greetings from st. louis (day 1, part two)
The only slightly disconcerting issue of this trip was the border. I don't need to elaborate why. It is a very strange time to be traveling to this very strange…
consumer issues
random notes from portland (day 7)
Allan and I are both sick, apparently with a flu or some other virus. I rarely get sick -- it's been more than four years -- and this has hit…
random notes from portland (day 7)
Allan and I are both sick, apparently with a flu or some other virus. I rarely get sick -- it's been more than four years -- and this has hit…
in which an email reminds me to resurrect a very old post: join athena to change amazon
Do you support Athena? Athena is a broad coalition of people and organizations who seek to change Amazon’s practices through a variety of tools and tactics, including from the inside.…
follow-up: response from pacific coastal airlines
This is a follow-up post to getting home: horrific customer service from pacific coastal airlines. Tl;dr: Those are the rules. Too bad for you. Next time buy travel insurance. Good…
getting home: horrific customer service from pacific coastal airlines
On the way home, I flew from from San Francisco (SFO) to Vancouver (YVR) on United Airlines, then from Vancouver to Port Hardy on Pacific Coastal. Pacific Coastal flies out…
cpmvfsgu days 8 and 9: monday and tuesday on salt spring island; whether or not to leave a negative review for an airbnb
I’ve spent the last two days reading, blogging, scratching, and occasionally eating and sleeping. There were other things to do on Salt Spring Island, but I was too uncomfortable to…
five reasons streaming is still better than cable, even if the price tag is the same (plus a long story mostly for myself)
If you stream movies and TV series, you know that the proliferation of streaming channels has had mixed results for consumers. Many shows that were formerly on Netflix have been…
outstanding customer service from wayfair.ca
Wayfair.ca has amazing customer service! Their selection is great, the prices are competitive, and they offer free shipping with orders of more than $75. But their customer service has sealed…
true confessions, or will laura buy new window treatments for a house that doesn’t need them
I don’t care much about clothes, shoes, bags. I don’t buy expensive cosmetics or skin-care products. As long as I have what I need, I’m good. It’s easy to watch…
in which i buy shoes on the internet and this makes me way happier than it should
I have two stories to tell about my shopping habits. This is the one with a happy ending, the story that makes me appear to be a rational adult. On…
the move west: day six: swift current saskatchewan to calgary alberta
Greetings from Mountain Time! I had a friend from Denver who always said Mountain was the forgotten time zone. He may have been right: we forgot about the hour time…
sheraton hotel’s "green choice" is really just precarious work
These days, most hotel rooms contain some sort of green messaging, as companies are expected to show how eco-friendly they are. Usually guests have the option of not having their…
the mysterious case of kars4kids: deceptive advertising for orthodox jewish proselytizing
When I watch baseball, I always watch the “away” feed — the Red Sox broadcast — and almost always choose local radio for the audio feed. (Hooray for MLB streaming…
an open letter to loblaw: greed is not good — especially for public relations
Loblaw Companies Limited1 President’s Choice CircleBrampton, Ontario, L6Y 5S5Attention: LCL Customer Relations Centre Dear Loblaw Ltd.: I am a Loblaw customer and I was extremely disappointed by recent public statements…
the great whole foods experiment of 2017
In our home, shopping at Whole Foods was once reserved for special dinners or used a stop-gap during an extremely busy week. Then slowly, over time, it became habit —…