According to old ads, chemist used to sell stuff called “film” from a company called “Kodak”.
One of the chemists in Bentleigh is renovating, and this old signage has been revealed — soon to be covered up with something new. Apparently they used to sell stuff called “film” from a company called “Kodak”.
The windows have also shown up some old ads. Anybody care to estimate how old they might be?
Evidently “Beyond 2000” finished in 1999.
What is cross linked elastin cream, anyway?
The sign on the top of the shop might be a good submission for Our Fading Past.
Tags: advertising, Bentleigh, chemist, film, Kodak
18 comments
Given the price differential, it’s hard to see that GST on imports would make any difference
Among the presents I got for my birthday was a JB Hifi gift card. This always presents a challenge: what bargains can I pick up?
Browsing around the store one day, I found the two Harry Potter movies we don’t already have — the Deathly Hallows parts 1 and 2 — on Blu-ray, for $14.98, and on a two-for-the-price-of-one deal. Sold.
But what to spend the remaining $14.02 on?
Here are the prices of some movies and other discs that are on my To Buy list… with a comparison between Amazon UK, JB Hifi and Ezydvd.
| Title | JB Hifi | EzyDVD | Amazon UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Firefly (TV series) Blu-ray [1] | $36.98 | $42.97 | £15.00 ($21.93) |
| Doctor Who (series 5) Blu-ray | $133.99 | $139.97 | £17.00 ($24.65) |
| Doctor Who (series 6) Blu-ray [2] | NA | $119.97 | £18.25 ($26.35) |
| Tintin(movie) Blu-ray 2D [3] | $49.99 | $52.97 | £8.25 ($12.72) |
| The Slap DVD[4] | $55.99 | $57.97 | £6.77 ($10.71) |
- [1] Firefly was recently about double this price in Australia for the Blu-ray. It seems they’ve now brought it down to a reasonable price at last.
- [2] JBHifi online only lists the part 1 and part 2 Blu-rays of Doctor Who series 6, which excludes extras.
- [3] The Tintin movie in Australia appears to be only available on Blu-ray with bundled (but in my case, unwanted) DVD and digital copy. Amazon has this edition as well, at 10 pounds more than just the Blu-ray. In Australia, the 3D Blu-ray is another $10, making it around $60.
- [4] I’m not really in the market for this, but I thought I’d throw it in as an example of an Australian production. In Australia the price of the DVD or Blu-ray seems to be equally high. Amazon UK only lists the DVD; no Blu-ray.
The dollar prices for Amazon UK above are with the VAT deducted, and the £1.49 per item delivery cost added. There is an additional £2.09 ($3.27) cost per delivery, which is why most people try and buy multiple things at once, rather than ordering items one-by-one.
But even with delivery costs, some of these items are ludicrously more expensive buying in Australia. It’s not hard to see why people are importing — and also not hard to see that while some retailers want 10% GST added to imports, it would make hardly any difference at all — not when in some of these cases Amazon will deliver it to you for a fifth of the Australian price.
The rise of the Aussie dollar has obviously played a part here, but this isn’t new… it’s been over 60 UK pence for about two years.
And I’m not saying the retailers are necessarily to blame here, but something somewhere in the supply chain for these products is obviously very fishy indeed.
PS lunchtime. Obviously the price differential is quite different for various products and types of product. I think I actually got a pretty good deal on the Harry Potter Blu-rays, and I doubt they are cheaper via Amazon… this of course makes it all the more puzzling. Ultimately someone in the supply chain believes that Australians shopping locally are prepared to pay higher prices than our UK friends… that, after all, is how the free market operates.
By the way, unlike for DVDs, the UK and Europe is the same region for Blu-ray discs as Australia (region B).
PS 18/11/2012: I did eventually buy a couple of these yesterday during a JB Hifi “20% off DVDs and Blu-ray” sale. Firefly (still at around $37) went down to about $30, which is close to the US price (though still a bit above the UK one), and Tintin now has a new Blu-ray only edition retailing for $19.95. At 20% off that took it down to about $16. I also noticed The Slap has dropped to about $40.
Tags: DVDs, money
17 comments
“an entire train painted with a betting slogan” (pic) #metrotrains
This train is rolling around with advertising for Sportingbet plastered all over it.
It provoked this letter in The Age yesterday:
THERE’S much disapproval of the AFL regarding the promotion of gambling to minors during game time. I eagerly await seeing equal concern at the state subsidised rail system, which now has an entire train painted with a betting slogan. Who catches trains to school? Minors. At least matches on TV can be switched off.
Can we please dismiss this valueless economic model of marketing everything everywhere all the time and rediscover executives who regard themselves as pillars of the community. They would lead by example and really understand the concept of choice – such as the right not to be subjected to advertising in public spaces and the right of the community over that of shareholders.
David Cathie, Mordialloc
I’m unsure about this. Where does one draw the line? Do we also ban ads for MA-rated video games, MA and R-rated movies, booze, novels aimed at adults, theatre performances with adult themes, anything else marketed at adults that we don’t want children to use…? Dunno.
The other issue I’m interested in is the visibility through the windows. I haven’t seen it from inside, but certainly from outside you can’t see anything. This reduces safety by going against CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) principles, particularly that of natural surveillance:
Natural surveillance increases the threat of apprehension by taking steps to increase the perception that people can be seen. Natural surveillance occurs by designing the placement of physical features, activities and people in such a way as to maximize visibility and foster positive social interaction among legitimate users of private and public space. Potential offenders feel increased scrutiny and limitations on their escape routes.
In general I have no problem with advertising on public transport if it’s unobtrusive — the revenue helps subsidise the system and fund improvements. But advertising that completely covers windows, reducing visibility is not welcome.
The latest sponsorship at Southern Cross station? IKEA seat covers.
Observed at Southern Cross Station this week: IKEA seat covers.
They seem to be confined to platforms 11 and 12, though if you’re trying to get to IKEA by public transport, platform 9 (train to North Richmond, then a tram) is probably a better bet.
Not every seat has them, and there are no cushions underneath the covers — just bare metal. Maybe I missed it, but I didn’t spot any specific posters or signage for IKEA, apart from the logo.
At least it’s not potentially misleading like the Red Rooster destination screens, or blocking useful information like the ads at the Bourke Street entrance — or indeed blocking your way in and out of the station.
Simple jobs
Here’s another blog post inspired by a discussion with the kids.
Relatively simple things, it appears, can also be quite profitable.
Back when I worked at Hattams as a 16-17 year-old, the alterations for trousers and jackets and things were done by a bloke called Telly who lived up the road. Trouser shortening was $5, in most cases passed-on to the customer. Sometimes I’d be tasked with taking the trousers etc up to Telly. It turned out all those alterations, many at $5 each (and no doubt similar minor jobs from other places) had managed to fund an enormous house (and this was in Elsternwick — even in the late-80s, it was expensive) and a shiny new Mercedes in the driveway.
The barber shop in Glen Huntly where I’ve gone for years is run by a bloke and his two sons. It’s a fairly basic type of haircut you get there — the current going rate is $20. The family lives around the corner in pretty big, very impressive house.
I think the lesson here is that if you can do moderately skilled, even if it’s simple and cheap, do it quickly and efficiently enough and you can still make yourself a lot of dosh.
Tags: Elsternwick, Hattams, jobs
6 comments
Robot vacuum cleaners
I was chatting to a work colleague about birthdays, the amazing fact that we’re now well into the 21st century, and what happened to the promise of robots who would do the housework?
Of course, we have dishwashers, clothes washers, dryers… and then she said she has one of those robot vaccuum cleaners. Apparently it works wonders in a flat with floorboards and cats that leave hair everywhere.
It gets switched-on when leaving for work. It roams around the house (I guess the cats are used to it) and then returns itself to its charging station.
Apparently it handles rugs okay, and given I have floorboards (but no cats), I’m wondering if it might be a good Christmas present to myself.
The base models from the excellently named iRobot company appear to cost about $400, judging from Harvey Norman’s list.
Previously I’ve been wary of these things as being an expensive gimmick. But I wonder if the technology is sufficiently advanced now that they are reliable and effective enough to provide some genuine benefits for the cost.
Anybody else have one? What do you think of it? Are they as good as the reviewers on the HN web site claim?
Tags: housework, vacuuming
11 comments
No, the law doesn’t demand that Myki accept 5 cent coins, or that Metcard machines accept notes
The question seems to keep coming up as to whether it’s legal for Myki machines to not accept 5 cent coins; or indeed whether it’s legal for Metcard machines on trams to only accept coins (not notes).
Some people assume that because it’s all legal tender, it must be against the law to demand specific currency, or otherwise limit the payment options (such as only providing a limited amount of change).
As this page from the Reserve Bank says, legal tender doesn’t mean there’s any obligation to accept it:
It is the Reserve Bank of Australia’s understanding that, although Australian currency has legal tender status, it does not necessarily have to be used in transactions and that refusal to accept payment in legal tender banknotes and coins is not unlawful.
So you might not like it, but it’s not illegal.
PS. Some people even claim stuff like this that they don’t like is unconstitutional, and someone should be taken to court. Good luck with that.
Tags: Metcard, money, Myki, Myki myths
9 comments
There goes my August spending money
Yowzers. It’s been 7 years since I bought the house.
And it’s been four years since I bought the car.
At the time I bought the car, the dealer I bought it from had just paid the rego, so it’s due every August. This year it’s $696.50.
Obviously because I bought the car in August, the insurance is also due every August. $369.05 (It can be paid monthly, but this is 15% more expensive.)
And… you guessed it… the house insurance is also due. $673.35
Can someone remind me, when/if I decide to upgrade the car at some stage in the future, not to do it in August?
- I also just got a rates notice… happily the next installment for that isn’t due until late September.
- A reminder why, despite their groovy advertising and the promise of cheaper premiums for people who don’t drive much, I don’t insure with Youi
Actually do plan to use a little spending money: to help fund From Bedrooms to Billions, a documentary on the beginnings of the UK video game industry. Nostalgia ahoy!
I’ve donated $100. And that was before I discovered the music they’ve used for the trailer — which starts at the 3 minute mark in the following video:
From Bedrooms to Billions – Teaser Trailer from GRACIOUS FILMS on Vimeo.
Tags: Bingle, car, insurance, money, nostalgia, Video games
6 comments
