Shopping

May 05, 2004

Personal Office

About 5 years ago I bought an L-Shape desk at Scandinavian Design in Mountain View California. When I left California in 2002, I took apart the desk and risked bringing it across country to my new apartment.

Last night, I successfully put together the desk, despite having any of the original directions. There was one small metal attachment that was missing, but was not an important part of the desk. All the wood made it safely.

Tonight I'll be putting together a file cabinet that I bought at Form n' Teak in Burlington Massachusetts earlier this year. This has the same cherry color as the desk and will fit into the new office perfectly.

April 05, 2004

Gas Prices in New England

Many gas stations in New England have hit above the $2 mark for premium unleaded gasoline. Last Thursday night I stopped at the gas station off 128 near the Mass Pike and took the photo of the day. Many gas stations on Cape Cod were at the $2 mark.

I was recently in the Washington DC area and, according to Radio reports, prices were cheaper in the area than most parts of the country. I was wondering if this was intentional to minimize the political impact of the gas prices. I saw many gas stations selling gas for $1.70 a gallon.

January 05, 2004

Penguin Mints

Brooks Pharmacy in New England no longer sells Penguin Caffeinated mints. A few months ago they sold all the remaining mints at $.39 for each tin. Which is pretty good considering that the average tin cost $1.20.

I first thought this was a move to remove Caffeinated mints from their candy selection. However, this morning I found that they now only carry Brown & Haley Zingos Caffeinated Peppermints. Looks like Brown & Haley had stolen Penguin's market share in the northeast. At least you can still order Penguin's Mints online.

December 14, 2003

Christmas Shopping

With only 11 shopping days till Christmas the malls were pretty busy. If you have any young children you should visit the Burlington Mall in Burlington Massachusetts. They have a really good Santa! However, plan to wait in long lines!

Parking wasn't an issue at the Burlington Mall today. I arrived at 1pm and was able to find plenty of parking near the automotive place aross from Macys. However, many shoppers were looking for places closer to the stores and were driving around in circles waiting for that perfect spot. Many seemed determined to get a spot as close to the entrance as possible.

December 13, 2003

LLBean

This afternoon I visited one of New Englands most popular retail store, LLBean. This is the second year in a row that I visited the store during the Christmas season, which officially makes it a tradition.

The parking lot was not as crowded this year, as I was able to park much closer to the store. This is probably because I arrived later in the afternoon. The store itself was pretty crowded, and there were long lines at the registers. The only exception was at the Fishing and Hunting store which is separate from the main store.

If you plan to visit the store, here are some of my notes:

• You pass through several toll booths from the Boston Area to Freeport. Bring plenty of spare change. It cost $3 just to get up to Freeport on I-95.
• Try the Lobster Bisque on the third level in the main store, it costs $4.25 for a small bowl.
• You can create your own gift basket! Great custom gift idea! Talk to someone on the third level.
• There are lots of National Brand Outlet types of stores around LLBean.
• Outside the Hunting and Fishing store a street vendor is selling Lobster Rolls for $9!
• A cross the street from the main store is a talking Christmas tree! Wasn't talking when I was there.