Dear Blog Readers,
We have become the kind of blogger we never wanted to be — the kind who has a "read our blog" button on our website but the newest post is months old. We blame Facebook for this — it's so much easier to write something there and we seem to have more followers there than we did here on the blog. Still, we can't quite bring ourselves to give it up altogether yet — so instead, we're posting this little note to explain our lack of current entries. Please do check out our facebook page, we think it's fun, if not quite as long form.
sincerely, the Joie de Blogger.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

The Squeaky Wheel

I have been attending the New York Gift Show for the past 28 years. (Scary, but true!) Until a year or two ago, you registered once, then every show - which is two shows a year - they mailed you your badge and you just walked right into the show. Then - modernity struck. Suddenly, you had to register each and every time, and you received a bar code via email, which you had to print out, bring, and wait for their computer to process. Less expensive for them - much more time consuming for you. (of course, presented as "going green" - or - code for "saving money while trying to make it appear that we are helping the environment.") Somehow this fall, I neglected to register, and today when I showed up and confessed - they wanted me to pay $50. They evidently had no way of verifying that I have attended every single NY gift Show for the last 28 years - this despite having about a thousand computers there on site. I just balked. It seemed like a last straw of sorts that their supposedly modern new system could not verify that I was a bonafide attendee. Instead of meekly paying, I decided to leave my polite Presbyterian upbringing behind and make a little ruckus. So I found the right person and squeaked. Loudly. And guess what? They found a way to waive that fee. So, a small victory for me - but, it really annoys me that the system become so buyer unfriendly. However - there is good news too - once I got into the show I found all kinds of fun new items to buy!

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