Free?

I’ve been told my whole life that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t true to begin with. Therefore, when I heard the news that Dillard’s was giving away free makeup, I turned the channel. Yeah right, people are just handing out free products with names like Estee Lauder and Ralph Lauren at no charge. Then my husband told me about the offer.

Once again, I brushed off the news and assumed it was a media hoax. The next day my friend sent me a text and asked me if I got my free product at Dillard’s. She told me that she went last Tuesday night and got a big tub of Sarah Jessica Parker shower gel. Okay, enough of this doubt, I needed to take action.

First, I made a game plan, which included research. I Googled Dillard’s and the words “free” and “makeup.” I held my breath and pushed enter. Immediately, 144,000 hits appeared on my screen. (I’ve come to believe that if you can Google something, it must be true). A report out of Reno said the massive giveaway started when the cosmetics industry was sued by several women from Northern California.

The women accused the industry for allegedly price-fixing their products and over-charging customer for about a decade. According to the report, the department stores and makeup companies denied the claim, but eventually settled the case in court. The settlement demanded that the companies involved give away $175 million in free products. At this point, I’m still thinking there is a catch, because $175 million worth of mascara and perfume excites and exhausts me!

According to the settlement, if a person bought make-up at a department store between 1994 and 2003, he or she would most likely qualify. All someone had to do to receive a free make-up product was sign a petition saying that you bought a make-up product from the participating stores, including Dillard’s and Macy’s during that period. At this point, I’m in my car and heading to Park Plaza.

I decided to go after work to beat the rush. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a herd of angry women rushing into Dillard’s demanding free merchandise. There was short line and a pleasant lady with a clipboard. I looked to the head of the line and to my dismay, only saw two products to choose from. My little Chanel heart just sank.

After signing my name, I approached the table of free products and tried to smile. There was a pile of light blue boxes and a stack of oblong, white boxes. One container wiped away wrinkles, the other promised a moisture surge. Honestly, this is not the atmosphere I expected. Everyone was calm, patient and happy with the lack of free products. I wanted to see trays of perfume, gold leafed bowls flowing with mascara and lipstick. Instead, I encountered a very pregnant Clinique saleswoman with a good attitude, who recommended the moisture surge.

I took my small box, smiled at the helpful woman and left the store. A couple days later I Googled the face cream and discovered that it retailed for around $35. A smile spread across my moisture surged face and established my belief that if something sounds to good to be true, Google it and then go.

Twitter and tweets

This technology age is a funny thing. We can e-mail from our bathtub, use our phone to find the nearest restaurant and listen to music on something the size of a matchbook. It’s also a very interesting time if you are a young person and your parents are baby boomers. I can speak from experience, because I am that young person and my parents, God love them, are from a time when love, peace and happiness were all that mattered.

For example, our family has a treasured home movie from back in the day; my mom thinks it’s from the 60s. The last time we gathered together, we had to hunt to find a projector to play the film. It was amazing, both the hunt and the actual home movie. We all gathered in my grandpa’s living room, pulled down the large, white window shade and watched the good old days, in silent color.

For being about 50 years old, the film wasn’t in that bad of shape. After laughing at the bell-bottom pants, long hair and curly mullets, my family decided to put the film on video. That was about 10 years ago, so now the VHS tape is considered ancient. Now someone needs to take the memories off the video tape and put it on a DVD.
My point is, in this era we are blessed to live in, we can now record an event on our phone and download it straight to the Internet for the world to see. Facebook and MySpace have completely revolutionized how we communicate.

Which brings me back to my original theme, (my) parents and the world wild web. My mom, who I adore, combines the two programs and calls it Facepage. As soon as I tell her whom I found on one or the other, she demands that she wants a Facepage or Mybook. Now, my father is much more up to date. So much so, that he suggested we start communicating on Twitter. Excuse me? Before my dad mentioned the newest way to e-communicate, I had never heard of it. I couldn’t believe my dad was introducing me to a new outlet on the Internet, I felt so lame and out of touch. Why didn’t I know about Twitter? I’m online over half my day!

Anyway, Twitter is a real-time short messaging service. As a member you can follow and “tweet” with other members. You have 140 characters to express what you’re doing, what you are thinking or what you had for breakfast. It’s fun and simple. You can post a photo of yourself that shows up as a tiny thumbnail. Twitter doesn’t require you to list quotes, personal information or marital status. Twitter is about communication on the go and takes less than two minutes to log on, update status and see what others “tweeters” are doing. My screen name is beckysue33, just in case you are interested in following my random thoughts, mood or lunch selection.

As crazy as the technology age is becoming, I’m enjoying the advances and look forward to the latest gadget. Cell phones and e-mail help with the distance between my parents in Colorado, my cousin in Florida and my dear friend in Northern Ireland. So, it doesn’t matter whether you have a Mybook or Facepage, the important thing is to stay in touch and keep up to date. Thanks dad!