There’s obviously some packaging scam going on here that I can’t quite sort out. Breakfast cereal seems to come in two sizes, say 16 oz and 21 oz. Visually, the two are almost equivalent, perhaps the larger size will be less than an inch taller and not visisbly wider when looking at the retail shelf. The price for the larger size can be very small; yesterday I saw a 20c increase for the larger size. Why would anyone, therefore, buy the smaller size?

If you ignore promotions (half price, 2 for 1) on either size, what is the purpose of the two sizes in the line? Is it a tactic to gain more shelf space by offering more product choices? That’s my best guess, but that just seems to ridiculous, I don’t want to believe it’s true. Any insights, please leave a comment!

Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs

are a brilliantly simple packaging and branding innovation. Give people more control over what they eat by packaging a fixed calorie amount.
100 calories seems like a harmless enough amount to snack on and it’s an easy number to help tally your daily intake. Portion control is a complex aspect of dieting, with endless confusion about what is a portion? What is a serving?
The 100 Calorie brand takes precedence over the ingredient brand (although some of those such as Oreo Thin Crisp are special-to-this-product-line extensions, with presumably lower-cal reformulations).

FROM:ELVIS MARTINS & ASSOCIATES.
LEGAL PRACTITIONER,
LAGOS STATES,NIGERIA
EMAIL: [email protected]

Sir,

I am Barrister Elvis Martins.I represent Mohammed Abacha, son
Of the late Gen. Sani Abacha, who was the former military Head
Of State, Following the release of Mohammed Abacha
The son of late Gen. Abacha who died in power in 1998, by the
Federal Government of Nigeria and the Agreement reached by the
Abacha family and the Federal Government of Nigeria, I write to
Propose to you this urgent operation that will be of mutual
Benefits to both parties involve. The Federal Government of
Nigeria has proposed to the Abacha family to release over one
Billion US Dollars (US$1 Billion) in their possession to the
Government and the government in return will withdraw all the
Charges against them and give them 100 Million US Dollars in as
Compensation.

Here’s an email from someone claiming that I never returned their call. Nice job. I’ve obviously never heard from these folks. And the zaniness continues!

Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2001 13:49:47 -0800
From: “mara ablang”
To: steve at
Subject: Follow up letter A- Mr. Chatham

December 06, 2001

Your resume has been received here at JobFinders International, Inc., and was assigned by our screening committee to me for review. I called you seeking to set an appointment for an interview. Unfortunately, I was unable to reach you by phone and you have not called back.

We have a tremendous backlog of executive and professional job opportunities posted with our firm, and I felt confident in looking at your resume that one of these, or one of the new jobs being posted with us almost daily, would be a great fit for you.

Our staff contacts companies continuously to find the highest quality openings for our clients in the unpublished market. The response from these companies has been outstanding. We currently have over 1,500 well paying, stable positions as: CEO, President, VP, GM, COO, Controller, Division Manager, Plant Manager, IT and MIS Managers and on through line managers; as well as variety of professional positions such as Engineer, Staff Attorney, RN, etc.

My efforts to speak with you by telephone have not been successful. If you have already accepted a position, I would surely appreciate the professional courtesy of a telephone or e-mail response advising me of that fact. That will allow us to remove your resume from our database and direct our attention to those who are still in the job search mode.

You may call me at (925) 930-8940 x202 to set an appointment for an interview or to discuss your situation if you are still in the job search. To delete you resume, please call me at the same number.

Best Regards,

Robert Chatham

Vice President