7 Jan 2014

"SALES" IN BELGIUM

More and more European countries gave up the winter and summer sales laws. I don't even know if it still exists in other parts of our world. But in Belgium there is a very strict legislation concerning sales :

"A seller can make a sale under the term "sales" or equivalent denomination only 2 times a year. 2 sales periods are fixed by law. The winter sales are therefore beginning on January 3 and ends on January 31. The summer sale will be held from July 1 to 31."

The result is, that when the Sales start, we have "boxing day" the whole month long. The first day is the worst. There people line up very early morning to get the best bargains as soon as the doors open,  when on the country side the rooster starts his first song.

I don't like this winter and summer sales, yes sometimes you can make a good bargain, but often the stores also cheat, they keep the same price, and put the "Sales" label just underneath. Therefore more and more people check prices of things they want to buy before the "Sale" starts and check if it's a real "Sale" or not an increase of the normal price. (That happens too) I was quiet surprised why two shop owners asked me why I took pictures. I explained for what. Afterwards I understood ! They thought I was comparing the prices before and after "Sales"


Armed with my camera I walked through Waterloo and here is how the city looks like now !



A little strange



On the main street








and in the two shopping galleries



Some stores translated "Soldes" into "Sales" and confused the poor people who don't speak English, "sales" means "dirty" in French and the kids probably wondered why they had to point out that their windows were dirty. The shoe shop wanted to be sure and wrote his "Sales" in all languages.



and these are the clever once, they don't mention the word "Soldes" they put "clearance" on their shops from time to time during the year and avoid the law !



Not on "Sales" was the church, Napoleon and Wellington !



6 Jan 2014

MY WEEKEND OF JANUARY 4, 2014

My friend Nicole called me and ask me to help her to put an advertising on Internet to sell her apartment at the Belgian coast. Of course I went to her, had already made a text, but when I arrived she told me that she had changed her mind, as somebody has rented the flat for whole February, June and July. Of course then it was impossible to sell it now. Instead she pointed on her old laptop which is really an antique, you can hardly read the letters on the keyboard anymore, thanks to her teenage grandchildren who probably had used fingers full of grease and other sticky stuff. The thing also worked like a snail and it took a loooong time until it was finally functional.

Therefore she decided not to sell her apartment but to buy a new computer. I am used to mind changes, I have them too. Off we went to look for a laptop. She wanted a small one a real small one to take along on travels. Now Nicole is not a computer specialist and has still not understood that Internet and a computer are two different things, and that she would never use it on a trip, she already avoids to use it at home. That's female logic. Finally I convinced her to take a normal size with a decent screen. She wanted a computer who also took pictures. I told her that this is only possible with tablets and not with a computer, for that she needs a camera. After some discussions, she finally agreed to buy a laptop and a camera. Then started the problem what to buy ! She didn't look at the technical features, she lifted all computers to test if they were light and not heavy and she wanted a white one and not a black one. I am sure the poor salesman  put an invisible finger to his forehead and looked quiet desperate, but I reassured him by telling him, that she is looking for a computer who also does her laundry. After an hour or so, I finally found one she liked and which was a good brand and had enough memory etc. She was happy and decided to buy it. Of course she had no credit card or money with her. The salesman gave her a paper with all information and she wanted to go back on Monday. When I returned home and told Mr. G. the whole story, he only shook his head, while I was still laughing, he knows her from the computer classes he does, and he had tried since 3 years to put some computer knowledge in her head.

Fortunately she has a lot of humor and is well aware of her problems so we had a very nice and rather funny afternoon. The same thing happened then with the camera, she was only fixed on a color, she wanted red no matter what for a camera it was. For that I will probably have to return with her on Monday. An another adventure in perspective ! Don't doubt about her intelligence ! Ask her how to place your money, which bank is the best, about laws, house building, what material to use etc etc. Everybody has his special skills, and she has helped me too with a lot concerning other things.





A for everybody useable computer



I also had to go to the post office to send the little sleeping companion of Grandson Toby, which his parents had forgotten ! What a drama ! Apparently they had left in such a hurry that the "Doudou" as they call it in French, was still laying under the bed. I hadn't been in the guestroom since Christmas and Mr. G. although he had checked the room when our son had called, hadn't found it either. Sending something by snail mail becomes a luxury, for this little thing I had to pay 10 € (14 $ !!) on stamps ! I could almost have bought a new one for this price ! But a Doudou is a Doudou and can't be replaced.

The "parents" of Chouchou, the cat I took care of during their holidays, returned too and it was about time, because the poor cat did only eat a little and was not well at all, although I had taken him to the vet. Hopefully he will get better.

I also went to the big Brussels market which becomes more and more a tourist attraction, you hear languages from the whole world and I even saw a group of Chinese, Chinese are always in groups and never as individuals. There are more and more British people too. It is also very multicolored ! 4 policemen were in the same café as I drinking their beer, which didn't bother my cigarette supplier. Somebody else also wanted to sell me a Rolex and a Swatch, and a "golden" bracelet. I told him that I have a lot of this stuff in my bank safe ! I bought fruits and a little purse and then took the bus home. Just in time as the sun disappeared and it started to rain.

BTW those who have red my post about Google + the poll gave following results :

DO YOU LIKE GOOGLE + ?
Yes 33%
No 67%
no opinion 0%

A lot of them slipped into it with no intention to do so !