, lingerie, and garden tools!  **Wink wink**  I'm still trying to find all my turquoise stuff from last year.

Popular and Unpopular Websites

As you may or may not know, Google's search engine is designed so that sites with the most hits are generally the most popular sites.  In other words, those with the most traffic get elevated to the top most positions in a search.  However, one of the flaws with Google's search engine is that it also elevates the most unpopular sites for the same reason--if they are getting a lot of complaints, it still makes the site more popular.

Sadly, this is exactly the opposite effect that consumers would like to see happen.  If a site is not providing good products or service, then it would be beneficial if those sites would fall to the bottom of a search list.

If you're dealing with big-name retailers, you generally know their reputation and the kind of service they provide (mostly good of course).  But if you're dealing with lesser known or relatively "nameless" retailers, there is one thing you can do to help ensure you'll have a positive transaction.

If you want to check a site's reputation--

Type the name of the business and the word "complaint" into the google search engine.  This should give you a good indication of whether or not buyers are complaining about a site.

Another thing to look for when dealing with a vendor that you're unfamiliar with is to search for contact information on the site. I highly recommend dealing with a merchant that lists a name and address, preferably within the United States or your own country of residence.  Unless you are seeking a product that you know is available only from a particular location (possibly outside your own country), it's usually far easier to have a safe and secure transaction within the US, where it might be monitored.  And I personally have had much better luck with companies listing actual street addresses not just a post office box--in fact, just listing a PO box is a good signal to avoid that company. Sometimes I'll even call a company just to confirm they're "real" and to get a sense of how they operate. 

Admittedly, the Shopping Maven is not totally immune to error when it comes to dealing with online retailers.  But I really have only two stories that come to mind. But I'll save those stories for a future post.  Just to let you know though, they both ended well.  So take good care, dear Shoppers.

Compare and Contrast to Find the Best Price

One thing's for certain, prices change. Sometimes weekly. Sometimes daily.  Sometimes more. Sometimes whenever the !$%@! retailer wants to change it. Therefore, you can never be sure where you'll find the best price.  And that's for sure.

So as a diligent shopper, you need to compare and contrast to find the best price at any given time.

But How Do You Find Out Where the Best Price Exists?

Ah yes, that Dear Grasshopper, is not always so easy.  And next to impossible.  But you can at least put in a concerted effort.  Well, if you want to save some $$ that is. You should definitely consider both online and in-store merchants. This means you might want to consider the following sources:

For Online Searches

• Search specific sites that you know carry the products you want. For instance, if you're looking for housewares, it's a good idea to check discount stores, department stores, specialty stores that carry housewares, etc.  You know.
• Do some random google searches (or using your preferred browser). In this type of search, you can try both general searches, and detailed searches specifying model, color, size, etc.
• Try searching using google's shopping tab.  You might (make that will) get some different results.
• Depending on the product you're looking for, you might want to consider doing a separate search on Amazon.com. (Since Amazon has such a robust set of products and such a good search engine, I can often find items very quickly and easily here.  Also they're often quite competitively priced.)
• Again, depending on what you're looking for, consider searching on eBay.  You may or may not find a good deal there.

For In-store Searches

• Check current flyers, newspaper ads, and consider any special discounts you might have if you're a regular customer or account holder of said merchant.
• Check in-store.  This can be tedious, but for higher ticket items can be well worth a little extra effort.  Stores often have different prices in person than online.  And the best prices can be found at either "location."
• It can be especially prudent to visit stores when looking for items that are seasonal values. For instance, if you're looking for linens, shop during White Sales. If you're looking for BBQs, shop after Labor Day, etc. Also, after the holiday sales can be a good time to find a bargain.

No Hard and Fast Rules

The main thing to remember when seeking out best prices is that there are no hard and fast rules. A best price can pop up at any time and anywhere. So as long as you know that online prices are not necessarily better than in-store prices. Discount stores don't always offer the best prices. eBay can be more expensive than any other source (but the opposite can also be true).  As long as you keep in mind these principles, and are not just lured by the latest and greatest "Last Ever Sale", you'll be well on your way to finding a great deal.