Small Businesses Self-Destruct

If I need milk or bread or get a sugar craving, I TRY and buy from small businesses, milkbars and the like. Without small businesses the big ones, charge whatever they want and corner the market.

Small businesses of the retail kind are dying, like moths to a flame. They are self-destructing.

The reasons for self-destruct vary, from limited opening hours, to dirtiness to (and the worst IMHO) overcharging OR in this mornings’ instance, charging without advertising a further $0.50 to use EFTPOS.

Doesn’t matter I paid the same price for the item as I would at a service station, they had the gall to charge $0.50 without ANY advertising, NOT written, NOT verbal.

I try and support small business, but how can I continue to do so, when businesses do this to you and me, the bread and butter of their business? Small business is not just about opening the doors and customers (suckers) walk in and pay elevated prices for the same thing, they can get elsewhere, it’s about a smile, not ripping your customers off and making sure the place is clean.

I’m calling out the milkbar in New Street, Reservoir, I shall never darken your doors again, I would rather travel a further 1km and buy from the milkbar in Yarra Avenue, East Reservoir, they smile, the place is clean AND lo and behold, I’m NOT penalised for using EFTPOS.

I know the rules were changed to allow you to recoup costs for the use of EFTPOS, but guess what? A smart business person would bury that cost in the product cost, NOT bury excess profit in the product cost AND THEN charge to use EFTPOS as well.

While I’m on a rant, people who have a minimum EFTPOS charge, you too are doing yourself out of business, most people have less than $30 in their pocket at any one time and this is reducing all the time.

Get with the times and learn what running a small business is all about.

My Favourite photos of the week in 2013 (Special 5 part edition!)

Taken by me for your enjoyment!

I was lucky to catch the shoots below, all taken at dusk and in sequence. A heron landing and settling for the night, near Marengo at Apollo Bay. Taken on the 25th January 2013.

Please do NOT copy any of the photos on this blog - if you would like to use any photos, please leave a comment with contact details, Photos will be supplied without watermark and at full size. All comments are moderated and photo requests won't be shown to the public. Thank-you

Please note that no photo has been photo-shopped or altered in anyway on this blog, cropped yes, photo-shopped/altered NO!

Enjoy all of natures beauty!

Please Feel free to follow the link to my Redbubble photos, available world-wide in many formats (Link Below)

Photographic Exhibition 23-25th August 2013 - Whittlesea, Victoria

I have been invited to participate in the Whittlesea Photography Group Exhibition.

Please feel free to attend, drag along some friends, if you drop me a line, I'll meet you there. Some of the work presented here will be available for sale, but mostly photos from RedBubble - PhotosbyEnigma will be available for you to view and buy if you wish.

I, along with the group will be presenting photos in loose format, frames, (various sizes) and also gift cards, local work, by local artists.

Please come and have a look!

My Favourite photos of the week in 2013

Taken by me for your enjoyment!

 

 Echidnas everywhere! Taken near Whittlesea. Taken on the 9th December 2012

 

 Kangaroo is silouhette. (big balls!)Near Whittlesea, taken on the 4th January 2013

 

 

 Cape Otway lighthouse as seem from the air. Taken on the 1st February 2013

 

 

Kangaroo on the move at sunset. Taken near Whittlesea. Taken on the 4th January 2013

 

 

Please do NOT copy any of the photos on this blog - if you would like to use any photos, please leave a comment with contact details, Photos will be supplied without watermark and at full size. All comments are moderated and photo requests won't be shown to the public. Thank-you

Please note that no photo has been photo-shopped or altered in anyway on this blog, cropped yes, photo-shopped/altered NO!

Enjoy all of natures beauty!

Please Feel free to follow the link to my Redbubble photos, available world-wide in many formats (Link Below)

My Favourite photos of the week in 2013

Taken by me for your enjoyment!

 

Echidna, I'm seeing them everywhere at the moment, Taken near Whittlesea. Taken on the 19th December 2012

 

Twelves Apostles taken from the air. Taken on the 1st February 2013

 

 

 

Plane propellor, the plane we took from Apollo Bay to see the Twelve Apostles! Taken on the 1st February 2013

 

 

Four ducks in a row at dusk! Taken in Marengo, near Apollo Bay. Taken on the 31st January 2013



Please do NOT copy any of the photos on this blog - if you would like to use any photos, please leave a comment with contact details, Photos will be supplied without watermark and at full size. All comments are moderated and photo requests won't be shown to the public. Thank-you

Please note that no photo has been photo-shopped or altered in anyway on this blog, cropped yes, photo-shopped/altered NO!

Enjoy all of natures beauty!

Please Feel free to follow the link to my Redbubble photos, available world-wide in many formats (Link Below)

I didn't want an iPhone

I really didn't……….. but I now own one

I wanted a phone that

1) Made calls
2) Took calls
3) Sent messages (in bulk)
4) Received messages
5) Had a calendar I could SYNC with MY PC and audible alarms
6) Alarm clock
7) Twitter
8) Able to tether to a PC
9) Store photos
9) SYNC OFF-LINE - VERY Important to me

I don’t think it's that hard? Do you?

Since Adam was a boy, I have had a new Nokia (1990's) every two years, never had a problem until 2011 when my handset decided to fail, no bluetooth and no tethering. Of course my telco couldn’t provide me with a 'loaner' that would do all of the above. After approaching TIO, the telco was quite amenable to my receiving a new handset (under contract) prior to contract finishing. So another Nokia it was - they have never failed me in the past.

2013 - 5 months before contract finishing, my Nokia died, wouldn’t charge and prior to that had problems with long phone calls. The charging was the crunch. Once again an argument ensued, thankfully sanity prevailed before I had to take the matter further. After reading and asking around, the only phone that would sync off-line was the Apple handset.

I now own an apple handset (64g) and 3 weeks later am already regretting the decision!

To make the phone work to my needs, I have had to purchase a song, an app for group texting, I had to become an expert in tweaking and changing file names to get a louder volume necessary for a calendar alarm.

So in three weeks, I have found the following 'problems' not evident in the Nokia models.

1)  Calendar alarm not loud enough

2)  Battery life is abysmal. A mobile is no longer mobile if it needs to be connected to a
      power source 24/7
3)  Needed to BUY an app to enable group messaging (up to 60 a week)
4)  Install iTunes
5)  Create folders on my PC solely for the purposes of syncing photos
6)  Can't 'drop' photos into the phone - must be synced
7)  Can't delete loaded photos from the phone, must be done from the PC
8)  Not all calendar alarms sound, pretty random in fact
9)  The keyboard for texting and twitter is awkward
10) Can't 'close' apps without intimate knowledge of the phone and how it works
11) Sites prefer apple, but I think they are close-minded IMHO
12) The 'Apps Store' is terrible, in fact forced to supply a credit card before I could
       DO ANYTHING
13) Can't hotspot unless to another apple product
14) Can only cable tether
15) Can't move stuff from 'back office' to the front page, just can't be done,
      Guess what? In Nokia you could

The only benefits I can see at the moment are:-

1) Siri - although can’t use in public, great for tweeting in private
2) The number of apps out there, but really how many are THAT useful?
3) The calculator has nice big buttons
4) I can get my custom made case now! with one of my photos
    Custom iPhone cases - by ME!
5) The do not disturb function is pretty good too

But besides that, See my problem?

I was anti-apple before and guess what? - even more so now. I pity my family and friends for the next two years.

That is all

My Favourite photos of the week in 2013

Taken by me for your enjoyment!

 

Port Albert (near Welshpool) Victoria. Taken on the 4th July 2012, with a fujifilm X10 camera ,using panorama

 

 

Twelve Apostles from the air. Taken on the 1st January 2013

 

Twelve Apostles from the air. Taken on the 1st January 2013

 

Twelve Apostles from the air. Taken on the 1st January 2013


Please do NOT copy any of the photos on this blog - if you would like to use any photos, please leave a comment with contact details, Photos will be supplied without watermark and at full size. All comments are moderated and photo requests won't be shown to the public. Thank-you

Please note that no photo has been photo-shopped or altered in anyway on this blog, cropped yes, photo-shopped/altered NO!

Enjoy all of natures beauty!

Please Feel free to follow the link to my Redbubble photos, available world-wide in many formats (Link Below)