Tuesday 25 October 2011

What A Difference ...

Was about to browse a Korean website when this song began playing in my head. I'm tired, sleepy, but...just want to do a little more before bed. It's 1.35 in the a.m.

I love this music. It plays in my head once in the while. Such innocence and simplicity. I can just close my eyes and listen, my cares away.


Also love Smoke Gets In Your Eyes. Was first introduced to it when watching the movie... by Steven Spielberg...(can't remember the title, need to search online)........ the one about flying, planes. Ah! found it... the movie is called "Always". :)

Oddly, the song by Dinah Washington is not good. Think sung by a man is better.

Monday 24 October 2011

Ebay SG is Useless


Free. But useless. There's nobody at SG Ebay.

Those who discuss it in the Ebay SG forums already said so, but... where else to sell stuff except there and gain a +ve seller reputation locally? 

Other Ebay sites cost a lot of $$$. Really, it's a lot if you try the US site. Everything in US$ and it adds up for every listing. At the end of it, it's just paying for nothing. Nobody buys. 

So, I end up back at the SG site. Not much of a choice since it's free. 

True, I sold a few items there, but that's only a few. I have 80 items to go. And everyday I check = Nothing. No bids, no actual buyers. 

All I get are "watchers" and persons who bid but don't pay up. 

I don't believe SG Ebay buyers are poor. They are just stingy and bad buyers. 

A new item may already be very cheap and Still they ask for discount. It's ridiculous. I make ZERO profit, and just want to get rid of the stock I have. 

The stock that's been sitting in a huge box for 3 years.

Other countries' Ebay sites are also not better. Buyers want cheap. But complain when cheapness = poor quality.  You can read the buyers' comments (some really ridiculous in their expectations when sellers are based in Hong Kong or China).

It may seem easier selling in overseas Ebay sites, but-- 

1) Buyers want cheap items.
2) Cost of airmail to them from SG is prohibitive. 

Even if your item is cheap, adding airmail will be so much, nobody will buy. 

From what has been posted online, many sellers have stopped selling on Ebay because of their unfair policy that sellers cannot leave negative feedback to buyers.

I learnt this firsthand when I wanted to leave negative comment to a buyer who bid but did not pay (and did not inform or apologize). 

These sellers speak of other auction sites, but so far, I've checked and not found any as good as Ebay.

What other options do I have to get rid of all the stuff and recoup some money? There's more than $300 locked up in that box. How long more is it going to take to sell all 80 items?

It's just amazing, how bad Ebay SG is. Cute4ever is as bad, and even worse.

Trying a flea market is a BAD idea. Don't ever do it. The only people making money are the organizers that take your rent first. And the rent is ridiculous. There is No Way you can recoup that amount without sacrificing profit (unless you are dealing in bulk sales or wholesale).

Do not be fooled by the latest trend to sell at flea markets. You'll only be wasting your time and money, and make a loss, because buyers will want rock bottom prices.  Many look but have no intention of buying anything. They are just there out of curiosity.

It is impossible to make a profit unless again, you are dealing in bulk or wholesale selling.

There is no profit in flea markets or Ebay SG. But at least, Ebay SG is free. -.- 
Other than that, there are the free classifieds. Unfortunately...that's if your ads appear in Google search engine. Otherwise, what are the chances of people actually going to Classifieds, browsing and seeing your ads? (I've sold more items on SG Ebay than from Classifieds).

Is doing business in SG that hard? Yes, it is, especially if you are selling clothes. Really. 

Look at all those boutiques in malls. Empty of buyers. Bored sales staff. Many closed down. Having big sales that nobody's interested in. 

It's sad. 

Selling fashion items in SG is hard because: 
1) People buy online 
2) People go overseas these days to buy 
3) They want cheap even if it means poor quality
4) They go for ugly things that they think is nice
5) You will never be able to fathom what they like because their taste is unexpectedly awful.

The result is that shops in malls sell bad clothes at the cheapest prices possible. Unfortunately, that just ruins the entire market and no help to themselves at all.

Now that SG Ebay is so... luckless, I'm back to Classifieds, directing them to check out my Ebay items. Hoping that will draw some traffic but... a long shot. But that's all I can do.

Other alternatives will involve $$ going out, instead of coming in.



Monday 3 October 2011

J. Cut by Jeric Hair Salon @ Suntec City Review

The haircut was on Friday. 2nd time there. And I've been thinking if I should spare the name of the hairstylist.

It's been 3 days and I'm still angry every time I look in the mirror. Every time I look in the mirror, I say, "How could you have cut it so short? You have no sense of aesthetics? What could have made you cut so short?? Isn't it common sense to know when to stop?".

How a salon can cut worse than QB at more than 3 times the price, is beyond understanding.

My thought is: what did I say or do to offend you that you cut my hair like this? Mr Paul Tan?

When I look in the mirror, I don't feel or look nice. I look ugly and feel unhappy. How can a hairstylist do this? Your job is to make people beautiful and happy. Why be a hairstylist if you cannot do that?

I thought about it carefully during these few days. I just can't let it go because this is just too much. It looks like you have cut out of hatred or dislike. As if I have offended you.

Even if a customer has inadvertently offended you, where is your professionalism and your hairstyling skills?

How could you possibly have cut my hair so short??!  When people look at me twice, it's not because I look nice. It's because my hair is too short and they wonder who the heck cut my hair.

Even QB, as bad as their hair cuts get, doesn't beat this. And even then, so many times getting bad QB hair cuts, I put up with it.

Even Celia @ Reds Salon Takashimaya gave me the same hair cut so many times until I was so fed up, I was never angry. There is a reason why Reds is crowded and J. Cut @ Suntec is not.

A staff (I won't say who) at Jeric Suntec told me the boss is always at ION and doesn't come to Suntec. I see. Neglect.

It explains the lack of standard there. This second time, the seat had cut hairs all over and it wasn't even seen as a problem even when I used my hand to sweep them aside while the hairstylist looked on. I was supposed to sit in it. Even QB is not this slack.

This 2nd time, I walked up to the counter, there was no receptionist there. Same as the first time. So, I waited and Paul came from somewhere and checked me in. I said, "Hi." and smiled. He smiled back.

He asked if there was a particular preference for my hairstylist, I said  he had cut my hair previously.

Why is it there is no proper receptionist at the counter? Twice I've been there and it's been the hairstylist doubling as the receptionist. I noticed Paul's writing was hardly readable, as if he didn't care.

After that, he led me to my hair-filled seat and asked me what I would like to drink. I said water. (They provide water in small bottles with the salon name on it).

Then he asked how I'd like my hair cut. I said, "Give me a punk look, some long, some short, slope behind.". He was Ok with it.

The hair washer lady did her job, and after that, I told Paul that I'd also like a layering effect. He was also Ok with that.

Like the first time, I started reading a magazine. This time --Cosmopolitan UK edition. Maybe it was the wrong choice. Maybe as he cut, he looked at the pages and somehow, felt upset about what I was reading and gave me a bad haircut.

Whenever I say "some long, some short", even QB can do that. But not this time. It's just a total, short turf.

Same as the first time, Paul has the habit of breathing on the customer (me). Don't know why. Not sure if he is aware of doing it.

This second time, he did it once. The first time, he did it a few times while cutting, as if it frustrated him.

While cutting, he would breathe out or sigh directly on the customer. You can feel the "wind" of it on you. It is very annoying but even then, I felt it wasn't a big deal if he could cut well. I simply had to hold my breath every time he did it.

My point is this: If it frustrates you so much, hairstyling is not a suitable job for you. Why do you breathe out on customers? Plain selfishness? Disrespect? If you are fed up, just quit and do sales line--stand around in mall store, do nothing.

I want to know why you cut my hair so short. WHY?

After he was partly done, I said the slope up the back was better than the last time. Smoother. This was true. Then I continued reading the magazine.

On and off, I would have a look and he seemed to know what he was doing.

When he was almost done, I put down the mag and saw the overall was too short. I kept staring, thinking, "It's not nice.".

He asked if the sides should be cut. Of course it had to be, otherwise it would not match the rest of the short style. I said, yes, "it's not nice.".

So, he cut and even the sides, he cut so short. Sure, it matches. It matches the ugly shortness of the rest of it.

As a trained hairstylist, presumably hand-picked/recruited, shouldn't he know when to stop cutting shorter and shorter? Only QB cutters sometimes, don't know when to stop. Just cut, cut, cut.

Cutting is easy, anybody can cut. Knowing when to stop is different.

Hairstyling is not just about cutting. If the person has no sense/no eye for aesthetics, this person is not a hairstylist.

What is odd, is that the first time I was there, I said it wasn't short enough and Paul said he didn't want to cut it too short (presumably so that it would look more feminine). But now, this 2nd time, look what he's done.

I'm not trying to damage any reputation (if any). The first time, I already wasn't pleased with his haircut because the back wasn't done well. And he just cut whatever he liked instead of according to what I like (some long, some short). Same as this 2nd time.


But even then, I let it go. And even went back a second time.

I let the first time pass because the results weren't so bad. And he had seemed very dedicated in ensuring everything was just right, to the extent of towering over me very close behind while cutting the top.

But this 2nd time, I really am sorry to have to say it here.  Even with the 5% discount he gave (not sure what for). This time, I'm really very upset with the hairstyle. It's really ugly. Not just that, it makes me feel ugly. Already, there are things I have to handle. I don't need extra unhappiness.
 
For hair cuts, my requirements are very simple. I am also not very fussy or complaining. But if you have cut badly out of personal reasons, to vent something, then that is wrong.

If you don't know how to cut, and it annoys and frustrates you, then hairstyling is not the right job.

I thought long about posting it here, whether I could let it go. I won't be going to J.Cut again.

------------
Update 6 Oct Sat: 
It's been a while since this post above. Since then, the salon is still there when I looked previously. But I haven't seen the hairstylist working there anymore, for a long while already. I don't know if he has been transferred out to another outlet/fired/quit. But it's not surprising if he quit because he didn't look happy in the job.