Ill come to the sale later. I drove for about 600 miles during the 3 days! Since I d been to Clearwater beach earlier, Universal was a special attraction. I was amazed at the scale and creativity of the park. They say that the world of movies is like a dream world. The theme park has actually carried that notion forward and carved out several rides/shows out of the all time favourite movies (produced by Universal pictures). The Shrek show (4-D) was awesome. The seats in the hall place you inside the horse carts in the movie, or take you on a boat though a waterfall i.e. the seats move along with the motion. When Shrek sneezes, you will get wet! The terminator 3D show was also awesome. The real actors getting inside the screen and zoming off on a bike. In addition, the 3-D terminators bounce off the screen right onto your face, the whole experience was breathtaking. The best experience, however, was the Revenge of the Mummy ride: It's an awesome, nerve wrecking ride! What a feeling. These 3 are probably the best shows/rides-there are others such as ET ride and a lot of behind the scenes coverages of the various popular films such as MIB, etc....The whole place is decorated as a studio...with street names/signs shops etc all organized like an old world city. It's truly a dream world.It may be due to my impending MBA, but I couldnt help but marvel at the brilliant business idea behind it all. There is no reason (other than a few million dollars) why the concept cant be replicated in India. Why not have a a Sholay ride, with you chasing Gabbar in a horse? Or Taking rani mukherjee on a ride while singing Ae kya bolti tu? Packaging is something we all can learn from the Americans. I read somewhere that a movie, even if it is a super flop, recovers its cost for the producers through the television /DVD and other promotional avenues. And such parks ensure that the legacy lives on for 20-30 years and continuously remains a top earner. There's no business like show business!
We went to clearwater beach just off Tampa. There are a lot of street performers there - spray painting, fire tricks, et all. The beach was as usual magnificient-resplendant in all its glory at the sunset.
Then the Thanksgiving sale. I shopped for about 10 hours that day! Things were just so damn cheap, and quality goods mind you, I just couldn't resist. My exploits included Laptop, digital camera, micro SD card, external Hard drive, sweaters, jackets and what not. I ravaged the lands of Circuit city, Macy's and Old Navy. However, the biggest surprise came 2 days later. A persistent salesman had made me buy a laptop cooler during the sale, saying it was extremely essential! Next day I realized my folly and felt the pang of conscience (read $15). I just checked the receipt once, and it was written that "If you change your mind about a product, we'll refund your money." So I thought of testing its validity. And whoa, no questions asked, I got my $15 back! Talk of customer service. Even bigger surprise was awaiting me, however. I saw at the store that the camera I had bought was $20 cheaper now. I complained to the Ckt city manager that this made mockery of the long wait in queue for the thanksgiving sale. He promptly refunded the balance $20! I was amazed at the congeniality of the personnel at the store. Whoever has experienced the lordly behaviors of salespeople at Indian stores will realize what a sea change in attitude this is. In India, most stores follow a "No refund or exchange policy" - none has even heard of discount adjustment for fall in price. Circuit City may have lost out on a few $ of sales but it gained a lot of loyalty. And that eventually will bring more business. Something to ponder over in my future career.
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