Exploiting the Recession, or Exploiting the Public?

     You learn something new every day, or so they say. Here's today's lesson, from me to you:

     You've seen this everywhere, I'm sure. They want to share the 'trick' a mom figured out for whiter teeth. Don't pay hundreds, even thousands, just use this simple trick. Strawberries and baking soda? No. Scam-o-rama? I think so.

     They tell you to go to http://www.karensteeth.com/  and check out the news. They make the page look like an official news site. "Consumer News Weekly" it reads across the top. They use every trick in their arsenal to make it look like it is a news site, or at least a helpful, newsy blog.  They tell you how you can even get the shipping for almost free. A mere 99 cents a site. Of course there are two sites because this  mom learned to use both products together for some unexpectedly great results. Just order both trial products with coupon codes for 99 cent shipping and you're in!

     You're in alright. In a trap. They will send you the free trial stuff, but you have to cancel within 10 days of ordering the product. How many days does it take to arrive? We shall see. Yes, I ordered it. As soon as I ordered (with a 'special' credit card number they can't abuse) I called them to cancel my order. They refused. I will have to receive the product and then call them. Then I will have to return it. This was pretty much what I expected. I ordered it 15 minutes ago. I just got a call from a lady verifying my order. I told her I had already called to cancel and had been refused. She said "Oh, some of them do that. They make you receive it and return it." Now, mind you, there are two such offers. Each offer is for a free trial. Each offer will bill you what will be hundreds of dollars if you do not cancel. If you are lucky, one of them will renew it and ship out the product to you at timely intervals!

     There is no mention of this on the http://www.karensteeth.com/ website. A real blogger would have told you all about the return/subscription portion of the deal and how to avoid it.

     Not surprisingly the comments are closed due to "spam".  I'm pretty sure that was a typo and the comments are closed because it's a scam. The referral links to this page are laced with special tracking so the 'right people' get credit for sending you.

Updates coming soon. We'll see how they behave when I call them again. Poor girl, she sounded ashamed of doing her job. It's no wonder. I bet their employee turnover is high.

Slanket/Snuggie Update #1

     Here it is! To quote my mother on Facebook:

 Water damaged polaroid but proof, none the less, that you did indeed begin wearing robes backward by the time you were 19 months old!

     Ladies and gentlemen, I submit to you that I did indeed deserve the Slanket/Snuggie patent.

Something Wonderful Has Happened!

     Since circa 1998 I have been without my trusty 9x9" glass baking dish. I took it to my Aunt Bonnie's house one time for a family gathering. I took it there and baked my used-to-be-famous hot fudge pudding cake in it. When I got it back a couple of weeks later it had shrunk to 8x8". I didn't even realize this until I made another hot fudge cake and it spilled out all over my oven. I asked about my 9x9" pan but was told it did not exist. Someone in my family has it, they must. 

     I have been looking to purchase another 9x9 pan all these years. Scouring the internet, factory outlet stores, discount stores, department stores, specialty stores. No luck. 

     Yesterday I was just minding my own business in JCPenney and what did I spy? A 9x9 ceramic baking dish! Close enough, pal! I can make my soon-to-be-famous-again hot fudge pudding cake again.

      It's a Christmas Miracle!

Snuggie/Slanket Tutorial

People, Auntie Kitten is disappointed in some of you. I really hate to be the one to bring a burgeoning industry to it's knees, but... seriously? A Snuggie/Slanket is pretty much wearing your robe backwards. I've been doing this for years. God knows I wish I had been the one to realize millions of people are not clever enough to realize this and capitalize on the dim-wittedness. I curse myself, really. Just not as much as I laugh at the millions of people who want a Snuggie/Slanket.

If you buy this - it's your own darn fault! Also, there's this bridge I want to sell you.

Don't say Auntie Kitten didn't warn you.

Why Yes, Yes We Are Spoiled - Northeast Ohio Edition

      How many things can we possibly take for granted? Here's another one for me and my lucky neighbors. Our local grocer, Buehler's, offers quite a few services. There's a Kid's Park, for ages 3-9, where you can drop off your littles while you grocery shop. In fact, since there's an Ace Hardware in Buehlers, you can even get paint mixed while your kids are happily  playing away. There is also a Kids Club, which is totally free. Each time you take the children to the store with you they get a special treat, which changes with the month. This month it is a trial size tube of Crest.

     Enough about the kids. Buehler's also has a nice little restaurant in the store. And a bank. And a dry cleaner. Oh, and a post office. Plus, you can drop off your library books at Buehler's. They also have an award winning florist. Carry out? Well, not really. At Buehler's you aren't allowed to take a cart outside. Because they send your groceries out on a conveyor belt and you simply drive up to the pick up lanes and they load them in the car.

     Oh, they also have something called "Click, Load, and Go." Are you ready to be jealous? You simply go online and order your groceries, telling them when you want to pick them up. Then you drive up to the pick up lane designated for Click Load & Go and just pick them up. How nice is that? Don't want to drag yourself inside and pick up everything, lug it up to the checkout and plop it on the counter only to take it home and carry it in and put it away? You don't have to - you can drive up to the store in your pajamas and get all your groceries. You still have to take it inside and put it away, but I guess that is to keep you humble.

Sending Out An S.O.S.

   While I readily admit that "Sending out an S.O.S. is a bit dramatic, what I really want is to "Save The Date" and a post titled "Sending out an S.T.D." seemed like it might garner the wrong sort of attention. 

   You see, a while back I decided to remove the dates from my blog posts. I can not remember why this seemed like a good idea at the time. Now I want to put them back, but I can't find the place to flip the switch. If anyone could be of help I would appreciate it.

All My Problems Are Solved!

Hooray! All of my problems are solved! Remember how I told you about the Gucci sunglasses problems I was having? I got really brave and commissioned someone to put coke bottles my prescription in them! I decided to do it and then order new ones online for the plain sunglasses. When I went to the site to order them I realized it is now a dead site. You can browse, but you can't buy. Somewhere in there is a 'Hotel California' reference just waiting to be made. You do it, I'm exhausted.

P.S. If you think the dead site issue is a problem, you are wrong. Because I just told you all my problems are solved.