Preach to the Unconverted

I could have gone to an International Women's Day breakfast on Friday.  Why didn't I?  Because any of the speakers that morning would have been preaching to me what I already know ... that women are still not being treated equally, either at home or in the workplace. Sure, I could have learnt a few new stats, but no matter how you cut it, it's still the same root issues.

Organisations that buy tables at these International Women's Day functions should really have some sort of plan for who should attend. (Not run around/mass spam employees desperately trying to fill these seats).

Of course, anyone who wants to go should go, but, attending a breakfast is not going to narrow a nearly 20% pay gap.  Awareness is the first step. This is what the networking sessions should be used for. Those who are already converts, should be championing for changes back in their workplaces.

So, who should be tapped on the shoulder to attend?

1. Middle managers - those responsible for teams at the front line. It's your people who require work/life balance, who ask for pay rises, who negotiate salaries at time of appointment.
2. Self-proclaimed non-feminists or those who don't believe in a gender pay gap or flexible work.
3. People being counselled for discrimination.
4. The leadership or management team - lead by example.
5. The grads (graduates) fresh out of uni - the pay gap starts after year 1 in the workforce.

Business Dictating when to have a Family

You can tell a lot by an organisation by the perks and incentives it offers its employees. Only a few weeks ago, Virgin announced a very generous perk of unlimited leave*.

I heard today that both Apple and Facebook are adding to the ‘perks’ of working at their companies, the option to freeze women’s eggs.

Of course it is offensive when the choice of a woman (or a man) is taken away or even hinted at.   

However, it’s not the freezing part, that annoys me about this.  It’s the fact that organisations still don’t think about structuring their work in family friendly ways.

Giving women the option (and even hinting) to defer having a family is a band aid solution as opposed to acknowledging the structural issues.  What about the extra assistance parents need in order to work? Where is the childcare close to or at the office? How do you engage parents in business goings-on while on parental leave?

I guess it is cheaper to freeze their eggs than to restructure the business and culture.  

*I am sure there are T’s & C’s attached to this, however, I don’t know too much detail.

Source:

http://www.theguardian.com/money/us-money-blog/2014/oct/14/apple-facebook-pay-women-employees-freeze-eggs

Art Naming

I’ve often wondered while strolling through an art gallery, how some of the art pieces get their name.

Do the artists name it? Is it something that needs to be easily translatable?

Sure, there are some more interesting names for some art works but most of the time, I find their names very literal and straight to the point.

Haystacks - Claude Monet

Woman in front of Van Gough's Sunflowers - Isaac Israels

The Thinker - Auguste Rodin

Is there a naming convention they must adhere to?

The word ‘art’ and pieces of art already brings up so many adjective to our minds, so maybe art naming is about the noun?

I know if I was an artist and I painted something, I wouldn’t want it to be so …. literal, and all in English!

This got me thinking, what if we applied this type of 'art naming' to our lives? To our social media posts? The food we eat? It would greatly simplify the complexity in our lives.

Images from Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Awkward & Cliche Travelling

As a traveller, not only do I like to see the off-the-beaten-track stuff, but I also go to see the cliche post card places.  Eiffel Tower, Charles Bridge, London Eye, Sydney Opera House, Times Square.  Can you really say you have been to Paris if you haven't seen the Eiffel Tower?

Visiting the cliche places make me pinch myself.  I get a feeling of disbelief.  Am I actually there?

London - The Shard, The Eye and a Cab

The first 1 or 2 seconds of seeing the site is the OMG moment. Awe-struck, mouth agape, eyes are wide.  Realisation sets in that I am finally at that place, in that city.

When realisation settles in, I want to "scream and shout and let it all out".  It's like an explosion of happiness!!  I'm just so happy and just so cliche.  Everyone else around me is pretty much experiencing the same or has just finished experiencing the same.  All I can do is stare amongst the masses.  I am insignificant, surrounded by an insignificant crowd, watching and staring at the significant.

I don't know what to say apart from being cliche at the cliche.
"It's so much bigger than I thought"
"It's smaller than I thought"
"Wow, look how tall it is"
(Awkwardness generally sets in when you realise even your response is cliche staring at the cliche.)

I was on the Metro when I first saw the Eiffel Tower. It was beautiful, set a few kilometres away amongst the grey buildings, green trees. Picture postcard perfect and I feel that it easily could have been a scene from a movie.  Seeing the White House, it was small, much smaller than I thought, but then it was my perspective of seeing it from many metres away. 


Long after I have returned, watching TV or a movie, when I catch a glimpse of an iconic landmark that I have been to, I know that I have been but was it in a dream? I feel that I was transported into a postcard and was walking around it. 

Loch Ness - So beautiful, but my Nessie made it memorable!

The only time when the awkward and cliche doesn't work is when there is an anomaly or extraordinary event.  When the visit you make to that site, doesn't look like you''re walking through a brochure or movie. Either it is raining or something funny/memorable happens, that's when it is so much more real, it wasn't the perfect atmosphere but it was perfect for you at that time.





Photos taken from:
http://ak7.picdn.net/shutterstock/videos/2614409/preview/stock-footage-aerial-view-of-the-city-of-paris-with-the-eiffel-tower-in-the-distance.jpg
The London Shard/Eye photo and Loch Ness photo were taken by myself earlier this year.

Gone Too Far: Red Carpet Camera

I like looking at what the celebrities wear.  Glamorous, sparkly dresses, dresses I would only dream of wearing.  Gucci, Pucci, Dior and more.

All the celebrity reporters do it, however, today the team at E! took it a bit too far at the SAG awards. 30 seconds into the interview, the camera's that pan-down, focus on the dress, cutting out her head.   She then bends down (a-la, my face is up here, not down there) and tells off the camera man that nothing special is down there and if he does that to the men walking down the red carpet.

Who wore it best? Cate with a head? or Cate without her head? 

 

               

Now kudos to E! for publishing the story themselves, however, don't forget, its the person that really "wears" the dress or suite.  It's their smile, confidence and a certain je ne sais quoi.


Story from: 
http://au.eonline.com/news/501154/cate-blanchett-calls-out-e-s-red-carpet-glam-cam-at-2014-sag-awards-what-do-you-think-is-happening-down-there

http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2014/01/cate-blanchett-wins-the-sag-awards-2014-red-carpet---gif.html

Image from:
http://www.thequeenofstyle.com/quee/2014/01/go-ahead-copy-cate-blanchetts-sag-awards-hairstyle.html

Vision for Sydney

I got a little outraged today.
The front pages of today's Sydney Morning Herald was an ad for "The Star" and the casino's full spread on their "vision for our city".

The Star wanted to tell us Sydneysiders how they will aim to provide us with world-class attractions, (I.E. a bigger casino) connecting us (I.E. building a new footbridge) and making an economy out of Pyrmont, Darling Harbour and Barangaroo (I.E. where another casino is being developed).

Welcome to Sydney's Las Vegas district!
It's bad enough Crown Casino/the Packer family are pretty much doing what they want in the Barangaroo site, now The Star has decided that they want to further profit, albeit from the misfortunes of others.

I also found the ad was posted in poor taste. Immediately above The Star's ad for opulence and pie-in-the-sky ideas was Mr and Mrs Mia who barely make any money per day. The Mia's work sewing clothes in Bangladesh for major fashion houses.  The money spent on this ad could have gone in improving WH&S, training and better infrastructure for their buildings.

It's fairly obvious that more development and infrastructure is needed for Sydney, but should we Sydneysiders be dictated to by massive corporations? Should casinos and business at least work hand-in-hand with local council and state government to build new developments? How expensive will it be for the local to access this area?

There are some of us living in Sydney (the world) who are ethical, who don't want to do business with casinos and organisations promoting gambling.  I try to avoid visiting casinos and pokies in clubs and my investments are invested in a socially responsible manner. 

I think that the people spending hours at a time at establishments like this, hoping for their luck to turn is very sad. It's poor form for casino's to capitalise on this and to dictate what developments they want to make to OUR city, especially when the buildings, parks and hotels are built at the profit of these wishful hopers, gambling addicts and misfortunes of casual punters.

Inappropriate Sorry

"Sorry" doesn't always seem to be the hardest word*. Sorry seems to be quite an overused word.

The word Sorry has it's place in society.  The word Sorry is used when something is regrettable, unfortunate, sympathetic or tragic.

I've seen young women or the "good girls" (& "good boys") use the word sorry - but use it in a seemingly inappropriate way.  It tends to be used incorrectly used by those who are unassertive or those who don't want to ruin someones train of thought or when things take a tangent.  It's generally the unassertive, passive female who wants to be liked & takes on an "observer" status. I've come across this on multiple occasions especially in a professional capacity working in HR.

Sorry doesn't have a place when you feel that you're an inconvenience in a paid or professional situation.  Sorry doesn't have a place when you have a deadline & you need someone to deliver a piece of work. Sorry doesn't have a place when you need your leave (annual or other) signed off.

It's something I have been aware of when I talk or interact with others. I used to be guilty of it myself.

I will not be sorry for things that I need to get the job done. I'll ask politely but I will not be sorry that you didn't adhere to the timeline.
I will not be sorry for doing the awkward side-step when you come face-to-face with a stranger in your path. I'll smile & (eventually) move out of their way.
I will not be sorry for accessing a work related entitlements such as being paid fairly or have my leave signed off. I will ask politely, provide the necessary proof & be reasonable in my time frame for when it can be rectified.



References:
* Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word - Elton John
www.dictionary.com
http://www.thegrindstone.com/2012/10/11/career-management/apologizing-at-work-bad-369/

Equal Pay for Equal Work

The Feminist movement has pushed the "Equal Pay for Equal Work" for many years. It's still needed today with so many pay discrepancies in our work force between the genders. 

However, it's the Tennis that has got me puzzled.

A normal game of Women tennis is to play best out of 3 matches.  A normal game of Men's tennis is to play best out of 5 matches.  Last night, Novak Djokovic was the victor in an epic 5 hour match with Stanislas Wawrinka.  Would the women's matches ever reach that duration?  

No matter what round they exit, no matter if Women play 2 or 3 or the Men play 3 or 4 or 5, they get the same prize money. 

I did the maths, that's not equal pay for equal work.


References:
http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/event_guide/prize_money.html

Zero Dark Two - Years

Australian & other coalition troops are still in Afghanistan.  We're there help create stability in the country, empower people to take democratic control of the country.  Our troops are there to ensure that the Taliban are not in control & to prevent them from resurging. 

It's been just short of 2 years since Osama Bin Laden was killed.  Since his death, 566 soldiers were killed in 2011 and last year, 405 soldiers were killed in Afghanistan, 44 of them were Australian.  As Australians, we knew& heard about every time when one was killed, it happened too often.

The movie "Zero Dark Thirty" was recently released in the US, with Australia's premier to follow soon.

My understanding of the movie & what the previews tell me is that this movie is about the lead up to & the 'capture' of Osama Bin Laden.

The 405 deaths last year tell me that something is still happening in Afghanistan. Sure, the Taliban leader, Osama Bin Laden is dead, however his followers or people who agreed with his views are still around.  Still around & causing harm to our troops. Our troops who are still there, present in Afghanistan.

To release a 'Hollywood' movie, to celebrate the capture & killing of a leader who still has clout in Afghanistan & some other Middle-Eastern countries makes me think that our troops could possibly be in more danger. It's a bit like rubbing it in their faces in it.  We also saw what happened last year when an Anti-Muslim You Tube clip was released.

I think its too soon to have a movie based on or about the whole thing. 
Our troops are still present in Afghanistan.
At present, I'm boycotting.



Acknowledgements:
Soldier deaths taken from: http://icasualties.org/OEF/ByYear.aspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero_Dark_Thirty
 

 

Travel Regrets

We scrimp and save to buy our house. We want the best of the current Apple or Samsung range.  We buy that pair of shoes ... but do we buy that ticket to Crete or Uruguay? Unfortunately, we don't. 

Not travelling or not travelling enough is (generally) the biggest regret people have. It's the experiences missed out on, not the objects missed out.

I tell many of my friends who are umm'ing and ahhh'ing about their possible travel plans, that you will NEVER regret the travel you do, good or bad.  Its the stories to tell when things go awry, the tales of meeting interesting characters and the exotic food we long for after our trip is over.

I recently came back from a trip to the United States. It was never really high on my list of places to see, however, New York was up there. What happened when I was there?  Hurricane Sandy is what happened.  House bound, no access to public transport, no power. I don't regret going at that time, I don't regret being holed up in my apartment for 2 days and I don't regret all the camaraderie and bonds developed with the New Yorkers knowing that we survived!

Go book that trip, see that monument, meet those people. It's never a waste of money and you're never going to regret that trip!



Inspired by:
http://www.ivillage.com.au/our-top-10-regrets/156784?utm_source=iVillage.com.au&utm_campaign=252c1183d6-ivillage_newsletter&utm_medium=email

Rape & Society

No one asks to be raped, assault, or harassed or even robbed. 

Feminists & others say that regardless of what we wear or what we do, no one should be raped or assaulted. Agreed. This is obvious.  However, what we fail to recognise is the fact that there are people out there who will rape & harass, assault & steal, despite education & knowing right-from-wrong.

Education to change views & society wide interventions may eradicate some but not all instances.  I agree, that more education & awareness campaigns needs to occur, especially in the realm of date rape & understanding what exactly consent entails.  However, until these measures start gaining results or at least have a wider awareness through our society, it is naive to think that this will not happen.

Those who are or potentially are guilty of these crimes should know 100% what they are doing is wrong

Fact is, to a certain degree, we do need to dress a certain way to avoid leering & sexually based comments.  I feel that if you show tonnes of cleavage & wear tiny skirts, you are (to a certain extent) warranting attention of the sexual kind.  It is definitely not a signal to the world that you want to be raped or you're "up for it" however it is naive to think this will portray an asexual image of you & you will not be at least leered at.  

I like to go out, I like to explore new places, even going out at night.  However, it is naive to think that I will be safe walking through places like Hyde Park or a street in Redfern alone at night.  There are countries that it is unsafe to go to due to domestic conflict, it is naive to think that you can hold your own & walk down a street in Syria or Afghanistan without the potential of being harmed.

It's not an excuse, these issues should not be issues for us & should not be happening in our society, however this is idealist & naive.


Referenced from:
http://www.dailylife.com.au/news-and-views/dl-opinion/women-deserve-to-be-raped-20120917-260yt.html
http://www.madisonmag.com.au/assets/images/articles/blog/sexual-harassment_1.jpg
http://www.madisonmag.com.au/blogs/sexual-harassment-is-everyones-problem.htm

09/10/2012

P.S.

Its scary knowing that a few days after I wrote this that a Melbourne woman was raped & murdered on her way home from a night out.  Again, I'm not blaming the victim, I do this myself, however, it is naive to think that these things will never happen. Precautions should be taken & when travelling at night, alone as a woman.

... Spend a little time with ME.

There is a concept that my sister and I follow. Its called a "Me Day". A Me Day is when you plan to go off on your own and be your own best friend. It's liberating and can be quite an eye opener too.

I have had Me Days where I go off and explore a different part of Sydney.  I sometimes go off & have a coffee and read a book.  Some Me Days I go shopping, swim at the beach, watch a movie and I even travel by myself.

I have told many people that I often go to the cinema and see a movie by myself. Some people feel awkward, they feel sorry for me and some even say that I should call them if I am going solo. I figure that you dont really talk to someone during the movie and the only time you do interact with others is right before and right after the movie.

The first time I went to the movies by myself was on a Saturday night. It was terrifying and at the same time it taugh me a lot about myself, especially that no one really cares if you are alone at the movies and if they do see you alone, it only stays with them a few seconds.

I do sometimes feel self conscious eating by myself but it's nothing that a book or communal dining can't solve.

I'm travelling again in a few weeks ... yeah, sometimes I wish I could share my oohhhhs & ahhhs with someone else but travelling by myself pushes me to interact with more people.  I strike up conversations & often am motivated by the fact that I'll never see them again or they can blame me for being a tourist.

My biggest concern when travelling is who will take photos of me?

Hijabs and the Olympics

"Hijab outlawed: Saudi judo competitor refused permission to wear head scarf" (SMH 27/07/2012)

What should have been the article: Celebrating the fact that women for the first time are competing from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar.
Instead ... we get this, fuelling sentiment that Hijabs are not welcome even on the international arena.

I understand that it is in relation to safety, but it's the way it is phrased and presented.
Why cant the Olympics be inclusive and allow her to wear what Cathy Freeman wore when she ran in 2000?

Some women go to great lengths to maintain their right to wear a Hijab and cover their head and then on the international stage for the Olympics there is no alternative? Must they choose either to expose their head or not participate? It's not very in the spirit of accepting all athletes to the Olympic Games!!

References:

http://www.smh.com.au/olympics/news-london-2012/hijab-outlawed-saudi-judo-competitor-refused-permission-to-wear-head-scarf-20120727-22we3.html

Going Solo

Trend has it, that over time, more & more Australians (even around the world) will be living alone. Winners will be those who cater for the single dweller in the house & those who go out & about, alone.

Recently, I was in Melbourne & the name of this trendy restaurant kept popping up. It initially caught my attention as it was mentioned to cater to the solo traveller. (which was me!) It's hard walking into a place & asking for a table for one, even harder walking in to a place that's super trendy and full of people.

So I walked into Cumulus Inc.
I was seated at one of the bars, food portions were scaled back to suite the solo dinner, the wait staff were attentive, a little chatty & they gave me a copy of their cookbook to flip through.

Great food & great experience ... can't wait to get enough nerve to walk into another cool place.
It's hard but glad I did it.

Art-y Farty

I went to public school, I was never really exposed to art unless it was through my parents & more through my father.
My first trip to see an art exhibition was to see the Turner exhibition in Canberra.

Lots of pastels, big old-school nautical ships and assorted watercolours. To 10 year old .... boring but also a bit of a novelty (the audio phone part before mobile phones).

Flashing forward to last weekend, I was in Canberra to see the Renaissance exhibition. A highly publicised exhibition displaying the works of Raphael, Botticelli & some others.  It was good, not as vast & diverse as I thought but glad that I saw it. 

Going to Canberra "to see the art" got me thinking, when did I start to appreciate art? And more importantly ... am I forging a hobby in art snobbery?  (But then why else would you go to Canberra?)

Recent exhibitions I have been to were the Masterpieces from Paris, Van Gough, Turner to Monet. I've also been to the Rijksmuseum, The National Art Centre in Tokyo, the Van Gough Museum.  A lot of my art appreciation came from travelling however, its also the colours, vibrancy and at times the sheer scale of some of the canvases.

You can tell that I'm a Van Gough/Monet girl. I can't describe it too well, but its just the colours and seeing the world through a delicate lens.  It also helps that the bulk of the paintings are inspired by France and French lifestyle.

One of the clinchers for appreciating art is when you "get it" or it amazes you or you want to be a character or in the painting.  I felt that when I first really looked at Klimt's The Kiss.   It's the stuff fairytales are made of - as a romantic female, I wanted to be that woman.

However, I also get that feeling when I see the big blockbuster art pieces like Monet's Waterlilies or Da Vinci's Mona Lisa & you want to pinch yourself. You can't believe you're seeing this major piece of art with your own eyes.   It makes you awe struck. It makes you feel insignificant.  It makes you want to buy the $10 version in the gift shop & decorate your walls with it.


Images taken from:
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTF0HQGP1LamMjZSe71X6a5pBMESahy7V2PxO_AeW_bl9f3amBhQA
http://marionblackburn.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/VanGoghBranchesAlmondTree.jpg
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/k/klimt/kiss.jpg

Diversity on TV

On Q&A last week (Monday 20th June, ABC) Josh Thomas made an interesting statement.
He said that by watching reality TV, he got an insight into who other people are. He even mentioned that growing up where he did, the first Muslim he got to know/see was via TV.

I wonder what he was watching ... it’s all well and good if the commercial TV networks actually put someone on TV who is NOT your stereotypical: middle income, Anglo-Saxon who conforms to societies ways.

Apart from SBS (and at times the ABC), pretty much all other channels conform to this stereotypical image of what Australians should look like. That is ... apart from the 'token' person.  When we view American & British TV, there is a bit more diversity but our diversity highs are when the commercial channels televise a comedy festival!

There are some really interesting people on TV,  I don't want to define people by their race but surely we can make more dramas or comedies with a reflection of who 'Australians' really are.

Poor Female Self Image

I found this on the back cover of the Sun Herald yesterday. (Sunday 5th June 2011).

Taking photoshop and editing too far .... How skinny DOES she have to be?
Skinny enough to dissolve her knees.  Really, look closely, she has no knees.

It's still blatently obvious that a normal human figure is repulsive on the cover (or back) of publications.
What's wrong with knees? I assume she has them, but I cannot see her patella, her knee dimples ... nothing.

Role Model Fail

Beyonce has been in her second job for a while now. She is helping Michelle Obama on a campaign to reduce childhood obesity in the "Let's Move" program.

Re-making video clips to make it more fun & easier for the kids to follow her dance moves.  Great idea! 

Although, it's a case of do as I say, not as I do.  It's a shame that Beyonce cannot always 'move'.  

Beyonce was one of the hundreds of celebrities at the Met Gala last week.  She looked great but ... at what cost?

    

 

As you can see ... Beyonce wore a dress that was soooo tight, she could not move. She couldn't even climb up the stairs herself!

 

What message does this send to the kids? What message does it send to those who think they are too fat? What message does it send to those who look to her for fashion advice? Or to those who want to be like her? 

It's sending such a clear message that if you want to look beautiful, you loose your independence. 

 

Looking beautiful means you need help climbing up the stairs (even help going to the toilet). 

 

References:

http://www.letsmove.gov/

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/gossip/2011/05/beyonce-dress-met-gala-michelle-obama.html

More popular than Coca-Cola?

As an average Australian, we are exposed to a barrage of logos over our life.  Generally, we know who are the biggest players from their advertising.  They're the Coca Cola's, McDonald's of the world.

I got some new ones. Ones that are EVERYWHERE!


It's not Facebook in the way you post your updates & add new friends.
It's Facebook the brand.

There is a good chance these days, if you see an ad (print, on tv or online), you will see an ad within an ad. That ad within the ad is a plug to log onto Facebook.



If you want more info about the company, these days, they are more likely to point you in the direction of Facebook than to their own website. "Like us on Facebook", "Keep up to date at facebook.com/(insertcompanyname)".

We take EFTPOS for granted. We all think, it's just a method of payment like credit card. Not so. Eftpos turns out is like Pay pal, set up and run by their own business.

Their logo is EVERYWHERE too.
So why am I all of a sudden stating the obvious?


Well, recently, EFTPOS have been releasing their own branded advertising, pointing out the fact that you save more of your own money with them.

They are not a synonymous with cash or card.  They are a business & like all of them, they disseminate their identity where ever they can, mainly at all points of sale.

I've heard statistics saying that the world Coca-Cola is the second or fifth most used word. It's word-of-mouth count is nothing compared to the others.  I don't have empirical evidence but I would like to say, I disagree.

Wanting to pay via EFTPOS or to Facebook stalk someone is now so ingrained in our everyday conversations & actions. People would easily say these multiple times a day. Now compare that to how many times a day do people say I want a Coca Cola?

These advertising behemoths better watch their backs!!



Logo taken from / References:
http://www.facebook.com/brandpermissions/logos.php#!/downloadtracker/download.php?rid=48&hash=6hFX2ZSJI3T_
http://www.043turning.com.au/images/uploads/INDEX/Eftpos.jpg
http://www.sefiani.com.au/news/eftpos-launches-first-advertising-campaign-in-23-year-history/

Borders - How to get people in & buying

The WWF needs to add a new endangered species to its list, the book store.
Borders and Angus & Robertson going into voluntary liquidation, closing so many of their stores & now selling off everything in their physical stores.
It's a shame, we're losing an icon.

I love going into Borders - heading over to Gloria Jeans with a stack of magazines to flip through while I sip my mocha chiller. Good for me however, clearly not helping Borders with their financial troubles.


In my view, this is where Borders has gone wrong & what they could do to improve.

• Cheaper books & they need to be competitive. Dymocks, Co-Op book shops & the Independents are going relatively well and books are now available for much cheaper in Target, Big W & Kmart.
• Engage more with the community. Have more authors dropping in, book signings, children's reading time, establish or facilitate book clubs.
• Send out more tailored email communications. It's currently sent out as one size fits all. Inform us what is going on at our local stores, what are the big sellers of the week, let us tailor our mail to know what new Sci-Fi or Biographies are coming out.
• Attach coupons to our membership/loyalty cards - don't make us waste paper and print out the coupon.
• Don't diversify your range to include home wares & gifts. Stick to Books/Movies/Music/Magazines, cut the stationery lines.

Photo taken from:
http://resources1.news.com.au/images/2011/02/17/1226007/709341-borders-bookstore.jpg