SayEducate

With the holiday season upon us, the challenge of finding the right gift at the right price looms large for many. This year, with retailers slashing prices in a bid to attract recession weary customers, some great buys are sure to be had. This includes books of all kinds as nobody needs to pay the published price or anything near it.

So, where do you shop for books? Likely, you’ve been to at least one online site, such as Amazon, and you’ve paid visits to your local Barnes&Noble or Borders bookstore. You may even have a favorite private bookseller that you prefer to use, a local and knowledgeable booksmith who can order you anything while offering the ambiance not found in the mega chain stores.

Let’s take a look at the choices available to you and the ways that you can save on all of your book purchases.

Local Retailers – One of my favorite shops is the local retailer who still manages to compete against the big guys. Like other shoppers, we know the best prices can usually be found elsewhere, but they do run weekly or monthly specials. What I do like about the few remaining local booksmiths is that you get great customer service and around the holidays they’ll usually wrap your books for free or charge a low fee. Sometimes that fee is donated to a local food bank or other charity.

Mega Merchants – Basically two huge chains are in operation, businesses which are routinely found at your local mall: Borders which also owns Walden Books and Bretano’s; Barnes & Noble which also owns B. Dalton. There are a number of regional shops which compete rather well, but the main reason shoppers visit these stores is for selection and price. Service can be good, but if they’re busy you’ll wait around to be helped. Whatever they don’t have in stock can be ordered for you.

Online Shops – Amazon is the most famous of all online retailers, having a presence like no other store. Up to a few years ago, the company struggled to get gifts out on time for Christmas, but they seem to have overcome that problem. Still, you’ll need to have your order in at least five days before the holiday and order speedy shipping to ensure its prompt delivery. Books-A-Million still operates a number of regional shops in the Midwest and East, but they’ve gained prominence of late through their online store.

Buyers will sometimes flock to popular used book stores in search of bargains for the holidays. Of course, you don’t want to give someone a used book, but quite a few stores carry a small line of new titles among their used books. Their overhead is typically low, bringing great savings to you.

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Adv. — Visit nBuy Plaza for “The Big Big Book Fair” where you can find discounts on textbooks, audio books, children’s books and more. You can also find magazines and college textbooks at discount prices.

Tags: book shopping, books, bookstore, Christmas bargains, Christmas books

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Discipline to Success: The Spiritual Attribute

Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

continuation from BLOG posting: spiritual development

Building Your Spiritual Skills

Maintaining Diligence

Diligence is characterized by a persistent care and application. Sedulous people show perseverance, care, caution and earnest effort to accomplish what is needed. They are attentive to required details.

An example of diligence is the persistent application of the concepts discussed in this BLOG. If you desire to become physically, educationally, socially and spiritually stronger, you will then make a concerted effort to accomplish and achieve the tasks for each development. Diligence means that you do the job right.

Diligence also means quality performance. A job not done well is a job not done. This applies when pursuing your goals and responsibilities. You are wasting your time if you fail to produce quality work.

You can become more diligent by working on the following steps:

• set personal goals and objectives.
• accomplish daily tasks by doing it right.
• perform quality work.
• work and achieve tasks within certain time limits.
• complete tasks and assignments on time.
• sign your name “mentally” to the work performed.

So increase “diligence” by doing your work on time and in quality.

Next week, we will discuss the spiritual trait “moral ethics”.

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Tags: achieve success, Achieving Success, success, success building

Its Christmas morning and you’re opening up one of your smaller gift boxes and quickly come upon a gift card which can be used only at a favorite retail establishment. You like the idea of getting a gift card because it allows you to buy what you want and when you want it.

Months goes by and you forget about the card, happening upon it again in June just a few weeks before you take your annual summer vacation. With glee, you begin to think of ways that the money will come in useful, perhaps enough funds to purchase new bathing suits for you and the kids or a hammock and bird feeder for the backyard.

Before you run out and use the gift card you’ll want to make sure of one thing: is the retailer still in business? Unfortunately, a rash of bankruptcies even for popular retailers has meant that some consumers have been left holding the bag (or a worthless gift card) which could end up being the worst gift that you received this Christmas.

According to consumer advocate Clark Howard, when a retailer of restaurant goes into bankruptcy, it is up to the bankruptcy judge to determine what rights you have as a gift card holder. Unfortunately, judges usually wipe out those rights, leaving you with just a small piece of plastic as remembrance of a gift given. Howard hates gift cards and recommends that people give a time-honored gift instead: cash.

If you do receive a gift card this holiday season you can avoid losing the value of that gift by purchasing something immediately. The weeks following Christmas usually have the best sales of the year, stretching the value of the gift card further. However, with so many retailers on shaky ground, you might want to hit the store the day after Christmas because the New Year may not be so promising for that retailer.

Howard says that consumer groups are trying to have the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issue guidelines on gift cards that would require retailers to escrow gift card money. This move would protect consumers in the event of a business bankruptcy and give gift card givers and receivers some peace of mind.

Tags: bankruptcy, Christmas gifts, Federal Trade Commission, FTC, gift cards, restaurant, retailer