The world around us

Wall Street analysts were surprised by eBay’s earnings report that showed that the Internet auction house had earned $377.2 in the first quarter of the year, an increase of 52%. However, the good news wasn’t enough to keep eBay’s shares from dropping further by 2.5%. The increase in earnings is attributed to the company increaseing their seller fees in an effort to reduce repeat items along with lower starting bids. Other eBay companies PayPal and Skype both increased earnings for the first quarter as well, although PapPal is likely to get a lot of competition from Google’s new service along the same lines called Google Checkout. 

In addition, while eBay CEO Meg Whitman said, "We were the original social networking site," during Wednesday’s financial report, the company falls short of competing with Web 2.0 social networking sites like MySpace or FaceBook. That, however, might point to opportunities. "Social networking is a good fit for eBay, and they don’t have that yet," Weide said.

"A natural fit for eBay is to have a social network where customers can exchange product information, find out which products are good, get tips and tricks, learn about vendors on eBay, their return policies, how trustworthy they are and all of that."

I love using a laptop, even though I sit at a desk and use it most of the time. It’s just so compact and easy to travel with, which we do quite often. Last summer when I travelled with it, I ended up using it without the power plugged and needed to replace the battery. Luckily, my cousin whom we were staying with recommended Laptop Batteries from LowCostBatteries.com, where she had purchased them and had been very satisfied with the quality and service she received. LCB seems to have batteries for all brands of laptops and all models as well, so no matter what kind of laptop you have, you’re likely to find a replacement battery here.

Just before the arrival of one of the most famous Wal-Mart protestors, Wade Rathke, the company’s CEO designate, Raj Jain, spoke to The Economic Times. He emphasized that Wal-Mart was committed to creating a relationship with India’s small traders and wanting to partner with them to help lower costs and increase profits. Wal-Mart already has ties accross the country with it’s network of suppliers, from whom it has sourced products worth $600. On the hoopla of Wal-Mart killing local business, Mr Jain emphasized that the company’s cash-and-carry venture will sell high quality products to retailers, including smaller shop keepers.

Buying electronics is not as fun as it seems, especially when it comes to high priced new technology items. We’ve been considering switching to plasma tvs and are still looking for information on which one will be a better buy, based on price and longevity. TVs keep changing and it doesn’t make sense to buy something that is going to be obsolete in a few years or uses a technology that costs too much to maintain. Researching on the Internet, I found a site called TestFreaks.com that offers reviews and advice from professional sources, blogs and forums to educate and inform regular consumers of their choices of electronics and gadgets. While the site is still in alpha mode as yet, there is already lots of information to be found on specific categories such as high definition TVs such as this Panasonic TV, which is exactly the kind of TV I was looking for.  

Macy’s will be introducing its own quick-serve eateries and restaurants at their stores in Florida. The restaurants will be by world famous chefs Wolfgang Puck and Todd English. The first of the Wolfgang Puck restaurants called Wolfgang Puck Express will come up at the Broward County store and Todd English’s cafe called Fig’s will open at the Palm Beach County store. Besides these the company will also be offering another brand called Macy’s Taste Bars, which will feature a menu of soups, salads, sandwiches, gelato and coffee at eight of its stores in Florida.

"It’s a pretty powerful strategy," said Love Goel, chairman and CEO of Growth Ventures Group, a national retail investment firm based in Minneapolis. "It creates another level of attraction for their stores." Goel, a former executive at Macy’s parent company, Federated Department Stores Inc., said adding a food component to the chain’s stores could help attract upscale shoppers and differentiate the brand from competitors such as Kohl’s and JC Penney. Macy’s challenge, Goel says, will be making its entrée into food service an economical one for the company. "People like Wolfgang Puck and Todd English don’t come cheap," he said, noting the company will likely have to invest considerably in licensing agreements and facilities.