Being contacted by companies – when they do it wrong.

As a blogger there are certain perks. For bloggers with high readerships it’s likely that they’ll be sent products related to their niche to try out provided they write a (favourable) review on their blog. Other’s may receive money to write reviews about products and services.

I will admit freely now that one day in the future I do hope that I am sent products and such to try out, but this is not the ultimate aim of my blog writing. I write because I enjoy it and it’s a nice outlet.

About a week and a half ago I was approached, via email, by a company who wanted me to write as a potential guest blogger in their fashion section as well as recommend their price comparison service and add them to my blog roll. While I have no problems with being approached and asked about these kind of things, I do have a problem when I’m approached by a company who would not interest my (small) readership at all. It’s a very basic price comparison website who were asking me to give them free advertising for nothing in return – no link back, no monetary reward and nothing of interest for you guys.

I didn’t respond to the email. I have received another email from the company asking me to yet again become a guest blogger and to mention their website in a future blog post. For those of you who are observant, you will notice that I haven’t made a post about fashion in any way since October. While I do post about things I buy, I most certainly do not count that as fashion tips or as fashion blogging. I have been making a move away from fashion (which is not my strong point) towards make up, lifestyle, student things and finance. I find it slightly insulting that from what I’ve been posting in my blog that a company would think I’m a fashion blogger.

Once again, I will not be replying to this email. I should probably give them a polite, but firm, sign of decline, but I feel that they themselves are being fairly rude by not actually reading my blog and just assuming I would want to be one of their guest bloggers in hopes that my followers number would jump.

I won’t be naming the company, of course, but I just wanted to get this out there. While I’m not objecting to being contacted in any way by companies, you guys or other bloggers, I am objecting to being contacted by people who are just hoping for free advertising.

For you other bloggers out there – what is your experience with this? Do you find that as your readership grows you get a lot of free loading companies hoping to make a quick buck from you?

PS. Sorry about the lack of pictures, but I don’t think there’s anything that would really fit with this!

A quick guide to manners and politeness.

See the full sized image by KnitXcorE @ Flickr here.

Mind your P’s and Q’s.
I’ve worked behind a till for three years now in a chemist and a cinema. Very different jobs and very different clientele. Last night, I was sitting having a think about work as I put this weeks hours in my diaries and I realised that while the ill and sick were thankful when I helped and served them in the chemist, the cinema-goers are certainly not. In fact, just two nights ago twenty-something year old man tried to be “subtle” and make me feel stupid under his breath for “forgetting” something he hadn’t actually asked for. Obviously the baseball cap gives me mind reading abilities and lowers my IQ by about 25%. And not once during the whole transaction did him or his partner say please or thank you.

That really gets up my nose.

It’s three simple words which should be second nature to everyone. While it’s possible at home and with friends I’m not always mindful of my manners, I most certainly am in public – shops, restaurants, work and university.

Three simple rules.
It’s not difficult to be polite. It really isn’t. Here’s a list of some of my personal habits and just common sense:

1. Asking for something? Say please!
   ”May I have a large coke, please?”
   ”A return to the uni, please.”
2. Been given something or have someone performed a service for you? Say thank you!
   While getting off a bus - “Thanks!”
   When handed change in a shop - “Thank you!”
3. Bumped into someone or got in their way? Apologise!
   ”Oops, sorry about that.”
   ”Excuse me.”
   ”So sorry.”

It’s just three simple words. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve had to prompt people to say please (and I do it!) because I don’t feel I should be spoken at – I should be spoken to. Just because someone’s scanning tins in Tesco or serving McFries in McDonalds does not necessarily mean they are stupid and it most certainly does not make them less than a person.

Tell me about some of your manner pet peeves or a time someone was inherently rude to you – it’s good to get it out your system!

 

Ps. I just had to show you this picture I found when I was searching flickr – it gave me a good giggle alright.

A rant about jeans shopping.

Image courtesy of riverisland.com

I know it can’t just be me.
Most females I know, of all ages, hate going shopping for a new pair of jeans – my self included. I hate it; I dread it; I probably have nightmares about it! Whether you’re tall, short, fat, skinny or just plain average it’s impossible to find a pair of jeans which fit. I wish that this was the ultimate guide to finding the perfect jeans for you, but it’s not – it’s my rant about jeans shopping.

I’m not a freak.
I’m about 5’6, maybe 5’7 if I don’t slouch. I’m not hugely fat – I wear clothes in 10, 12 and the occasional 14. I do have a slightly larger than average bust – but this doesn’t effect my jeans. What does though, is my inseam. All my height is from my legs – they have a 34.5 inch measurement barefooted from crotch to the floor. Add on a pair of normal flat shoes and I need a 35 inch inseam, at the least, to not look like a leper. Heaven forbid if I want to wear jeans with heels.

No solution.
I know a lot of you will just think “buy long jeans then!” or “buy from the internet!” and I wish it was truly that easy. Most high street shops long length jeans are 33 inches or 34 inches. The occasional shop claims to have a 36 inch long length jean in their tall section but most of the time it’s lucky if it’s longer than 34 inches – I’m looking at you New Look. River Island’s long length is long – most definitely about 35 inches, and I can wear them fine – some even with heels if I really wanted to. But in my local River Island (in a middle sized city, no less) I have never ever seen a long length pair of jeans. This is where buying on the internet is a hassle – not all size 10/12s are going to be the same – some will be bigger, some will be smaller. Even with in the same size there can be huge differences; isn’t that so TopShop?

The final rant.
I don’t want to have to get on a train and sit for 45 minutes while I go to Edinburgh or Glasgow to just get jeans. I don’t want to have to order online just to find they don’t fit and then have the hassle of returning them. I want to be able to go into the shop like all any normal woman, pick up a few pairs of jeans in my sizes and in long length and then be able to try them on. It’s infuriating not being able to have the simple human right of buying jeans quickly and easily, let me tell you!

How does everyone else cope with buying jeans? Or, do you have some sort of other item of clothing that you just have to try on to make sure it fits?