<?xml version="1.0" encoding="iso-8859-1" ?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>washingtonpost.com - Selling Us</title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/business/columns/selling?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><description>Selling Us</description><language>en-us</language><ttl>15</ttl><image><title>washingtonpost.com</title><width>140</width><height>20</height><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com</link><url>http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/hp/image/wp_web.gif</url></image><item><title><![CDATA[Shoppers Raise Their Red Flags]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2278-2004Oct2.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A2278-2004Oct2.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:24:16 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[ Whenever I organize my e-mails for an occasional column on reader feedback, I am amazed at the deluge on any subject involving customer service.]]></description><author> Margaret Webb Pressler</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Emperor's New-Tech Clothes]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30827-2004Sep18.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30827-2004Sep18.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:24:16 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[The clothing and retail worlds today are positively giddy about the real-life possibilities that technology is offering to an age-old business, such as shirts that evaporate perspiration and control odor.]]></description><author> Margaret Webb Pressler</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Use of Coupons Cuts Both Ways]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13453-2004Sep11.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13453-2004Sep11.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:24:16 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[ I just took a coupon off my refrigerator that expired Jan. 14. I don't even remember cutting it out, but that's no surprise. If I happen to clip a coupon, I'm more than likely to forget about it until it's too old to use.]]></description><author> Margaret Webb Pressler</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Quirks of Queuing Up]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61100-2004Sep4.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61100-2004Sep4.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:24:16 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[ I went to the Rite Aid across from my office the other day and found a slightly awkward situation: an impromptu bank line. A group of customers, rather than lining up behind individual cash registers, had formed one single line that fed all the cash registers, as at a bank or airport ticket counter.]]></description><author> Margaret Webb Pressler</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Glut of New and Used Cars]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40784-2004Aug28.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40784-2004Aug28.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:24:16 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[The dramatic rise in leasing in the past decade, along with the alluring financing plans available, has made getting in a new car every two or four years easier and more tempting.]]></description><author> Margaret Webb Pressler</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[With Meat, Drink Goat]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20676-2004Aug21.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20676-2004Aug21.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:24:16 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[ On a recent trip to the fish counter at Whole Foods, I absentmindedly looked over at a large display of white wine across the aisle.  Then, turning my attention back to the fish, I did a double take.]]></description><author> Margaret Webb Pressler</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Kids Rule for Back-to-School]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64465-2004Aug14.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64465-2004Aug14.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:24:16 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[The purchasing power of kids is a big part of why the back-to-school season has become such a huge marketing phenomenon.]]></description><author> Margaret Webb Pressler</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Everywhere Is Heard A Discouraging Word]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47338-2004Aug7.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47338-2004Aug7.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:24:16 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[ With the impending arrival of a new baby in our household, my list of things to buy has been growing: a toddler bed for the almost-2-year-old, a crib mattress and a second bookcase to accommodate our bursting collection of kids' books. I've also been needing some children's shoes and new sheets.]]></description><author> Margaret Webb Pressler</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[So Close at the Hairdresser's]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29433-2004Jul31.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29433-2004Jul31.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:24:16 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[ I recently complimented a friend on her new haircut, but her response was not the usual "thank you." Instead, she lowered her voice, looked around furtively and admitted that her new 'do, which she liked very much, was the result of cheating on her hairdresser. She had said nothing to the man who had managed her mane for years about her growing displeasure with his haircuts. She simply went to someone else to get something new. And she felt mighty guilty about it -- not just <em>that </em>she'd left him, but the <em>way </em>she left.]]></description><author> Margaret Webb Pressler</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Thinking Inside The Boring Black Box]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10809-2004Jul24.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10809-2004Jul24.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:24:16 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[ Design has been a powerful influence in the retail world in recent years. Stores such as Crate &#38; Barrel, Pottery Barn and Target have injected style into our homes in ways that are at once transforming and affordable.]]></description><author> Margaret Webb Pressler</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ounces, Pounds Making a Mess of the Math]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56861-2004Jul17.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A56861-2004Jul17.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:24:16 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Large retailers are required to list unit prices but the unit of measure they use is generally their decision, leaving many consumers feeling frustrated and cheated.]]></description><author> Margaret Webb Pressler</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Big-Box Stores Rule Top 10 List]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41925-2004Jul11.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A41925-2004Jul11.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:24:16 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[We are a nation of shoppers that is both empowered and stuck -- stuck with chains that aren't that great but that are so ubiquitous we have no choice but to shop there.]]></description><author> Margaret Webb Pressler</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Nothing Beats the Thrill of a Simple Little Grill]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25009-2004Jul3.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25009-2004Jul3.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:24:16 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[ I have a little Weber dome-top grill in my back yard that doesn't get much use and has gotten a little rusty over the years, so I don't profess to be an expert on barbecuing. Nevertheless, I do love to crank it up occasionally, and if my kitchen weren't on the second floor and my cats always trying to escape, I would surely break out the charcoal more often.]]></description><author> Margaret Webb Pressler</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Secondhand Treasure Haunts]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7338-2004Jun26.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A7338-2004Jun26.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:24:16 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[ I probably never would have set foot in the Georgetown Book Shop in Bethesda if I hadn't wanted to talk to owner Andy Moursund about the business of used-book stores. But meeting Moursund and witnessing his passion for acquiring not only books but knowledge makes me think I may just wander into more used-book stores in the future.]]></description><author> Margaret Webb Pressler</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Suddenly, a Flower for the Masses]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53837-2004Jun18.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53837-2004Jun18.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:24:16 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[ I've had mixed feelings about orchids. They are beautiful, exotic flowers that I can't help but admire. But I've always felt intimidated by them, and full of guilt when the petals of these expensive beauties eventually fall off and I do nothing to help them come back.]]></description><author> Margaret Webb Pressler</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Spreeing Is Believing]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17404-2004Jun5.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17404-2004Jun5.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:24:16 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[On a first trip to a discount phenomenon, resistance wavers.]]></description><author> Margaret Webb Pressler</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[All-Conquering Convenience]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A96-2004May29.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A96-2004May29.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:24:16 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Non-gas sales at convenience stores have grown faster in recent years than sales at any other category of retail outlets, report shows.]]></description><author> Margaret Webb Pressler</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Coffee Bars Keep On Popping Up]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47263-2004May22.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47263-2004May22.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:24:16 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[The main factor the industry cites is the touchy-feely notion that we consumers want a place to go.]]></description><author> Margaret Webb Pressler</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[Car Buying Is Still a Contact Sport]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28713-2004May15.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28713-2004May15.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:24:16 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[Buying a car requires the help of someone who is more than merely a clerk or an order taker.]]></description><author> Margaret Webb Pressler</author></item><item><title><![CDATA[In the Mood to Splurge]]></title><link>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10153-2004May8.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10153-2004May8.html?nav=rss_business/columns/selling</guid><pubDate>Sat, 23 Apr 2005 13:24:16 GMT</pubDate><description><![CDATA[The whole science of retail proximity has been changing in recent years as retailers get more sophisticated in their understanding of shoppers.]]></description><author> Margaret Webb Pressler</author></item></channel></rss>