mall

Money Saved in Your Lunchbox

January 26, 2015January 23, 2015 katemcgateLeave a comment

I work at the mall…and I’m fairly lazy in my cooking escapades. We can see where this is going. Mall food. The worst, girl! Please. I’m telling you, I just want a simple hamburger and I’m paying more than what it would cost for a couple of gallons of gas in my car. I literally just can’t do it anymore. It’s not worth the money and the stomach pain.

It’s pretty simple to start meal prepping…ok, it’s simple for your fiancé to start meal prepping. The one crucial piece of advice: Make food that will keep for at least 48 hours. This means, no avocado for day 6.

It’s hard to start, but it’s easy to keep it going. In two days, I’ve seen that my bank account is staying at the same balance. Just, don’t spend that hard saved cash on some stuff you don’t need, like a super adorable shirt. Because…I didn’t get that today or anything.

This week, we made chicken salad, couscous, and celery with some mayonnaise. On the side, we made quinoa pasta and tossed it with some poppyseed salad dressing. I packed a water and a fruit bar!

Next big post should be some meal prep recipes! Stay tuned!

xoxo- Kate

The Tricks That Stores Play On You

January 23, 2015January 23, 2015 katemcgate9 Comments

So, I feel that being an avid shopper has led me to uncover some tricky tricks that ALL stores get you with. It seems logical, but lethal. Sometimes, it’s not easy to detect these “bargains,” but to the trained eye, it is fairly simple.

Sales are a great way to increase a store’s money flow. When the word sale is However, sales are not always the greatest of bargains. Watch out for final sales and non-included items. It’s easy to play tricks on the common folks, and final sales can be a bitch to try to return. My advice? Try to weed out a bad deal with your common sense. It’s not that hard to ask an associate about the details and fine print of a sale.

Another issue I have with retail stores is the impulse buy section at the cashier and in the line. I literally think that cashiers take enjoyment out of taking more than enough time to ring you up. I know for me, I look around, touch a couple of items that sparked my interest, and I give myself a stern talk before I add the new impulse item to my bill. I don’t know what makes me more mad: the fact that the store actually got me, or that the cashier knowingly takes her time ringing me up.

Stores usually have large re-merchandising shifts that take up to 8 hours to completely revamp the look of the store. This way, the customer is more prone to purchase items that have a “focus” display. On top of that, music is carefully chosen in order to make you bop around and add more things to your cart…and they make sure there is a space for you to sit down and enjoy the ambiance.

Here’s my real opinion. Ya’ll are just losing control. Get it together, make sure to utilize your budget, and don’t drop your guard. Salespeople can be very convincing if you don’t want to be mean. Conclusion? Kindly say no. Tell the salespeople you don’t need their help…unless you really do. For some reason, I feel like I want to become friends with these people. TBH, they literally don’t care about anything but your money and your purchase. Gather your belongings and move along.

xoxo-kate

A Strongly Worded Letter to Kiosk Salespeople

December 16, 2014December 16, 2014 katemcgateLeave a comment

Dear Kiosk Salesperson,
Thank you for taking the time out of your day (and mine) to try to sell me a facial product scooped up from the Dead Sea. Really, I appreciate it.

Frankly, I think I am too nice.. See, I work in the mall, and I sometimes only have a 15 minute break to get some food. I stopped for you, and smiled politely as you went through your sales pitch. As you can see, I am ravenous and I need to get some stuff done. Not to mention, I was harassed a few steps before this: at your brother’s “Dead Sea nail filing system” kiosk. He proceeded to take off my manicure (on one nail) to show me how my nail will shine without polish. I meant to thank him, I wanted one nail completely naked. I’m glad he did it for me.

You see, I am a sales person as well; but I don’t think you see me ripping people’s clothing off in order to make the sale. In my line of work that’s considered borderline rude and perverted. I am just as successful…if not more successful when not touching clients.

I encourage you to change your ways. Stop reaching out to me and telling me my eyes are beautiful…I know they are. If your sales are down, I think it has to do with the fact your product doesn’t work, not that you didn’t ruin enough people’s manicures or face makeup.

In closing, please take a sales lecture or training class. It will do wonders for your company.

Love,
The World