Nordstrom Introduces Stores Without Inventory 

Posted on by
2

I  said it the other day, and now I say it again today. The retail world is changing. It has to. Traditional retailers cannot compete with online merchants. 

Therefore, Nordstrom has opened its first store without inventory, called Nordstrom Local. The 3,000 sq. ft. store, the first one located in West Hollywood,  CA., just features a few dressing rooms. The average Nordstrom store used to be  140,000 sq. ft.

The smaller Nordstrom store features personal stylists, beverage bars, salons, and alteration sections. 

Nordstrom likes these convenient locations because they can provide better customer service like same-day alterations and convenient pick-ups for purchases and returns.

Nordstrom is still figuring out the correct retail concept for the future. I think they are getting very close.

.
 

 

 

51 Years In Tech 

Posted on by
8

I wish I was starting my career all over again.  There are only a handful of industry people I started with who are still around. Most are dead or retired. I never expected them to leave me. I have had to make new friends. They are all very nice, but the ones who are gone were more like family. 

The tech industry today is filled with people who come and go so fast you rarely get to see their true talents. I now just go with the flow. I had to learn new work habits, new priorities, new attitudes, new goals and new demands. 

In order to survive in today’s work place, you have to reinvent yourself all the time. It’s exhausting, but if you love what you do, you manage. I have been managing so far. At my stage, you want to know you are making a meaningful contribution.  

Thank you Dealerscope for this recognition and Allen Hirsch of HandL phone cases who nominated me.  It’s very comforting.

Smile, You’re On Google Camera 

Posted on by
Reply

Google has introduced a new type of video camera that I would want to buy if I was an Android user. Called Google Clips, the mini camera acts just like a GoPro.  

The $249 Google Clips automatically shoots seven second videos without audio on its own. The camera is programmed to look for faces and pets. Google Clips does not constantly record. It just captures certain moments. A clip on the back of the 2-inch camera let’s you attach the unit to a wide variety of surfaces.

Google Clips is great for recording snippets at dinner parties, special events, lectures, parties, meetings, and even long walks. Many folks don’t want to be the photographer all the time. Let the camera do most of the work.  Users can choose the best of the best videos for a permanent record on a companion app. It will store your Google Clips so you can edit, share, or make stills. That’s pretty amazing.

Read what USA Today has to say about it.

 

.

New Uber Lounges 

Posted on by
3

Everytime I call for an Uber, or a Lyft, I always wonder if the driver is really going to find me. Nine times out of 10 they do, but it still concerns me all the time.

Uber has come up with a solution but I’m not sure they did it for my purposes. The transportation company has announced the “Uber Lounge,” a physical pick-up and drop-off seating area. Some locations will even have a host or hostess who will act as brand ambassadors.

The new concept is in partnership with Westfield shopping centers. Uber is looking for other partners as well because they really want to use these lounge areas as branding opportunities.

The new lounges are in all 33 of Westfield’s shopping centers in the U.S., starting with Century City in Los Angeles. They will feature  ultra-modern design, sleek seating, and other amenities yet to be named.

Word has it that other car services, including Lyft, all plan to establish their own type of seating area locations. 

The competition is really getting wild.

Hold Your Tears For Toys ‘R’ Us.

Posted on by
Reply

Leave it to a toy company to play the digital game. Rather than roll over and die, Toys ‘R’ Us is betting on augmented reality to bring itself back from the dead. I’m sure you all read that the retailer just declared bankruptcy. 

Many of my family and friends were already  crying the blues for the retailer that was once a major part of their social life, especially with their children. Eliot, Whitney and I would drive to the Toys ‘R’ Us in Douglaston, Queens, from Manhattan. to spend our Saturday afternoons. Eliot would run to Legos, Whitney to Barbies, and I would be walking the aisles looking for other friends who were visiting the toy store at the same time.

Those were the days, long before the Internet. No one wants to go shopping anymore. People spend hours online searching for their dream buys. The days of hanging out at Toys ‘R’ Us are long gone.

At least I thought so. Then we all got a big surprise. The retailer has just announced Play Chaser, a free augmented reality app that turns stores into virtual playgrounds. All you have to is  point the app at the star icons all around the stores and you can play games and win prizes. 

Geoffrey the Giraffe, is still around and will be playing games with you and your children and grandchildren.

A company press release says Play Chaser is currently in 23 stores in California, New York and North Carolina. However, it should be available across the country as of October 21st

The New York Times recently did a story about the refinancing of Toys ‘R’ Us. After you read it here, you might be more hopeful for the future of bricks and mortar.

It’s So Nice To Have A Man Around The House 

Posted on by
1

Ikea finally got the message. Not everyone can, or wants to, assemble their furniture. The Swedish home goods giant has a solution. They recently bought TaskRabbit, a digital startup company that gets handymen jobs for free lance workers. The company employs 60 employees and has a base of 60,000 independent workers

Jesper Brodin, top executive at Ikea, said they are very excited about being involved in the on-demand, sharing economy.  “It enables Ikea to learn from TaskRabbit’s digital expertise and provide customers with affordable service solutions.”

Ikea has really been stepping up its digital presence lately with the recent announcement of its new augmented reality app called “Ikea Place.” Using the iPhone’s camera, consumers can now see how an Ikea piece of furniture will look in their homes. How  cool is that?  Pretty  awesome. 

TaskRabbit is really helping Ikea become part of the tech world. Ikea has sales of more than $36 billion annually and 183,000 workers.

Ikea is anxious for TaskRabbit to sign up other retail partnerships as well. TaskRabbit already has a deal with Amazon.  This is going to get interesting.

TaskRabbit is quickly expanding from 24 city locations to 40 in the U.S. It also wants to offer its services in other countries as well.

All I can say is, “It’s about time.”

.

Whitney and Fredrick In India; Lois and Eliot at a Drag Charity Party

Posted on by
2

Whitney and Fredrick are in India at a friend’s wedding. The bride went to school with Whitney at Carnegie Mellon. 

The second set of photos are from tonight’s charity event we attended at The Sanctuary Church in Ft. Lauderdale for the Julian Fountain of Youth in Haiti. Our friends Randy Bridges and Ron Moorman invited us.

Whitney’s tattoo

The bride arrives



Back in Ft. Lauderdale.

Getting ready for the drag show

Randy and me.


Randy let’s go!

Randy and Ron on left with friends

​
​​​​
​

Memorial  

Posted on by
1

This is the list for our yahrzeit memorial candles. Please let us know if we missed anyone. This is very important to us. We think of these special people all the time. Thank you 

Ruth and Willie Schneider

Rhoda and Milton Hess

Jerry Hess

Kenny Hess

Sarah and Max Schneider

Elsie and Jacob Yabkowitz

Sophie and Nathan Hess

Lillian and George Kaplan

Dotty and Ruby Young

Esther and Effie Young 

Barbara and Lenny Weinberger

Roz and Mel Schneider

Ruth and Henry Jacobs

Helen and Jack Cohen

Laurie, Larry and Lewis Cohen

Miriam and Irv Kaplan

Julie Berens 

Esta and Willie Hess

Scott Hess

Ruth and David Gottlieb 

Linda Berk Sklaw

Rene Berk 

Lillian and Jack Richer

Jill and Sam Strauss

Richard and Devon Strauss

S.David Feir

Manning Greenberg

Aaron Neretin and Karen Fisher

Linda Goldstein  

Len Marks

John Hollands

Art Levis

Andrew Sager

Stan Weston

Teddy Baum

Lynn Barnard 

Eddie Guskind

John Davis

Xavier Poretzky 

Billy Horn

Richard Selby

Ken Furst

Gucci, Blondie, Coco, Bixby,

Goldie, Robbie, Jeffrey Jacobson

Miriam and Harry Katz

Harold Marx

Irv Shaw

Esther and Freddie Krieger

Dottie and Seidman

Dora & Irving Fenster

Anne & Jack Mark

Steve Jobs

Stella Austi 

Migel Elias

Jeff Fiella

Bruce Alpert

Andrew Scott

Jane and Warren Zorek

Jerry Kalov

Harry and Morris Franco 

Artie Bach

Ronnie and Murray Singer

Jack Wayman

Linda Foa

Cathy Davis

Lissa Smith 

Martha Dickey

Arthur Cleveland 

Eli and Saul Ashkenazi

Lee Schwartz 

Ethel Kaye

Diane and Karen Rothman

Robot Farms 

Posted on by
1

More bad news for the human race. Robots are becoming farmers. The good news is that robots are capable of increasing efficiency. I read a story in Digital Trends that said drones and self-driving machines are taking over. There is one farm in rural England that is completely operated by robots.

You can read all about it here. The story explains how the Harper Adams University in the United Kingdom, along with an agricultural company named Precision Decisions, are conducting a experiment to remove humans from farming.

Robots now know how to plow, plant, fertilize, and harvest. Watch the video to see farm robots in action.

No more jokes about the farmer’s daughter.

 

.

Amazon’s Physical Activity 

Posted on by
2

The online company that has put so many retailers out of business, is now expanding its operation with many different types of physical locations. 

I used to think that an online business truly meant online. Nope. Amazon now has physical locations in malls, shopping districts, and in industrial complexes.

The many different Amazon businesses  include:

  . Amazon Bookstores 

 . Amazon Instant

· Amazon Lockers

· Amazon Pop-Up

· Amazon Home Services

· Amazon acquired Whole Foods

· Amazon partners with Kohl’s and will start accepting Amazon returns at 82 stores in Chicago and Los Angeles. Ten stores will feature an “Amazon smart home experience.”

Business Insider recently did a great wrap up on all that Amazon has become. You can read it here.

Amazon never ceases to amaze.