Teenage girls get trial run at adult life
Teenage girls get trial run at adult life "Drench yourself in words unspoken," croons 22-year-old pop singer Natasha Bedingfield. "Live your life with arms wide open / Today is where your book begins / The rest is still unwritten."
My audience was high school girls from various Portland, Gresham-Barlow and Tualatin high schools. I was one of 10 female professionals -- including a ski instructor, graphic designer and personal chef -- invited to talk briefly about our jobs.
What made this career fair unique -- besides the individual theme songs -- was what happened next. The teenagers were given a U.S. Bank checkbook, debit card and a mission: "Imagine being anything you want to be for a day. . . . Then imagine shopping for a house, a car and clothes."
This was no ordinary budget exercise.
Shopping to account over 20% of tourism receipts in 2007
Shopping to account over 20% of tourism receipts in 2007 The government expects shopping to account for more than 20% of the targeted RM44 billion tourism receipts during Visit Malaysia Year 2007, Tourism Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Adnan Tengku Mansor said.
Tourists spent RM7.7 billion on shopping or 20.8% of the RM31.9 billion tourism receipts last year, he said at a briefing on Malaysia's Mega Sale Carnival 2007 in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 10.
The ministry is expecting 20.1 million tourists to visit Malaysia next year.
Tengku Adnan said Mega Sales Carnival 2007 would be held between June 15 and Sept 2 next year. The ministry would embark on roadshows to promote this event, he added.
The ministry will also organise the Malaysia Grand Prix Sale from March 24 to April 22, in conjunction with the Petronas Formula One Grand Prix from April 6 to 8 and the Malaysia Year-End Sale from Dec 1, 2007 to Jan 1, 2008.
Czechs, Slovaks near borders shop in Austria
Czechs, Slovaks near borders shop in Austria Vienna, Oct 10 (CTK) - Czech and Slovaks living near the border with Austria often cross the border to go shopping, mainly for clothes, food, sporting goods and footwear, a poll by Fessel-GfK-Institutes and data from the Upper Austrian chamber of commerce shows.
Citing the data, the APA agency said 36 percent of Czechs and one in four Slovaks from border areas spent EUR 50-300 in Austria last year. Some 22 percent of Slovaks and 16 percent of Czechs spent EUR 300-2,500, the poll showed.
Up to 58 percent of Slovaks think shopping in Austria is better than at home, against 27 percent of Czechs. Some 37 percent of Slovaks said the product range was broader in Austria.
Fessel-GfK-Institutes polled 3,000 households in border areas.
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This story copyright 2006 CTK Czech News Agency.
'Speed shopping' fad hits stores
| 'Speed shopping' fad hits stores The retail research suggested that the amount of time many shoppers actually spend deliberating about purchases has been getting shorter. A survey of 500 shoppers found that nearly 80% of women did their shopping for clothes and cosmetics in their lunch hour. Nearly half of those polled rarely tried on clothes before buying. Consumer behaviour specialist Anne Warren, of Glasgow Caledonian University, conducted research in conjunction with the city's Buchanan Galleries centre. .
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Criteria For Shopping Complexes Participating In Mega Sales
| Criteria For Shopping Complexes Participating In Mega Sales KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 10 (Bernama) -- Shopping complexes participating in next year's mega sales will have to fulfil criteria set by the Malaysian Mega Sales Carnival main committee. Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor said the criteria included safety and facilities, retail outlets, accessibility, entrances and exits, availability of local food court or restaurant and the distance from hotel. The decision was made at a meeting with the committee at his office at the Putra World Trade Centre here Tuesday. "Before this, we just accepted anybody who wanted to take part in the carnival but next year, they will have to follow some criteria," he told reporters after the meeting. Up to August this year, almost 9,000 retailers nationwide participated in the carnival. Adnan said the top three big spenders were tourists from Qatar, Pakistan and Kuwait, with average spending of RM4,500 per person.
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Women find out about Orange
| Women find out about Orange Forget Park Avenue, women of Orange can get big city services, products and quality without leaving town.More than 30 local businesses brought samples, incentives and savings in a professional atmosphere to The Palms on Saturday to entice women and their families to indulge city style - locally. Participants in the "Women About Orange 2006" event were surprised at the number of quality businesses the city of Orange had to offer."It was very well done," said Shea Brown, hair stylist from Maximum Effects, 3402 W. Park Ave. "It was like we were in a bigger city." Her mother, Carole, who works with her at the salon agreed."It was a great experience," she said."There is no sense in going to Beaumont," said Christine Vermeulen, Maximum Effects owner.Her upscale business includes a clinic specializing in modern techniques not expected in smaller towns - such as electrolysis and chemical peels."We do it all," said Vermeulen, a scar therapist who is very enthusiastic about all the services she offers, including products that are "very, very exclusive."She started from a one-chair salon and now has nine professional hairstylists who offer custom-made hair coloring where customers and stylist design colors matched and then named just for them.Women at the event were treated to professional massages by certified massage therapist Sue Kemp, whose business, Agape Massage, works within Maximum Effects.
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Where To Shop: Manhattan's Newest Hotspots
Where To Shop: Manhattan's Newest Hotspots Whether you're a SoHo spender or a Madison Avenue maven, you'll find plenty of new stores this fall to indulge your shopping whims. Undaunted by ever-climbing Manhattan real estate prices, plenty of retailers are rushing to fill any available spot in Manhattan's most desirable shopping districts. Whether buying or browsing, these new stores and their innovative offerings are all must-see shopping stops this fall.
Star-favorite clothing line Tibi has inspired enough devotion to move from the racks of other New York shops to its own 2,200 square foot showcase on Wooster and Prince Streets. Personal shopper and creator of the website chicinparis.com, Susan Tabak highly recommends the airy and colorful new store. “I buy Tibi for my teenage daughter," Tabak said, “so I was excited to see a whole store devoted to the line.
