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Colorado is an active state, particularly in mountain towns like Breckenridge. Packing for a vacation or even a weekend getaway that involves outdoor activity can prove tedious when it comes to dressing your feet. And, since Breckenridge is a great town for active adventure seekers, you might consider giving your feet some extra consideration if you plan to explore the trails and local scenic spots.

• Protect Your Ankles: Are you planning an aggressive hike that will require a lot of elevation gain, climbing, or walking through rocky paths? In these cases, it’s usually best to pack a pair of hiking boots that are high enough to cover your ankles, securing them and giving you the extra protection to avoid sprains and twists. You should also look for boots made of Gore-Tex, or other water resistant or waterproof material, depending on the likelihood of water along the trail.
• Trail Running Tips: If you are planning to cruise through Breckenridge trails by jogging or running, chances have it that you are going to choose a trail that is less technically focused on climbing boulders or crossing rocky paths. In these cases, your feet are better off with trail running shoes that are sturdier than gym shoes, but leave the ankle exposed and are of a lighter weight than hiking boots. Once again, any shoe made out of Gore-Tex will keep you dry from streams or afternoon showers.
• The Water Factor: Many trails in Breckenridge will wind through, around, and across water streams. A sturdy sandal that keeps your foot strapped in, such as a Chaco, is a good choice for easy or even some moderate trails. Remember, however, that a sturdy outdoor sandal will expose most of your foot. While this type of sandal will help when crossing those water streams, they won’t offer the ankle protection of a boot. Still, for more moderate, flat, and wet trails, sturdy sandals might be a good bet. In all cases (even easy hikes), flip-flops will not give your feet sturdy protection while hiking and should be saved for changing into after the hike.
• Sock it: Socks are key when trail running or hiking. Not only are they necessary components to a boot or trail running shoe, but they will keep you dry and clean from the dirt and dust you’re likely to encounter throughout your hike. Since you’ll want to keep your feet dry, it’s good to choose a pair made of wool. Additionally, it’s never a bad idea to keep an extra pair of dry socks in a day pack in the event that one pair gets immersed in water.
• Wear it in: Feet need time to adjust to any new shoes. If you’re planning to visit Breckenridge with a new pair of shoes, or are planning to use them for more activity than they are used to, it’s a good idea to start breaking them in early. Wear them around the house, while you’re out running errands, or for short hikes before your trip. This will help your feet grow accustomed to the new shoes and meld themselves to the ins and outs of the pair.
• Prevent Blisters: Wearing in a new pair of boots is a great first step, but hiking in Breckenridge will likely expose your feet to new positions and angles than they’ve recently known, so it’s a good idea to purchase moleskin, an adhesive padding that serves as a sort of extra duty band-aid in the event that a blister develops. Remember, blisters start off feeling like hot spots on your feet. You should apply moleskin at the first hint of a developing blister.

Your feet are your access to the beauty and adventure that Breckenridge has to offer. As long as you invest in them with sturdy footwear, you’ll gain entrance to many scenic journeys that are easily found just around the bend.

Chris Cook lives in beautiful Breckenridge, Colorado and loves sharing her expertise on mountain safety and fun with visitors. If you’re planning a trip to Summit County, make sure to book your Breckenridge rental before you leave, and check out all of Chris’s advice on the area in her other articles!

Tags: Fashion, Lifetime, Mercifulness

I believe in couponing as a prospecting tool to get new customers in the door. But that’s about it. Constant couponing simply trains your customer to expect a coupon regularly and does not really build long lasting customer loyalty.

So when I read an article in Target Marketing Magazine, written by Steve Litt and Peter Meyers of ICOM Information and Communications, it caught my attention. Their basic premise, based on a study of a 20 year database from 6,300 direct mail programs, is that “much of the conventional wisdom about couponing is wrong.”

The study was an analysis of coupon redemption trends in the health and beauty, food and beverage and apparel industries. 425 million coupons were issued to 28 million U.S. and Canadian households.

What they found was shocking. As you probably know, a properly designed coupon has an expiration date and a certain value. Conventional marketing wisdom dictates that the shorter the expiration date, the quicker the prospect will respond, because of the law of scarcity of time.

However, today consumers are busier than ever, enjoy dual incomes and are flooded with thousands of choices in every product category. Therefore, as the consumer model changes, the coupon model must also change.

It seems from the research that value is becoming more important to consumers and the trend has been to cut expiration lengths to drive action quickly. The fact is that the research shows that from 1996 to 2000 consumers took an average of 5.5 months from when they received a coupon offer and its redemption. From 2001 to 2006 average redemption times for the same consumer leapt to 6.5 months. In the majority of cases, according to Litt and Meyers, “a shorter expiration length reduces redemption far more than any corresponding increase in value can make up.”

DISCLAIMER:

Keep in mind that this study was done on consumer products commonly found in supermarkets so your retail marketing scenario or industry may be different, but it is definitely worth a test. Retail customers are waiting longer in between visits and this may parallel the trend.

Once a customer has made her initial purchase what incentive are you giving her to come back? Here again targeted offers on frequently purchased items need a longer expiration date than earlier thought. Targeted offers with expiration dates shorter than 6 months in general reap only half as much redemption as longer term offers.

ENCOURAGING LOYALTY

As you lead your customers up the loyalty ladder, couponing can be counter productive if you use it constantly and offer the same discount to each and every customer without regard to recency, frequency or monetary value. Valuable customers who shop with often require much less of an offer value than someone who has never purchased from you before.

Begin today to test different expiration dates on your coupons, six months and longer, to determine how much of a difference in response it will make. Think about this way. If the consumer is interested they might clip the coupon and put it up on their refrigerator door, waiting to take advantage of your offer. Every day when they get a bite to eat they will see your name before their very eyes right there in front of them. It’s like a mini-billboard constantly reminding serious potential buyers of your services.

Steve Litt, product director and Peter Meyers, V.P. of Marketing, are with ICOM Information and Communications, a Toronto-based provider of targeted lists and analytical services. They can be reached at http://www.i-com.com

Allan J. Katz, The Loyalty Coach, helps small businesses attract new customers and keep them loyal. He is the author of the Complete Guide To Retail Loyalty Marketing a complete loyalty marketing system for attracting and keeping customers. A free Loyalty Quick Start Guide is available on his website at http://www.LoyaltyCoach.com

Football as the name signifies is a game that is played with the players using their feet to kick the ball into position. More popularly called as soccer, the game over the years has become one of the most popular contact sport in the world today. It’s a team game played between two teams of eleven players each and is played on a rectangular grass or artificial turf field and has a goal on each ends. The main objective of the game is to score by tackling the ball into the opponent’s goal and in the meanwhile protect from being scored upon; the one who has been able to maximum goals at the end of the game is said to be the winner. The game has two halves of 45 minute each, and if the score is tied at the end of the match, the game is decided at extra time and penalty shootout.

The game knows no boundaries and is played in all the continents be it Argentina and Brazil in South America to Holland and Spain in Europe. The game is followed religiously all around the world and for many nothing is more delightful than to watch the ball passing between the two poles!

The game has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years with the advent of professional clubs like Real Madrid and AC Milan competing to get the best in the game. Today the popularity of these clubs has made loyality of fans restricted to not just their respective countries like Germany or Spain, but with players of different nationalities playing in a single team, this just goes onto explain the greatness of the most beautiful game. It is so popular that today it even influences political decisions!

The popularity of clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool and others have also been paved way for establishing many parallel industries. The merchandise sales associated with the game like Soccer Jerseys or Football Shirts, caps etc. have become an industry of their own. It’s a high for anyone to be sporting the jersey worn by their favorite player.

The Mega Football Store offers football shirts of countries like Argentina, Spain, Holland and Germany among others. And not just that, the mega football store also features Official soccer shirts from professional clubs such as AC Milan, Real Madrid and others. So this is one stop shop for fans to proudly own and show off the soccer shirts of their favorite stars and their favorite football team.

So if you support Liverpool or Chelsea, Manchester United or AC Milan, it’s always advisable that one buys from the stores that feature official merchandise. So if its Ronaldhino or Kaka, Christian Ronald or David Beckham, whoever is the star you support, stores such as The Mega Football Store is one store where your quest to sport the soccer shirts of your favorite team and of course support you favorite star. So what are you waiting for? Just go ahead and form your own teams complete with the official soccer jerseys and play ball!

Football Shirts

The next time you are visiting your favorite apparel store, stop, then smell! That’s right, stop what you’re doing and take a long whiff. Notice anything of interest? Chances are you’ll discover a distinct smell. Whether you have noticed it before or not, that smell is part of the store’s distinct brand, and it is part of the brand cocktail that brings you back to the store time and again. (If your long whiff wasn’t so pleasant, it might also be enough to keep you from returning-certainly the bane of every retailer!) I might even go so far as to speculate that if you were led blindfolded to the store, you would be able to identify where you were based solely on what the sense of smell told you. Smell is our most evocative, enduring, and intense sense. But it is not our only sense.

Sensory marketing is a way of describing the form and function of marketing which has as its goal to create awareness and to influence consumer behavior via the various sensory channels to the decision center, i.e. the brain. Whereas I mentioned only the sense of smell, there is also sight, taste, touch, and hearing. Sensory marketing seeks to influence consumer buying behavior through each. One of my favorite retail stores, for example, encourages the shopper to “Please touch.” When I do, I buy. The more senses a retailer can engage, the more likely a consumer is to make a purchase.

Retail thrift shops are not exempt from the benefits of sensory marketing. Done properly and as part of your store’s distinct brand, the customer can be fully engaged upon entry. Remember, however, that marketing effectively via the senses is purposive. It does not just happen. What emotion or memory do you want to evoke with smell? Will any aspect of your offering be complemented by a particular scent? What do you you’re your shoppers to experience, or remember? What about sound? Will what the customer hears in your store benefit his or her purchasing choices? A beautiful melody played too loudly will distract your shoppers. Too soft and you might as well not have music playing. Have you linked the music to your shopper demographic? Volume-correct music will have little effect unless it touches your customer. What about sight? Taste? One way or another, your customers can and will identify you through their senses.

Engage their senses and you will increase your sales. In the process, have fun!

Rus has been a chief executive for nearly 30 years. Having started several thriving retail thrift stores, he now provides consultative services to help executives transform average businesses into thriving, highly profitable ventures. Please visit his website at http://www.TalonCompany.com for more information.

Men have were convinced for many years that they are exempt from taking care of their skin. Men who paid attention to how they look were considered sissies. On the occasions it became crucial to protect their skin they would use devices belonging to female acquaintance. This has greatly changed in recent years, while men pay more attention to the conditions of their skin and more so to that of the facial skin, applying facial moisturizer for men. The cosmetic industry, paying attention to this change, turned their attention to best skin care for men producing plenty of products designed for men only, including facial moisturizers for men. This is also influenced by circumstances, noticing that men tend to perform difficult jobs in the open air, the effort of which affects their skin and hair unfavorably. Here are some advices for men on how to take care of their skin and hair to preserve health and contribute to their general appearance.

Man skin care is not time consuming and will take only a few minutes daily. Cleaning the face with mild soap and rinsing with cold water will do to begin with. But, deodorants of strong soaps must avoided. Cleansing the face once or twice a week with a good cleanser also adds to man skin care. In case one is thinking of staying outdoors for a long duration a sunscreen, containing aloe and facial moisturizer for men, will be a good basic option.

Taking your time while shaving is also a good man skin care tactic. Coating the face with hot water before applying shaving cream, using a sharp double-edged blade and rinsing with cold water post-shave are also helpful. Instead of liquid, after-shave cream is a better option. People who have an electric razor have to apply pre-shave lotion which will allow whiskers to stand up and will also make gliding the razor smooth. This is also good to the burns and irritations which take place with electric razor.

Best skin care for men involves also a balanced diet, consisting of fruits and vegetables containing various anti-oxidants, checks skin damage. A multi-vitamin, rich in anti-oxidants and vitamin E, will also supplement. Fast food and fat should be avoided.

An important element in man skin care is exercise which clears the pores and increases the metabolism. The resultant sweating also aids cleanse the inner body. Sufficient intake of water is one of the cheapest and better affective natural ways for the man skin care as it keeps the entire body hydrated. De-hydrating liquids like coffee, soda or alcohol, if at all taken, need to be in restricted quantity.

These skin care tips may not be effective immediately or have miraculous effects but, in long term, will allow a young and healthy appearance to a man’s skin, making him self-confident and attractive to women. Face skin care with the aid of facial moisturizer for men can be the secret to achieve best skin care for men.

For more info, see Best Skin Care For Man and Facial Moisturizer For Men. Ron King is a web developer; visit his website Clear Skin Product Review.

The first time I suspected my boyfriend of it, I quickly dismissed the thought as ridiculous, but then I actually caught him in the act! One night just before bed I noticed the bathroom light on and went to shut it off, only to find my boyfriend standing in front of the mirror applying my expensive eye firming lotion. It was all I could do not to laugh but instead I quietly returned to bed and never let on as to what I had just seen. Knowing my man cared about his skin may have seemed strange at first, but in reality, it made perfect sense. Skin care for men may not be at the top of their priority list, but believe me it does make the list at some level, why wouldn’t they care about it, I know I do!

Skin care for men is a growing industry many name brand companies known for creating beauty products for women are now getting in on…healthy skin is the latest trend.

Men’s skin care use to mean aftershave and hand salve for dry hands but today there are whole lines of products designed to soothe, rejuvenate, moisturize, and protect men’s skin. While your man may not admit to you that he worries about the appearance of his skin, most men today are making an effort to reduce signs of aging such as wrinkles and age spots. In all the ways us women worry, so do men, they just are not as open about discussing it as we do. I do not foresee men discussing the newest eye creams available while drinking beer at the pub, but even if they do not discuss it, we know they are thinking about it.

Men and women’s skin is not the same; therefore, skin care for men requires products designed specifically to meet their needs. Inflammation and redness on the facial area are problems men face as a result of daily shaving, which women don’t. In addition, like women men have varied skin types that can be dry, oily, combination, acne-prone, sensitive, or normal. Each skin type requires special treatment. Finding a product which uses only all-natural ingredients, which is fragrant free, SPF free and does not contain ingredients which have the potential to be allergens or irritants is important to assuring your products will do the job they were designed to do without causing you additional problems.

Like any health or beauty product on the market, you have to be weary of its contents. Many products contain preservatives, fillers or low-cost alternative ingredients, which producers claim, will offer the same results as the more expensive products but at a lower cost, this just is not true. High quality ingredients create noticeable results you will not get from generic products full of preservatives and fillers. Even name brand companies you are familiar with often use ingredients that are ineffective, useless or even damaging to your skin. What your skin needs is all-natural products that will heal and protect your skin from the normal irritants and toxins we encounter every day. Cost, effectiveness and safety are all aspects you should identify before trying any skin care product.

Everything you put onto your skin eventually makes its way into your bloodstream; therefore, it is just as important to know what it is you are putting on your skin as to what you are ingesting. Having a skin care product for men, that is safe enough to eat, guarantees they are free of contaminants you do not want in your bloodstream. It may sound odd, but think about it, it really makes sense! In addition, we all know men will eat just about anything.

You know the men in your life care about their appearance, their clothing, their hair line, going grey, but just like us women, men also care about fighting off signs of aging which can reveal their true age, or worse, make them look even older.

Men skin care is no longer a taboo idea like it once was. So maybe your manly-man is not ready to admit how much he enjoys having smooth, firm skin, his desire to avoid wrinkles, puffiness or dark circles under his eyes; but just like us women, men are also worried about their appearance and want to try to keep their healthy, youthful appearance.

Men’s skin care products, which are specifically created with the needs of men, not women in mind, can give your man the edge he is looking for to stay looking good, for you and for himself. So do your man a favor and get him the products you know he wants, but is not willing to admit to yet. Because we all know… when you look good, you feel good.

Men around the world are now using skin care for men products that feature natural ingredients. We have done a lot of research on the various skin care products on the market. Visit our site for more information today! http://www.thefacewrinkle.com/
By Tara Mathews