Week 10 EOC: Promotion Without Discounting

There are several ways we will promote our business to the public.  These key things include offering a free meal, future use coupon methods, and seasonal specials.  These are aside from our ladies night activities such as Friday's and Saturday's karaoke nights and Tuesday's "Man Auction Fundraiser".  The customers that enter our bar on Wednesday are given a voucher by their host and should be filled out and returned to their host prior to leaving. Once the voucher is filled out the customer will have the opportunity to be selected for a free meal at any given time.  This will create a desire to come back to our business and also bring more customers on Wednesday when we are normally slow on traffic.  We also staple the upcoming coupons we offer to the customer's receipt as well as distribute these future use coupons to local nail salons, hair salons and pet stores.  We also post all of our coupons to our Facebook and Instagram accounts.  During the season we do offer a seasonal menu.  This menu offers various wines, alcohols, entrees, appetizers, etc. that may are offered for a limited time.  Thus creating a desire to come into our establishment during that season and bringing us more traffic in.

Week 9 EOC: Three Great Mission Statements

The first mission statement I chose to write about is Gerardo Perez's mission statement.  I think Gerardo has a great mission statement.  When you read it you know that his business is more about the customer and not the amount of money the business can make.  He starts off by jumping right in and telling you what the company's goal is.  " A mission statement is a statement of the organization’s purpose—what it wants to accomplish in the larger environment." (pg39)  He also informs the reader of what to expect from the business.  He says "...provide the best environment to connect with people and friends through a common passion for games.." This part of the mission statement gives the customer a sense of feeling comfortable.  It also would give the customer a common interest in the establishment. The information stated in the mission statement provides the reader with enough information to determine if they can find an interest in the establishment.  The key reason why this mission statement is so good is because it is goal orientated and provides the reader with enough information to grab their interest. 

The second mission statement I chose to write about is Kyle Santos's mission statement.  Kyle also has a good mission statement.  From reading it I can gather what the vision is for the establishment.  Scriptz vision is to "deliver outstanding service and quality beverages to make us your one stop bar".  This statement tells the reader that they will not need to look any further to find a better bar and creates interest to the bar.  Kyle also said "Scriptz believes in not only serving the people of Las Vegas, but also our creative individuals."  This creates desire for the bar.  To know that the target market is broadened into creative individuals as well as the locals is a good plus and creates a different quality they can offer.

The third mission statement I chose was Marissa Brooks's mission statement.  I like the fact that she turns the restaurant into something that brings a lot to offer.  There are not many if any multicultural restaurants in Vegas.   This individualize puts her ahead of the game in the sense that she has already created that customer desire due to the business being label in a category of few.  Good mission statements will draw the customer into the establishment from the mission statement alone and I think she executed this well. 

Week 8 EOC : Creative Content

My creative content I will do for my final project will consist of several different things for exposure including a newspaper ad, a Facebook account, an instagram and a website.  The newspaper ad for my new bar will not be in an already established newspaper, but merely a sample newspaper ad.  The ad will include the theme of the bar as well as the atmosphere.  The layout and design of the bar will also be included in detail to give viewers and idea of what's going on.

The Facebook account would give a mini bio of my background as well as the bar's.  It would consist of all the information that a consumer might like to know including type of music played, types of foods, different activities and events, and also the advantage of coming there.  The Facebook account would also have several photos of the bar and owner and a photo album of customers having a great time in the bar.  The instagram would go hand and hand with the Facebook account accept it would not have much text content.  The instagram would also display photos of the customers at the bar enjoying themselves. 

The website would be the online experience of learning about the bar.  The website would mainly give you general information about the bar regarding location, hours of operation, upcoming events, birthday shout outs, biography of owner and bar, grand opening party photos and more.  The website would only act as a site to get information, get name out there and bring in people.  I plan to do screenshots of each of these items and incorporate them into my blog.  The idea of these things is to get exposure for my bar and to get customers interested in my bar without spending too much money out of pocket.

Implementation Evaluation Control

The implementation evaluation and control of our company is very important to the success of our company.  At the beginning of every fiscal year we will review our mission and vision statements, as well as futuristic goals.  Our marketing team will then get together and discuss the potential goals and marketing plan to achieve new strategies.  From there, the team will discuss the mission and vision statements and any new ideas.  The team will continue on a month to month basis of producing a rough draft of mission and vision statements and finalizing them with approval, finalizing the marketing plans, publishing and distributing the vision and mission statements.  There will be implementation of the customer service satisfactory survey.  Once this stage is complete we will begin analyzing the results of the surveys and work on necessary improvements according to feedback on surveys. When we evaluate our business we will consider our performance standard and our financial controls.  During this stage we will decide the total promotional budget, specified marketing activities budget, revisions to our marketing plan and follow up analysis.  We will also be monitoring all the aspects of the marketing plan implementation.

Marketing Mix : Price

Sugar Lumps Bar and Lounge offers quality goods and services at an affordable price.  "Pricing may play an important role in helping to accomplish company objectives at many levels." (pg281)  We pay attention to our competitors pricing and work our promos accordingly.  We do not participate in bogo deals but we do offer promotional vouchers for our customers.  We offer a birthday discount promo with proof of ID as well as comping a meal for a lucky winner from Wednesday's drawing.
"Decisions made for other marketing mix variables may affect pricing decisions." (pg281)  Due to the import of our winery, it may be found more expensive than other local bars.  We do not give promotional discounts or vouchers on any of our winery or premium alcohols.  We do make the bulk of our money from our alcohol so we don't participate in promos on that.

Marketing Mix : Promotion

"Finally, it must communicate with target customers about the offering and persuade them of its merits (promotion). " (pg13)  We will promote our business by facebook ads, an instagram account, newspaper ads and our website.  We cannot rely on word of mouth alone since we are a new business.  We also will have our marketing team distribute vouchers for one comped meal on their first visit.  These vouchers will be distributed at local grocery stores, libraries, shopping malls, etc.  We will do whatever it takes to get customers into our establishment. 

Marketing Mix : Distribution

"In the growth stage, the firm faces a trade-off between high market share and high current profit. By spending a lot of money on product improvement, promotion, and distribution, the company can capture a dominant position." (pg262)  We want the best possible experience for our customers so we spend a lot of money making sure our product is excellent and our service is outstanding.  We are in the process of growing our company and bringing it outside of Vegas.  We have just added a feature to our website www.sugarlumpsbarandgrill.com where the customer can reserve a table at our establishment or order online at place an order to be picked up.   
"Beyond creating brand conversations, on their own or by invitation, customers are having an increasing say about everything from product design, usage, and packaging to pricing and distribution." (pg19) When our customers use our at ease online feature they will be satisfied and want to tell their friends about this.  All of the customer's meal's are ready within 30 minutes for the customer to pick up.



     
     

Marketing Mix : Product

"Product means the goods-and-services combination the company offers to the target market." (pg.54)  The product we offer is both an actual product and an experience.  We provide the finest wines and premium alcohols.  The alcohol is distributed to us through a US vendor, while all of our winery is imported.  The imported flavor is what our customers love most.  We ensure that each of our customers leave satisfied with our above and beyond customer service.  "Just because they don’t start with a P doesn’t justify omitting them. The answer is that services, such as banking, airline, and retailing services, are products too." (pg54). We make sure to maintain the "at ease" vibe in the establishment.  We keep the music at a moderate volume level.  The customer has the opportunity to change the music by using the jukebox to make them feel more at home.  We take pride in making the customer feel like their business is welcomed and appreciated.

   

Target Market Strategy

"Marketing provides a guiding philosophy—the marketing concept—that suggests that company strategy should revolve around building profitable relationships with important consumer groups." (pg47)

"The first question is “What consumers will we serve?” (market segmentation and targeting)." (pg31)  Our target customers are women of the age of 25 and 45.  We are aiming towards those women who are workers, students, moms, etc.  Our customers are mid class citizens that can afford a $8 plate of spaghetti and a $5 glass wine.  Our customers will n

 "The second marketing strategy question is “How can we best serve targeted customers?” (differentiation and positioning)." (pg31) Run commercials or print ads showing the current women of today fraternizing with the younger age group. Run promotions on products and events with young women enjoying themselves in the establishment.

Structure and SWOT Analysis

The SWOT analysis is very important in the success of a business.  You have to know all your company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to make a plan for each of them.  How can you utilize your strengths to better your company?  What will you do to overcome your weaknesses that are holding you back from all of your potential?  Do you know how to oversee your opportunities and build on that?  Can you get passed the threats you may be subject to and if so how can you accomplish this? These are all questions you should be asking yourself before you jump right into it.

I have put a lot of thought into the strengths of my company and they are things that can put us above our competition.  At Amore's Bar and Lounge we offer a relaxing experience for women to come eat and drink comfortably.  We also five women the opportunity to be themselves and the assurance that they will not have to deal with men drooling all down their backs to get their attention.  We have quality service at an affordable price.   "Strengths include internal capabilities, resources, positive situational factors that may help the company to serve its customers and achieve its objectives." (pg55)  We offer ladies night on certain days of the week to bring fun and excitement to the business as well as a need to come.  We also participate in giving back to the community by giving hosting "Man Auction Fundraisers" and giving all proceeds to a local foundation.

"Weaknesses include internal limitations and negative situational factors that may interfere with the company’s performance." (pg55)  As any other business we do have our weaknesses.  They include the inability to create desire from everyone.  We are geared only to women, but all are welcome.  This can be a bit of a difficulty with those women who are in relationships and enjoy going to the same bar as their significant other.  Another weakness of ours is our experience.  The owner of the business is a first time bar owner

"Opportunities are favorable factors or trends in the external environment that the company may be able to exploit to its advantage." (pg55) One of our biggest opportunities is our location.  We are located in Summerlin and that can create a desire for only those in the area as opposed to it being in a central area where more people can know about it. We have opportunity in our expansion to several chains in vegans.

"Threats are unfavorable external factors or trends that may present challenges to performance." (pg55)  Competition is increasing daily and this continues to be our biggest threat.  We have to continuously create desire for our customers to come to our establishment over other bars in town.  The economy is also a hardship on our business.

Objective

The mission of Sugar Lumps Bar and Lounge is to give ladies a place to eat, socialize and have a good time in a comfortable and convenient way.  We ensure that every experience with you is a positive, memorable and exciting journey!  At Sugar Lumps we'll bring a good time, you just bring you!  We intend to :
1. maintain a positive and steady growth in the company quarterly
2. continuously give an exciting experience to new customers which make them long-term customers

"The company needs to turn its mission into detailed supporting objectives for each level of management." (pg41)

Financial objectives include:
1. annual double digit growth rate
2. reduce variable costs (packaging, labor expenses, etc.)
3. decrease fixed costs (electricity, advertising, etc.)

Business Mission Statement

Sugar Lumps Bar and Lounge is a privately owned small cooperation in the bar industry.  We offer various kinds of products and services to the public.  Our mission is to give you ladies a place to eat, socialize and have a good time in a comfortable and convenient way.  We ensure that every experience with you is a positive, memorable and exciting journey! At Sugar Lumps we'll bring a good time, you just bring you!

"Mission statements should be market oriented and defined in terms of satisfying basic customer needs." (pg40)

"A company’s mission should not be stated as making more sales or profits—profits are only a reward for creating value for customers." (pg41)

Week 8 BOC : Progress on My Final Project-Bar

My project so far is just ending its brainstorming stage.  I put some of the ideas I have for my bar in my previous blog.  I have not decided on a name for my bar yet.  The theme I decided on was a calming and relaxing luncheon like bar.  The interior of the bar would consist of four colors.  A deep red, pink, black and gold.  There would be black and red couches in the lounge area made of polyurethane.  The idea of the polyurethane material is to be money efficient as well as comfortable and to look elegant.  There is not much of a care factor when it comes to the material so if stuff was to be spilled on the couches, I wont have to worry about replacing them due to the ease of cleaning it. 

The layout of the bar is pretty simple.  At the front of the place would be the cashwrap.  Then in the middle of the place would be the actual (circular) bar area.  The back of the bar would be the lounge area with the couches and karaoke stage set up.  Throughout the bar will be circular mini tables where customers can sit and eat and set their drinks down on.

The advantages of my bar would be that the "Ladies Night" and "Karaoke Night" events on the weekend.  At the register there would be a suggestion box that women can submit what kinds of songs they want to recommend for Karaoke Nights for Friday night.  On Saturday nights there will be a "Man Auction Fundraiser" that goes on for a local foundation in the Las Vegas community.  A specific foundation has not been decided yet, I'm still in the process of deciding and researching.  Another advantage of my bar would be the ease of women coming to a bar and enjoying themselves without the constant harassment they would encounter in other local bars. 

Week 7 EOC : Resteraunt Pitch

2801 North Tenaya Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89128

 

http://www.loopnet.com/Listing/17912230/2801-North-Tenaya-Avenue-Las-Vegas-NV/

The bar would be targeted to women.  The experience would take the negative feel that women get from men in ordinary bars. The décor of the bar would be relaxing at the same time fun.    Women would be able to have a place to come with little to no worries.  Women love to talk, so a bar with mainly women will spark up some conversation. 

It would almost appear to be like a luncheon.  There would be different kinds of foods offered.  More traditional foods would be on the menu.  Foods like nuts, popcorn and pasta would serve well with a glass of champagne.  Ribs , steaks, fish and burgers will go well with wines like Red Moscato.  Finger foods like chicken fingers and fries would also be served.  There would not be a local band of any sort there.  There would be music playing out of the speakers in the ceiling.  The music being played would be more of pop music to keep the ladies entertained but not seem too much like a club scene. 

A few advantages that my bar would have is that they customers would feel comfortable and at ease in my bar. They would not have to deal with the constant harassment from men that they would receive at other bars.  My bar would also conduct a “Ladies Night” excitement theme on Fridays and Saturdays.  At the register there would be a suggestion box that women can submit what kinds of songs they want to recommend for Karaoke Night for Fridays.  On Saturday nights we throw a “Man Auction Fundraiser” for a local foundation in the community.

 

The interior of the place would consist of a warm and calming feeling.  The colors of the theme would be red, pink, black and gold.  The couches would be polyurethane.  There would be a bar stool area for those women who decide they want to eat alone or just want to get in and out.  The place would be pretty spacious too. The overall feel for my bar would be a place for women to go to get away and enjoy themselves.  It would feel more as a regular spot that women come to rather than just a local bar.

Week 6 EOC : Me Tmes Three

I own copyright of this photo.

 

My car is one of the many things that defines me.  This is the first car I've had to pay a car note on which reminds me that I am moving in the right direction.  In Sept of last year I upgraded from a white 2001 Daewoo Sedan that I purchased from a couple, to a red 2002 t top firebird v6 that I got at a car lot.  I do pay car payments for a loan I got from a bank to purchase the car.  I take pride in the fact I can finally say that I am paying for something that is worth something (credit basis).  I knew this was the perfect car for me when I saw it.  For starters, red is my absolute favorite color.  My car is fast and bold.  I like to do things in a fast past level, I don't like to drag things out. 

 

I own copyright of this photo.

 

 My "party rock" glasses is another thing that defines me.  They are fun and exciting and not the kind of glasses you see everyday.  I like things that are different.  I got these glasses at the Sanginero Feast last year for like $5 which I found to be a great buy.  There are two really cool features about these glasses.  First off the actual "party rock" words on the glasses glow in the dark.  The second cool feature of the glasses is that the actual "party rock" words on the glasses pop on and off.  Every time I wear these glasses I get so many compliments. 

 

I own copyright of this photo.

 

This sketch represents my own personal artistic talents.  In fact, one of my favorite pass times is sketching.  Sketching allows me to express myself through sketches of my own personal style.  I like sketching outfits that I could see being featured in a collection designed by myself in the future. I also practice sketching to learn from my mistakes.  Just like the phrase "practice makes perfect".  I can sketch faces well especially when they are at a stand still.  Sketching also allows me to get a visual of different kinds of body types go well with a piece.

Week 5 EOC : Superbowl Commercial Ad

The super bowl commercial I chose was the “Viva Young” Taco Bell commercial.  The video is about a group of senior citizens’ experience in the night life.  I find the video to be funny because of all the different things the group does.  They seem like the kind of senior citizens that still believe they can live life the way the younger crowd does.  One of my favorite parts of this commercial is when they go to the club and they party with the younger crowd.  I like that they show the two different groups doing the same things.  Like when they show a younger couple making out, then show the older couple make out. 

This commercial was a successful commercial in my opinion.  With the comparison of the younger crowd and older crowd, they have already broadened their target market.  They have caught the attention of senior citizens, senior citizens family members, people who go out to clubs, people who drink alcohol, etc.  Senior citizens might debate whether or not they can see themselves having this kind of night.  Senior citizens family member might think of how they can compare them to the senior citizens in the commercial.  People who go out to clubs may wonder how they would act if they were to see this in the club.  People who drink alcohol may consider Taco Bell as being a place to go to after a long night.  Everyone thinks of a place to go to after partying hard to get food and to sober up from alcohol.

Word of mouth is the most effective way to promote something.  This commercial is very entertaining and makes people laugh.  It makes people want to tell friends and coworkers about the commercial because of the humor in it.  This commercial definitely gets people talking.

Week 4 EOC: There Should Be An App

Today is a new day!  The latest android app is called “Dress That Bod”.  What you do exactly is you download the app to your phone.  Then take a full body photo of yourself that can be switched at will.  You save the photo to your Dress That Bod app and it will appear on your screen.  Then you can search the web for a outfit or look that you desire and up load that photo.  You then open your Dress That Bod app and drag the photo over your full body photo and see how it looks!  For the app to work more efficiently, it might be a good idea to download the program on your computer to play around with it on a bigger screen.  There is no limit to how many different look s you may have in this program.  The sky is the limit!

There was no app out like this that I could find.

Week 3 EOC: My Demographics

I fall into the Millennials category according to the book, Marketing: An Introduction, 10th Ed. Prentice Hall Publishing.  “Both the baby boomers and Gen Xers will one day be passing the reins to the Millennials (also called Generation Y or the echo boomers). Born between 1977 and 2000, these children of the baby boomers number 83 million, dwarfing the Gen Xers and larger even than the baby boomer segment.” The millennials are said to make for a huge attractive marketing from age 12-32. 

Week 3 EOC: Making Money for Good

Blanket America Blanket America is an online premier supplier in the bedding and textiles industries. They offer esteemed Blanket America Patchwork Heritage Collection. Blanket America Patchwork Heritage offers bedding set collections, quilts, throws, patchwork quilts, comforters, pillows, shams, decorative pillows, Afghans, and comforter sets. 

Blanket America stands by the “buy one give one” philosophy.  They believe that “when you buy from Blanket America, not only are you generating automatic donations, but supporting the larger commitment to ending extreme poverty”.  www.blanketamerica.com  This makes the consumer feel like they are really apart of the cause.  It makes the consumer not only happy with their purchase, but also feel good about themselves. 

This is another quote from their site that I found to make customers want to buy.  This gives the consumer a sense of feeling humane.  “In addition to domestic giving, Blanket America has provided disaster relief to Haiti with blanket donations, and created jobs with your demand for our Choose Haiti line of products”. www.blanketamerica.com  Blanket America really stood out to me and made me want to find out more about it.  I had never heard of this company before. 

I thought it was really cool that when I went on the site I seen that there was a “Haiti” line they offered to purchase.  Although there was only one item on the site, it was still cool to see them incorporate the place they are supporting in the line. 

Blanket America really cares about the needy and really does give back for every purchase you make.  They even outsourced to other companies to help out with the cause. “In December 2011, Blanket America teamed up with Gap to continue their mission of donating blankets to those in need.” www.blanketamericablog.com The company shows me that just because you become successful with your own business doesn’t mean you have to be selfish with your profit.  You can put you profit to use and help those less fortunate.

Week 2 EOC: Boston Consulting Group- Video Games

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Studies show that the video gaming industry has not been doing well.  The sales have dropped and don’t seem to they will have a comeback any time soon.  The industry has been dropping sales of video game software, the physical games themselves, the consoles, controllers, everything!

“According to the latest numbers from NPD Group, sales of games, hardware and accessories fell 25% year-over-year in October from $1 billion in 2011 to 755.5 million, Bloomberg reported.”  

http://bit.ly/VXNAUm

Week 2 EOC: Boston Consulting Group- Video Games

The games aren’t the only factors that play a role in the gaming industry.  The gaming consoles are not selling as well as they use to either.  Although the Xbox was a Dog when it first came out, the Xbox Connect now plays the Star.  “For the 22nd consecutive month, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 console was the best-selling gaming system, although sales declined 31% from 393,000 in October 2011 to 270,000 in 2012.” http://bit.ly/VXNAUm This is a breakdown of where I feel these consoles actually stand currently according to The BCG Growth-Share matrix:

Xbox - Dog

Xbox Connect – Star

Wii – Dog, no more than a cash cow

Wii U – Dog

Playstation Veda  - Dog (pretty much for al handhelds)

IOS mobile platform (android/tablet) – Star

PC – Dog

The gaming industry is losing sales not only from lack of interest, but also from other matters.  “Sales for video games and consoles are falling steadily every year, and many are pointing to the competition from cheaper alternatives like digital game downloads for smartphones and tablets as the leading cause.”  http://bit.ly/Xy5c9m This tells me that the sport of play games itself, but the purchasing of games is a factor.  It goes hand in hand with artists not making as much money they use to due to music downloading sites and CD burning abilities.  The audience is still there when it comes to having an interest for games. 

The economy plays a role in the outcome of the industry as well.  The economy is going through a tough time right now and people just can’t afford the expensive games like they use to.  People are putting themselves in a “saving” mode.  They don’t want to spend $65 on a game they can dowload for free.  The average cost of a game is anywhere from $40-$75.  This is pretty pricey compared to free. 

The gaming industry has many diffwerent factors invloved in its decline.  The industry looks like the only way it will survive would be if it comes out with something new that really grabs their audience.  Whether it be some new game console that is uncompareable, or an awesome new game.

Week 1 EOC: My Voice

 

As a fashion design professional, I am very experienced when it comes to the industry.  I knew I wanted to be in the fashion industry since I was a freshman in high school so I decided to get in the industry early so I knew what it was about on a hands on level.  I have been in retail since I was fifteen.  Of those 7 years I spent 5 of them on the management side.  I’ve worked for several companies inside of malls like VF Outlet, Perfumania, Charlotte Russe, Michael Kors, and Wilsons Leather.    

I started at Michael Kors as a part time sales associate and after 3 months of employment moved up to floor supervisor.  Working at Michael Kors gave me my first breath of the high end market.  The customers were not seen as customers, but potential clients that could begin a long term relationship with the company.  In the beginning of my fashion career, sales were the only thing I knew or thought about.  Once I started in Michael Kors they showed me the wide range of positions and possibilities open to me.  I learned what it meant to be a visual merchandiser, a buyer, a personal shopper, a stylist.  All of these different careers are huge titles in the fashion industry.  Working at Michael Kors gave me the opportunity to really get my feet wet and decide what kind of careers I wanted out of the fashion industry.

After 2 ½ years I left Michael Kors and started at Wilsons Leather where I currently hold assistant manager/ visual merchandiser (at store level) position.  I started as a MT (manager trainee) and continued rising.  More than any other responsibility in the store, I love to merchandise.  If I could do nothing but spend all my time merchandising the store I would be happy.  I get to be the one who everyone comes to if there is any question or concern on the merchandising of the store.  As a visual merchandiser it is my responsibility to know at any given time, the latest items wanted in the window and also know which product will act as substitute in the event we sell out the first pick.  The product wanted in the windows is chosen at a corporate level so that all the stores are modeling the same product consistently. 

When it comes to the in store merchandising those are all my own personal put together.  The best part of my day is either when I finish a display, an associate will walk pass and look at it and say “wow Bree that looks great!”, or when I finish a display and two maybe three days later we sell out of one of the items.  That lets me know I am doing my job and that I really have an act for this.  I actually get to play a key role in the business and feel proud.  When a customer first walks into an establishment, their first impression is gathered from the appearance of the store.  My experience in the retail industry is an advantage on my part.  In my past experience I have managed adults, sometimes almost twice my age, when I was still considered a “child”.  Everywhere I work people believe me to be older than what I am from my personal experience and knowledge in the industry.  My journey in the fashion industry is just beginning and once I get my degree I intend to explore it all.

Week 1 EOC: My Shopping Experience

My greatest shopping experience took place at Nordstrom.  Originally I was not shopping for myself, but actually tagging along with my cousin.  He was purchasing a gift for a girl's birthday.  As the lady showed us different perfumes, began to get bored.  He finally decided on the latest Chanel perfume that was out (I forget the name).  I then had to help him decided between getting the pricey perfume or settling for the inexpensive toilette.  Seeing as the two of them weren't that serious I told him to get the toilette and save a few dollars. 

As the lady at the counter wrapped up his gift, I started wondering around and stopped at a Bare Minerals counter.  The lady there was very friendly, honest and knowledgeable. I had never tried Bare Minerals, but I've seen the infomercial.  She got me to buy $65 worth of the product and threw in a few sample items and I haven't spent more than $20 on make up at a single time.  The product came with two different sizes of brushes, a base compact, and an overcoat powder.  The way she drew me into buying the starter kit is that one of the brushes included in the kit alone was $25, so of course buying the whole kit was a no brainer. 

As the lady rang me up she kept me engaged in the product and convinced me to give her my email address to receive the deal notices, which I found that deals rarely happen.  The lady gave me all her info that way I can be a lifetime client and I appreciated it.  I now continue to go to that direct Bare Minerals counter to buy my product.  This type of service is rare to receive and the funniest part of it all is I’ve always told myself I would never shop at Nordstrom because I know I could never afford anything, and I’m sure the workers are really stuck up.  That lady changed my whole opinion of shopping Nordstrom.