Author Archives: wilsonca

Shop JCP For Quality and Value

Why Jacque Pennay is having such a hard time getting shoppers into its stores is beyond me. Perhaps it’s because the Millenials think of it as an old and old-fashioned brand. Perhaps Boomers are much more accustomed to spending a whole lot more on clothing.  And perhaps everyone in between just doesn’t see the brand as relevant anymore. Whatever the reason, I simply just don’t get it because JCP is my go-to store when it comes to clothing.

Why?? Very simple. They offer a wide range of good quality clothing for the whole family that won’t break the budget. Their clothes are stylish without being faddish – a must for anyone on a budget.  Their major house brand – St. Johns Bay – is as good or better than  you’ll find at high end Nordstrom’s.  I have some SBJ clothes that I’ve had for over 10 years and I still wear them.  I can buy Clark or Aerosol shoes at a discount. And they have a very large selection of athletic shoes.

If you’re looking for household items, their bath selection is as good or better than Bed, Bath & Beyond — and a whole lot less expensive.  The store isn’t big on kitchen/dining items. You’ll have to shop elsewhere for these.

JCP also has an online presence

Toothpaste Hack

One of the most frustrating things about plastic toothpaste tubes in the inability to roll them up from the bottom so that you can squeeze all the toothpaste out of the tube that is humanly possible. Never had that problem with the old metal tubes.  But where there’s a will there’s a way. Here’s a simple little hack that does the trick — maybe not as conveniently, but it works nonetheless.

As the tube empties, fold it upwards and secure with a large metal clip.
Toothpaste Hack

Keep squeezing and folding until all the toothpaste is gone.

I don’t remember exactly where I saw this idea. I wish I could say it was my own, but it isn’t, but my thanks to whomever came up with idea.

Triple Treat

Saturday was a marathon movie day for me starting off with Zootopia, an animated film that delivers a rather adult message. Personally, I feel this film is lost on kids although the animation is stunning.

Up next, The Jungle Book, the Kipling classic made into a film that even Walt Disney would have a hard time believing it was animated. The boy that plays Mowgli is the only real thing in the movie, everything else was computer generated in a warehouse in L.A. Even so, the movie is truly magical, a feast for both the eyes and the ears.

Finally, to end the day, I enjoyed an hilarious Italian film, a part of the Italian Film Festival in Portland last weekend. There are two film genres that the Italians do well — drama and comedy. Ma Che Bella Sorpresa is the latter and funny it is. I laughed ’til I cried. There currently is no way to view this movie, but Netflix may end up streaming it someday. They have a pretty good foreign film library.

Until the next movie – Ciao!!