FunnyBusiness: Everything About Business Except The Bottom Line

Ode To This American Life

It is part of the algebraic equation we call work. Give someone your time, expertise, brawn, mind,or soul, and in exchange they give you money.

Recently, This American Life devoted a program to Getting And Spending Money. 
 

If you don't have the time to listen to the entire program, take the seven minutes to listen to Marti Nixon's experience at a product placement company.

 

 

Prologue. Marti Noxon used to work for a company that did "product placement" for the movie industry. And when some auditors came to check that clients were being correctly billed, the company's bosses took unusual steps. Namely, they hired actors to play the employees who were supposedly on the payroll. (7 minutes)

If you listen to the entire program, you will hear from an artist who was scammed out of  $40,000 -$50,000 from his first "show" in NYC, as well as from a suburban dad who decided the best way to make money was to rob banks.

My favorite story from this particular episode is called That Guy. Here is how This American Life describes the piece.

Cook investigates that moment when you realize you've become "that guy" you've always hated, and how the simple act of purchasing deodorant can lead to that moment. (9 minutes)

It is a story about individualism and the power that advertising messages have on our choices and loyalties.

 

You have a couple of choices when it comes to listening to the program. You can listen on the website. This requires some navigational skill. First, go to their home page .Look at the left navigation bar  for a link to the Complete Archive. It instructs you to START HERE.

 

When you get to that page  look for the 9/8 episode for 2006.Just click and listen.

 

If you subscribe to Audible.com you can download episodes on your iPod. That's my preferred listening method. It has become part of my weekend ritual. I walk Uma Thurman along the Mississippi, across the Stone Arch Bridge and listen to This American Life. It  doesn't get better than that.

 

In the spirit of full disclosure.

Some people dream of careers writing for The New York Times, or becoming a network correspondent. Not me. My goal is to become a contributor for This American Life.

That's my confession.  It's my time of year for confessions.
I have This American Life envy.

 

Northwest Airlines encourages employees to "Dumpster Dive"

I kid you not.  Northwest  Airlines hired an outside firm to create a booklet "Preparing for a Financial Setback" to help financially strapped employees who have endured massive pay cuts. Northwest is also planning on cutting more jobs.

One of the sections of the booklet included "101 ways to save money". For a time, the advice was posted on their website and about 50 employees received the booklet with the incredibly offensive advice.

'Northwest spokesman Roman Blahoski said some employees who received the handbook had taken issue with a couple of the items. "We agree that some of these suggestions and tips ... were a bit insensitive," Blahoski told Reuters.

     

The four-page booklet, "Preparing for a Financial Setback" contained suggestions such as shopping in thrift stores, taking "a date for a walk along the beach or in the woods" and not being "shy about pulling something you like out of the trash."

While this was reported on FoxNews.com on Tuesday, neither the StarTribune or the St.Paul Pioneer Press had any coverage of this bizarre story.

A couple of thoughts. If someone in Northwest's communication department approved this dribble, shouldn't they be accountable? 

Oh, and its not a " bit insensitive" It's egregiously offensive.

How did such an offensive, outlandish, insensitive and idiotic idea get approved?  Chances are, no one in the Northwest Communications area actually  proofread the copy in the booklet before it was printed or put on their website. ( you won't find it there now) One can only assume that on a list of priorities, a booklet providing financial advice to employees who are facing lay offs just isn't high on a priority list of a communication department dealing with potential strikes, bankruptcy, and general unhappy customers.

Then there's the consultants who came up with the advice in the first place. The Reuters article said it was an outside firm. Just who is this firm and why would they include a recommendation to rummage through the trash?  Is there another side to the story that we are just missing?

The employees of NWA deserve an apology from the Douglas Steenland, president and CEO of NWA.

In fact, he should have to spend a day dumpster diving.

You can't make this stuff up.

Oh, and the tag line for the photo is " So I went dumpster diving and all I got was this lousy lice."

Image Credit: Flickr member Thomask

AOL'S Little Black Book

When AOL fired " John", a customer service rep  caught on tape  making it very hard for Vincent Ferrari to close his account, there were some of us who said, "John shouldn't have been fired, he was doing his job."

Turns out The Consumerist, now has evidence that the former AOL employee was indeed just following company policy. You can now read the complete AOL Retention Manual for Yourself.

   "A plain manila envelope arrived on our desk this week. Inside was the eighty-one paged "Enhanced Sales Training for AOL Retention Consultants" manual. Upon opening, the flowchart, "Guide to a World-Class Retention Call," fell out.

One thing quickly becomes evident after reading the pages of tips and tactics. Callers are viewed not as customers, but prospects. Under the heading, "Think of Cancellation Calls as Sales Leads," the manual reads...

 

From the Manual....

"If you stop and think about it, every Member that calls in to cancel their account is a hot lead. Most other sales jobs require you to create your own leads, but in the Retention Queue the leads come to you! Be eager to take more calls, get more leads and close more sales. More leads means more selling opportunities for you and cost savings for AOL."

Meanwhile according to Reuters, New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer is not amused.

"Last year, Spitzer investigated AOL's customer services policies and how it paid service representatives after about 300 New Yorkers complained about how difficult it was to cancel. AOL, a unit of Time Warner Inc. (TWX.N: Quote, Profile, Research), in August agreed to reform its procedures, provide fee refunds and pay New York $1.25 million in penalties and costs.

Yet AOL may not be out of the woods. On June 28, lawyers from Spitzer's office sent a letter to AOL demanding more information about its customer service and is seeking a meeting with its executives."

What the world kneads now

It was with eager anticipation that I waited for my son Noah to call me last week to hear about his first day on the job. He was walking to the subway when he called.

"How did it go?" I asked
"Great. I get 21 vacation days and we close down between Christmas and New Year's so I can come home without using any vacation days."

Perks matter. When you've just graduated from college and are used to about 20 weeks of vacation-- the most important perk is usually time off.

But, for the more seasoned employee, companies need to do more than offer days off that the employee doesn't feel they can take because there is too much work to do.That's where the massage chair comes in. Seems like corporations are tripping over themselves to offer employees a 10-15 minute soother. As promoted, at the Relax & Rejuvenate website corporate massages,

makes an ideal reward for your staff and a great  idea for employee appreciation week. Whether stress-relieving seated ; chair massage or time-saving manicures, bringing wellness to your ; employees will improve productivity, boost morale and reduce health ; care costs and turnover. The morale boosting effect extends to the ; entire office in seeing their co-workers rejuvenated!

Note to marketing department: you lost me at morale boosting effect. Call me selfish, small, and a terrible team player--but the only way my morale would be boosted is if I'm the one sitting in the massage chair.

Nevertheless Relax & Rejuvenate does list their  impressive corporate client list.

• Advisory Board Co.
  Verizon
  Patton, Boggs LLP
  Drexel University
  Timberland
  Emirates Airlines
  St Jude Medical
  Price Waterhouse Coopers
  Wachovia Securities
  Celera Genomics
  

On  theThe Dynamist blog,Virginia Postrel is previewing an excerpt of her first column for The Atlantic she's written for the July-August edition of the Atlantic. It's all about the trend in  massages including massage chairs at car washes, airports and yes within the workplace.

One of the most important factors in the spread of massages was theinvention of the portable massage chair. I tracked down the inventor David Palmer.... In 1982, he was running a San Francisco massage school and worried that not enough graduates were finding jobs. If massage was so great, why didn’t more people want it?

The answer was pretty obvious: everything about the experience scared off potential clients. “If you want to make sure massage didn’t make it into the mainstream,” Palmer says, “make it as expensive, inconvenient, and scary as possible. Force people to go into a private room behind closed doors, take off all their clothes with a stranger, lie down on a table, get slathered with oil for an hour, and pay $70, $80, $90 for the privilege.”

Massage needed a form that was cheap, quick, convenient, and fully clothed. Palmer developed an acupressure-based routine, or kata, that took just fifteen minutes and was done while the client sat on a drummer’s stool.

In March, Dr.Deborah Serani wrote a post about the benefits of massage. She is a psychologist specializing in trauma and depression. While the post has some good information and links to more information about massage therapy, the most interesting aspect of the post is that it has over 40 comments.

Sonnie Dee said...

My previous work place actually pays a professional masseuse to come in for two days every week. Everyone was allowed one free massage a month but often people got two or three.

My new work place offers similar but you pay $10 towards a half hour session work pays the rest.

obviously they have seen the benefits of having a relaxed staff. Now its just getting me to one, Im like fallen angels and can't do body work at all.

Not surprisingly, theBureau of Labor Statistics says the outlook for massage therapists is better than average.

Employment for massage therapists is expected to increase faster than average over the period from 2004 to 2014 as more people learn about the benefits of massage therapy. In States that regulate massage therapy, therapists who complete formal training programs and pass the national certification exam are likely to have very good job opportunities. Because referrals are a very important source of work for massage therapists, networking will increase the number of job opportunities. Joining a State or local chapter of a professional association can also help build strong contacts and further increase the likelihood of steady work.

Massage is an increasingly popular technique for relaxation and reduction of stress. As workplaces try to distinguish themselves as employee-friendly, providing professional in-office, seated massages for employees is becoming a popular on-the-job benefit.

So my only question is, what are the job titles of folks who go corporate?  Health &Wellness Leader? Corporate Stress reducer? Corporate Masseuse?

Image Credit: Flickr Member Tomswift46

Visit the Online Business Confessional -receive absolution for your business sins

Is going to the supply closet and taking stuff home an unethical act? Does it depend on the amount you take? Would one pencil be okay, but a box of pens stealing?

Now, people who are feeling a bit guilty about their business sins can go to  Ethics Confessions . Here's the concept. You share a nasty deed you that you've done and then readers "vote" on just how unethical you've been.

Only thing I can say about the voting is Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling better hope their jury is of the same mindset as the readers of Ethics Confessions.

Some of the confessions so far:

I got a $35 million contract from a company because a VP showed me another vendor's bid and gave me the opportunity to improve on it so I would get the business.

178 people have voted (it's one a 1-10 scale with 10 being never acceptable. This business "sin" is ranking about a "6" with readers.

However, with over 345 votes, the readers gave a ranking of "4" to an employee who stole from the YWCA.

"The YMCA allows people to pay a fee to use the facilities for one-day. Back then I think we charged $8 per person for a full day's pass. We sold around 10 day passes a day, or we could have sold 10 per day. For two years, I took half of them and never put them in the system and pocketed the money."

Either the people doing the voting are confused about the voting scale or they are treating this interactive exercise with as much respect as a vote on American Idol.

So much for integrity in voting on ethical issues. As I read these sins, I would love to also read people's rationales for their votes. Why are so many people "okay" with the employee  who pocketed the money on the free passes?

The Ethics Confession is part of a larger blog
called Ethics Crisisthat bills itself as

A blog about global business ethics, from SRF Global Translations, specialists in nuanced, localized, multilanguage compliance materials for multinational companies.

The creator of the Ethics Confession is also baffled by her reader's acceptance of these unethical business practices. As she shared in a comment on another blog,

No doubt about it, ethics is hot and getting hotter. At Ethics Crisis the blog I recently launched (and write) for SRF Global Translations, people can anonymously confess the most unethical things they've done in business. Others can rate and comment on the confessions.

The feature, meant to bring a fun and possibly viral element to the Ethics Crisis blog, immediately took off.

The scary part is that no matter what people confess, the community seems to think none of it is too bad.

We are surprised at what people confess, but more surprised at the way many hundreds of people are reacting to the confessions.

There seems to be public ethics, or what one says about ethics, and a darker, more private type of ethics.

Our goal is to generate conversation about ethics, and judging from the response so far, people are hungering to talk about the subject.

Posted by: B.L. Ochman | May 17, 2006 at 04:34 PM

For more reading on business ethics, check out Andrea Weckerle's post Corporate Responsibility,Ethics and Good Business. at New Millennium PR.

Global Warming blamed on decline in Pantyhose Sales

About a year ago, an inventor approached me about marketing a product for pantyhose. The product reinforced pantyhose so they wouldn't run. They way it worked was simple: you just rinsed your pantyhose in the solution and they would be as strong as steel.

However, when I talked to friends and associates about the product they all looked at me as if I were crazy. "Who wears pantyhose anymore?"

I decided not to pursue the opportunity but it peaked my interest in the pantyhose category --a category that many believe has seen its better day.

The inventor was not the only person trying to create some excitement in the category. In Europe, according to coolest gadgets.com they are now marketing Caffeine Tights.

" There is now a way we can control our caffeine intake by wearing Palmers “Slim Fit 20” caffeine tights (well ladies at least anyway!). Another side effect of wearing these tights on a daily basis is an approximate loss of around 2cm from the thighs, reduces the appearance of cellulite and the dreaded “orange peel” effect – bonus! The way the tights work is that body heat releases caffeine microcapsules into the leg, thus promoting the metabolism to kick in and start fat burning. According to the makers, results should be apparent in about 1-4 weeks, but they do say they may not work for everyone."

According to one report, they work for about 1/3 of users.---probably not enough to save the pantyhose market which the Global Market Review Of Hosiery – Forecasts To 2012,’  report says pantyhose sales are expected to drop 4% by 2012.

More dire, experts don't see a market turnaround. However it is the cause of the sales decline that caught my eye.

"Firstly, the climate in a huge part of the world means that there is no need to wear hosiery...

Reasons for the sector’s decline include the changing social attitudes toward bare legs, and global warming, which casts off the need for extra warmth."

Living in Minnesota, I can tell you that pantyhose provide little or no warmth. In fact, to wear pantyhose in the winter is akin to walking outside bare legged.

No,the decline of pantyhose has a lot less to do with the thermometer and a lot more with consumers who were tired of spending money on a product that didn't last, was uncomfortable to wear  and was a pain in the butt to take care of.

The reason women stopped wearing pantyhose  is quite simple --because we could.

Shout  out

To Tightsplease for background info on Caffeine Tights.

Chicken or the Egg; China has Hooters--Chinese Women Getting Bolt-Ons

While the Hooters in Shanghai, China has been in business  since 2004 --it seems that some are saying the restaurant is having a major impact on China's plastic surgery industry.

Last week it was reported that women in China ,who traditionally been small breasted women, now seem to be exhibiting the benefits of 'better nutrition".

"It's so different from the past when most young women would wear A- or B-cup bras," Triumph brand saleswoman Zhang Jing told the Shanghai Daily from the Landmark Plaza of China's commercial hub.

"You...never expect those thin women to have such nice figures if they are not plastic."

The article in the Australian Courier-Mail goes on to say that the Beijing Institute of Technology has its own explanation for everything busting out all over in China,

"This phenomenon, it said, was due to women eating more nutritiously and taking part in more sport.

Similar growth in the average height of children prompted a rethink last year in Beijing on the height allowance for free bus "

Call it good old American cynicism but  The Dread Pundit Bluto believes there is a Hooters connection.

"It comes as no surprise to me that a world-famous Hooters Restaurant franchise opens in China at the same time that it's being reported Chinese women are becoming more bosomy.....In my estimation, this shouldn't be a big problem to resolve. Furthermore, the 'pressing demand' could likely be a sales opportunity for American manufacturers who have been known (probably NSFW) to market F-, G-, and H-cup sizes.  Improved nutrition is considered responsible."

Meanwhile, back in Shanghai, there is a fascinating interview with one of the Hooter Girl's who applied for the job upon her parents suggestion who "liked the happy atmosphere" in the restaurant.

According to the Shangalist, her American name is Quasar

Had you ever heard of Hooters before? No.

What did they tell you about Hooters? It's a famous American restaurant established in 1985 in Florida. And it is famous for its unique sports style and hot girls.

So they told you about the hot girls? Yes, but we know we are different from the native Hooters girls.

"In what way? Not as open as them.

What do you mean, not as open? Well, at the begining, there were several native girls. They came here to train the girls here and I have been told they were very energetic and hot. Because of the Chinese culture, sometimes we are still very shy.

When you say native girls, do you mean American? Yeah.

So maybe you aren't as outgoing as the American girls ... but are the Chinese Hooters girls just as hot? Maybe some of us are. Hooters is a large family and everyone has her own character, so we can attract different customers."

To watch to  the Chinese Hooter "Hot Girls' doing the hokey pokey, click here.

Hat Tip  to:

Carnival of the Capitalists

And, a Shout Out and best wishes to Carnival of Business that published its second edition yesterday..including a post from FunnyBusiness.

 

 

Notes From The Road - The Border

After staring at the bumper of the car in front of us for about 20 minutes while crawling our way to have US Customs inspect our passports and ask us why we were visiting Canada ,my daughter  Berit asked, "How much do you save on your car lease if you agree to have the dealership's name on your car?"

When I explained to her that there isn't a reduction in price, she asked what only a rationale person would ask, "Then why do they do it?"

Good question. Why do people willing allow their cars to become  24/7 mobile billboards for a car dealership? I have no idea. I also had no idea just how many people feel compelled to use their cars to share a personal brand message.

If you live in New Jersey, you can't do it --at least that's the word from Wikipedia which says New Jersey bans license plate frames--do the legislators have some evidence that license plate frames increase fender benders? I find that hard to believe.

As far as advertising mediums go, the license plate frame seems a rather benign and ineffective method for getting a message out. Who reads this stuff?  And if they do read it ,who remembers them?

On Saturday evening, Berit and I did read these plate frames  for about 30 minutes on Interstate 5. Much to my surprise, over 50% of the cars had license plate frames..I was astounded.  While the majority of them were the traditional auto dealerships ---Honda of Kirkland (with their website address ) , South Center Acura of Seattle, and Downtown Toyota. there were some cars that opted to use the frames as a personal brand billboard.

In that brief time, we saw cars sporting a variety of messages including:

'The Scuba Diver"

"Heading In The Wrong Direction? God Allows U-Turns"

"No island like Samish Island"

"I'd rather be golfing"

"My other car is an airplane"

Is  it a west coast thing? I drive around Minneapolis every day and if people are sporting these license plate frames, it is completely lost on me.

According to some out- of- date statistics, back in 2001, car promotion products including key chains and license plate frames  were the 1 th best selling promotional products  ---accounting  for 3.4% of the $18 billion promotional product industry.

Which brings me to a more in your face concept--The ID IT! Plates which claims"tens of thousands" have been sold worldwide"

'Forget bumper stickers and other cheap, cheesy decals. Classy I.D. IT! Plates are available in elegant polished chrome or a luxurious gold matte finish and are carefully hand assembled to your text specifications. They mount safely to your vehicle and have been road tested in the frigid Canadian north and in dry desert heat. Your plate can be run through hundreds of car washes and will probably outlast your car! Click here to see who is using I.D. IT! Plates.

And just who has these I.D. IT! Plates? According to the web site tens of thousands have been sold around the world.

"Webmasters - Small Businesses - Manufacturers - Corporations - Auto Dealerships - Political Organizations - Retail Stores - Limousine Services - Real Estate Companies - MLM's - Internet Businesses - Service Businesses - Schools - Universities - Trade Unions -  Associations - Churches - Individuals"

You'd think if tens of thousands of companies have these billboards on their cars that at least one real client would be more than delighted to have her business used in the I.D. IT! promotional materials.Instead, the company uses a pretend company in its promotional material.

Curious isn't  it?

. Tags: Business, advertising, car, license plates

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Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? Welcome to Corporate Blogging

On the one hand there's the Wall Street Journal declaring yesterday that "Corporate America Has Joined The Blogosphere" ( just not WSJ since I can't link to the article --subscription,baby) and on the other hand there is a major brouhaha in the PR sector thanks to the launch of Strumpette the randy, bawdy and tell all blog of a character named Amanda Chapel that promises to deliver "a naked journal of the PR Business"

In it's launch just last week, Strumpette demonstrated that she/he/they( it is a blog written by a character) knows how to get publicity. As the character shares in her bio:

"Bottom line professionally speaking, I am 5’ 4” tall, athletic, Pantene shoulder-length black hair, perfect perky boobs. I present well and am most accomodating. I’ve slept with clients. I sleep with my boss. I am the consummate PR strumpette. When I was 7 my mother told me I'd "never get anywhere with that mouth." I've apparently dedicated my life in proving her wrong.

I have a BA degree in Economics with a minor in Italian Literature from Columbia. I graduated cum laude. I went on to get a law degree from Dartmouth but flunked out after two semesters. They were just way too snooty and serious. To be fair, I think I was just bored."

Type in Strumpette on Technorati and you'll get a sense of how obsessed the PR sector has become in (a) Outing the creatives behind  Strumpette  and (b) utter dismay that this whoring character is a traffic-monger.

From d:notes:

"I think this is a wee bit of a stunt and it sounds like the brainchild of a man more than something a successful woman would do, but either way I think it's great stuff. Professional life is often boring so I'm loving the spice.

Little bit of a display problem in MSIE 6.0 I noticed with the comments getting truncated on the left and right hand side - check this page as an example.

http://strumpette.com/archives/66-Place-Your-Bets,-Ghoulish-Office-Pool-Spreads.html#comments

Other than that, my theory this is some guy doing this but it's interesting to see that the interest (in the form of comments) is pretty much exclusively from men. I guess that's usually how it works "

From :infOpinions? :: Public Relations:

"T he worst aspects of PR and Word-of-mouth (WOM) were laid bare in one pitiful post this weekend. Filled with stereotypes and void of character (while masquerading as one), Strumpette busts on the scene and is quickly exposed by - a student.

A blogger, calling itself Strumpette attempted to be cute with a post about Steve Rubel.

The funniest part of the whole post, to me, is that a UK student PR blogger - Stephen Davies - was the first to point out that this is a lame copy of Spin Bunny, the first PR gossip blog - and from the UK. (That link/site is dead, by the way.) Who knows, it may be Spin Bunny coming out of the rabbit hole. I doubt it, though. That blog was creative."

And from Andrea Weckerle's New Millennium PR

For all you PR students out there, especially the women, here's apparently the winning formula:

• "Piggyback on a big name"

  • Describe your best two assets. Repeatedly.
  • Mention your willingness to accommodate your clients and your boss.
  • Include a saucy photo.
  • Play up to the gents.
  • Above all, remember that modesty doesn't get you anywhere.

Which takes us back to the WSJ and it's article "Corporate America has joined the Blogosphere". While it is definitely an interesting read, and if you have a subscription I do recommend it, it is also amusing.

Here's the interesting part:

"Despite the concerns, a slew of big companies, including General Motors Corp. and Boeing Co., have jumped on the blogging bandwagon in the past year -- joining high-tech firms like Sun Microsystems Inc. and International Business Machines Corp. For these companies, the bigger risk is being left out of an online phenomenon in which an estimated 5% of Americans maintain blogs and 20% read them, according to a February Gallup poll.

"The biggest risk with regard to blogs is not having one" because companies then miss out on a burgeoning communications medium, according to a report from Gartner Inc., a Stamford, Conn., firm that advises many companies on technology issues".

Here's the amusing part:

When you click on the hyperlink to General Motors or Boeing, it doesn't take you to their blogs. It takes you here...to their stock performance.

Now, in their defense, at the end of the article they do have a cute little chart that includes some of the top corporate bloggers and their URL's...its just that you can't get there from the WSJ because they are not hyperlinked. Maybe its time for the WSJ to join the blogosphere?

Notes: I was inspired to write this post after reading a couple of posts by Marianne Richmond on Blogher. And, to be completely transparent, Boeing is a client.

Image Credit: Flickr image by Ross Mayfield

Tags: Strumpette, PR, Blogher, Blogging, Communication, FunnyBusiness

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And They Lived Happily Ever After

The English version of this brochure says

"One Day I'll Have to pay for her wedding.

It's part of a savings campaign at Wells Fargo. I contacted  Wells Fargo and wanted to talk to them about this particular message.

They graciously declined my invitation for an interview.

Is it me, or does this message sound like it's straight out of the 1950s? Do we really want to continue  the fairy tale that one day is going to be the happiest day in a girl's life? Think Princess Diana.

If a dad had to make a choice between saving for a wedding and a college education,would the good folks at Wells Fargo really say,

"Save for the wedding-- it is the most important financial gift you can give her".

When that young mother ,with a couple of kids and an ex-husband that doesn't pay child support, comes into Wells Fargo to get a loan so she can feed her kids and get a college education, will Wells Fargo welcome her with open arms?

Just  how much does Wells Fargo think a dad needs to save. A  lot. Amy Baldwin writes in her Out Of The Red blog that:

"The national average is $26,800, according to http://www.costofwedding.com/, which estimates nuptial costs by zip code. The average for my south Charlotte zip (28210): $34,036.

In my opinion, spending that kind of cash on a one-day party is crazy. But it’s the best day of your life, some say. Well, it better be.

My husband Jefferson and I spent about half the national average on our October 2003 wedding"

For those who want to spend their money on the wedding to beat all weddings, you may want to visit Best Wedding Sites News Blog  where you can learn that chocolate brown flowers are the trendiest trend and brides with a beach wedding are wearing foot jewelry.   If money isn't an issue and getting the brown flowers or the foot jewelry is important,than have a lovely day.

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The issue isn't whether weddings are or are not a waste of money. That's a personal decision. My gripe is with Wells Fargo. . Given that 50% of marriages end in divorce, it seems rather irresponsible for Wells Fargo to say to young girls...the highlight of  your life will be the day you walk down the aisle and your dad 'gives you away" to another man.  I'd rather see Wells Fargo say," plan so your daughter can stand on her own two feet."

Chances are , she'll need them.