Happy New Year ~ Let's Get 2025 Started

 We got our A/C Guy coming to do Winter Service on our Units, it's a Winter and then Summer Pre-Paid Servicing, like our Exterminator Service is.  I've had a big drop in Utility Bills and no needed A/C Repairs since re-doing the Ductwork and Insulation.  So, tho' that was a really big initial outlay, in the end it will pay for itself in the upgrade done.  The 1980 Ductwork was Swiss Cheese so it had to be replaced and they re-vented the entire Home to a more Modern and efficient System as well.  Which makes a huge difference in Air distribution to Cool and Heat the Home more economically and efficiently.   With Climate Change that is a Big Deal, Summers are getting much Hotter and inclement Weather getting worse as well. 

Princess T is seeing a lot of Rusty again, it was funny coz his Mom didn't even know they'd broke up, so I guess he didn't tell too many people.  *LOL*  He's taking her Out more on actual Dates, they went to the Movies the other Night.  She didn't necessarily mind staying Home and just hanging out coz she isn't one to like being around People and is a Home Body, so she didn't blame him for all of that.  Both of them aren't very into Socializing, they're both Quiet and like Simple things and aren't the Party Crowd of Young People at all.  He's very responsible for his Age and works hard, I can tell he's been strictly Raised and has Manners and Respect for his Elders.  We've always liked Rusty, he was just getting too Serious and she wasn't wanting to be that Serious yet, she's only 19.

I bought a couple of Ornaments from TARGET for 75% Off, making them less than a Dollar {above and below}, they were the last Two they had of the Mystical Eye on Navy Blue and Forest Green Velvet flocked Ball Ornaments.   I added them to our Vintage Gold Metal Tinsel Tree.  The After Christmas Shoppers are out in force and frankly seem to have outnumbered and spent more than the Pre-Christmas Crowd from what I'm Witnessing.   So I think many folks on a Budget delayed Christmas spending until they could get things on Sale and be able to Buy more and get more bang for their Bucks.   The Checkout Lines are longer everywhere now than they were before Christmas everywhere.   I was at TARGET Buying Laundry Essentials, but couldn't pass up snagging these Two deeply Discounted Ornaments since I was already there Buying what we Needed.

 

I was kinda upset with TARGET becoz they had Advertised that you'd get a $15 Gift Card for spending as much as I did on my Laundry Essentials.  When I got to the Register the Cashier told me I had to have a TARGET Circle App to get the Gift Card!   WTF?!  I HATE that all these Stores now push/mandate Apps, which eat up your Phone's Data and if you have an older one like we do.  We don't use Apps and don't want to pay more each Month on our Phone Bills to use Apps either, it negates Discounts IMO or seriously erodes them.   I already have TARGET's Red Card which gives me 5% Off Purchases, I already have Frequent Shopper Cards at all these other Stores that we use regularly, so Why should we now also be forced to use Apps to receive Discounts?   Even your Military Discount at some Stores must now use an App to receive it, just showing your Military or Retired Military Status is no longer 'Enough', WTF?!  

A few Employees are so embarrassed to have to tell Veteran's that, so they override and give it to The Man, but few want to risk that and get in Trouble.   When our A/C Guy was ready to leave he told us that the Motor on our Older Unit is getting worn out and may not last too much longer.  It would be $1,300 to replace it and they would Finance that for about $36 a Month, but I don't wanna take on any more Debt Load right now.  Even tho' they'd do about $1,100 in Free Cleaning of both Units if we spend that much on a replacement part as incentive to do preventative maintenance repairs to prolong the Life of your Units.  When I get another Loan Paid Off I'll do it, but I'll let it limp along until it goes out and get all the Life out of that Motor that we can since the estimate is good for a Year on replacement of it.   

 

With Home Maintenance and especially Large Appliance Maintenance it's always an outlay anymore.  Intentional Obsolescence is the reason Why.  It's a deliberate Modern Business Strategy where Manufacturer's and Maintenance Companies Design and Sell Products to become obsolete or break down quickly.  The Goal being to encourage Consumers to Buy New Products and Upgrades, which increase Sales and Profits for Manufacturers and those that carry their Lines.   There's no getting around it as a Consumer anymore becoz it's become too common that anything that will Last, becomes Obsolete and Discontinued, so they won't carry parts and nobody knows how to Repair them anymore either... or the Product is simply Built not to be able to be Repaired, just Replaced every 5-10 Years Max.  No matter how expensive it was or what Top O'The Line Product or Brand you Purchased.

It's discouraging, since, you always end up then in Debt with Loans for things too expensive to always have the Cash on Hand for.   I prefer to Live Debt Free, but in recent Years, it's almost an impossibility and most especially on a Retirement Fixed Income.   If you Own a Home you must Maintain it.  Deferred Maintenance is even more expensive.  I try to be very informed about what I'm having to do versus what can wait to do.  The way most Companies wanna Oversell Product and push it is probably becoz they give their Employees Incentives to do it.  Anyway, nothing was really Wrong with either Unit that absolutely hadda be done other than the Pre-Paid Maintenance.   So I said that's all we could afford to do right now, so anything else I wanted the Suggestion in Writing with Terms offered, and I'd think upon it and do it when it becomes absolutely necessary to have that outlay on an expensive Repair or Replacement.

So long as both Units are functional and Working I am not worrying about it right now, I got enuf things to worry upon that need to be addressed right now.   I'm rather enjoying the current MAGA Faction Civil War raging right now between the Billionaire Oligarch Elites that Bought and Paid for 45/47, especially those who are Legal Immigrants like Musk and Ramaswany, and the MAGA Working Class Base, who also helped Elect him.  They are diametrically opposed in what they want and expect for the next Four Years to benefit them personally.  So, it should be interesting, since, clearly, some aren't gonna be able to get what they want, and what they assumed was Promised to them.  *Snicker*  Get Front Row Seats and some Popcorn for the MAGA Smack Downs amongst themselves, they are not, nor never will be, on the same Page.  I doubt they're even on the same Planet and trajectory... so, their Leader will now have to try to stop them from eating one another alive.  *LMAOROTF*

He claims to Love and Thrive on the Chaos he Creates, but I do Believe he's getting in way over his Head now.   And when things go Sour for those he duped and played as Fools, and they realize they've been bending over to be Royally fucked, well, no telling what will then happen?  There will be Trouble in Paradise then me thinks.  And they're already Turning On each other and he hasn't even been installed yet, so, Fun Times... I don't see things improving over Time between the Factions.   And definitely I'm leaning towards the Rabid Cult Base being Hosed, since his Transactional MO has always been to suck up to and Cave to whoever has the most Wealth and it ain't them.  The Elite knows he's a Sucka for who Pets him and Strokes that enormous Ego and his desperate Need to be liked and accepted by them.  They're not Loyalists like his MAGA Devoted, the Obscenely Wealthy will Play him.  He does Love the Adoration of the Peons, but, they're not a Priority at all to him, they're all expendables.

Facts on the Ground haven't mattered to his Base, they see everything thru a Partisan Lens and whoever is Parroting what they wanna Hear and Believe.   I won't feel Badly when they get their Reality Check.  Since, they should have seen it coming and refused to heed any Warnings based on Facts and Evidence or Truth, it was easier to run with Low Information and a Lie they clung to.  When you base most of your important decisions on your Fears, Biases, Racial Grievances and Hatreds, it probably isn't gonna End Well for you.  I don't see any within MAGA Ending Well, which, wouldn't bother me at all really, their Choices, their deserved Consequences.  But, what bothers me is they have cocked it up for ALL Americans who never Boarded The Crazy Train, but will have Consequences not based on our Choices at all.  We'll be the Collateral Damage to their Bad Decisions and Poor Choices.   I WILL Blame them for what happens... they ARE responsible.

Anyway, that's all Playing Out in Real Time and unraveling rather quickly, which, we knew it would, tho' I thought it would take a tad bit longer to.  It is doomed to Fail miserably and it's a National Tragedy and Global Spectacle in the making.   Not a great start to 2025, for sure.  But, I'm Guardedly Optimistic that a Fresh New Year may bring some Promise with it too, and Hope, so, I'll Focus on that possibility.   People are already reveling for New Year's Eve and setting off their Fireworks, which are Legal in Arizona.  Probably not a good thing since we're a very Dry tinder Climate and people using personal Fireworks don't tend to have any Training or Safety thoughts behind their use of them.   So a lot of irresponsible use happens every Year.  Along with the Idiots who Fire their Guns in the Air indiscriminately, even tho' that is Illegal, what goes Up must come Down.   This Morning at fucking 7:00 a.m. some irresponsible Idiot nearby was Shooting off their Firearm and Shot Off about 25 Rounds!!!

I think Gun Ownership should at least be as difficult to obtain one as obtaining a License to Drive and require a certain amount of formal Training and Knowledge about how to properly use one.   But, the whole Gun and Gun Violence Issue is a Follow The Money kind of Issue that I doubt will ever actually be Resolved.   We don't seem to Value the Lives of our School Children as much as we Value the Right to Bear Arms in America and that's painfully obvious.  Anyway, I put Locks on every Gun that The Man Owned the moment he had his TBI and he pretty much doesn't even think about what is out of Sight and thus out of Mind.  He is a Responsible and highly Trained Gun Owner and was an avid Sportsman, but, now he'd need Supervision to Cook on a Stove, so it's a Safety Issue when you have cognitive decline.  He hasn't gone Hunting now for Years and would need someone to take him and assume all responsibility of him, which, isn't happening.

I know he misses it, so when we go to "Sprouts" now to Grocery Shop, I ask him to pick out Wild Game Meats for us to prepare.   So he can still make the Dishes he used to when he Hunted Wild Game to eat.   So we still eat a lot of Wild Game Meats, he just isn't Hunting it himself now.  We recently had that Elk Chili the Day I had my Stroke.  I was actually making that Chili when it hit.  I didn't get to eat any of it, but the Family said it was delicious and I'm sure it was.  *Smiles*   The Family enjoy my different versions of Chili, so we make it quite a bit during the Winter.  Great Winter Comfort Food.   And easy to make a hearty Meal in a Crock Pot with whatever you have on Hand in the Pantry and Freezer. 

I don't know if we'll stay up 'til Midnight to ring The New Year in or not yet.  Usually The Man goes to bed pretty early, in past Years I have stayed up 'til Midnight, but, there's no real Point or Desire to now.  Just watching a Ball Drop on Times Square in NYC on your TV is not Moving me at all at this Season of Life.  Yawn, Boring.  *Smiles*  The TV Coverage is usually pretty lame and doesn't interest me or hold my attention, so, I'm usually just watching anything else that's on if I'm even watching the TV at all.   I'm trying to get caught up on Blog Reading, since, I fell way behind.  There's not as many Blogs that I follow regularly, as I had to curate which and how many I have the Time to actually visit and Read?   I'm sure you all have to do the same thing.  I don't spend that much time on the Computer, I can Type fast to Create a Post, but Visiting and Reading various Blogs can be a freefall down the Rabbit Hole for Hours.

It's Why I quit spending Time on Pinterest, I'd Lose myself for far too long doing that.  Tho' the Visuals are Stunning and Inspiring, it was taking up too much precious Time I could be doing anything else.  The same with Trawling Online Auctions, Fun, but I wasn't really Buying much unless I Needed something Specific, so, it was a Time Waster to just Window Shop and digest Eye Candy that was For Sale and I wouldn't be Bidding on.   I use it mostly now to gauge how much to Charge for something I'm also Selling.   Everyone can get important Info Online now on anything they might have and want to Sell, so few remain ignorant of Value unless they're Lazy or Careless.  I now use Google Lens which matches any Photo with what's Online already.  I might not even Buy it until I check it via Google Lens first and calculate the Margins.  I have a Good Eye for what has Value, but Margins dictate what I'll Invest in if I don't already have it.

That Challenge is what I enjoy most about Treasure Hunting and Junquing.   It's not quite what it used to be, but, if you're persistent and have people you know who Work at various Haunts, you'll still have an Edge.   I've helped a lot of Industry People, I Sell to a lot of them, I Promote their Businesses Online as a Favor, so, in return they know I prefer The Thrill Of The Hunt and can be the Eyes and Ears out there.  I'm not making a Living at this, it's my Hobby in Retirement and whether I Sell, Donate or Keep items doesn't really mean that much to me.  I earned our Retirement Benefits and so did The Man in our Career Lives, which were long and Successful.   So, it has never been my intention to assume a Living could be made doing this at all.  In fact, I commend anyone who manages to, it's not an easy way to make a Living, nor a Secure one IMO.   Many good ones have had to Fold.  Many others have to have a "Real" Job or they couldn't Survive with just the Industry Work.

 

It's not like Work at all if it's your Hobby and you're just having Fun with it.   And that's how I do it and prefer to roll... having Fun with a Hobby.   I don't want to bother trying to run a Business doing something that I don't think can make most people enough profits to justify all the Work and Investment they put in.   I know Vendors at our Antique Mall who have Invested Thirty Grand at a pop Buying Inventory for Resale, the Overhead Expenses of Selling in an Antique Mall, and paying for Offsite Storage of their Merch until it's Rotated into Inventory.  When I crunch those Numbers I Honestly don't know how they are making Money, or if they're actually just Breaking Even or even Losing Money and hemorrhaging their Savings or Salary/Retirement?   Mebbe some have Means and don't mind, but I suspect most don't and are getting into Financial Trouble trying to sustain what isn't working for them as a Business that's Failing.

 

Above was a Cute Idea I saw on Pinterest, where Dollar Store Plastic Ornaments are coated with Jadeite Color Paint on the Inside and then the Tops are Antique Faux Aged to look Older/Vintage.   Very Cute, I'm going to do that as a Craft Project and becoz I've Collected Vintage Jadeite Kitchenware for Decades now.   I don't use it Daily like I used to, but I'm too attached to the Collection to get rid of all of it.  Yes, I've Sold some pieces I have an Excess of, but, it's getting harder and more expensive to come by.   It's still desired and commands high prices, even Chazzas seem to know what it is.   And since Chazza Staff can Google Values too of anything they see coming in that they feel might be a Collectible, Vintage or Antique Item, it's Rare to get it on The Cheap anymore.   You'll only Score it inexpensively on their Sale Days when they're rotating Inventory out and it hasn't gotten Sold at the higher prices asked.

The New Year rang in quietly, The Man and I stayed up past Midnight, a first for him for Years now.  Only Princess T went out for it with Rusty and is spending the Night at one of his Parent's Home.  The Son and The Daughter not only chose not to go out to Celebrate, neither of them wanted to drink, color me Surprised and Happy, since, both are Alcoholics and struggle with it.  So, to choose to spend New Year's Eve totally sober was not expected.  They both had Invitations to go to a New Year's Eve Party, but knew there would be a lot of drinking and thus each declined their respective Invites.   It's not that they didn't wanna spend time with Friends, they just didn't want the risk factors of over Celebrating and the complications that can cause.  I think at their respective Season of Life they just aren't interested in the Party Scene now and that's a good thing.  Princess T had spent time with Timmy first and then after he got off Work, Rusty picked her up.  I think they just spent time at a New Year's Party at his Parent's Home.

Princess T doesn't drink and isn't legal Age to, she doesn't like when anyone drinks and apparently Rusty isn't a drinker either.  So, the Parties she's been to with his Family are usually BBQ Style Celebrations with a Buffet Spread.  She's not a big eater but she does enjoy the Family Gatherings type of Get Togethers.  We weren't doing anything so had told her if she had Plans, to just keep us informed of what they were so we would know she was okay and safe.   Rusty has said if she decides she wants to come Home and not stay he'll bring her Home.   The Man had gone out to put some Garbage out and forgot to put on his Shoes and stepped on a Scorpion!  It did sting him but Thankfully he has no allergic reactions or ill effects!  *Whew*  I was upset he went out at Night Barefoot, in Arizona at Night you know better, but with his Memory Care Issues he often does forgetful foolish things unless closely Supervised.

I didn't even know he'd gone Outside to take the Trash out until he came back in and said he'd been stung on his Bare Foot by a Scorpion!!!   So, then I had to monitor him for an Hour to see if he'd have any Reaction.  The last thing I wanted to have to do on New Year's Eve at about 1:00 a.m. is rush to an ER with a Medical Emergency like that!!!   Thankfully it wasn't necessary, but, I was in my Jammies and concerned I might have to.  The only reason I was still up was coz I was watching a good Show on TV past Midnight.  I'd taken an earlier Nap, so wasn't so tired when the New Year rolled in at Midnight.   Fireworks have been going off like Crazy all Night long, it made it look foggy outside there was so much residual Firework Smoke in the Air!!!   And Ambulances were rushing by all Night long too on the Main Road out Front heading for the nearby Hospital.  So, you know those ER's were slammed Tonight.

I'm contemplating whether to call Work {New Year's Day in Real Time} and tell them I'm not coming in on Friday Night to Work, or, I am?  Not really sure whether I should, I don't have any restriction not to but don't know whether I should give myself another Week off in my Recovery?   I'm leaning towards telling them to fill in for me another Week and then see how I feel by next Friday Night?  UPDATE: Yes, I delayed coming in to Work until next Friday, still Tire too easily to traverse a 55,000 sf Mall for Four straight Hours.  It will mean no Comped Space Rent for a whole Pay Period, but, it's not like they Comp us all that much to make it the deciding factor of whether you get a Check or not.   Instead, the Work I may choose to do is to Price some Merch and take it into Inventory this Week instead.   Sales are not as Soft this Pay Period so far but they're not Strong either yet.   The cutoff for this Pay Period is Saturday Night so it may finish Strong, there's that possibility.

 

I have been sifting thru some possessions to decide what else to Let Go of and either Donate or Sell.   We've got a lot that Princess T decided to Let Go of and wants me to decide what we should Donate of it and what we can Sell of it?    Mostly I've been sifting thru her LEGOS, she doesn't want to Keep any of them except her new LEGO Rose Bouquet she got for Christmas.  All the Childhood LEGO Sets she's given me to decide what to do with and LEGO are popular and Sell well.  I think I'll Sell the LEGO People separately from the Kits to build Buildings and Vehicles, Palm Trees and Doll House Furniture.   We're just gonna Bag Up all the Building/Vehicles/Palm Tree parts and Sell them as a Bulk LEGO Box Lot.  You can get more for the LEGO Characters.  One Vendor even Specializes in nothing but LEGO Characters and has thrived at our Mall for Years Selling them.

She wanted to get rid of all her Care Bear Collection too but her Mom wanted them and snagged them, so, they won't be Sold Off for now.  The Daughter used to Collect Care Bears in the 1980's, they were Created the Year she was Born and have had a resurgence in popularity again now.   Many of Princess T's were the Vintage Care Bears from the Original 1980's Line.   We won't have any trouble Selling them whenever her Mom decides she doesn't want to Keep them.    I have no trouble Selling any Toy Collectibles, especially any popular Vintage ones.   Lately most of the Squishmallows Princess T was Selling in our Showroom were Bought as Christmas Pressies by our Customers.   She always had too many of them and Purged her vast Collection that had gotten out of hand and I was an Enabler, I ain't gonna Lie.  *LOL and Blushing*  

She Loved them so much and I always found them at Chazzas and knew Resale would be easy.  They're expensive if you pay full Retail, so Parents are looking for affordable ones. Since she began her Collecting of them as an Older Teen she never Played with them and just Displayed them or used them as Pillows.  I myself Collected some Halloween and Christmas Themed ones for Display during those Holidays.  They come in all Sizes and the larger ones can take up a lot of Space.   So mostly we Sold Off a lot of the largest ones to make Space in her Room.  Plus, during Halloween and Christmas, we did Purge some of the Holiday Themed ones too to boost Seasonal Sales and make cute Holiday Vignettes in the Showroom with them.  I never intended to be the Vintage Toy Vendor but it's an easy Quick Turn to have them in Inventory and be a Draw for the Younger Customers and Toy Collectors.

Over Time if you're paying attention to what is Selling, you start Stocking that kind of Inventory.   We're having Fun with the Vintage Toys now, everyone was once a Child and it can be very Nostalgic even if you don't personally Collect them to Keep.   I do Collect the Vintage Trolls of all Sizes, but also Sell a lot of them too.  I recently put a bunch more into Inventory in our Showroom becoz I always Sell Out.   I prefer to have the Vintage Wishnik Trolls with the Double Horseshoes on their Soles of their Feet and the Original Vintage Dam Trolls which are as Old as me or Older.   Thomas Dam from Denmark Invented them in the 1950's and originally called them Dam Dolls.   Troll folklore has existed for Centuries tho', so, he didn't Invent the Mythical Creature, just the Doll Form we know of Today.   The Good Luck Wishnik Trolls also were Invented in the later 1950's and first became a Fad in the 1960's.  I have some of the more unusual Trolls in my Collection too like the Two Headed Siamese Twin Wishnik Troll.

 

Amber brought over some more Tamales, she's enjoying me dredging up some Blast From The Past Pixs like the one above when she and The Daughter were Younger than the Age Princess T is now.   This was also the Year they sat on Santa's Lap at The Mall and I haven't yet Found that Pix of The Happiest Mall Santa Ever!!!   *LMAO*   Then Mexican Andreas brought over some Tamales too, so we have Tamales for Days now.  He's a different Andreas/Andrase than The Daughter was with, but their Names are pronounced exactly the same.  So, being so NOT PC like our Family is, when she mentions one of them, we're like which Andreas/Andrase, Mexican Andreas or Black Andrase?  *LOL*   It reminds me of when my Blog Friend Shirley mentions her Granddaughter's MIL as White Gramma.  *Winks at Shirley*   Anyway, Andrase and The Daughter are on again and off again, since they've been like Oil and Water since they were Nine Years Old.  *LMAO*  He just bought a beautiful New House and she went to see it tho'. 

Their Breakups are always Epic and so Dramatic and Over-The-Top, last time they broke up he threatened to leave her in Mexico during their Road Trip there.  The Son had come along and both he and I had to coax Andrase not to abandon her in Rocky Point and to bring her back Home.  *LOL*   Listen, only she could make someone wanna leave her Ass behind in a Foreign Country, so, I'm not Judging.  I'm not saying it's Right, but... I've left her behind over the Years, when she's gone Mental, but, in the City.  *Bwahahaha*   And, he tends to be able to Trigger her and they've sparred since Grade School. He's had a major Crush on her since they were Nine.  She can be really Mean to him and he can be a real Jerk at times, so... when they Square Off, it's almost humorous at this point, coz they revert to acting like they're still Nine Years Old towards each other.  And I'm like, "Children!", to a Couple in their Mid-40's now!!!  *LMAOROTF*   I ask him Why he has to Wind her Ass Up when he knows he's poking The Beast?!   Apparently he enjoys Living Dangerously and on The Edge??!  *LOL* I like him but as a Couple, they Clash too much IMO and should just be Best of Friends.

For New Year's tho' the Kiddos had Friends over during the Day and had them all leave before it got Dark, so that we'd just have immediate Family here and a Quiet Evening.   I was Happier with that decision this Year, I didn't feel up to Hosting Company for New Years or making Plans for it either, we went nowhere all Day on purpose... except to pick up Princess T from Work at 11:00 a.m. coz SAVERS was Closing Early for New Year's Eve and they have New Year's Day Off.  The Son also had both New Year's Eve and New Year's Day Off Work.   If I were Well they'd probably have asked me to Work on New Year's Day coz they always have a Big Sale and it is one of the most well attended ones at our Antique Mall.   They have a "Cookie Toss" and have Beanbag Cookies you Toss into Holes on an Arcade Board to where you can Win anywhere from 5% to 20% Off your entire Purchase.   When I'm handing out the Winner's Tickets everyone is a Winner so they'll be sure to wanna then spend Money.  *Winks and Shhhhhhhhush, our Secret*

Listen, it's meant to be a Trade Stimulator, people like doing the Bean Bag Cookie Toss but if they don't Win they feel Let Down, nobody likes to feel like a Loser.  So I don't think there's any harm in slipping them a Coupon to get something Off their Purchase for Participating.   Nobody that Wins is NOT gonna wanna use their Winner's Ticket.   Especially those who get a good one.  *Winks and Smiles*   Some Staff that are Manning the Game are Uptight about whose a Winner or a Loser, I see no real Trade Stimulator Point in making anyone Feel like a Loser and disappointed.  It's meant to be Fun and the Thrill of Winning something they can use to get a Discount.  It's a Surprise if you end up saying, you were soooo close, so, here, Wink at them and they Happily then go off to spend Money and Buy something with their little Discount and the little Thrill that they still got a Win of some kind.  Even if it's only 5% or 10% and they really, really tried to get that stupid Beanbag in the Winning Holes.   *LOL*   Who Cares?  If Sales then are Up, Why would any Vendor then be Mad, or the Mall, since they get a Commission on our Sales.

I don't want anyone leaving without Buying something... and just mebbe it'll be from me and boost my Sales to kick off the start of a New Year.   Winner-Winner then, for the Customer and for Moi... or some other Vendor they use the Discount to Buy from.   Yes, we get some Vendors who Resent having to Honor Sales and Bitch about it.   But it's so petty and Honestly, if taking a small percentile off your Full Price is gonna sink ya, then perhaps you're not Pricing your Merch Right to begin with or you Paid too much for it to make a Profit Margin or are Greedy?   And, I've found those who Bitch the most about Honoring Sales also Bitch the most about having no Sales as well when nobody is Buying their Merch becoz of their Prices... so... just sayin'.   There are Vendors there I've never bought anything from either becoz they Price everything too high or are too in Love with their Merch, so seem to have an "I don't really wanna Sell it" Price on all of it.

When I hear any Vendor incessantly complaining that they don't Sell anything then I have to ask them to consider their Merch or their Prices.  If you keep doing the same thing and expecting different results then YOU are the Problem, not the Customer.   Stubborn refusal to be introspective about Why you aren't Selling anything means you're eventually gonna have to Fold or keep sustaining Losses.   And if you stubbornly refuse to Close Shop, the inevitable happens, Default and Seizure of Goods.  There are Vendors who literally Owe the Mall every Pay Period and run up enormous Debt for Rent they're not Selling enuf to even cover their basic expenses and go deeply into the Hole.  Some get all their Inventory Seized by the Mall if they run up so much Back Rent it's the only Hope the Mall has to recoup what is Owed to them becoz it's obvious they're too Indebted to Make Good on their Obligation and Contract with the Landlord.   Since it's Month to Month with no Lease, so minimal Risk, that's just foolishness or Insanity to me.

And usually it's a split between Vendors who are just Selling Crap nobody wants... or Vendors who have Good Merch just Priced too high and waiting for that End of the Rainbow Customer.   The Purists usually don't do Well either.  Yes, it's an Antique Mall, but Antiques haven't trended since about the 1980's and overall are Deaded.   So you have to Adapt to what's Trending or not Moving and adjust accordingly to your Demographic and what is Hot and what is Not.   Anything is only really Worth what someone is willing to Pay for it.  All the time I hear Vendors claiming something is worth such and such but if nobody is Buying it at those Prices anymore... it's Value is therefore Subjective and even Questionable.  It might have been Worth that in 1980, but some things go Up in Value and some go Down, it's the Nature of the Industry.  I like when "Antiques Roadshow" does Era Comparisons and Show what something was worth "Then" opposed to "Now", it can fluctuate vastly.

 

When something is Up and in Demand is when to Ideally Cash Out on it, once it Bottoms Out, well, you missed your Golden Opportunity and may never Recover later on.   Economics is like that, it has its Ups and Downs and a lot can dictate what causes that.   What is Popular also Trends Up and Down over the Years too and you can't always Predict with accuracy what may be the next Big Trend.   Those that Set Trends usually fare better than those that just Follow them and jump on the Bandwagon.  But, sometimes those who do keep their Finger on the Pulse and Follow Trends can do Well if they strike when it's Hot.  And even are good at replicating Repops of what is Hot and hard to obtain the Real Deal of.  Or, make Cheap Copies of to Sell in Volume to those that just want the Look and the Budget Knockoff of whatever it is.   China is Masterful at Mass Production of whatever is Trending in America and Cash in on it.  In our Disposable Society few Care that it's a Mass Produced inferior POS.

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Happy New Year 2025 my Friends... Dawn... The Bohemian