len_mullen

Fedex just delivered. One more pickup at Target and I am done.

I stopped in to Walmart yesterday to pick up my last order from that retailer. My previous visit conjured images of Idiocracy as red lights flashed over cash registers backed up into the aisles and people entered pickup information into a kiosk which transmitted nothing while employees took orders on hand held devices. I feared for the worst this time as car lines blocked the traffic light at the entrance and cars meandered up and down the parking lot waiting for a spot to open. Instead, I walked to the back of a crowded store, entered my information into a working kiosk, and was handed my package within a minute. I glanced towards the registers on my way out. Packed but moving and no red lights. It seems like a lot of people just figured out that Thanksgiving came late this year and are scrambling to get a weeks worth of shopping done in an afternoon. I have to say, though, that people were cheerful and shelves were stocked. Will be interesting to see the final numbers on this shopping season. I suspect estimates will be revised up as a lot of buying is still happening three days before Christmas. Like too many others, I have a lot of items which should have been delivered 'in transit'. One arrived yesterday and two are finally 'out for delivery', but it makes me nervous that they are both on Fedex trucks. Fedex is having a terrible year. I have seen a lot of Amazon trucks on the road this year. And USPS trucks are on the road every day of the week at every hour of the day. Probably says the economy and consumer confidence are better than we are hearing. Merry Christmas. Late packages are first world problems.

Shopping is done, but thanks for reminding me of an item I needed to order. Very short BF-Christmas this year. I should have been sitting pretty with two weeks off this month, but I spent most of the time off sick in bed and am just a little bit behind. My oldest coerced me into spending Saturday with Skywalker. Fortunately, I perform best under pressure!

Rewards programs are situational. It's good that you are aware that Elite is not working for you. Time to move on. 2020 will be my last year as a Staples Rewards member. My situation has evolved. No longer worth the effort for me. I need a link to this. Probably an explanation too. I would be curious as to what you bought, built, and spent (including OS). I planned an upgrade then ended up tweaking an OTS system. I still have one machine to upgrade and am curious what you did. Merry Christmas!

In my opinion, Kohls has mastered the B&M+Online model. As a merchant, they do so many things so well, it's simply a delight to do business with Kohls. Their phone app is second to none.

Now that my orders are arriving, I am dealing with all the packaging. My town's waste management company published an instruction to help us 'do a better job recycling.' (Which prompted me to respond that I was not in the recycling business urging them to work with the shippers to DO A BETTER JOB PACKAGING.) Obviously, Apple tops the Naughty list. It shouldn't require a two wheeler to get airpods from the mailbox. Amazon is right behind -- pretending their electronics products are Apple. Amazon's packages are sealed with tape that cannot easily be separated from the recyclable materials. Real PITA. So far, Staples and Target top the Nice list. I bought a 10.1" Echo Show from Staples. The Staples box was cardboard sealed with a rubbery plastic tape that stretched and pulled off the box. Target uses paper packing tape, so no need to separate at all. I bought a 'Hyper Drive' from Best Buy which was packed in an envelope. 100% landfill, but there wasn't much of it. Unfortunately, the package inside was damaged. How is your stuff coming?

Wow on the prize list and congratulations to the winners.New contest: which retailer will wittenlover choose?

I almost forgot!

In the 'olden days' a bunch of us geeks would stand in line at Staples for free-after-rebate discs and steeply discounted computer parts. After a while, closets filled and enthusiasm wane. We would run into each at the time that the store opened. Yesterday I was picking up my new 32" display when someone called my name. It was one of those guys. It was nearly 9:00am, so this was unexpected. We ended up shopping the rest of the stores in the shopping center together. In Bed, Bath, and Beyond, he called his wife to ask about a potential gift. He said, "Guess who I'm with." And I heard my name. Very nice surprise. Christmas tree goes up tonight.

Nostalgia, I suspect. Discounts may have been steeper, but we get s lot more today then we did back then. Back in the day, I paid $800 for a 36" Sony CRT. This week, I could get a 75" LED for less. My first IBM compatible PC was a 286. It came with a 14" VGA display, 40M of storage, and 640k of RAM. It cost me $1600. Last week I bought a 2.8GHz Intel Core i5-8400, 16GB memory, 1TB hard drive, and a 32" display for $500. Good times!

It's a NuWave Primo Convention Oven with Grill Plate & Temperature Probe. It's the air fryer you did not know you needed. Dual heating elements send heat to the top and the bottom to allow for perfectly cooked food with no flippingIntegrated probe ensures optimal food temperatureGrill plate allows for indoor grillingCooks from frozen-no defrosting requiredUses up to 85% less energy & cooks up to70% faster than a standard ovenTemperature range of 100°F - 420°F in 1° incrementsProgram the unit to automatically start cooking with the "End Time” cooking selectionGuarantees a perfect pizza in minutes with no flippingCooks up to a 10 lb. turkeyDigital touch includes programmable clockEasy-to-use menu selections and programmable settingsAll parts are dishwasher-safe for added convenience (except Power Head)Lightweight and portable designIt's a NuWave Primo Convention Oven with Grill Plate & Temperature Probe. It's the air fryer you did not know you needed. I have been using an air fryer for more than a year. Love it. This one addresses all of the shortcomings of the one I already love. The probe is the biggest thing. Have steak, chicken, or pork cooked perfectly by programming this thing to stop cooking when the meat reaches the perfect temperature. I like that you can watch your food cook. Great for things like eggs. Heaters top and bottom mean no more flipping. It's a steal at $110.49. Even better if you can use some cash back.

I was out this morning. Around 8:00am. Weather was nice. Crowds were thin. Finished my shopping -- including groceries -- and was home by 11:30am. At the B&Ms, I made a couple impulse buys. No presents or door busters. The only things I bought that qualify as BF purchases were... https://www.sharperimage.com/si/view/product/TV+Enhancing+Chair+Speaker/207041?trail=https://www.staples.com/amazon-echo-show-2nd-generation-10-1-hd-screen-charcoal-b077sxwsrp/product_24377589https://www.staples.com/acer-eb321hq-abi-31-5-full-hd-widescreen-ips-monitor/product_24384936and only the first wasn't for me. I count my PC as a BF triumph even if I got parts of it a week early... 2.8GHz Intel Core i5-8400 6-core processor with up to 4GHz turbo frequency and 9MB cache memory16GB memory1TB hard drive16GB Optane31.5" 1920 x 1080 LCDZOTAC Gaming GeForce GTX 1650 OC 4GB GDDR5 128-Bit Gaming Graphics Card https://www.staples.com/hp-pavilion-desktop-590-p0050-intel-i5-1tb-hdd-24gb-ram-windows-10/product_24338689 $379.99 after rebate https://www.staples.com/acer-eb321hq-abi-31-5-full-hd-widescreen-ips-monitor/product_24384936 $104.99 https://www.staples.com/Crucial-8GB-DDR4-SDRAM-UDIMM-DDR4-2400-PC4-19200-Desktop-Memory-Module-CT8G4DFD824A/product_2580601 $36.49 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QF1H9YR/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1 $149.99 ==> $670ish ($315ish OOP)

Went out this morning around 8:00 to pick up the 32" monitor I bought at staples.com for $104.99. First thing I noticed was a pile of packages from Target and Amazon at my front door. We got in around 6:30 last night and they were not there then. There may have been ten shoppers at Staples and the registers were clear. As I was leaving someone called. It was this guy I have been BF'ing with for 30 years. Nothing formal. We just tend to end up at the same places about the same time. I guess it's tradition. He and I shopped Staples, Home Depot, and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Made some kind of purchase at each. Then we parted company as I continued to Kohls to pick up a couple things. Shaws and Aldis for groceries, then back home. Beautiful, sunny day with temps in the mid 30s. Crowds weren't bad. I got everything I wanted. Nice start to my holiday season.

Two times. Same day. I've still got it! http://weeklyad.staples.com/StaplesSD/WeeklyAd?storeid=2278777&adref=staplesheader#!/ $25 off $100 code is 74806 Pick Up at: Staples, 58 Plaistow Road, Plaistow, NH 03865 Item: 24384936 1@ $249.99 Each $249.99 $25 off your online order of $100 or more. -$25.00 $20 off Acer 31.5in LED Monitor when you buy online and pickup in-store. -$20.00 $65 Off Acer EB321HQ UM.JE1AA.A01 31.5" LED Monitor, Black -$65.00 $35 Off Acer EB321HQ UM.JE1AA.A01 31.5" LED Monitor, Black -$35.00 ==> $104.99

After what I just did to Staples! 10" Show (not refurb like Amazon) for $149.99 minus $25 off 100 coupon (on the home page banner) minus $90 of Discover Cash Back comes to $34.99. Knock of 7% for Staples Rewards and ebates is $32.54. Even if you only value the Discover Cash Back at $15 (because I could have taken $75 cash). $110 for a 10" Show with zigbee hub and really nice speakers is pretty great. Use this topic to brag about your best deals!

First world problems? Let's face it -- we're full. Flat screen tvs have been mainstream for a decade. GOOD LEDs have been common for half a dozen years. Incrementally better images on incrementally bigger screens are not going to get anyone to camp out. I do not understand people who are unhappy the deals are easier to get. If you have everything you want, sleep in Friday. When you wake up, take a ride, walk through some stores, make impulse purchases, and go to brunch. That's what I'm going to do. https://youtu.be/VaQuxCWWTaI

I think your child will be very happy.

http://weeklyad.staples.com/StaplesSD/WeeklyAd?storeid=2278777&adref=staplesheader#!/store/2278777/promotion/Staples-191128BF $399.99 right now Processor: 8th Generation Intel® Core™ i5-8265U, Quad-CoreHard Drive: 1 TB 5400 RPM SATA hard driveOperating System: Windows 10 HomeInstalled RAM: 8 GB DDR4-2400 SDRAM (1 x 8 GB)Screen Resolution: 1600x900Screen Size: 17.3"Graphics Card Brand: Intel UHD Graphics 620Wireless Connectivity: Realtek RTL8821CE 802.11b/g/n/ac(19a) (1x1) Wi-Fi and Bluetooth® 4.2 Combo (MU-MIMO supported)Battery Life: Up to 9 hours (mixed usage), Up to 8 hours and 15 minutes (video playback), Up to 7 hours (wireless streaming)Warranty: 1-year limited hardware warranty. Additional information available at www.support.hp.com(9) • 90 days limited technical support for software and initial setup (from date of purchase)

The Staples front page Black Friday deal is the 590-p0066 for $349.99... 2.8GHz Intel i5-8400 6-core processor with up to 4GHz and 9MB cache memory12GB DDR4 SDRAM 1TB hard driveNo OptaneAdding a 16GB Optane module would cost $28.49 and a ZOTAC Gaming GeForce GTX 1650 OC 4GB GDDR5 128-Bit Gaming Graphics Card costs $149.99 (this IS the gaming desktop thread). Should do the trick for the next decade without upgrades.

Only you know what $200 is worth to you. Go watch both televisions. If you see $200 better picture, pay. I would buy both, watch both in my home, and return one. WARNING: Last time I did this, I kept both.

Up here in Plaistow (where I shop), the weather is favorable. Precipitation preceding the holiday is all rain, so there will be no slush or snow banks. Thursday will be clear with temperatures hovering around freezing. Winds around 20mph will chill from the NW. Friday will be a little colder with a little less wind and a lot more sun. Perfect!

Definitely have to match the earrings to the television...what would the neighbors think?

OPSEC is Operations Security and it is all the things you do to lower your risk of compromise. Happy shopping!

'Tis the Season for OPSEC With apologies to CLEMENT CLARKE MOORE 'Twas the Holiday Season, and all through the streets Every hacker and burglar, was looking for treats; Boxes were stacked by the trash without care, Alerting the thieves to the treasures in there; Vacationers tweeted their plans and photos; While bandits were stealing their speakers by Bose; And mamma with her iPhone, and I with a map, Went off to the mall to plunder the Gap, First to the automated teller machine, Where my PIN was stolen and my bank was wiped clean. We shopped with our credit cards having no cash, Until a POS bandit ended all that. With no money for gifts we headed for home, Where my PayPal and I would the internet roam, When what to my wondering eyes did appear, But a really good offer that seemed quite sincere, With an unpleasant popup as soon as I clicked, I knew in a moment my Mac would be sick. More rapid than FiOS the popups did come, My outdated defenses could only stop some, From the click of a link with a virus attached, All the files on my disk were quickly dispatched! To another computer, I went to shop, But accounts and email were already locked. No money, no credit, and no PC too, Tax returns, photographs were all gone from view; No fav'rites, no bookmarks, no cookies, no clue, Gone were my high scores and the Christmas list too -- And then, in a twinkling, I heard in the street The prancing and pawing of very big feet. As I looked to the street, and was turning around, I saw a man escape from my home with a bound. As he covered my spare key with the mat, The thief turned to me and said, "Thank you for that!" At that very moment came a knock at my door, "I'm from DSS and I'm here to brief you some more." His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry! "Let's do this thing right, I'm not in a hurry." "Keep boxes inside until trash day, you know," "Expensive debris tells the crooks where to go." "Get your cash at a bank and keep your profile low." "Only swipe credit cards with merchants you know." "When surfing the net, be alert to the deals" "Which promise you things too good to be real." "Hover over links that might your click redirect" "Your identity to steal, or credit to wreck." "When away from home, leave shades down and lights on," "That way the prowlers don't know that you're gone." Then he seemed to accuse with a knit of his brow, "The key under your mat - go get that, right now!" And laying his finger aside of his nose, And giving a nod, from my table he rose; He walked to his car, which was locked and well lit, And looked twice in back seat before he did sit. With a wave of his hand, as he drove out of sight -- "Practice good OPSEC each day, and have a safe life!"