Greenwashed

Long time no blog, people.

So, I went shopping over the weekend to get some summer shirts. One of my stops was New York & Company, which I like because of the plentiful sales and coupons.

Anyway, when I walked in a sign on one of the walls caught my eye. "Eco Couture" it said. I thought, "oh wow, green fashion at a reasonable price." Of course, I was expecting the clothing to be made out of recycled fabrics or bamboo or something crazy, but not so much. At New York & Company, "Eco Couture" means "inspired" by the world we live in. The description said something like green fabrics and leaf patterns that are a tribute to our planet.

Greeeeeaaaaaaaaaaat.

It could be the lamest ploy to exploit the green movement I've seen yet. I almost walked out, until I saw the 50% off rack and realized that I had a 30% off coupon to go on top of that. I have principles, but it's a recession people!

What kind of absurd examples of greenwashing have you seen lately, besides any ad from a oil company about how "innovative" it is?

Ikea is coming! Ikea is coming!

Next week!

I'm nothing if not critical, but I actually think the linked article does a decent job explaining the Ikea hype. My favorite part, though, is that they interviewed a local native of Sweden to have her talk about the awesome-ness of Ikea. Now, I understand the the company is Swedish, and they serve fast-food version of Swedish cuisine there, but... really... I don't think anyone goes to Ikea with the intent of bringing authentic Swedish design into their home. It's just cheap modern furniture, people.

Nevertheless... many Billy bookcases and cheap hot dogs are in my future!

So, it's not like I've ever bought shoes from Zappos...

But, from everything I've heard they have AMAZING customer service. So I was sad to see The Consumerist report that the company will no longer offer free overnight shipping or its price protection policy. A side effect of recession times, I suppose?

Anyway, this post was clearly created just to set up the point that I really want to make: There's a Zappos outlet in Shepherdsville, KY, and I really want to go. Shoe bargains are the best!