Australian Members

[xiaoli]



Most of the MJ Bale stuff in my size got cleaned out at the DJ clearance sale

^36R?

 

[Geoffrey Firmin]



So I ordered a pair of charcoal odd trousers over the weekend, but now I'm having buyer's remorse due to the colour--I'm wondering if charcoal is really too dark to work as an odd trouser and whether I should ask to change them for something else.
Any thoughts?

Charcoal I find is very versatile goes with any thing colour wise. I have a couple of pairs of BB gabardine trousers which I wear with either black or brown boots. And it does work well with pink, sky blue and white shirts I find.

Jacket wise blue blazer or a Antony Squires moss green glen plaid sports coat.

 

[fxh]

Tobias

Dark charcoal is fine. To avoid them looking black pair them with blue. A blue shirt, lighter blue jacket, brown or rust jacket, grey tweed herribgbone. Try blue socks, lighter grey socks,blueish tie. Burgundy shoes.

One could easily live forever in grey jacket, grey pants, blue shirts, burgundy shoes, with a burgundy knit tie and a black knit tie and a navy blue knit tie and burgundy socks.

 

[fxh]

The Australian Retailers Association has blamed the collapse last week of BSC Bikes on GST-free imports for low value items.

This weekend BSC Bikes' three Melbourne stores were all closed with a sign on the door of the Brunswick Street store announcing the closure and giving a number for customers with laybys to contact.

BSC Bikes had plans to open a fourth store on July 2, but unexpectedly shut its doors on Tuesday night, costing between 25 and 30 jobs.

"Action needs to be taken to reduce a threshold which not only poses an inherent competitive disadvantage to Australian retailers, but is also a hidden GST trapdoor for states. "The reality is all Australian retailers – whether they're operating online stores, physical stores or both – are unable to compete on price or innovation with overseas retailers marketing products to Australian consumers."

The letter cited research which showed the majority of Australian consumers would rather buy Australian, even when shopping online. "Australian retailers cannot respond to this consumer demand if they're competing with overseas retailers who are able to dodge tax," Zimmerman said. The owner of BSC Bikes, Peter Hess, also blamed the store's collapse on "unfair" competition from internet outlets.

Hess called for a special levy on internet retailers to level the playing field with local shops.

''Retailers in Australia are generally being portrayed as rip-off merchants because our prices are higher than the internet," Hess told Fairfax.

 

[Henry Carter]



• 
  
  Tobias
  Dark charcoal is fine. To avoid them looking black pair them with blue. A blue shirt, lighter blue jacket, brown or rust jacket, grey tweed herribgbone. Try blue socks, lighter grey socks,blueish tie. Burgundy shoes.
  One could easily live forever in grey jacket, grey pants, blue shirts, burgundy shoes.

• 
  
  
  Here's one I prepared earlier.....
  
  
  
  

 

[Prince of Paisley]



Tobias
Dark charcoal is fine. To avoid them looking black pair them with blue. A blue shirt, lighter blue jacket, brown or rust jacket, grey tweed herribgbone. Try blue socks, lighter grey socks,blueish tie. Burgundy shoes.
One could easily live forever in grey jacket, grey pants, blue shirts, burgundy shoes, with a burgundy knit tie and a black knit tie and a navy blue knit tie and burgundy socks.

Charcoal trousers, French navy jacket, pink shirt, navy socks, mahogany/dark brown/burgundy shoes (or black). Tie optional.

 

[Prince of Paisley]



The Australian Retailers Association has blamed the collapse last week of BSC Bikes on GST-free imports for low value items.
This weekend BSC Bikes' three Melbourne stores were all closed with a sign on the door of the Brunswick Street store announcing the closure and giving a number for customers with laybys to contact.
BSC Bikes had plans to open a fourth store on July 2, but unexpectedly shut its doors on Tuesday night, costing between 25 and 30 jobs.
"Action needs to be taken to reduce a threshold which not only poses an inherent competitive disadvantage to Australian retailers, but is also a hidden GST trapdoor for states. "The reality is all Australian retailers – whether they're operating online stores, physical stores or both – are unable to compete on price or innovation with overseas retailers marketing products to Australian consumers."
The letter cited research which showed the majority of Australian consumers would rather buy Australian, even when shopping online. "Australian retailers cannot respond to this consumer demand if they're competing with overseas retailers who are able to dodge tax," Zimmerman said. The owner of BSC Bikes, Peter Hess, also blamed the store's collapse on "unfair" competition from internet outlets.
Hess called for a special levy on internet retailers to level the playing field with local shops.
''Retailers in Australia are generally being portrayed as rip-off merchants because our prices are higher than the internet," Hess told Fairfax.

 

[AriGold]

I got offered an opportunity for a secondment in Detroit from August to December.... What to pack and what to do?! Detroit can be so unappealing..

 

[fxh]



The Australian Retailers Association has blamed the collapse last week of BSC Bikes on GST-free imports for low value items.
This weekend BSC Bikes' three Melbourne stores were all closed with a sign on the door of the Brunswick Street store announcing the closure and giving a number for customers with laybys to contact.
BSC Bikes had plans to open a fourth store on July 2, but unexpectedly shut its doors on Tuesday night, costing between 25 and 30 jobs.
"Action needs to be taken to reduce a threshold which not only poses an inherent competitive disadvantage to Australian retailers, but is also a hidden GST trapdoor for states. "The reality is all Australian retailers – whether they're operating online stores, physical stores or both – are unable to compete on price or innovation with overseas retailers marketing products to Australian consumers."
The letter cited research which showed the majority of Australian consumers would rather buy Australian, even when shopping online. "Australian retailers cannot respond to this consumer demand if they're competing with overseas retailers who are able to dodge tax," Zimmerman said. The owner of BSC Bikes, Peter Hess, also blamed the store's collapse on "unfair" competition from internet outlets.
Hess called for a special levy on internet retailers to level the playing field with local shops.
''Retailers in Australia are generally being portrayed as rip-off merchants because our prices are higher than the internet," Hess told Fairfax.

I hear today that the Fairfax mob will be shedding workers and going online more or even totally. With the sort of reporting like above it will be no great loss.

You'd think that perhaps just sitting and thinking over a coffee for 5 minutes might lead a reporter to ask themselves a few questions. Like:

What kind of business manager opens a chain of bike stores when for around 10 years at least, the bike retail industry has complained of tough business conditions.

What sort of business plan tells you to open a new store in Elizabeth street when you already have one in Elizabeth street?

What kind of business plan tells you to open a new site when the one you opened in Greensborough 6 months ago closed/failed?

What kind of business plan tells you to open another store but doesn't tell you that you are a week away from going bust?

And might you - as a reporter - put some of this into the "news" report instead of just regurgitating a press release calling for a levy on competitors?

Again - thats not reporting or writing - thats typing.

 

[fxh]



I got offered an opportunity for a secondment in Detroit from August to December.... What to pack and what to do?! Detroit can be so unappealing..

Things are very tough in Detroit at the moment - it would be an opportunity to see and learn a lot about the downside of the American dream.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111785752

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2...-film-documents-firefighters-tough-times?lite

 

[streetminimal]



^36R?

38R

 

[California Dreamer]



It seems that in an age where retail is competing against online, not everyone understands that it's in their service that they can differentiate themselves!

I had a similar experience on the weekend, in another context with The Good Guys. I was after a printer and the salesman ran through all the options with me. We settled on one that was priced at $229. I haggled a bit and he came down to $199, but then he realise he had no stock other than the demo unit. Instead of sellng me that, he directed me to the local Office Works. I asked them to price compare, they called him (I assume) and he gave them the haggled price, which they matched and give me another 5% under their matching policy. I ended up getting it for $187. So not all bulk stores have to descend to Gerry Harvey levels, and Good Guys lived up to their name.

 

[California Dreamer]



The Australian Retailers Association has blamed the collapse last week of BSC Bikes on GST-free imports for low value items.

This weekend BSC Bikes' three Melbourne stores were all closed with a sign on the door of the Brunswick Street store announcing the closure and giving a number for customers with laybys to contact.

BSC Bikes had plans to open a fourth store on July 2, but unexpectedly shut its doors on Tuesday night, costing between 25 and 30 jobs.

"Action needs to be taken to reduce a threshold which not only poses an inherent competitive disadvantage to Australian retailers, but is also a hidden GST trapdoor for states. "The reality is all Australian retailers – whether they're operating online stores, physical stores or both – are unable to compete on price or innovation with overseas retailers marketing products to Australian consumers."

The letter cited research which showed the majority of Australian consumers would rather buy Australian, even when shopping online. "Australian retailers cannot respond to this consumer demand if they're competing with overseas retailers who are able to dodge tax," Zimmerman said. The owner of BSC Bikes, Peter Hess, also blamed the store's collapse on "unfair" competition from internet outlets.

Hess called for a special levy on internet retailers to level the playing field with local shops.

''Retailers in Australia are generally being portrayed as rip-off merchants because our prices are higher than the internet," Hess told Fairfax.

What a load of horse ****, frankly. How many people really buy bikes on the net, when fit and a test ride are so important? With the boom in cycling, any decent operator ought to be able to offer a service-based alternative to lower prices. Unless his prices were within 10 percent of internet prices he's talking complete crap, and expecting taxpayers (who make a loss on these tax collections) to subsidise his business.

 

[pasey25]



What a load of horse ****, frankly. How many people really buy bikes clothes on the net, when fit and a test ride are is so important? With the boom in cycling men's fashion, any decent operator ought to be able to offer a service-based alternative to lower prices. Unless his prices were within 10 percent of internet prices he's talking complete crap, and expecting taxpayers (who make a loss on these tax collections) to subsidise his business.

fixed this for ya....

 

[Deapht]

I got offered an opportunity for a secondment in Detroit from August to December.... What to pack and what to do?! Detroit can be so unappealing..

2nd most dangerous city in the US

http://www.theatlantic.com/national...st-dangerous-cities-in-america/239513/#slide9