"Upscale" here doesn't mean high-end neighborhoods per-se, but more like upper middle class. And this has been my experience, there are a few thrift stores in areas where families are making $60k+/year, they often have clothes that are much more trendy and nicer than in lower class neighborhoods or small rural towns,…

It doesn't matter who your TV provider is, they all rank near the bottom of customer service, and actual TV service varies wildly from area to area. But if you can put up with the 48-month hassle, you can typically find good deals and save.

Unfortunate that they didn't include Simple. I've been 110% satisfied since I opened my account earlier this year. No issues, no fees, no hassles.

Sure that stuff looks cool when NASCAR drivers get out of their car and make a fuss, but keep in mind that NASCAR drivers have more protective gear, and they're on solid asphalt surfaces instead of dirt, and it's either bright daylight or tons of overhead lighting. Dirt tracks offer almost NO safety. And getting out…

When I was a tech in the field, I had a simple solution: "I'm sorry, but I was only allotted a certain amount of time to perform the work that was scheduled, and my schedule today doesn't permit me any time to perform this additional work, which must be billed. I will be more than happy to either reschedule today's…

After seeing the article of PM released from Android, I decided to give the Windows client a try. I essentially had to start a new profile since my FF profile is from FF 29/30 and not from FF 24, all my extensions failed to load. It's got a lot of quirks, for sure, but I found all the old versions of my add-ons. It…

Internet with a subscription to JustAsk! I've amazed some "seasoned" auto mechanics with my well-honed Google skills. Too bad it didn't get me a discount on my repairs.

Great article. I have never been a Mayweather fan for this reason. I will not ever pay a single penny to watch a Mayweather fight, I will never let him profit from his abusiveness. I will not shed a tear when he either retires or is thrown in jail for a year.

Rarely have I felt doubt like I felt, and still feel, about my thermal paste. Please don't talk to me about my thermal paste. I'm serious.

I stopped wearing grounding straps in 1997, after getting tired of dealing with the cord I said forget it. A dozen PC builds later, all of them survived me wearing wool socks on carpet while building.

Thank you!

I don't think I came across any hippies. My first hotel job, though, definitely some shady people came along. And, yeah, it was pretty much put them on the same floor together, and pray you don't have to call the cops. Although sometimes the cops just came to you. I remember one night and entire SWAT team came into…

For the most part, hotel rooms are pretty easy sells, but there is still a selling component, especially if you're in an area with other hotels that offer similar price points and amenities as yours. Why should a guest stay with you when hotel next door has the same amenities for $10/night less? How does your lounge…

As a mystery shopper, I've never had a hotel chain ask me to do this. Mystery shoppers don't present odd scenarios, just the opposite. We want to appear as typical a guest as possible because we don't want to tip our hand that we are performing a mystery shop. We may ask some questions about various services, but…

Interesting side discussion on this. My first gig as a hotel night auditor, I trained a new weekend person, was very happy because I would finally get weekends off. A month later, she was fired and I was back on. Turns out she was doing exactly this, renting out rooms off the books and pocketing the cash. This was a…

It could be, but in most cases its not. Many Out of Order rooms are taken out of inventory for even trivial issues, and can be put back into the system fairly easily if needed. If the employee is acting shady, then that should tip you off.

It would have to be a really shady hotel to not have a customer on register, or a really shady clerk who is pocketing money and not putting it in the till. In 8 years of working in hotels, I never once did this with out of order rooms.

I am a former night auditor/manager for two hotel chains.

I can see where this might be a useful technique. For example, camping, maybe packing an emergency carry-on bag for the airport.

Military-style makes sense for the military since your sack that you're hauling everything in is going to get tossed around and has limited space. Most people don't need to pack like they're preparing for a week in the field, though. This style is not as efficient for general luggage and will shorten the lifespan of…