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TCM_3

Morning all!

You sound like you had a good day Horace yesterday! I find trade shows great for ideas and you see the things you really like then you shop about for the cheaper alternatives sometimes! Its also a good opportunity to pick people's brains! As for your back, get yourself a pair of "fit flops" shoes - I have a bad back from time to time and a limp to go along with it, and someone suggested that if i wore "proper" footwear rather than cheap Tesco trainers it would serve my back much better. I did grumble but spent £35 on the fit flops and my back has not been as bad since.

Mudbath, I know exactly how you feel about vouchers! They are a great wheeze and get you money in without having to do anything too major but yet you feel like when they come to be used you have worked hard for nothing!

My plan for today - fix some rugs, chase up on 2 orders which apparently left England last Thursday, chase up a few bills, ring Dr for repeat prescrition (keep forgetting!)

have a good day!
T

Mudbath

I'm glad it's not just me who finds vouchers a double edged sword TCM. I have a 6 month valid by date on mine but I do give a bit of leeway - if someone phones up and it's just run out I let them use it. Not that it happens often.

Hope the fair is good today Horace. I look forward to hearing more of what you find when you post later.

I'm off on the long trek to work now - from the living room to the garage conversion....all of a 5 second walk - one of the benefits of working from home! xx

savingforarainyday

Been to see a client this morning who is having rather a crappy time moneywise at the minute. This afternoon I think I need to do admin just so things don't start to slide.

Its a lovely day here didn't really want to be stuck inside, but really need to do a few hours.

I think I need to do what I bang on to clients about and make a long term plan. I will need more clients next year so I think I need to knuckle down and get on with it. I need to look into advertising as well.

On an up note, I got some free pears so that is nice.

Hope you enjoy the trade fair Horace

Horace

The fair was even better today than it was yesterday:cool: I met the most gorgeous man on Imperial Kitchenwares (they sall to Lakeland, the V&A and places like that) - he is my friend on facebook. Cooking will be far more interesting if he was in my kitchen:rotfl: I had a free cup of coffee and was given a free Good Food magazine whilst I waited for him to finish chatting to a client.

I may have found a supplier of handmade ethcial soaps for Snow and have a sample for her (I have a sample of handcream and soap for myself - I was cheeky and asked for a sample of handcream). I had a choc chip on one stand and pinched a jelly baby from another.

I did spend too - I chose the large lamp in the end which cost me £55 but I didnt have to pay VAT and was allowed to pay by personal cheque. As they had no free halogen bulbs to go in it, they have said that when I need some to ring them and they will pop a free set in the post for me:cool: I also ventured close to the posh umbrella stand too and spend £10 on an umbrella - it still nice and handmade but not as posh as my favourite umbrella in purple which was £50:eek: I decided at lunchtime to take the umbrella back to the car and had to pass it off as a sample (as the stall holders are not allowed to sell anything really until the end of the show), I nearly had difficulty getting the lamp out too - I didnt really have a receipt only a business card, so I put my bag down (no box for the item unfortunately) and proceeded to ferret through my volumous handbag saying that I know I had got a pass for it because it was a sample and that it was in my handbag somewhere as I was blocking up the entrance to the hall, I was then told that I could just go.

I came away with a free notebook from one stand too and they have said they can sell me wedding guest books. Another stand sells grow kits and therapy candles which make great wedding favours so I got their details too:D

I had a call too from Action for Blind People who are coming to see me next Wednesday to do a workstation assessment - as part of my Access to Work thingy. I need to have a mass tidy up session before the man comes.:eek:

Hope you all had a grand day?

TCM_3

Go Horace!!

You've had a great day at the trade show. I LOOOOVVVEEEEE Good Food magazine and it was one of the most awful things I have had to do and give up my subscription with being skint! I still cook out of the old ones though and use the web to print of recipes but its not the same as having a lovely mag to flick through in the evenings!

Quiet in the shop yesterday but 2 really good sales made for a good days takings. Today is not too bad, but am off socialising tonight to an opening of a new equine hospital and treatment centre - the owner brought me in a personal invite, so its a quick turnaround tonight! No tea I'm afraid so it will be the chippy on the way home.

Mudbath I too give a bit of discretion with expiry dates on vouchers. I only put expires on ones that we give out as either a good will gesture or ones for prizes and i recently had one horrid lady who tried to use one that was 8 months out of date saying "i didn't need anything 8 months ago":mad:

Had a tip this morning that i may be able to get funding for my website so off to investigate that now.

Have fun, hope all well,
T xx

Horace

Mabel - you did see that some stupid woman wanted to charge me £100 P&P - she was from Kent and a right stuck up cow:rotfl: Good luck with the wedding fair too - that sounds like a great idea giving out some of my leaflets:D

On Tuesday afternoon I ventured into a local charity shop and got myself a deep vase (although I think it might be fruit bowl but I am leaning more towards a vase) with three feet for £4.50 and I will put it on my stand and fill it with Roses Chocs as they were on offer in Tesco (BOGOF - buy a box for £10 get one free). As the florist is being a bit sniffy about her stinky flowers she can shove them - she keeps changing her mind about whether to charge me or not and currently she wants to charge me £8.50 for a small arrangement and I mean small) - I then thought that chos were a better idea.:D Plus I get a bowl that I can use over and over again and fill with sweets whereas flowers are useful once and then they get chucked:rolleyes:

I have just come back from my mystery shops - I had to buy hosiery and cannot believe that I spent £29 on two pairs of tights:eek: I also visited Clarins (another mystery shop) and bought some deodorant as I become allergic to Dove and my armpits itch so I end up scratching like a babboon:eek: I also took some free money into Debenhams and picked up a chocolate brown trench coat for £24.50 and a lovely navy blue zipped cardigan for £20. My free money came in the form of £30 of Debenhams vouchers from Consumer Pulse and £50 of capital bond vouchers from More Than after they messed me about with my business insurance. I still have £30 of the capital bonds to spend:D

GreyhoundAngel

Hey up Gals n Guys...

Welcome to all the newbies..... you'll find most of them totally mad on this thead..... but that's what makes all the advice so good :rotfl::rotfl:

Mudbath & TCM - Great to hear about your recent sales :T seems things are looking up for you both TCM - I was falling about laughing at the picture you gave me talking about shaking the shop .... I just had this image of you picking it up by the scruff of its roof and shaking it so the tiles fell off :rotfl:

"H" .... as always, you just make me feel tired and idle with everything you seem to accomplish in a day :rotfl: Great news on your car being sorted though, and sounds like you had a fab time at the Autumn Fair too ... I am soooooo envious

Well things have been a bit patchy here .... dont seem to have much to show for all the hours & running around I've been doing and by the time I've got in, done dinner, dogs etc ... then done my paperwork, reports, replenishment orders etc .... I just seem to be so tired. Added to which, the recent campaign had a real challenging start ... with stuff being late delivered to the sites by the printers ... (read stuff still not arrived on site on the 1st day of the implementation schedule) :mad: Threw all the schedules out the window.

I've got a couple of my fortnightly merchandise visits to do next week as well so that's good. My current temp position was due to finish shortly - but an unfortunate circumstance (for the company) has led to them asking me to continue there for a while, with possibly some extra hours to what I have been doing - so that's really nice. I have to say though, that I still feel a little overwhelmed by the fact that they seem to like me so much - to the length that they now specifically ask for me with the Agency

I have so much I want to be getting on with,,,, just dont seem to have the energy to get on with it... maybe a "day" or two (read that as once I've finished at the temp job for the day) I just need to chill out n re-charge :rolleyes:

Well that be my update for now, sorry I've been awol for a bit
G:A xx

TCM_3

Its a great confidence boost Greyhound Angel when you are asked to stay on and you get on well with everyone you work with. I know you wanted to concentrate on your own business but for the time being, think of the extra money. I haven't quite lifted the shop by the scruff of the neck yet, although I almost did a customer yesterday which was not so good. I was a bit sharp with a 19 year old with attitude to die for and I feel a bit guilty.

Horace you've had a busy few days! I'm hoping to come to the NEC in 2 weeks time for the pet trade show but have no one to cover here for me and the cheap flights mean me leaving home at 2.30am to get to Dublin. The only 2.30 I want to see is with a pm beside it!

TCM done a turnaround of 10 mins last night from jeans and mucky boots to glamour puss in the M&S black suit to go to the vets opening. TCM got there, a glass of wine was placed into her hand, loads of customers and networking a plenty, the glass was topped up, a bit more chat "hey girl, your glass is empty" "no, i've had plenty thank you all the same" "nonsense" and it was topped up again. The OH decided we would stop at the chippy on the way home - anyone who knows me will tell you I can pack away a feed like a good one - I had the kids chicken nuggets and chips. This morning the cat found the chicken nuggets in my handbag. I kid you not. Needless to say I am a little bit delicate this morning!

itsnowtime

Hi Everyone...

And a huge huge thank you to Horace!! :T

You're an :A

Unfortunately I was too ill to go on Wednesday but she has sent me some really good contacts so thank you again...

My stinking cold has nearly gone but I've now got that heavy head syndrome... Website is STILL NOT finished - but today is the day and I'm staying up till whatever time it takes to get it done!!

My site will then be tested over the weekend and launch early next week..

My site will have a 10% Introductory Discount offer along with a 2.5% cashback points system that people can save and spend with me later on..(true moneysaving style I believe!) If you'd like to receive an email with the discount code then please 'pm' me and I'll put you on the distribution list..

Crikey I can't believe it's Friday already.. why is it that the weeks just seem to disappear...

Ok time to get my head down!! (to work that is - not snoozing!) :rotfl:

Have a good day everyone...

renniwano

Hi guys.. not been about for a bit due to a lot of work going on and new things up on the website..

I finally managed to get my digital stamps on the site.. and have managed to spend two weeks frantically organising them and getting my design team to work with the images to show them in use..

Haven't had chance to read back on the posts yet.. but just wanted to say thankyou for the virtual butt kicking !!

Hugs to everyone.. and have a lovely day
Nikki x