Munter.com.au

The mornings and nights are drawing in with less daylight and a subtle drop in temperature . An end to  summer is in sight . The school holidays are also drawing to a close . What stretched ahead with endless possibilities and exciting challenges is nearly ended albeit all too quickly for parents and kids everywhere. A new school year is upon us and the difficulties and tasks that entails are to be faced . The summer hiatus is almost over and schoolyards everywhere will be again full of noise and bustle leaving empty houses in its wake . Munters everywhere will again be just getting on with their

life’s , and all that involves , ie ; working ,shopping , caring for family and friends . Summer will have just become a memory and a repository for stored passions until the next long hot summer holidays roll around .

Time to get organised   for Back to School .Its time for hair cuts,  dental appointments , fitting of new school shoes and new uniforms , purchase of text books , stationary , back packs and lunch boxes . Re -orientation  for tertiary , secondary and primary  school students is about to begin and mums around the country can stand by to get their lives back . Life as we  know it around school drop – offs , pickups , working and school volunteer duties that is.

Its times for mums to indulge in that other great aussie mums pastime Shopping . These are the heady days of the final summer sales . Those in need of inspiration might like to head along to a free exhibition  at the state library of victoria ‘ til you drop shopping a Melbourne history’. Where else but in australia’ s shopping capital would they have just such an exhibition . Your mission is to get out there and do it , someone has to and

after all we have a reputation to uphold.!

Its summer and as the long hot days draw to a close with the sound of cicadas chirping their nightly cacophony a feeling of serenity and relaxation blankets the continent . The long idyllic school holidays stretch ahead and the beach / country retreat / holiday destination beckons . The frantic school time rush of pick ups and drops offs are temporarily forgotten as parents everywhere unwind and chill to indulge in that extra glass of wine , read that long ago purchased novel or enjoy a sumptuous barbecue . Its summer time and the living is easy .Has to be the best time of year as beautiful days and relaxed nights gladden our souls and recharge our batteries  . Sit back , relax and enjoy because this precious interlude is all too brief .

Its nearly all over bar the shouting . Christmas is nearly here and any munter worth their salt should have shopped til they dropped by now . All around the country retail outlets are urging us to spend spend spend and hang the consequences. Most munters will be in the home shopping stretch by now and will be hoping for a nice day on 25 december to show off the latest party frock .Presents distributed , bellies full , time to kick back and relax . Whats that about Boxing Day Sales  Having just recovered from the huge Christmas Day celebrations we decide to go shopping   Lets go shopping and spend some of this Christmas loot

Its finally here . Christmas , that time of year when we can release all our shopping demons and literally ” shop til we drop”. Purchases fly through our fingers with great ease oiled by credit card , eftpos and hard cash .Groaning shopping trolleys , tired Bing Crosby White Christmas lullabies and gaudy decorations all feature at most retail outlets. Even a quick trip to the barn like hardware warehouse elicits a consumers   paradise / nightmare with trolleys laden with chook poo fertiliser , tinkling  wind chimes , marble pavers and all manner of garden torture instruments (torture for those feckless enough to receive them as a well intentioned gift ). Great Christmas BBQ plans with         pungent poo fumes , exploding new BBQ , gleaming new outdoor settings all reduced to a blazing heat too hot to sit outside or a  soggy mass in Melbourne’s unpredictable weather .

Matters really come to a head as all the retail catalogues , merchandising and frantic advertising   exhorts us to spend spend spend because  shock horror only 4 days left and you haven’t finished your shopping ! Oh horror well dive into this cornucopia of heavenly delights sneakily disguised as Christmas presents.

If you survive the fight for the last car spot at XX shopping centre , Aunty Beryls lipstick marks on your cheeks , Uncle Barry’s drunken rendition of Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer , maxed out credit cards, lashings of unhealthy and largely unpalatable food , too much booze and unwanted gifts get ready to shop til you drop in the Boxing Day Sales .

The dawning realization that you paid too much   , too often and were ripped off completely may cloud the day.Whoever said ” consumerism is an anaesthetic for the brain ” was right on the money . Bah humbug .Cheers

NYC the city that never sleeps and always shops.

Whatever you want street vendors , flea markets , thrift stores , farmers markets , NBC store ,uptown and downtown department stores , outlets for all the big labels , retail malls and designer factory outlets all provide an abundance of shopping opportunities.

Whether it is the Carrie Bradshaw look alike party dress, Levi’s jeans , Halloween costume or unique 50’s vintage apparel New York has it all.
They do it bigger and they do it better than anywhere else I have ever shopped and as a world traveller I have been to many unusual destinations including tourist free areas of the Middle East . I have never encountered such a shopping mecca .Its alive , vibrant and they retail for at least 12hrs a day 7 days a week and whether its family day sales, buy 1 get 1 free, close -out sales , or 50% off they do it well.Undiscovered retro treasures and vintage bargains abound largely due to the size of the population and the incentive for locals who donate their goods to receive a tax write off .Its profitable to recycle . A vast network off all types of stores blankets New York and the corner store deli’s offer what most Australians have never known or forgotten they existed in the form of the local milk bar . Food and groceries are cheap and you receive friendly service that is usually no further than 6 steps away from your apartment .Local little eateries abound in all the NYC Boroughs offering a wide diversity of dining options and the Lower East Side ( LES ) of Manhatten is a particularly funky neighbourhood and home to NYC’s melting pot of ethnic diversity .In the Lower East Side a whole street is dedicated to vintage clothing stores and they provide anything and many eras including everything from the 20’s to the 80’s . Different neighbourhoods offer speciality products but if you can’t find what you want in NYC it hasn’t been made yet .! Get travelling and shopping and take advantage of generous baggage allowances girlfriend .

On the weekend I went to a new style of shopping experience for Melburnians at the Docklands . It is a large US company with a warehouse that boasts shopping for subscribers only . The theory is  that due to membership revenue they are able to provide a vast range of products at a cheaper  cost to their customers . To gain entry you must have a current membership card or join at the entrance to gain entry .

Being stopped at the door I was informed I could not just look but had to join which I duly did by completing forms and having photo taken . I then proceeded into the barn like store with no map ( they don’t have one  ) no aisle numbers and no guide at front of shop as to indicate where things are . The belief is that shoppers will career around with over sized trolleys simply finding things as they go .When I enquired as to the location of a WII Fit I was told I would need to ask the red vested helper . I counted two of these in the whole shop . WII Fit were to be found in the clothing section I was duly informed . After a period of time largely avoiding kamikaze trolleys and children playing unsupervised in the PC section I decided to leave . Oversize packs of imported frozen blueberries, overpriced Calvin Klein designer undies and non competitively priced  48 packs of toilet  roll do not do it for me . I’ m all for bulk purchase but the saving  has to be sizable to make it a viable option. The shop displays seemed to promise over sized everything with matching over inflated prices . It was like shopping for giants .   Many shoppers passed me with large metal trolleys which they seemed to be hanging onto like some sort of life support system .

Woolworths , Coles, Aldi , IGA et al can relax. This membership only exclusive club can keep its products  , deals , warehouse and trolly’s. We may be a long way from the companys home  but that doesn’t  mean we will accept inferior imported products , no customer service and largely inflated prices to participate in the  subscription for members only shopping experience .

Savvy shoppers in Melbourne town will find this subscription based shopping service wanting . Especially when the newness of the venue and the novelty of store exclusive items wears off and the benefits  to members appears to be negligible . Many will do as I did and gain a full refund of membership before departing the barn like building and even the offer of   free parking in the docklands will not attract the most astute shopper.

A current phenomenon is the explosion of social networking sites facebook, twitter, linkd in, and myspace.

It allows people to network aka talk about experiences, pass on facts and dish the dirt on whats what and whats hot . It can become an invaluable tool to all readers of Munter.com .au out there .

It will inform our choices and empower us in our daily decision making processes .
After all ” a little information can go a long way ” was it Mae West who said that ?

If you can share experiences on what like minded people are looking for
it becomes a powerful marketing tool .

Keep the channels open tick all the boxes and get twittering .

We love to shop and it has certainly been proved this week in Melbourne town .
Out and about I battled gale force winds and teeming rain to attend three factory outlet sales. Naively hoping to find that exclusive bargain I found I wasn’t alone .

Despite ,or perhaps because of the extreme storms the weather gods throw at us Melbourne continues to shop.
Whether seeking the right size and style AFL footy team Saints guernsey at the Puma outlet , desiring a funky little number at Alannah in Fitzroy or hoping to locate the perfect little bag at Olga in Collingwood shoppers are there .
Adversity breeds diversity and tenacity and Melbournians will shop against all odds .
Even the parking inspector , these days known as more user friendly , rangers , won’t dampen our spirits and quell our attempts to secure a bargain in the inner city labyrinth of streets when hoping to secure a must have purchase .
Trees across roads and through roofs, power blackouts causing disruption to normal service only incites us to a shopping frenzy unmatched anywhere on the globe . Economic downturn what piffle just means we shop harder and are more relentless in our search for a bargain.

Its not raining and only light winds this morning better get out there and shop while I still can .

Spring is in the air in Melbourne Town and a young man and womans thoughts turn to fancy. That means one of two things for the winter weary locals.

Spring racing carnival with the Melbourne Cup and AFL Grand Final on the last Saturday in September at the G’ .

It promises a smorgasbord of sporting highlights and fun.

Get out there and enjoy it

.
Wear your team colours to the footy or your Allanah Hill froth and bubble to the Races .