Love the Holiday Season

Love the holiday season - lots of shopping and gift giving, but this gift is for me. #tistheseason #jewelry #Cairo #Egypt #InstaSize (at Fair Trade Egypt)

via the Ohradiogirl Tumblr 

The Egyptian Way :: 3 Places to Order Groceries Online in Cairo

3 Places to Order Groceries Online in Cairo

I've been living and working in Cairo, Egypt for five (5) years and like in the U.S., it's my preference to physically go shopping. I like to see and touch the veggies and it's just nice to get out and about.

Cairo is a busy city! And frankly speaking, sometimes I just don't feel like going out. In the U.S. when I had that feeling, I would just go without or get off my ass and go to the grocery store.

In Cairo, good groceries are just a 'click' away and even with the 'click' the groceries may arrive within the hour. I say that because I know that you can order just about anything now on Amazon and it will arrive in a day or so. So that is a very nice option.

I don't order that often so I don't have a preference for a particular company listed below. I usually buy from the one that has the most items that I want in stock.

It should be noted that it is possible that you can find many of the items listed on any of these websites at cheaper prices if you visit a local market. There's a price for convenience - I'm all about convenience.

Gourmet Egypt

• Maybe one of the most popular online grocery stories. The name says a lot. However, because of it's popularity, they are often out of some items.

• Good experience ordering from them. They have a physical store in my neighborhood and the delivery is speedy.

• They have several physical stores around Cairo.

• The website is easy to navigate
• In English
• Various categories like 'gourmet delights' which is great for planning parties. 
• They have a search field.

• There is often a sale of some sort.

• They now offer gift cards in increments of 150, 250 and 500LE.

• The delivery fee (typically 9LE), times and locations is posted in the 'delivery/returns' section.

• They email you the receipt, but it does not include information about delivery times.

• One problem, if an item is not in stock they will email you. However, I think that they should call you so that if you want to cancel the order because certain items are no longer available, you will have that option. 

• Payment on delivery: cash or credit.

My June 5th order from Gourmet Egypt.

Offah

• Great experience with this company because they emailed the receipt and the approximate delivery time. They arrived on time with a bounty of food and I was able to pay with my debit card.

• Good prices and a good quantity.

• The website is easy to navigate.
• In English.
• Various categories.
• They have a search field.

• Information about delivery fee (9LE) and times is listed under 'customer service.'

• Payment is cash on delivery.

Nature's Gifts Stores

• I've ordered from this company before. Good experience.

• The website is easy to navigate.
•  In English, which is interesting because they have a video tutorial in Arabic. 
• A variety of categories to select from including non-food items.

• They offer some hard to find items like buckwheat, quinoa and gluten free products.

• They also email you your receipt and details of the delivery time and the final cost.

Happy grocery shopping.

Online Shopping :: Wed., Jul. 18, 2012

Some damage is being done on this trip to the US. I need to be mindful of the luggage allotment and the weight of the luggage. I think I should try the 'one for you, and one for me' approach.

Skin Care Products

It ain't easy being me. I like to stick to one tried and true product. Whether it is food, clothes or beauty products.

I have my staples and I'm sure that you have some too. But what I want to briefly discuss here is skin care cleansers. I don't want to spend too much money, but I'm willing to spend if I think that it's worth it.

The problem w/skin care products is that they are often changing, which is good if it's an improvement, but sometimes they are discontinued, which is bad.

I did find a Clean and Clear product that I liked - the Clean and Clear Acne Cleanser, but then it seems my face got used to it and it does not seem as effective now. So, I'm on the hunt for something. I did pick up Aveeno's Clear Complexion Foaming Cleanser. I like foaming products. Just puts me at ease. I did recently buy the Ambi Even & Clear Exfoliating Wash, but it did not see as if it was getting the job done. I'll be visiting my sis in a few days. Her place is like a drug store except you get to try the products. I'm hoping to discover a facial cleanser that I like while I'm on that visit.

I could go on for another several paragraphs about moisturizers, but maybe I'll save that for another time. We're talking T-zone issues and the need for a decent spf. Whew.

Tentmakers Trip

Trip to the Tentmakers. Lovely handcrafted work.

Posted via web from Ohradiogirl's posterous

Credit Card Conundrum

Here's a story about a credit card. Not my credit card, but I was, sort of, drug into the situation.

My mom was paying her bills online and came across a problem. She could not remember how she'd paid her Victoria's Secret (VS) bill online. So she called me in to help her figure it out.

We went to the VS Web site and sought out information on paying the bill. Not easy to find, but it's there at the bottom of the page listed as 'Angel Card'. Still, paying online was not easy enough. We decided to call in the payment. Problem was, it was Sunday and that department is not open on Sunday. I was give a number to call back on Monday. My mom put me in charge of making the payment on Monday and she gave me her bank card to make the payment.

On Monday, I called the number that I was given. Of course I get a menu. I start to push through the prompts only to get stuck at 'enter the last 4 digits of your social security number'. Well, since it was not my account, I did not have that information. I waited for the system to default back to the previous menu. That did not happen. The system continued to ask for the SSN. I hung up and called back. I tried to 'zero' out to get a person only to get returned to the same prompt for the SSN. This went on for some time.

Finally, I decided to call another number on the bill that my mom had left with me. After a few prompts, I did get a human being on the phone and explained the situation: I'm paying the bill for my mom, I do not have her SSN. I just want to make a payment. She assures me that she will connect me to another human being and ... she does.

Here's where it gets tricky. They don't accept bank cards for payment. You can only use a checking account. What? Who does that? Is it still 1990 and not 2010? I am peeved. I do not have my mother's bank account info, just the bank card. I decide, what the heck, I'll just pay using my personal bank account. I proceed to provide the cs rep w/the necessary info: bank routing number and checking account number. After he takes the info, he goes into what sounded like a pre-recorded message, but apparently it is him doing the reading. I hear something about a $10 processing fee ... blah, blah ... do you agree? I don't respond because I don't believe I heard what I just heard. So instead, I say "hello" ... because again, I thought that it might be a recording. The cs rep says, yes and I say "did you just say there would be a $10 processing fee?" He says, "yes". I ask why. He says the payment is late.

Okay, here's a part of the story that I left out. We tried to make the payment when it was due on Friday, but got frustrated. The next business day is Monday. Wow, it's been complicated trying to get them their money, right?

The cs rep also makes a comment about the $10 processing fee being less than a $25 late fee. Well, damn. How about no fee at all? After all of the inconveniences, still the bill has not been paid. I tell him to cancel the checking account payment. My only other option is to physically go to a VS store to make the payment. Really? Really. And so, I throw on the snow gear because of course, the snow machine is on ... but no matter, I am going to get this bill done ... and I trounce out to the mall.

At the counter in VS, I present the VS billing statement and my bank card to make the payment. The young lady informs me that they only take cash or a check. What? Who does that? Is it still 1990 and not 2010? Although the payment was only $30, I don't carry much cash. I almost did not take my check book either. I tried not to glare at her (it's not her fault), but what is w/all this ridiculousness already.

Victoria's Secret, where is the convenience for the customer in this process?

• the phone number and Web site info is not easy to find on the VS billing statement
  
• it was difficult to get through the VS menu and get a human being
• it was difficult to make a payment on the Web site
  
• it was difficult to make a payment over the phone
• it was difficult to make a payment in store

So the easiest way to pay this bill is in store w/cash or a check or in the mail via check? If they are going to do business like it's 1990, then I'd like their products to be priced at 1990 prices.

Also, to be fair, VS outsources their credit card and billing to another company. Still, who does this? You shouldn't be nickle and diming people. Period. It's wrong and should be outlawed.

VS has just taken a dive in my book. I won't be shopping there anytime soon. But now that my mom's VS credit card has been paid, I'm sure that she will be shopping there enough for the both of us.

Shopping for Beads in Egypt

In December, I went on a shopping trip for beads at the Khan el Kalili Bazaar in Cairo. My mom makes jewelry and I thought that it would be a nice gift if I got her some beads from Egypt.

I'd recently been to a jewelry store and purchased a necklace and I asked if there was a place to buy beads in Cairo. After some phone calls, they gave me the name of a place in the Khan. I was a bit reluctant to take the trip alone, but I took the address w/the hope going before I departed for the States for the holidays. Eventually, one of the young ladies from the jewelry store offered to be my guide on the trip.

Good thing that she came along too. She's Egyptian. The store owners pounced on me like I was a fresh tourist from the airport. But my newfound friend refused to let them overcharge me. She negotiated for me in Arabic and insisted that they charge me the same price that they would charge her.

I came away with lots of beads for my mom and the price was decent. I gave the beads to my mom for her birthday and she was ecstatic. She's already made several necklaces and earrings. I'm hoping that she gives (or sales) me at least two of the necklaces. They all look so nice. Pics of my Mom's jewelry are forthcoming.

How to Save a Few Dollars

There's a magazine called ShopSmart. It's a product of Consumer Reports. I must admit that I've never purchased it, but I have perused it at the local Barnes & Noble.

I like the brevity of it. Also, just chock full of good information.

In the October/November issue, there was an article titled "Web sites that can save you big". Again, such a wealth of information. I wrote some of the web sites down ... but then I toss the slip of paper in the trash, only to realize that I had visited the sites, but I did not book mark them. I then went to the ShopSmart web site to see if I could get the back issue.

They did better. The article is listed on the web site as a pdf download. How great is that?

Cheap Gas

This was soo cool; and no this is not an old picture. Got some gas last week and am still overjoyed even though I've run it out and filled up again.

But here is the deal. I do some grocery shopping at Giant Eagle. Mostly for the fuel perks. My daughter shops there too. She managed to score 90 cents off the gallon. She says in Akron Giant Eagle is giving 15 cents off per gallon for every $50 spent as opposed to just 10 cents off the gallon for every $50 spent in my neck of the woods.

So she asks me to fill up her tank, right? I say sure. At the time, the gas in Akron was $2.77 and w/her 90 cents off, there you have it: $1.87 per gallon. Glorious. So the deal is you can use the discount for up to 30 gallons. Of course she does not have a tank that large and I had a quarter of a tank. So after some maneuvering - getting her car out and getting mine in and not putting the nozzle on the hook - I was able to fill up two cars for $39! Hot damn. I want to do that more often. It makes spending money so much more fun.