I JUST came from National Bookstore, where I bought two black pens. My receipt showed that I have 565 points in my e-purse, which translate to P80.00.

That put a smile on my face. You see, I am a frequent shopper of that bookstore, and I have already claimed a lot of discounts on my purchases using the points in my e-purse. The P100 renewal fee of the Laking National card is really worth it for a frequent shopper like me.

Name it, I probably have it – SM Advantage card, Powerbooks’ Powercard, BDO Rewards card, Bench Lifestyle Card, Mercury Drug Suki card, South Star Drug’s Tipid Card and MedExpress’s card, among others. Yes, I’m a sucker for reward cards that earn points leading to discounts. In fact, last year, when I was paying my son’s tuition, the cashier asked me if I would be paying by cash, check or credit card. When she said “credit card,” I said, “Hmmm.” And the cashier gleefully said, “Sayang ang miles!!!” We both laughed, and I handed over my credit card so I can earn more reward points.
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WOMEN the world over have been keeping a fashionable secret for so long now. Well it’s not really so much a secret that only a few people know about it. The fact is, thousands of women have been quietly buying online a self-adhesive backless and strapless brassiere called NuBra.

It is made of silicone and with adhesive, sticks to skin well so it’s not a problem to wear clothes that are backless or are more revealing up front. Hollywood celebrities have been patronizing NuBra, and even Oprah Winfrey endorsed it.

While there are a few resellers of NuBra online, one reseller particularly stands out. Digital Web Group, Inc., which runs three e-commerce stores exclusively selling Nubra (www.nubra.net, www.nu-bra.com, and www.siliconeworks.com), sells the most and is topmost in search engines.

According to Fil-Am Diana Limjoco, one of GoNegosyo’s most inspiring entrepreneurs and one of the founders of Digital Web Group, “Revenue from the NuBra alone is about $500K annually. We do not advertise and sales come only from search engine placement and word of mouth. Also occasionally, a magazine, newspaper and TV show will feature the bra.”
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ONE of my close friends is a very simple person. An engineer and head of her own trading company, she is most at home in jeans and casual shirts, and can live without makeup or flashy jewelry.

She was just telling me a few days ago how some business establishments could be so judgmental.

Recently, she went to a high-end department store because she needed to buy a whole new set of makeup to replace her whole kit. She went to the counter of a well-known international brand. Another customer, a woman who was dressed well, was there too and asked about lipsticks. The counter personnel kept on attending to the woman, showing her all the different colors of lipstick they have and encouraging her to try them on. My friend would ask for some items, which they would give her, but they did not really attend to her in the same way or offered to put on makeup on her.

In the end, my friend bought a whole set of cosmetics from that brand while the woman left with just one lipstick purchase.
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LAST WEEK, my friend Jenny wrote on her Facebook status that she ate at an Italian restaurant and found a cockroach in her pasta. Judging from the number of comments posted by her friends, that Italian restaurant has just lost about 10 possible customers as of today. And if each one tells her friends and family about it, tsk tsk, that restaurant may be doomed sooner or later.

This is one example of ‘badvocacy.’ According to a new e-book released by Weber Shandwick called The Good Book of Badvocacy (downloadable for free at http://www.webershandwick.com/Default.aspx/Insights/Advocacy?DivID=7), badvocates are “people who stand on a virtual soapbox to criticize or detract from companies, brands or products. They represent a considerable segment of the global online adult population (20 percent). They are passionate enough to share opinions. Their influence reaches far and wide…on average, they tell 14 other people about a bad experience.”
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I WAS buying a loaf of bread from the bakeshop on the way home today. After I picked my choice loaf and added a small tub of herb cream cheese to go with it, I fell in line. Well what do you know, two big men came in, grabbed a couple of chocolate soy milk and some bread, and plopped them all on the counter.

So when the guy ahead of me finished paying for his purchase, I stepped up and stopped the cashier from punching in the two big men’s purchases. I came in first and lined up first, I said, so isn’t it just fair that I be served first?

I know it may sound like just a petty little thing, but I don’t know if I’m incensed more at the fact that the cashier didn’t notice who’s next in queue, or that chivalry is dead.
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