You know that giant American Flag that has covered the front of the New York Stock Exchange since shortly after the September 11th terrorist attacks?
Well apparently that particular American flag is not so much a memorial as it is a placeholder for corporate promotion opportunities. Consider it a patriotic version of the ubiquitous “Your ad [...]
Posts under ‘MINUTEMEN UPDATE’
The American Flag or "Your Ad Here?"
MINUTEMENT UPDATE: Future finally arrives
Know what sucks? When you’re flipping through a magazine to look at the celebrity pictures and a colorful ad catches your eye—and you’re compelled to read the text to figure out what the ad is selling and how you can buy it.
I know it bums me out.
Thankfully, the great men and women on Madison Avenue [...]
Cooler heads previal
Walking down Broadway in 90 degree heat earlier this week, I came to have a deeper appreciation of the American retail tactic of luring customers into shops by blasting air conditioning out of open doors. As it was particularly sticky that day, I was happy when my walk brought me to the boutique-lined blocks of [...]
The American Dream is alive and well. Here is the proof:
Q: How can you possibly make something as American as a Super-sized Big Mac meal with a coke better?
A: By delivering it. … for free.
That’s right. That is a picture of a real life McDonald’s employee delivering a meal, complete with delicious McDonald’s fountain drinks to a grateful customer.
Three words: God Bless America!
What is more American: Big Gulps or Credit Cards?
Big Gulps and using your credit card for everything are two pillars of the American way of life. But a story in today’s New York Times reports that the companies that brought you the Big Gulp and promulgated no-fee (to the consumer) credit cards are at loggerheads.
At issue: interchange fees.
If you’re a regular reader of [...]
MINUTEMENT UPDATE: Because eight pop choices is not enough
Have you ever gone up to a self-serve soda fountain and thought that the six to eight choices typically offered are insufficient?
Well, neither have I.
But one of the great things about America is that deep the the research labs of our big companies there are thousands of scientists finding solutions to problems we didn’t even [...]
MINUTEMEN UPDATE: American capitalism alive and well
American capitalism has had a hard year of it.
The auto industry is going bankrupt. Retailers are shutting their doors. Our banks are run by the treasury department. Even Circuit City, the company that brought us such useful things as the DIVX video player (you remember that, don’t you?), is liquidating.
It seems like the Great Recession [...]
MINUTEMEN UPDATE: European-style credit card fees averted
Early this afternoon the United States Senate overwhelmingly passed a new credit card regulation bill. Initial reports of the legislation seem to indicate that the Durbin amendment to permit merchants European-style credit card fees did not make the cut.
Instead, the bill seems to mandate “further study of interchange fees.”
ACTION ALERT: Senators aim to introduce European-style credit card fees
One of the great things about America is that you can use a credit card anywhere, for almost any purchase and merchants don’t charge you a fee.
In fact, merchants are contractually prohibited from charging you either a fee to use your card or mandating a minimum purchase amount, though lots of treasonous types try to [...]
Chain restaurants in NYC: Saturation point or starting point?
The Center for an Urban Future has a new study out showing the number of chain restaurants and stores in New York City. Here are some of the highlights for Manhattan.
(Here is the report for the whole city)
Store———– Outlets in Manhattan————–Outlets/Square Mile
Starbucks 193 [...]