Recently, I found the perfect gift for my roommate — a sweatshirt of Rocky and Creed fighting, if you must know or needed last-minute inspo. She’s a fan of the franchise, and as a Philadelphia native, I couldn’t resist. Waiting until Black Friday (guaranteed sale), I logged onto PacSun’s website to be met with the ultimate disappointment: it was the only item not on sale.
Being the savvy shopper I am, I did not let this detail get me down. On the contrary, I held my head high as a lightbulb appeared above me and I sprinted to Google with the search: “Rocky Sweatshirt.”
And what I found made me inherently aggravated to the point of no return, to be honest. No, it wasn’t offensively crafted Rocky merch…It wasn’t a lack of inventory…It was something much more diabolical.
I found the same exact sweatshirt for $30 less. Not on sale, no. Just pure daylight robbery. And while I was able to look past this one shopping near-miss... you wouldn’t believe what happens next, dear reader.
Flash forward a week, I found an undeniably unique low-rise leather maxi skirt with a matching tube top (sold separately for inflation purposes solely) on none other than Pacsun.com. It screamed New Years Eve, and despite having just purchased a dress elsewhere, I had to have this. Except it was $100 total.
But, I had been scorned once. I knew there had to be another distributor out there who sold this exact set…and guess what?
Yes, the set sold and created by Edikted was 60% off on its own website. I purchased it for $45 on their real site — $35 off the PacSun price.
Sometimes, when you have a platform where people are forced to listen to you, you have to complain in hopes that it will change the lives of others.
And I bet you’re wondering…
How Can I Save Money When Shopping Online?
rupixen.com via unsplash
Glad you asked! Shopping online can be a risky game, where you don’t even know if the item will look the same as the photo or fit you correctly. But it’s so much easier than going into the melting pot of anxiety that is the mall. And, as Charles Darwin probably said, we humans have to adapt.
Nothing makes me more upset than missing the lowest-priced product. If it goes on sale a week later, I am returning and re-purchasing. It’s that serious.
To avoid all this, you want to do a Google search of your desired purchase before going through with it. For example, my dad’s favorite cologne is Ralph Lauren’s Polo Green, which can retail for over $100 and is out of my budget.
However, I’m a determined woman who refuses to pay full price and knows there’s always a fragrance sale out there. Google found me the same bottle, unused and unopened, for $57. With the Google Shopping feature, you’re able to compare the same exact product across thousands of sites.
Not only are there cheaper alternatives often available across the internet, but the sites themselves will most likely have welcome coupons for your first online purchase. As an avid follower of Girl Math, I know how to save a dollar or two. Budgeting may not be my strong suit, but I can always find a steal.
Get Cash Back From Online Shopping
Katie Harp via Unsplash
With add-ons like Rakuten and Honey, you’re able to get cash back on your purchases in just the click of a button. Every site has a different cashback rate, so try to shop on the ones above 10% for bigger payouts.
And, if you’re really trying to save money, use credit cards that have points or rewards systems from shopping at certain stores. You can put those points towards a check, hotels, travel, and more…so put your gifts on your card this season and reap the benefits!
Despite the fact that late-stage capitalism is an amoral hellhole driven by a borderline religious belief in the sanctity of brands, we would never, ever suggest that anyone should shoplift from big-box stores, or even imply that doing so is morally okay or a victimless crime.
But hypothetically, if we were to give any tidbit of advice to any would-be shoplifters (aside from the Golden Rule that you never, ever steal from mom-and-pop shops or individuals simply trying to eke out a living), it would be this: Avoid shoplifting from Target.
While loss prevention technology has certainly ramped up over the past decade, the truth is that the vast majority of one-off shoplifters don't get caught. The majority of shoplifters who eventually get apprehended are "the clunky ones who get just good enough to evade detection for a while until they get too greedy and too braggy," as Target manager Dan Holliday explains.
By nature, working as a loss prevention officer (LP) is one of the most dangerous retail-related jobs a person can have. Every customer apprehension poses the potential risk of the situation turning violent, which is why the vast majority of stores implement "No Touch" policies for their LPs, whereby LPs are not allowed to get physical with, and sometimes even not allowed to pursue, suspects. Moreover, even if an LP suspects a person of shoplifting, stopping a customer without solid proof can open the store up to a lawsuit (especially if the customer is innocent).
But unlike Walmart and Best Buy, whose loss prevention officers (LPs) barely get paid enough to care––let alone risk their own safety––Target takes loss prevention very seriously. Target runs one of the country's top-rated forensic laboratories, which specializes in solving "organized retail crimes committed at Target stores through video and image analysis, latent fingerprint and computer forensics."
Retail Stores Sales, Newport, USA - 23 Nov 2018 John Minchillo/AP/REX/Shuttersto
Scarier, though, is the methodical way in which Target goes about building cases against repeat shoplifters. In a 2016 Reddit post, a user named StiggyPop recounted his experience of being a drug addict who made money by stealing and flipping Blu-Rays from Target. After four months, he was apprehended by a team of high-level LPs who knew everything about him, from where his apartment was located to the specific store he used as a fence (a middleman for stolen goods who acts as a "fence" between thieves and unknowing buyers).
As it turns out, alongside their forensic team and top-of-the-line, in-store facial recognition technology, Target is known for actually letting shoplifters get away with their bounty...up until they reach the monetary threshold for a felony shoplifting charge. This means that while a Walmart LP will stop a shoplifter regardless of whether they're stealing a $5 DVD or a $500-dollar TV, Target might allow a shoplifter to steal 100 $5 DVDs over time, all while building up a massive, fool-proof felony case against them. And here's the craziest part––they organize these efforts across stores and even state lines. Essentially, if you steal at any Target, anywhere in the country, they're quite possibly building up a case against you.
So if by chance you have the urge to shoplift, keep yourself safe and avoid Target at all costs. There are plenty of other big-box chains out there that don't deserve your business.- got caught shoplifting in Target in California. No Police were called ... ›
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Ever since I started working 40 hours a week, I've realized that my mother is a superhero. Because, as a single 25-year-old, I don’t want to do...One. Single. Thing after work.
Like everyone I know, I resent the monotony of my life from Monday to Friday. There is barely any time after 5 PM to complete a full day’s worth of chores, errands, and more. And yet, parents must. They have to care for themselves and their children — cooking meals, getting to practices on time, going to the gym, and much more.
Life can be exhausting- whether you have children or not- and you may not have the energy to complete every task on your ever-growing to-do list. On days when you’re just trying to make it to your bed in one piece, you probably aren’t feeling the most inventive.
This is why more and more people are finding innovative ways to use Artificial Intelligence to make their home lives easier. AI can be a helpful tool for cutting corners and saving yourself some mental anguish. If it improves your life, why not?
In fact, many parents have started using AI to relieve some of the mental strain: crafting bedtime stories, finding snack recipes, helping with meal planning, and making home life simpler in tons of unique other ways. Not every parent is Dr. Seuss. Rather than meandering through a bedtime story that's lacking a plot, there are now tons of sites dedicated specifically to bedtime stories for kids.
While some may say it’s cheating, I call it “protecting your mental health” and saving yourself some time. Here are a few fun ways that AI is influencing home life in 2024!
AI Bedtime Stories
Ben Griffiths via Unsplash
When I read an article in The Guardian about how the writer was “shocked” that her husband was using AI to create bedtime stories for her kid…I was less surprised. I mean, if AI is taking over the jobs of writers in every other industry, why wouldn’t parents be using it for their own story-making benefit?
And while AI certainly isn’t a better writer than the human perspective, there are now specific platforms dedicated to bedtime stories alone. The Guardian writes,
“It’s essential to use ChatGPT as a supplement to, rather than a replacement for, your own storytelling”, … overreliance on AI at bedtime might “encourage passivity”, both in the tellers and the listeners. Well, duh. Bedtime is arguably my most defenseless parenting moment of the day.”
I agree that ChatGPT's writing lacks a certain likeability. It’s a robot, so most of it comes off as pretty robotic. I can see the vision though, so I decided to check out some of the AI bedtime story sites myself.
Sites like bedtimestory.ai craft stories that incorporate family members as characters, where you can control what setting and theme you want the story to have, and more. It gives you more control over your child’s bedtime story and gives you the most realistic-sounding tale I’ve seen so far.AI Trip Planner
Annie Spratt via Unsplash
Yes, you can even have Artificial Intelligence become your travel agent for no extra cost. I’ve heard of girls on TikTok using AI to find the cheapest flights, hotels, and rental cars for their selected dates and locations. People are even planning ultimate Disney World trips with AI. The future really is upon us.
Websites like Trip Planner AI will gather everything you need to plan your trip successfully: hotel and flight details, bookings, trip and travel guides, and more. Roam Around and Wonderplan are also popular AI-powered travel sites.
But the point is, you no longer have to waste so much time searching and pining over details when there is now the technology to help you get started. Even if you don’t follow AI’s travel suggestions word-for-word, it’s still a resourceful tool to give you some guidance.Artificial Intelligence is the way of the future, whether I want to admit it or not. Months ago, my friends raved about how ChatGPT saved their lives by writing crucial 10 page essays in 30 seconds or less. Tell Chat to do basically anything, and it will.
Which has made my job as a writer a bit more difficult — even though it shouldn’t. Thanks to AI, everyone has convinced themselves that a robot can write a better article than me, a human with real emotion and life experience.
Brands have started firing writers and foregoing crucial copywriters in lieu of the cheaper, quicker, less personal option. It’s why the Writer’s Strike took so long to absolve itself. The studio executives weren’t protecting the writers from the creeping use of AI in cinema.
But as they say, face your fears. That’s why my challenge is to use AI for a week in different aspects of my life. If the world is so obsessed with this technology, maybe I should get acquainted with it.
Day 1: Using AI During Work
ChatGPT
While using AI for work feels like cheating on a test to me, workplaces are genuinely encouraging the use of AI as a tool. Shannon Purcell, Director of Content at GeistM, says,
"AI has transformed our workplace. It streamlines tasks, uncovers insights, and sparks innovation. Like a super-smart assistant, it helps us work smarter and break through barriers. Embracing AI has enabled our team to achieve more in less time, reshaping our workflow and fostering creativity."
I have been stubborn about writing my articles on my own. I can include personal stories to relate to my audience, use words that align with my personality, and take stronger stances than a computer can. But, I have to admit, even I get writer’s block here and there.
On those days, I may not have a witty headline that’ll catch the reader’s eye. Or I don’t like the way I’m wording my paragraphs. This is where I feel like AI can be used to my advantage (I hope).
Unsurprisingly, that dreaded writer’s block appeared after a four-day weekend spent celebrating my friend’s birthday. I felt so uninspired that I decided to open ChatGPT and give it a whirl.
The Task: Reword this headline: “Single This Valentine’s Day? Here’s Our Breakup Playlist.”
The ChatGPT Result:
Would you have taken my article seriously if it had a play on “riding solo?” I don’t think so. And any time I refreshed the options or said to try again, it somehow got even worse. I stuck with my original headline and moved on.
Day 2: AI Gave Me A Biscuit Recipe
Honestly, these biscuits were great.
Jai Phillips
Re-read it, accept it, continue. Yes, I thought it may be a fun idea to let AI dictate my recipe choices…and honestly, I wasn’t too angry at the result.
I’m an avid baker and wanted to make homemade skillet biscuits with sausage gravy for dinner. Since I’d never made a biscuit from scratch, I wanted to closely follow a recipe so I didn’t make any mistakes. Which is why it felt borderline insane to turn to AI.
I’d already done my research, so I knew what to look for in terms of a solid biscuit recipe. Here was the AI biscuit recipe provided:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 3/4 cup milk (whole milk or buttermilk works best)
And already we had an issue. Watch any Food Network baking show and you’ll learn that it is essential for the butter to be grated. Keeping your butter frozen and barely mixing it into the dough is what keeps your biscuits flaky and layered.
Other than that, I was genuinely impressed with the skillet recipe. A biscuit only contains a few simple ingredients, so I was more confident in AI’s ability.
Day 3: AI Helped Me Get Self Tanner Out Of My Sheets
Jacinta Christos
Most of us have been there: you wake up Friday morning, and your heavily applied self-tanner has bled onto your sheets. I am one of the clinically insane who opted for white linen bedding, so the evidence is immediate and apparent.
I’ve never been one to fully remove a stain, so I decided to ask my new bestie: ChatGPT.
The Task: How do I get self tanner stains out of white linen sheets?
The ChatGPT Result: Again, annoyingly impressed here. I learned that self tanner is a protein-based stain (who knew?) and those are treated with a vinegar and water solution first, stain remover second.
I also was informed by my pal Chat (we’re on a first name basis) that an enzyme-based detergent like OxiClean are best for protein stains…and that sheets can be hung in the sunlight to lighten stains for a few hours.
Day 4: AI Answers The Ultimate Question
Unseen Studio
Since AI and I have gotten to know each other so well, have shared so much over these past few days, it’s time I pop the question. The question being: “Would you recommend using AI over human writers?”
After giving me the pros and cons of artificial intelligence, ChatGPT sums it up with:
“AI can be a valuable tool for certain tasks, particularly those requiring speed, consistency, and data-driven insights. However, human writers bring unique skills such as creativity, empathy, and critical thinking that are essential for producing high-quality, engaging content in many contexts. Ultimately, a balanced approach that leverages the strengths of both AI and human writers may yield the best results.”
AI just wants us all to work in harmony. Alexa, play “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” by War.