In last week’s post, I discussed how breakfast in bed seems to be disappearing as a common activity in the United States. In order to spot trends such as this, you have to have a good sense of the past … what has come before or been a part of the cultural landscape and now is shifting. (That’s an important use of history – trendspotting!) Another trend I have noticed recently is within lawn care.…
In the annals of funny packaging that somehow attracts my attention, I’ve got a new observation, this time from a package of cotton balls. Let’s zoom in a bit and look at that “Satisfaction guaranteed” box. “For questions or comments or to report an undesired reaction or side effect, please call ….” Wait, what? What “undesired reaction or side effect” are you expecting cotton balls (that are 100% cotton) to have? Are they going to…
After decades of excessive consumption following World War II, Americans have swung toward a balancing trend of minimalism in terms of collecting stuff. While there are certainly plenty of people who indulge in purchasing unneeded items or shopping for shopping’s sake, we have reached a point in which people claim they would rather have experiences instead of stuff. Given this experiences trend, I’m curious about an observation I made recently upon waking. (Because isn’t “upon…