Why I Think Bricks and Mortar Businesses are Struggling

This week, as part of my Valentine's gift to myself, I ordered a bike trainer from Amazon. I truly would have got one in town, but the cheapest in town was at Canadian Tire for $199.00 plus tax. Other places had them upwards $300.00 plus tax. I paid less than $300.00 for my entire bike. My bike trainer from Amazon cost $89.95. I added the front wheel riser for around $15. In total my order including tax and shipping was about $140.00.

I find bricks and mortar businesses are often not in tune with consumer needs. The one I ordered is supposed to be fairly quiet. The one at Canadian Tire is apparently so noisy one can't hear a TV over it or use it well in a condo/apartment building. What made them choose to only stock one option of the many available? I intend to get in shape while catching up on the plethora of TV shows I'm behind in. I don't think it's unusual for people to do cardio workout while watching TV either. If it was, the gyms wouldn't have TVs in the cardio area.

I also wonder why the bike-only shops either don't carry them at all or only have the super expensive ones. It feels like they want to discourage indoor biking. I'm not one for winter biking. It's too cold, wet, and slippery for my liking. I know some people bike all year round, but I never enjoyed biking to work as I'd just end up all sweaty with no way to clean up and usually got rained on.

I'm eagerly awaiting my bike trainer. To be clear, a bike trainer lets you use your regular bike as an indoor stationary bike. It's great for getting in shape during the winter months and I wish I would have ordered it sooner as my area was under such heavy construction that I didn't want to bike at all last summer.

I have more housework to do before it arrives, but this post was a nice breather. Time for some water and then I'll get back at it.

Ciao,
R~

2020 Vision

Mostly, I’ve been planning for the new year, but I discovered I know Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. It was a recollection under the influence that brought this to light. I also discovered I still suck at drawing, but I’m okay with that. I used to think I had to be good at everything, and I’ve realized that’s just not so. Some friends and I recently hit up a local board game pub. It was a pretty fun night. The first game was Balderdash and I was terrible at it. Because I was the writer in the group, some of my friends thought I should be more embarrassed about it and hide the fact that I don’t spend all my free time learning advanced vocabulary. But I’m not upset about it. Why? Two reasons: 1. I now know what I don’t know. 2. If one takes a close look at the top selling novels on the market, the level of the language used is not the level of many of the words in Balderdash. Not that I’m comparing my own work to those, but audience is what matters in writing. To me, it is far better to e...

Fortifying Friday - Rejection

Yesterday, I received my first rejection from an agent. It stung. It wasn't that it was bad. It was worded in a way that it may have even been personally written. Regardless, rejection never feels good unless you were secretly hoping to stay home and do nothing when a friend made plans with you. Then it feels great! I might be an introvert ;) Anyway, it hurts a bit extra when you have other things going on. Between the worries of the state of the world and being unemployed, it felt much like being kicked while I was already down. The agent said she couldn't connect with my book though she really wanted to. She also said not to take her rejection as any kind of sign that I should give up. It was nice as far as rejections go. So, I lay there for a bit. Then I let my friends know via social media. Several said that I had hit a milestone and I should try to collect as many as possible this year. Rejections, they said, were a badge of honour awarded for putting myself out there. See...

Thoughtful Thursday - Dental Access

I haven't made use of it yet as I discovered it only this week, but there are free dental screenings in Ottawa for people who have a low income. I'm not sure what happens at these things, but I imagine they're rather like the once or twice yearly visits we had in grade school from the health unit where they checked our teeth. Anyway, I thought I'd mention that in case anyone is in need. There is a schedule with the locations listed and I'm guessing it's hard to get there early enough to get seen, but I'll check it out soon. I've been using dental products that are supposed to repair and whiten. I'm unsure they are working, but I figured they were worth a try. Also, I hear if you add activated charcoal to your toothbrush before the toothpaste, it helps whiten too. It makes a hell of a mess, but I tried it. I think it might take a while to whiten, but my teeth are definitely cleaner, so I think it really does help with plaque. Activated charcoal is als...

Rae Roy

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