GET ZAPPONIZED!
This is THE site for shoe aficionados and anyone who needs INSTANT gratification from retail therapy. The zappo sisters will entertain you with how they were "zapponized" ; how the 10 rules of zapponization have altered their ideas of retail therapy and their many adventures. For a starter course, go to zappos.com and indulge your online shopping urges.
zappos core values
10. be humble
9. be passionate and determined
8. do MORE with LESS
7. build a positive team and family spirit
6. build open and honest relationships with communication
5. pursue growth and learning
4. be adventurous, creative and open-minded
3. create FUN and a little Weirdness
2. embrace and drive change
1. deliver WOW through service
pictures
...just a note... If you click on the pictures, you can see them full size.
Twenty-six hours after placing my latest order with Zappos, Mr. UPS raced to the door with that box of happiness. As you can see, Mr. UPS was not too thrilled to be in a photo-op but graciously went along.
Okay, so what is in my box of happiness? Which pair will be my dream shoes? Better yet, are they going to fit? Be cute? Be elegant? And can I walk in them?
The contenders are: booties heels
note Barbie in the photo
..........and the winner is: the Cole Hahn heels. Why did I chose the heel? Both shoes were fun & interesting. The booties were just not as comfortable and really didn't fit as well. When I put on the heels, I felt just like Cinderella! They looked awesome and the fit was perfect. Now I have to practice walking in them before Thursday. Is there enough time? I will make the time for these beauties. Get ready Zappos, I am downloading my return slip right now for my free return. Oh, I love this store
Since this post was written, I have been appointed Zapponia's Ambassador by HRH Tony; the Zapponian flag was a winning entry and your Ambassador will be attending the dedication of "the flags" on November 5, 2009. That's three days from now!! Ordered my shoes from Zappos yesterday and expect them this afternoon. What? You thought I would represent Zapponia in old shoes??? Pleeeze! Will post a picture of my shoes when Mr. UPS brings them. By the way, our flag is displayed & framed proudly in your Ambassador's home. Tune in this weekend for photos and commentary from the event. original post:
Zapponia was created by two sisters in May 2009. The idea for the country originated with a trip to a company called Zappos.com. In fact the sisters invented a word, “zapponized”, which means loving the zappo culture.
The blue on our flag is the “wild blue yonder” and beyond because Zapponians believe that adventures can make positive changes in the universe. The funky yellow Z symbolizes not only Zapponia but also the ideas to create fun, a little weirdness and the concept of WOW! The supreme ruler is His Royal Highness Tony. Did you know that there are only two other countries in the world beginning with the letter Z?
Betcha said, “Wow!”
Zapponians are positive, enthusiastic, creative and fun. Those who complain are banished from Zapponia. Imagine a place where people look forward to Mondays when they will be at work. Imagine a place where the ruler of the country invites you to his palace whenever you are in town. Your thoughts on the country are requested each year and published in the Zapponian Register. Perhaps you think there is “no free lunch”; in Zapponia, lunch is free every day for everyone.
Zapponian happiness is increased daily by the opportunity to choose from millions of shoes that will addWOW! to your life. For more information contact: zapposisters@ymail.com
****** This was a winning entry in a flag design contest. The country had to be created and then a flag designed. Zapponia was chosen and will be immortalized in a artistic rendition in the town of Waynesville, North Carolina
Sissy and I have had the good fortune to visit many countries and spend time in some of the finest lodging in the world. L’chaim! A return to Château de Bagnols would be a delight, where I stayed in a suite with a REAL turret and fancied myself a 20th century Rapunzel complete with 20th century short hair… Mandarin Oriental Hotels are always superior as are converted stables from England to Oregon. It seems that when one converts a stable, there is a feeling that it must be decorated so much better than just any old suite. I have found myself feeling quite like royalty with nary a whiff of manure!
2004 offered my first experience at the Fairmont Banff Springs. If you have ever wanted to stay in a castle in North America but simply don’t have one in your neighborhood, may I suggest boarding a flight to Calgary and making the beautiful two hour drive to Banff Springs and the Fairmont. As Meg Ryan would say, “‘…it had me at hello.” When you are greeted by attractive men in kilts or a bagpiper or just the friendliest staff you can imagine in the lobby of what can only be described as a castle, well – get ready! From my first glimpse I was at home or rather “to the manor born”, and there was no doubt that I would have to share this experience with Sissy, sooner, rather than later. Well, it was later, January 2007, to be exact and what a delight. Once again the experience was not to be duplicated we were treated like the royalty we think we are and I have no doubt this experience, at least in part, helped plant the seed for Sissy’s role as an “ambassador’”! We lounged around the Fairmont from seating area to seating area as if we were at home… hhhmmm. There is a room off the main lounge with seating facing a fireplace that we claim as our own living room boldly taking naps on the big leather couch when we are not reading or writing. The Fairmont Banff Springs was the platinum standard for customer service and excess – until our visit this year. Don’t get me wrong. Life at the castle was still superior but something had slipped a bit. Had we set our standards too high? I don’t think so. After an awful lot of discussion and dissection, Sissy and I decided that they simply have allowed their standards to slip. Had this been our first visit we would have been thrilled but since we had previous visits that were the absolute pinnacle of customer service we were left to compare. For the price of the experience, which one must consider, unless you are an Astor, Vanderbilt or Rockefeller our expectations were bruised. Some would say you shouldn’t have such high expectations and to that I would respond, then prices should not be exorbitant but that would be gauche, wouldn’t it?
All that to say besides food and luxury, I am the Sister consumed with customer service. Having served the public for years and years, I find myself comparing and contrasting service in every walk of life. Don’t get me started with the “lack of” customer service at banks, post offices and other government owned or soon to be government owned establishments. This distinct lack of service has come about because the general public allows and tolerates it. With a shake of our heads and comments like, “Well, that’s what we’ve come to now’” or “You know it is due to poor parenting and educational standards”, as if these comments somehow make poor service okay. Many of you have lowered your standards to the point when you encounter someone who does anything verging on mediocre you are thrilled. Not I! I am on the lookout constantly for businesses that still give customer service and to those who don’t or won’t I avoid. Hence, Zappos.com: the company that actually built their brand by offering exceptional customer service while selling shoes and now clothing and other items. It remains to be seen if their original ideas will survive now that they are under the wing of Amazon.com. Statistics are against them but Sissy and I will continue to test their strength of purpose.
But I digress. Our recent experience in Banff Springs broke a little piece of my heart with regard to the Fairmont. Would I make the effort and spend the monies needed to return? Not sure today. Do I think any resort can ever compare to the standard set by the Fairmont? YES! I found one… TheFour Seasons Biltmore located in Montecito, California. The Biltmore was a totally different atmosphere where the magic was not a castle but in the gardens, the views from one portico to the next and the staff. Every employee speaks to you, from the receptionists to the housekeepers and not with their heads down or forced smiles. I found myself looking for questions to ask simply for an excuse to interact with different employees. The staff are as immaculate as the grounds, the food better than the pictures and there seems to be a true pride in the resort. Having worked for a couple of major companies in my life, I do know the pressure behind these smiles and constant pleasantries but I also can identify when individuals are genuinely glad to have the jobs they have. Every position in a resort where guests tool up in $250,000.00 automobiles is fraught with the potential for irritation. Guests of this caliber are often of the mindset that employees are invisible which makes the business of staying “above it all” even more difficult. The expectations of such guests do not include “room for error” so that every action or hesitant inaction could result in a blistering assault from an individual who is used to having the world rotate around them. Yes, we had a fabulous cottage, incredible food priced correctly; served in an ideal setting and coupled with personal service when we desired. I am very thankful to have had this experience and can now say that the resort management company, Four Seasons, is earning their money. Training has paid off in spades and I can only hope that the economy rebounds in such a way as to save the positions of all those whom I encountered. Some may think that people of means are not affected by the economic downturn but their prudent frugality is, in some cases, exactly the reason they are “people of means”.
In January, tune in for my comments on Disney World. Is Disney really “the end all” to customer service in our Universe or could they take lessons from Zappos?
This video is hysterical. When I was a child begging for a pony, I assured my dear parents that I could keep it under my bed! Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could do this with my pony. Laugh and enjoy Patches, the Wonder Pony.
A week, 6 WHOLE nights, in Montecito at ‘The Biltmore’, that should be enough. (http://www.fourseasons.com/santabarbara/)
Dayenu… The original room was pretty darn special. Very deep with an intimate balcony surrounded, in such a way, by palm fronds and various plantings so that whoever deigned to sit outside would feel that any action or inaction would be private. It was a great room – but – it faced an elevator. The main building has only 2 floors so how much elevating would there be? OK – more than we wanted. For what we were paying, we wanted complete and total privacy. We wanted to pretend to be Brangelina sans children. Well, there really ‘is’ no such thing but we got the next best thing.
A cottage which was an appendage (connected by a door) to the Ty Warner Cottage; now, we had a ‘room’ – whew! Maybe 3 times larger than the original room, two walls of windows covered with plantation shutters (which I love, love, love), an entire wall of window seating and 2 luscious chairs in front of a fireplace, that we never used. Two full closets and a superior bathroom layout finished the picture and I could have stayed inside ALL week just reveling in the luxury but I had to go out and explore. The resort has gardens that give new meaning to manicured. Every morning a fleet of gardeners, with their trolleys, begin the day on their hands and knees picking up even the most minute piece of debris. Debris could be defined as an errant blade of grass or a flower dropped on the ground over night. When I realized that these real live gnomes tossed away flower blossoms, I made it my business to retrieve some each day and allow them to die a more pleasing death in our cottage. The area is considered sub-tropical and in October we found ourselves eyeball to eyeball with banks of impatience, lantana, fuchsia, fern leaves the size of cabinet doors, Mexican sage, butterflies and hummingbirds every where you turned. My favorite find was an African Tulip Tree with deep orange, lightly pleated blooms the size of my hand. The top of each bloom was a bright yellow curl. The contrast made me want to weep and the blooms died far too quickly once they fell from the tree but they were magnificent.
Each morning I indulged in a lengthy walk beside the ocean, the estates of very wealthy individuals (I was told you can call them estates, even if they are normal sized homes IF they are surrounded by walls of either hedges or block – privacy is the rage in this area of California), the cemetery, a bird sanctuary and ended in the little village of Montecito.
Here I was introduced to the most incredible bakery ‘ever’! If I ADORE travel, then I am ADDICTED to bakery and unique grocery stores . I find it therapeutic to visit both and often don’t even need to make a purchase to satisfy my ‘urges’. Jeannine’s Bakery on the Coastal Road (read – main street) is a 5-star establishment, from my perspective. I felt a bit of a let-down when I read that there are 4 or 5 locations in the entire area but I can understand the need to share the goodness of the place with those within a 10 mile radius. A receptionist at The Biltmore directed me to the spot on my first morning and I found reasons to visit daily, there after. Each morning there are 6 to 8 varieties of scones, oh my… and after my first bite of a black currant one, I was hard pressed to leave this flavor ‘out’ of the daily box. Oatmeal, iced oatmeal raisin, blueberry, strawberry and cream, raspberry, pumpkin, plain (oh – please), coconut, lemon-boysenberry and on and on could be found lined up daily like soldiers. One morning I was later than usual and found the selections leaning precariously on top of each other. This place was a local meet and greet. There were the regulars (you could tell ‘cause they had the ‘best’ tables) and everyone was jockeying for position for their morning coffee or latte ‘fix’. I tried a smoothie on Day 1 and had 2 more as the week passed – they were FABULOUS. Finding a chunk of banana and a couple of half berries in the bottom of my cup made the whole drink taste even better. Mid-week I met the pastry of my dreams. An oatmeal bar which tasted slightly ‘Betty Crocker Date bar-ish’; the bottom was thick and divine. This layer of absolute paradise was topped with a touch of goo, possibly apricot jam – just enough to attach the quilt of apricots and cranberries. After several days back in the land of reality, I broke down and begged for a copy of the recipe. I have yet to receive a response but you better believe I’ll ask again. Food is my TOTAL VICE so I made a special effort to purchase the final copy of “Gourmet Magazine” for the flight back. I dog-eared multiple pages and will add the magazine to my collection of “never will attempt but sure do like to fantasize – about” recipes.
More later, I need to recount my thoughts about the meals we had, my visit to the cemetery where the only thing spooky were the rates and the unbelievable customer service at the Four Seasons Resort.
Hey, remember that really old rhyme: Trick or treat smell my feet give me something good to eat? Let's change it to "clean my feet" and you have Honey's version, complete with a bag of carrots. See the bag on her pink tack trunk?
Halloween was a rainy, yucky day but at the barn two little girls were totally oblivious to the weather and all into the horses. Even though it was raining, most of the horses had been turned out for a few hours into the paddocks. As long as it is not storming or dreadfully cold, horses like being outside. Honey was quite patient with her adoring fans, while her pasture buddy kept neighing for "turn-out". In fact, Graham was becoming extremely obnoxious with his demands, which Honey ignored in her true “Queen" of the barn fashion.
Horses are matched by their personalities for paddock buddies and even stalls in the barn. Yes, they have distinctive personalities, moods and quirks. Honey and Graham are the same age, different breeds, different disciplines and totally different dispositions. Graham is a handsome bay a little over 16 hands who is impeccable in the dressage ring. He tends to make a “forever friend” with his paddock bud and is unwilling to spend time outside without his friend. Honey is a gorgeous Missouri Foxtrotter around 15.2 hands and HATES to do anything in the ring. She was born for the trails and this ring stuff bores her silly. When I ride Honey, I always bring Graham inside so he will be calm in his stall with some soothing hay. Graham does not leave Honey unattended in the paddock and will stand close, even resting his head on her back. As stated before, Honey, the quintessential Valley Girl of horses, is so not interested. All she wants is enjoy her time outside; roll in the squishy mud (blends well with blonde) and dine on grass and hay. Her calm and his uneasiness make for a good match.
Halloween was the arrival of a new boarder, a beautiful, huge bay who was quite content to have little girls pet him. Annie, the barn mini-horse, tolerated one minute of petting. To be so adorable and so tiny, she has the most exasperating personality. Beware her tiny, wicked hooves; they look cute but she can deliver powerful blows in an instant. Annie was in a snit for the same reason as Graham; it was past her turn-out time. Since Annie is so tiny, she is allowed to roam the premises. Her first order of the day is inspecting empty stalls for dropped grain. Annie quickly discovered that some of the older horses dropped grain when eating and she “bookmarked” those stalls for future reference. She can scoot under the regular stall door and nosh on any food remains. As a result, her gate touches the ground and her belly gives the appearance of a very pregnant horse.
The barn has several resident dogs and cats but the most loving is Boo. Boo is a unique breed to our area, a Lurcher. (Copy & paste to read about the breed….http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/lurcher.htm) As a 100% cat person, I surprised myself when I fell in love with Boo. Let it be noted that Boo is about the same height as Annie and hoped she was going to be a new playmate. Not! Boo can outrun any horse and is glorious when in motion. Her specialty is loving her owner; if you want Boo, find Miss J and Boo will be there, usually sleeping. Her favorite treat: fresh horse hooves. Before you start gagging, all dogs love this delicacy and barn dogs know the sound of the farrier’s (horseshoer) truck. Boo will stand under Honey to catch the trimmings. Boo does allow petting and hugs from all humans without that annoying jumping or licking. She is regal in her bearing and reminds me of Mr. Rochester’s dogs from the book, Jane Eyre. Miss J decided to take Boo to dog obedience training recently in an effort to meet other dog owners (read that “men”). There were no men in the class. Boo was so bored after the first round of “sit, sit, stay”, that she flopped beside Miss J and promptly fell asleep. The teachers were astounded; Miss J was mortified but Boo quietly snoozed until the end of class.
Honey’s two visitors were excited about a morning of riding, even though it was only up and down the barn aisle. The older sister had met Honey four years ago, when I first became Honey’s mom. Both sisters enjoyed a few riding lessons this summer at another barn and were quick to tell me all they had learned. Actually, it was impressive, especially when the four year old asked why I was not using reins on Honey. (We were on a lead line.) These sisters are terribly precocious, inquisitive and a pleasure to know. Helmets were provided; Honey was saddled; fed several carrots and we started our rides. I can well remember my childhood and my intense love for ponies and horses. Once on the back of your steed, you never, never wanted that ride to end. No ride was ever long enough and times at a barn ended too quickly. (Let me add that Sister was never taken with horses as I was.) These sisters could not get enough. After almost 1.5 hours, I was exhausted; Honey was calm; the girls were still begging for more. By promising that they could return on a sunny day when we could go outside and allowing time to mount and dismount the wooden horse in the tack room, I was able to unwind.
Honey was fed the rest of the two-pound carrot bag and then walked outside to her paddock. Graham was thrilled to be outside, finally. It was pouring rain by now but neither horse seemed to notice. They splashed happily through the mud to their favorite spot in the paddock. All that grooming was destroyed in mere seconds and I now had a “brown” horse!
Thought you might like to see the sisters in their cute Halloween costumes.
note Barbie in the photo
