The boomer blog roundup is a collection of
like-minded blogs cooperating to share their best stories of interest to the
Baby Boomer Generation.
This week, boomer bloggers are writing about population
growth, how to buy a television, travel to Florida, and the meaning of
mid-life.
Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, are leading corporations, serving as governmental officials, heading up non-profits, worrying about retirement, and experiencing layoffs at a higher rate than younger workers. They’re also reinventing themselves in trying economic times, with some looking for their dream jobs to keep them happy in retirement.
At each stage in their lives, boomers have changed things. They’re continuing to make America different as they begin entering into their retirement years.
In addition to my blog, other members of The
Best of Boomer Blogs are: The Midlife Crisis Queen, Sightings From 60, Arabian
Tales and Other Amazing Adventures, So Baby Boomer, Blue Blinds, and Life After
Marriage.
Be sure to stop by again next week to see
what our baby boomer bloggers are writing about.
Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
Ads during Sunday’s Super Bowl cost an
average of $3.8 million for a 30-second spot, up from last year's $3.5 million.
The 2013 offerings, like last year, showed scantily clad women and people being
slapped and knocked down.
Adding to the violence of the ads and the
game of football itself were ads for movies, such as “Ironman 3,” and TV shows, such
as “How I Met Your Mother,” which showed hitting, punching, slapping, and
explosions.
At halftime, Beyoncé wore a skimpy costume,
as did the couple of dozen of women who performed with her. Then she writhed
around on the floor of the stage. The performance added to the sexist
atmosphere of the Super Bowl.
I did like one
ad: Dodge, in advertising its Ram
pickup, offered an ad about the importance of farmers, narrated by Paul Harvey.
Here are my awards for the worst ads airing
during this year’s Super Bowl:
Unnecessary violence:
Two guys in a library whisper,
then fight about what’s best in an Oreo cookie, the cookie or the cream.
The fight spreads throughout the entire library, and the police drive through
the wall to break up the fights.
In an ad for SABMiller Redd’s Apple Ale, a guy
can’t decide what to order, so an apple is thrown at him, knocking him down.
Then he knows he should order Redd’s Apple Ale.
In Audi’s
ad, a teen gets the keys to the Audi to drive to the prom. He marches in and
steals a kiss from the queen and gets punched by the king.
Silliest:
Budweiser’s ad, with the man who
trained a Clydesdale that later broke away from his team of horses during a
Chicago parade to hunt the man down, ranks as silly, in my opinion.
Also silly was Tide’s ad
featuring a salsa stain on a shirt that looked like a football player. Dozens of people came to look at the “miracle,” with the man’s wife
washing the shirt and saying “Go, Ravens.”
A man who loves Doritos
buys a goat who loves them, too. By the end of the ad after the goat has eaten
hundreds of packages of the chips, the guy’s hoarding them and making a
for-sale sign for the goat.
Stretchers, a tennis shoe, shows a man
outrunning a cheetah and tying him up, thus saving an antelope.
Most sexist:
Last year, Go Daddy.com showed two guys
in the “cloud” populated with scantily clad women. This year, it grossed out a
lot of people by showing a sexy model kissing a nerd with awful sloppy sounding
kissing.
In another Go Daddy.com ad, also sexist, wives around the world are harping to
their husbands for not putting their big idea online.
Fiat’s ad slowly panned over a woman lying on the
beach in a bikini was bad enough, but having a scorpion crawl over her? Yuck.
Then, when she sees the car, she stands up and throws off her bikini top. The
scorpion drags it away.
Motorola's cell phone ad features actress Megan Fox in
a bathtub. Two men slap each other and another falls off a ladder looking at
the phone.
A Doritos
ad shows a little girl bribing her dad to play her with a bag of chips. He
dresses up and puts on makeup, as do four of his friends.
Gliden, t-shirt maker, produced an ad showing a man
trying to sneak out after a one-night stand, which included fuzzy handcuffs,
only the woman is sleeping in his favorite t-shirt.
Century 21’s ads don’t show women in a good light either.
A woman is so taken with her new wealth that she doesn’t see that her husband is
choking, a woman in labor demands a new kitchen, and a mother-in-law is so
awful that a groom faints at the altar when he thinks about living with her.
Calvin
Klein’s ad showed a male model in
nothing but underwear for most of the ad. Objectifying men isn’t any better than
objectifying women.
Best Buy’s ad showed Amy Poehler asking dozens of
questions, and making suggestive comments to the sales associate.
In a Coke
ad, a bus full of chorus girls chases toward a giant bottle of Coke, with other
characters. One of the girls shoots a cannon full of something that sounds bad
but floats down lightly at the cowboys. And, a biker, gets thrown up on the
window of the bus.
Kia’s scantily clad women “robots” put this ad in
the sexist category. One of the robots kicked a man, earning it violent points,
too.
While SodaStream
made environmental points showing its machine that carbonates beverages, thus
avoiding using cans and bottles, it wasn’t necessary to have a woman in a
bikini operate the machine.
Most irritating:
Since there
isn’t any drama when you buy a car from Cars.com,
for the commercial, the sales representative gives the two consumers a wolf
cub, then the jealous wolf-mom walks in. Ha, ha.
In an ad for
milk, The Rock races out to the
street in his pajamas to pick up milk. He dodges bank robbers, angry lions, and
traffic jams and ignores a kitten stuck in a tree.
Ageist:
In the Taco Bell ad, a group of seniors leave
the retirement home for a night on the town. While some people thought their
partying was funny, I thought it made older people look ridiculous.
Racist:
In a Volkswagen ad, a white man’s car makes
him so happy he speaks with a Jamaican accent. When the ad was released early,
many people wondered if it was racist.
Dark and creepy:
Anheuser-Busch
announced its new beer, Budweiser Black Crown, with two ads that were dark and
creepy, featuring young, upscale people in dark clothing.
Bud Lite’s ads featured characters
trying to get luck through voodoo. One man carried his living room chair to the
voodoo master, Stevie Wonder.
In the Mercedes-Benz
ad, an actor is going to sell his soul in exchange for a new Mercedes CLA as
well as a rich lifestyle, which includes dating Kate Upton and dancing with
Usher. However, the actor sees on a billboard stating that the price starts
under $30,000, so he saves himself.
Consumers
who are in the market for a new TV – maybe in time for Super Bowl Sunday – will
find models that are bigger, better, smarter, and cheaper, according to the
latest Consumer Reports TV tests.
Consumers
should be happy to know that TV prices are usually lowest in February and
March, when manufacturers start shipping new models and retailers cut prices to
sell off the old ones.
Significant
new features on 2013 models aren’t expected, so consumers shouldn’t pass up
great deals on top-rated 2012 sets, according to Consumer Reports. However, beware.
Some TV bargains can be risky.
Super-low
priced sets, especially from lesser-known brands, aren’t always the best deals,
reports the consumer testing organization. Some of the lowest-scoring sets in Consumer
Reports’s Ratings – with below-average marks for picture, sound, or both –
include TVs from Coby, Element, Haier, TCL, and Westinghouse.
LCD
TVs from LG, Panasonic, Samsung, and Sony have consistently been among the best
performers in the Consumer Reports Ratings. Plasmas sets from Panasonic have
been at the top, followed closely by Samsung and LG.
Internet-capable TVs
The
Consumer Reports Ratings include more Smart TVs, or TVs that can connect to the
Internet to stream video from online services, giving easy access to on-demand
movies and TV shows.
All
tested TVs with this capability offer Netflix, but the availability of other
services like Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, and Vudu varies by brand. A
growing number have full browsers for surfing the Web, built-in Wi-Fi, and
access to an apps market. In addition to streaming video services, most
Internet-capable TVs let you connect to a music service such as Pandora, social
networking sites such as Facebook, and Twitter, and even eBay.
Basic questions to consider
See
the article “Consumer Reports: Latest TV Sets Are Bigger, Better, Smarter, and
Cheaper” for information on what size TV to buy, whether to choose plasma or
LCD, what resolution is best, and whether to buy a 3D capable awr.
The
full report, which features Ratings of 140-plus LCD and plasma TVs, can be
found in the March issue of Consumer Reports, on newsstands January 31, and
online at ConsumerReports.org.
Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
SmartBuy, a retailer and
financing firm based in North Carolina, has signed a $9.5 million agreement
with the New York Attorney General’s Office to settle charges the company
fraudulently charged thousands of soldiers who purchased electronics near Fort
Drum in New York and ruined their credit.
The settlement will clear
debt fraudulently charged to hundreds of New York soldiers at a shopping mall
near Fort Drum and thousands of soldiers nationwide. This is the second
settlement the attorney general has reached with SmartBuy and its affiliated
companies.
"SmartBuy took
advantage of service members using deceptive practices, roping them into high
interest contracts, and ruining their credit,” Attorney General Eric T.
Schneiderman said in a statement.
The investigation
The settlement is the result
of the agency’s investigation of a kiosk and small storefront at the Salmon Run
Mall that appeared to be marketing specifically to Fort Drum soldiers. Sales
clerks aggressively pushed the sales of electronic equipment, including laptops,
gaming systems, and flat screen televisions to soldiers, Schneiderman said.
At the time of the sales,
SmartBuy sales representatives refused to take cash payments for merchandise
and instead pressured soldiers to enter into payment contracts with hidden fees
and exorbitant interest rates, he said.
The state’s investigation
revealed that the practices at SmartBuy's Salmon Run Mall location were part of
a larger scheme to defraud service members by deceptively reselling them
computers and electronics at wildly inflated prices. The soldiers were then
locked into revolving credit agreements with undisclosed fees and high interest
rates paid directly from military paychecks to unlicensed lenders.
SmartBuy purchased
merchandise from stores such as Sam's Club, Costco, and Walmart. The items were
then marked up by 200 to 325 percent, and included an added interest of 10 to 25
percent. The interest rates averaged out at 244 percent.
SmartBuy closed its local
operations after the agency demanded that it stop its deceptive business
practices and reimburse defrauded soldiers. A lawsuit was filed in 2010
and litigation continues against Rome Finance LLC and two individuals, Ron
Wilson, of California, and William Collins, of Georgia.
The settlement
The settling parties include
Frisco Marketing of N.Y. LLC, doing business as SmartBuy and SmartBuy Computers
and Electronics; Integrity Financial of North Carolina Inc.; Britlee Inc.; and
GJS Management Inc.; all owned and/or operated by Fayetteville, N.C.-based
family John Paul Jordan, Stuart Jordan, and Rebecca Wirt.
According to the terms of
today’s settlement, the settling companies will release about 358 New York state
soldiers and an additional 3,963 soldiers nationwide from their debt. The
defendants will also clear all negative credit reports related to the contracts
and will pay a $150,000 penalty to the state.
The settling companies are
banned from doing business in New York.
Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
Recently a gunman stormed a movie theater where a Batman movie was showing. While Americans paused in shock and political leaders offered their sympathy, no one talked about the fact that at a violent movie a horrific act of violence occurred.
The United States needs to set up a Blue Ribbon Task Force to determine why mass killings are occurring. The task force needs to look at:
Gun control
It doesn’t matter that it’s an election year. People are dying almost weekly in mass killings. How are deranged men getting guns? If Congress won’t act then states must. If states bow to pressure from the National Rifle Association, then cities must act.
Mental illness programs
Budgets have been slashed for programs for the mentally ill. Americans are used to seeing mentally ill people on the streets of its cities. Some of the killers have had therapists. What’s wrong with the system for treating the mentally ill? The problems need to be figured out and fixed.
Hate mongering
Talk jocks, far right religious leaders, and Fox “news” and commentators are allowed spew hate against political leaders, liberals, minorities, gay citizens, and others. One mass murder attack occurred against a liberal religious group. The most recent U.S. mass killing targeted Muslims. The link between hate mongering and mass murders needs to be examined and action must be taken to stop hate talk.
Violent images aimed at children
For years, I’ve been writing about increasing violence in American movies, television, video games, and other parts of the popular culture. I recall taking my daughters, ages 14 and 11, to the second Star Wars movie, “The Empire Strikes Back,” in 1980. The violence stunned me. Now we have violent video games and ghastly images on television, such as clips from the terrible movies and previews from TV shows such as “Grimm.” The cartoons kids watch are mostly fight, fight, fight and kill, kill, kill. As early as the 1960s, studies reported that watching violence can make children more aggressive. Something must done about curbing the 10,000 acts of violence children see each year on TV and the hundreds of other violent images they see in video games and movies and on computers and cell phones.
Youth programs
A number of teen and college-age gunmen have murdered people in their schools. The motive seems to be revenge. Programs for youth need to be examined and ways to identify and help troubled youth put in place.
Other
Additional causes of mass murders need to be examined. They could include job related triggers. So many mass murders have occurred in post offices, the term “going postal” is in use. It describes very sudden and extreme anger, which often leads to violence.
Between 1980 and 2008, 4,685 people died in 965 mass-murders, according to a Scripps-Howard study of FBI.
Before 1980, these types of mass killings didn’t occur. Why?
American governmental leaders must figure out what is causing mass murders. If they don’t, other organizations need to take the lead in doing the research then prod officials to take action.
Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
Ads during Sunday’s Super Bowl cost $3.5 million for a 30-second spot, up from last year's $2.7 million.
Although the 2012 offerings seemed to have fewer ads where people were slapped or knocked down, the display again was marred by violent images.
Do advertisers and public relations firms think it’s acceptable to show ads depicting violence and sexism, where people head butted and bikini-clad women are shown because mostly men watch football?
Here are my awards for the worst ads airing during this year’s Super Bowl:
Unnecessary violence:
Dannon thinks it will sell yogurt by having a woman head butt a man, knocking him to the floor, after he won’t share the container of yogurt. In a Doritos ad, a man suspects his dog of killing and burying the family cat. The dog gives him a bag of Doritos to keep it quiet. The Voice stars think by fighting, breaking things, blasting out a wall, and having Betty White say a few words, you’ll watch their TV show. A sexy woman slaps a man, speaks in Spanish, whispers in his ear, dabs foam from a latte on a his lips, then it all melts away into the first time sensations of buying a Fiat 500.
Silliest:
Cars.com showed us a man so confident about researching cars on Cars.com that he’s grown an appendage with his head on it that comes out of his back. It’s his “confidence,” singing happily about the car in a high voice. Coke’s polar bear ads, one featuring a bear trying to keep the Coke away from the other bears, seemed silly. You have the best minds in the country working on these ads. Couldn’t they have come up with something meaningful? I also thought the Chevy Sonic ad was silly, with a car skydiving and bungee jumping. Bud Light focused on the silly again this year, with a dog fetching beer from the refrigerator and other places, attracting women along the way.
Instead of violent Snickers ads showing Betty White being tackled in a backyard football game during or Roseanne Barr being downed by a huge log, Mars made a big deal this year about introducing a new M&M with a chocolate colored shell, Ms. Brown. A partygoer accused her of being naked, and Mr. Red whipped off his shell.
Most sexist:
Teleflora may have hit an all time low with a sexy woman getting dressed, then saying through red-pursed lips, “Give and you shall receive.” Go Daddy.com takes two guys to the “cloud” populated with scantily clad women. The McLendon Hardware offering shows a father giving advice to his son before his wedding. It sounds like it’s going to be sexual information about what he should learn to do to please his wife, but instead it’s about getting good tools. In “A Dream Car for Life,” Kia uses a scantily clad flag girl and fills the stands bikini clad women. H&M spent 30 seconds slowly moving over David Beckham’s tattooed body, and briefly, his briefs.
Most irritating:
GE’s offered several ads to pump up the company’s image. If GE was going to spend that kind of money, they should have thought of something interesting.
Unfortunately, the Super Bowl featured ad after ad for violent movies, which along with the violent ads and player clashes, added to the overemphasis on violence. Among the movies advertised were “John Carter,” “Star Wars – Episode 1 in 3-D,” “The Avengers,” “G.I. Joe,” and “Act of Valor.”
For more information on the best and worse Super Bowl ads, see The Wall Street Journal’s “Super Bowl Ads 2012.” To vote for your favorite ads, go to NBC Sports Network’s “Super Bowl Admeter.”
Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
Retail stores are racing to see who can open earliest for this year’s Black Friday sales, with some opening on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day.
Kmart is taking the lead this year, opening at 6 a.m. Thanksgiving Day. Toys R Us is in second place with a start time of 9 p.m., one hour earlier than 2010. Wal-Mart takes third, opening at 10 p.m. on the big Turkey Day.
Here is a list of opening hours for 15 major merchants from CouponSherpa.com, along with a special deal each is offering. Remember that hours are subject to change and some states don't allow stores to open on Thanksgiving Day. For a detailed guide to Black Friday store openings and hours, check out CouponSherpa.com.
Ace Hardware - Midnight Friday
Enter to win a Craftsman 5-drawer Tool Center.
A.C. Moore - 5 a.m. Friday
Free $10 gift card to the first 50 customers.
Bealls - Midnight Friday
First 100 customers per store have a chance to win an iPad2, $250 gift card or $5 Bealls Bucks.
Best Buy - Midnight Friday
Best Buy will distribute entry tickets up to two hours before midnight.
Half Price Books - 7 a.m. Friday
First 100 people per store receive a tote bag and $5 gift card.
Life in America is good – if you have a job or enough money to pay for your food, shelter, and clothing.
As a consumer writer, Labor Day reminds me of how effective American corporations have been in turning the message about what our nation is into what’s good for them – the country must have less government spending and fewer regulations.
The continual pounding of this message in the media by the right is creating a dismal depression among Americans. The propaganda is telling people that the country is headed in the wrong direction – all so that the wealthy can elect conservative leaders who will cut regulations.
What’s good for corporations isn’t good for consumers.
I was shocked recently to learn that corporations want to keep secret how many of their workers are located overseas. Between 2000 and 2009, multinational corporations cut 2.9 million jobs in the United States and added 2.4 million overseas.
It’s troubling that corporations are doing so well while consumers continue to struggle, with 4 million people unemployed and millions losing their homes.
Is there any hope?
This week, thousands of nurses and their supporters rallied in the nation’s capital and at 60 protests in 21 states to demand that Wall Street pay for the financial crisis it created.
Led by National Nurses United, the group is asking for a half-percent federal tax on Wall Street transactions, which would generate up to $350 billion a year to help Main Street get back on its feet.
What a great idea.
Also on the positive side, Yes Magazine! offers these steps forward:
Bills in state legislatures that support job sharing, a green economy, health care exchanges, and more show that some states passed laws to benefit consumers.
The first law in the United States establishing rights for domestic workers – privately employed nannies, housekeepers, and elder-care providers – went into effect in New York state in November.
After the attack in Wisconsin on workers’ rights, in state after state, the Americans whose rights and services are being cut are rising up against the decades-long shift of wealth and power to corporations and the very wealthy.
Seattle passes a city resolution in support of public employees and collective bargaining.
In these difficult economic times, people are coming together in small groups – called common security clubs, mutual aid groups, resilience circles, or unemployment support groups – to form and strengthen relationships.
So, best wishes to you on Labor Day. It’s a good day to remember the labor movement, turn off the television, and get out and enjoy the end of summer. I’m looking forward to skipping the continual negative messages today put out by the media about America that are casting a pall on our nation.
Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
Which consumer happenings cheered you this week and which ones made you want to scream or weep?
Here are my best and worst consumer experiences this week:
My best: Enjoying an updated waterside walkway
On Thursday, I joined 300 others in the Olympia, Wash., area to attend the rededication of Percival Landing after a $3 million renovation.
The newly refurbished waterfront walkway on Budd Inlet is wonderful. The boardwalk area is expanded, and a meeting place called Harbor House and two shelters have been added.
Irene Christy, a friend of mine and fellow member of the Thurston County League of Women Voters, got the idea for a way to have public access at the end of Budd Inlet, the southern most tip of Puget Sound.
Irene convinced then Olympia City Commissioner Tom Allen to consider the project if state funding could be obtained. She also encouraged Washington State Land Commissioner Bert Cole to have the state buy waterfront properties with aging warehouses at the site and allow the City of Olympia to build the walkway.
It’s great when different levels of government and citizens can work together to create such an excellent public facility. We don’t have much waterfront access in our state, so this project is appreciated.
My worst: Dealing with Comcast about my monthly charges
Without notice, my Comcast bill went up substantially. I have been paying $99 a month, a bundled charge; $33 for my landline phone service, $33 for Internet access, and $33 for cable television.
The last time Comcast jacked up the price, I signed a two-year so I could get the bundled service again.
I had to call twice before I could get the monthly charge reduced. And, I had to “sign” another two-year contract, which I did over the phone. Strange.
Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
Today’s technology is constantly being replaced by updated models with newer, more exciting features. To keep up with the latest technology, more and more retailers are offering consumers buy-back programs.
The Better Business Bureau advises consumers to weigh the pros and cons of these programs before spending their money.
Typical programs require a one-time fee that is paid at the time of the original gadget purchase. As long as your gadget is in good condition, many buy-back programs allow you to trade-up items such as your cell phone, laptop, tablet, and television for a percentage of its current value. Usually, this credit will come in the form of a gift card that can be used toward the purchase of a newer model.
"If you are an individual that likes to stay on top of the latest and greatest technology, then a buy-back program may be for you," Stephen A. Cox, president and CEO of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, said in a statement. "But, as with anything else, you will need to do your research to find out if the program is worth the cost."
The BBB recommends that consumers consider the advantages and disadvantages before taking part in a retailer’s buy-back program:
Buy-back programs can provide a sense of insurance on your product. Buy-back programs guarantee a resale value, meaning they act as insurance against loss of value. But like any insurance policy, its true value can become hard to define. Before becoming a member of a buy-back program, make sure to read the fine print. Many buy-back options have conditions that could keep you from being able to sell back your used gadget.
Remember that the deal usually favors the retailer. In exchange for your old gadget, your return often will be given as a gift card. The plan and gift card mean you’re required to use the retailer for your next technology purchase. In addition, you may end up paying triple the sales tax when the exchanges are done. While sales tax rules vary from state to state and buy-back programs vary from program to program, you’re the one responsible for paying the tax. By paying the tax once when you buy the gadget and again when you return it, and then again when you use the gift card, you could end up paying triple sales tax.
Gadget-buy backs may be a problem the forgetful or the disorganized. If you haven’t saved your original receipts, power cords, and manuals, you could be at a loss or your payout could be less than expected. Most buy-back programs insist that the original items be brought back to the store at the time of the exchange.
Mobile phone contracts aren’t covered. When you purchase a new phone and add the retailer’s buy-back program, you can resell your phone back to the retailer for the agreed on dollar amount. However, your cell phone provider will keep billing you for the length of your contract.
You can compromise your identity. Many electronic items such as your smartphone or laptop can hold large amounts of personal information. If this information gets into the wrong hands, your identity could be stolen. Be sure to fully wipe out all personal data.
You could get more for your electronic gadgets elsewhere. Reselling electronics isn’t new. Many consumers use sites like eBay and Craigslist to sell their gadgets. In most cases, you could get more for your electronics by using these sites than opting for a retailer’s buy-back program.
Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist
