Dropping hints on social networks

Not sure what to get them this Christmas? Have you checked their blog?
Think I’m joking? Not quite. Though it may sound brazen, more and more people are becoming comfortable with openly talking about their wish lists online. At first, I thought it was a bit obnoxious when I saw friends blogging about what they wanted under the tree or including their “must haves” in their Facebook status updates. The more I think about it, though, the more it makes sense.
People are increasingly spread out from friends and family and have less time to sit down and have real conversations – that’s the reason sites like Facebook, FriendFeed, and Twitter are so popular; they provide easy ways for you to stay in touch.

Application developers are even getting into the act. A quick search of “wish list” on Facebook brings up pages of applications. Our advice? Check the profile pages of your friends and keep an eye on their tweets and status updates – just make sure you have a pen handy.

What was your most frustrating delivery experience?

Have you ever gone through a delivery experience which made you want to scream? Almost everyone I know has, at some point, experienced the frustrating hassle of getting their online purchase into their hands. I once received a delivery notice on a Friday evening after work directing me to a courier depot that was closed all weekend. Needless to say, I needed that parcel ASAP. I waited all weekend and had to rush out to the courier depot (which was located 15 minutes away) on Monday morning. Why on earth did they put my parcel at a depot so far away when there were closer ones? I found out that it all depends on the courier’s route, so it doesn’t necessarily go to the closest one. I got my parcel but not without hassle and frustration. KinekPoint solves this very problem, as I now simply send my online purchases directly to a KinekPoint Depot. I will never go back to the old conventional frustrating method again.

Have you had a bad delivery experience? Leave a comment and tell your story.

How much is your time worth?

No matter what you do with your days, your time is valuable. If you work, you may think of your time in terms of an hourly wage or yearly salary. If you’re a stay at home partner or parent, you may think of your time in terms of how much you can get done in an hour. No matter how you value it, time is something you can always use more of.

Missed deliveries can take up a lot of your time. I’ll give you an example:
A friend of mine once had a missed delivery go to a depot 20 minutes from where he worked which closed at 4:30 PM and wasn’t open on Saturdays. Of course, he only found that out after he had driven there and was faced with a locked door. He ended up having to leave early from work the next day to make a second trip. He lost a half an hour of time at work and spent an hour and twenty minutes in the car. No wonder he was excited when I told him about KinekPoint.

With KinekPoint, he could have sent the package to a Depot near his office, picked it up on his lunch break, and paid just a couple of dollars. Any way you slice it, that’s a bargain.

Wii + Wii Fit Contest

For those of you who have been calling the department stores to try and get your hands on a Wii Fit and Wii Entertainment System for Christmas but haven’t had any success, this may be your lucky day!

We are running a Wii + Wii Fit prize package contest on the KinekPoint website (kinekpoint.com). All you have to do to enter is sign up for the service (which is free!). This promotion will last until December 16th - just in time for Christmas.

The Wii Fit is one of the hardest gifts to get your hands on this Holiday season and units are flying off the shelves (most stores run out hours after getting a new shipment). If you aren’t having any luck with local stores you can try the Wii Fit Tracker, after you sign up for your chance to win one on our website of course.

In most stores, the Wii Fit retails for $89.99-99.99; online you will see a pretty big hike since the demand is extremely high. You will see prices from $159.99-$199.99. The closer Christmas gets, the more you can expect to pay! In years past, the hot holiday item has been sold for unbelievable prices. We all remember the tickle-me-elmo fiasco. People were getting hurt from the slew of people rushing into the department stores to get their hands on the "it" holiday item.

With online shopping and our Wii & Wii Fit giveaway, you won't have to duke it out in the department store.

Need more info on the Wii Fit? Click here to visit Nintendo's website.

CTTC Releases 2009 Toy Verdicts

It’s that time of year again (and, if you’re like me, it could not have come soon enough). The Canadian Toy Testing Council (CTTC) has released its 2009 reports. A non-profit organization, the CTTC tests, toys, software, and children’s books in order to help parents (and us clueless aunts and uncles) with information to help them make good shopping decisions.

The full report (with a star rating system) can be found here.

For a look at what's a hit with the kids themselves, be sure to check out the toys which won the "Children's Choice Awards". Also, if you want to give the gift of a good book, you should check out their top children's books of 2009.

Ordering online and don't want the kids to see the delivery van pull up to the house? Why not ship to a KinekPoint Depot?

Keeping the Surprise in Christmas

I wish KinekPoint had been around last Christmas. Okay, I work here – saying that probably isn’t too surprising – but it’s true. Last year, I practically jumped through hoops to keep my roommate’s Christmas gift (an Alfred Hitchcock Film Festival Poster) a surprise.

“I ordered a Marilyn Monroe poster for my sister,” I lied, one afternoon. “So if a poster tube arrives, it’s for me.”

I thought that would be the end of it: one small lie that would keep the present a surprise.

Then it got complicated. A few days later, my roommate ordered a poster for his brother. Every time a delivery slip landed on our door, I raced to be the one first to the postal outlet. Half the time, the deliveries turned out not to be for me and, because the packages weren’t sent in my name, my roommate would have to make a separate trip to the depot.

By the time the poster finally arrived, I was sick of the whole thing.

This year, no matter what I order, I’m covered. There are two KinekPoint Depots within a couple of blocks of where I work. If I ship to one, I won’t have to worry about someone opening their gift by mistake.

What about you? Have you ever found the perfect gift only to have the surprise ruined before the big day?

Consumer Reports' Top Products of 2008

Consumer Reports – that dedicated bastion of relentless testing – has released their annual list of this year’s top 100 products.

While you can’t get the full list without subscribing, they’ve been kind enough to release a taste – providing you with ten items to help jump start your gift giving ideas. Click here to see the list.

Not surprising, the small sampling contained one digital picture frame (the Samsung SPF-83V Digital Photo Frame). At least two of my friends are buying digital picture frames this holiday season and it seems safe to say that the popularity of digital picture frames is staying strong.

Need a little help choosing which frame to buy? Consumer Reports has a little advice.