2009 WSOP comes to a close with huge payouts and new faces

The 2009 WSOP is in the record books and while exciting the final results were predictable. One would expect that with every pro from every corner of the world entering this one tournament that you would see familiar names like Seidel, Juanda, Duke, Brunson, and Gordon but with a pack of 6,494 entrants only Phil Ivey was able to make it to the final table.

It was a fun and exciting tournament to watch and when the dust cleared the 21 year old Joseph Cada took home the $8,546,435 first prize and the coveted braclet while the true amature Darvin Moon finished in second with $5,182,601. The heavy favorite Phil Ivey only managed to get to 7th place before he was eliminated receiving only $1,404,002 for his trouble still better than Jay Chase who was eliminated in 648th place and the first paying position for $21,365.

What makes the WSOP so great? How many times can an average Joe play for the most prestigious prize in any sport? As far as I know poker is the only one. Just try asking the superbowl teams if you can be added to their roster but for as little as $40 you can work your way into the number one poker game of all time. While we do cheer for those names that have made their way into every household at the same time we can secretly cheer for the underdog who is known only as dead money.

So what would have made the WSOP better? I would like to see a woman make the final table. That throws a monkey wrench into a lot of amatures play since for some reason men are supposed to be better at poker so the macho game comes into play. The pros have been around and played enough to understand that the top female players are every bit as good as their male counterparts so they won't feel that same pressure. Another thing is that is always seems that for television they like to highlight the traps where you check a monster hand trying to get your opponent to go all in because they think they have the best of it. Often they don't show other stratagies since there nowhere near as exciting yet often times they are very succesful.

Well love it or hate it the 2009 WSOP is now history the cards hae been put away, the payouts have been made and the lights have been turned off. Now we look forward to the 2010 WSOP and who will be the next champion? Congratulations to all the 2009 players and I hope to join you in 2010.

Massive Clearance

We decided to clean out the warehouse and we found so many items that we just need to get rid of that it's ridiculous. All of these items are going up on the clearance section of UMIdirect.com with markdowns of up to 80%. We have polo shirts under $5 and so much more that it's not even funny. Items are going to be added on an ongoing basis and I wouldn't be surprised if it took months to get everything listed. Take a look at some of the great deals that we're offering just to clean out the warehouse.





Black and White Prisoner Uniform Set
These are made for actual prisons so if you want the real deal for a costume or are a little homesick these are cheap at only $14.99 for the set













Mens Medium Weight Polo
This is a great polo at a price so low that you can't pass it up. The 79% discount makes these only $3.99










Carhartt Heavyweight Crewneck sweatshirt
These are some of the nicest sweatshirts I have ever seen and since there made by Carhartt there is no doubt that they are top quality. These should last for years and keep you warm in some of the coldest weather. At only $10 ea you can't pass this up.





There are many more items being added every day all items are on a first come first serve basis and are limited to stock on hand.

Updates Finally Done

Hi everyone it took a little longer than expected but for those of you who have been asking about the new updates to the website they are pretty much done for now.

The front page has a new design
Item pages are also redesigned
Customer reviews have been added for almost every product
Cross sell up and running so similar items will now show up
We're still adding as many pictures for every item as possible so you get a good idea of what you looking at
The security has gone through a massive increase
More quantity pricing has been implemented to give better deals
The brands list has been redone to make it easier to search


We also decided that since this is a holiday weekend were putting Wolverine boots 20% off for now. We haven't put an end date on this sale yet so it could be over Monday night or next week. We want to see the response we get from it first.

Anyhow take a second and check out the progress. Any suggestions you have would be appreciated.

Top 10 Ways To Tell You Need Bigger Clothes

Hi Everybody,

I'm a big guy and I hate have to get new clothes. I tend to wear everything until I have to go shopping and sometimes I have to go because stuff is just getting a little small on me. I thought I would help everyone out and create the "Top 10 Ways To Tell You Need Bigger Clothes" guide to save you some of the trouble I have been through.

10. You can't clap without ripping the back of your shirt

9. You look like the increadable hulk.... just rounder

8. The waistband on your pants stop blood going to your feet

7. You have less than 1" to tuck in

6. You have to open a button to breath

5. It takes longer to put your pants on than to drive to work

4. You have to use a zip tie (or two) to make the ends of your belt to meet

3. Everyone thinks your t shirt is a tube top

2. Your boxer shorts fit more like a thong

1. Your buttons pop off your shirt hard enough to kill someone

I hope this helps. Good luck

Break time

It seems as though every decade is remembered with a major trend. For instance the 1920's were the roaring 20's of prohibition or the 70's with disco and bell bottoms but the first decade of the 21st century seems to have a strange feel to it. Virtually every major trend from 2000 to 2009 has been a remake of an earlier trend and nothing unique to this decade. It is especially true in the final few years of this decade.

While Hollywood continues to pump out new movies and record labels put out new music at alarming rates everything seems to be a direct remake of the original or a slightly altered version of a previous time. I have been thinking a lot about how history is going to remember this time and what happened.

Here's a list of major events that think we be considered to define this decade:

9/11 and the resulting invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq are going to a topic that will undoubtedly be discussed and speculated about for many years to come. Now that there are so many new conspiracy theories being propagated it is only a matter of time until the discussion intensifies again.

The United States elects the first black president. I don't really need to expand on this much since the media has been hammering both sides of this since months before the election but in the end it shows that, as a nation, we are more concerned with the better candidate than their skin color.

This one may actually be trend for the next decade but it could also be known for this one. Going green(er) in order to stop global catastrophe. If there is a major breakthrough in the next decade that significantly reduces or eliminates fossil fuels then that will be the theme for that decade.

As I see it those are the only three events that are major enough and haven't already been done to define this decade. I know your thinking about the housing meltdown and all the banking issues but in reality they pale in comparison to the great depression that started in 1929. The only other thing that there's even a possibility that this decade could be known for is the current health care reform but considering the growing opposition to it because of the already insane national debt I'm not sure that it will ever get pushed through.

Compared to most decades of the 1900's we have seemingly made little progress towards the betterment of our nation. I think we just needed a break. In 1900 most people rode horses and few people had cars with no road system in place once you got out of town. In 1999 most family's had multiple cars with a massive road system that covered the entire county. In the 1900's we also had two world wars, made amazing advances in medicine, brought technology to a state where people could talk instantly to each other from distant parts of the globe. As a whole the 1900's were really busy.

This decade is coming to a close and our break hasn't been peaches and cream but now it's time that we look to the future again. Start moving forward to the unknown and become the people who lead the way to a better tomorrow.

What Is Going On?

I was surfing the web today and was checking out trends/styles and some designer clothes. I got to say I was shocked when I came across a pair of jeans by Current/Elliot. They are called "The Crop Skinny". I took a look at them and couldn't help wondering what commanded the $499 price tag. As I looked over the first picture I just couldn't understand why a pair of distressed pants, capri's at that, would be so expensive.

I checked out the additional pictures and almost died laughing since I realizied what all the hype was about. The waist and pockets have silver studs on them to give them their "designer" look. What is so comical about it is that if you were around in the 80's you'll remember the fingerless studded gloves that were worn by about every rock star at one time or another.

Now here's what I find so truly interesting is that when all the studded items were so popular you could but a package of 100 studs for 2 bucks or somewhere close to that. That way you could make your own unique items out of any item that you wanted. So I ran the math on it. The cost of making a pair of jeans is about $12 to $15 with another $4 to $5 to distress them. I was able to find 100 studs for $3.40 so this would cost about $10.20 in studs. Assuming you aren't using child labor it will cost another $5 to $10 to attach the studs to the pants. This brings the total production cost of the pants to about $40. This is a very generous estimate for them I would expect it to be maybe half of that.

So if your in $40 to make a pair of pants even with mark ups the retail price should be well under $150 but in this case it's almost $500! Why? Is a name really that important? Let me know what you think.

Why Men Love Shopping

So the whole story that men hate shopping is somewhat of a myth. We don't hate shopping we just hate most shopping.

I pulled out my to do list and fixing the drip on my faucet was at the top of the list. The constant sound of drip drip drip had finally become annoying enough that it was time to do something about it. A quick inspection told me that I could replace the washers but the faucet was old, ugly and the mineral build up from Arizona's hard water meant that a new one was a better choice.

I told my wife that we were all going to make a trip to home depot. She protested so I told her that I would try to pick out a nice faucet for the kitchen sink. Apparently she didn't trust my judgment since it only took her a few moments to get ready.

We entered Home Depot through the contractors doors. For those of you who don't know they are on the far end by lumber and concrete. As we entered the smell of cedar wafted past. I inhaled deeply enjoying the aroma. "Where's plumbing?", my wife asked. "Over there", I replied pointing generally in it's direction. The smell off the cedar and the row of wood got the better of me so I headed straight down the lumber isle. My imagination was in overdrive as looked at each piece of wood. 2x4, 2x6, 4x4, 4x6 they even had some custom cut 10x12's that were a special order the customer had refused. In my mind I was builging a play set for the kids, added the walk-in closet and even built a second story on the house.

The next isle was fencing and it made me realize that I wanted a decorative picket style fence on the front of my house. I checked out all the options and decided that the black iron fence would look the best and hold up in our climate. I pulled out my note pad and wrote down prices so I could go home and measure and figure out how much it was going to cost. Once I was done off we went to the next isle.

Every isle had another project that I wanted to try. Rewire the house, put in new windows, hardwood floors and the list went on. We got into the first plumbing isle that had all the pipes and fittings. Heavy duty PVC pipe, adapter, valve it was all here. Everything I needed to make a massive potato gun or boom cannon. Just as I was figuring out the best way to build it I heard a loud sigh behind me. "What's the matter honey?", I asked. "Nothing", she replied. I knew in a second that she wasn't having a good time.

Trying to be sensitive to her needs we moved over to the plumbing fixtures. It took a little while but we found one that we could agree that we both liked even though it was neither of our favorites. No sooner than it hit the cart then she looked at me and asked "You ready?". My mind raced we were only on aisle 6 of 24 plus the whole gardening section outside. My heart sunk as I tried to think of something that she would agree that we needed but nothing came to mind. I was like a deer in the headlights. I couldn't move but unable the find a reason to stay.

As we walked to the checkout I looked down every aisle looking for something we "had" to have but nothing would create the convincing argument that I needed. At the last second I realized I needed a Hail Mary. Something huge, something there would be no rebuttal for. "Let's get new door handles", I blurted out. Most of the handles were as old as the house and needed to be replaced. I thought I had came up with the perfect excuse. Something my wife had wanted done anyhow. Then I remembered that the dishwasher was on it's last legs so we could go to appliances after handles. Storage would be next since she always mentioned getting more shelves in the laundry room.

I was on a roll. I may not get the whole store but I would get most of it. I was planning the best way to move from department to department so I could make random stops along the way. If we went to lighting after paint then I could check out the power tools.

I was already heading towards the hardware aisle when I heard the checkout girl ask "May I help you?". I turned around just in time to see my wife hand her the faucet.

Why Men Hate Shopping

It's no secret that most men don't like to go shopping. For us the mall is a place of tedium. When I have been dragged into yet another store standing there in the clothing section I often wonder why this shirt won't work or what's wrong with this skirt.

Clothes shopping should be fast and easy. Walk in, see it, buy it and done.

My wife sees it another way. Look at every possible item available and make notes of where every possible keeper is. Then go back and compare all the keepers. Try them on. See how it looks on. Eliminate some items. Try them on again. Compare them together. Look a little more as she contemplates possibilities. If possible include new clothes as possibilities. Try those on. Make a decision. Buy them.

I try to be a good husband and understand that this IS important to her but by then end of the experience I am as inclined to jump from the top of the mall as walk out the front door. Every attempt I have made to facilitate (and speed up) the process has proven fruitless. For instance I thought I had a pretty good idea on the types of clothes that she likes to wear so I decided to find the possibilities on a large rack for her. After a few moments of searching I triumphantly held up a blouse that looked like they made it to suit her style and taste. "What do you think of this honey?", I proudly remarked showing her the treasure that I had pulled from the rack. "Oh, It's nice", she replied flatly and obviously unimpressed. I made the the mistake of deciding to push the issue. "What's wrong with it?", I asked knowing that I was crossing a line. I don't really remember the answer but something about a button and colors and I realized that I had committed a major mistake by messing with the special karma of the mall.

From that point on I did what I usually do when clothes shopping. I followed, carried and kept my mouth shut. When she needed to try stuff on I waited patiently. When she resumed searching I followed quietly so as not to cause any more damage to the great balance. On occasion we would pass another couple and in almost every case I could see that the dynamics of their shopping relationship was the same. Both women would be so engrossed in the almost religious experience that they were oblivious that anyone was anywhere near them. I would try to make a quick nod to the other man who was also trapped to say I know your pain, I am in the same hell, just hold on they close in 4 more hours.

The Best Steak You'll Ever Make

Summer is here and Bar-B-Que season is in full swing. Here's a recipe for making the ultimate steak that will put your taste buds in heaven.

Ingredients:
Large T-bone steaks
Worcheshire sauce
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Chili Powder
Wood chips (I prefer apple but you can use any type you want)

Prep:
Sprinkle a few drops of the worcheshire sauce on each side of the steaks and rub into the meat.

Mix salt, pepper, garlic powder and chili powder in a bowl. Remember that the chili powder adds heat so don't use much if you don't want it spicy.

Rub the dry ingredients into each side of the meat and refrigerate for at least two hours.

Put your wood chips in water and make sure they are completely submerged. Depending on the size of the chips they should sit at least an hour. Drain the water off and shake out the excess moisture just before grilling.

Cooking:
If your using a gas grill then sell it in a yard sale since briquettes taste better.

Once your fire is going put your hand about 6 inches above the cooking surface and slowly count to 5. If you can keep your hand over the grill the entire time then your fire isn't hot enough let it heat up some more.

Place your steaks on the grill directly above the fire for 1 minute then rotate 90 degrees for one more minute. Flip and do the second side the same way. This locks in the juices and leaves the nice grill marks on the meat. For very thick steaks I will also do the sides of the steak.

Once the steak is seared move the meat to the side of the grill and off the direct heat.

Place your wet wood chips directly on the fire and spread them out to get the most smoke possible. (Keep a spray bottle handy since the wood will want to catch fire as it dries out. A quick squirt on the flame will produce a lot of smoke to help flavor the meat even more.)

After your meat has smoked for at least 20 minutes open the top and let the wood catch fire.

If you like the outside of your meat more done then move your meat directly into the flame and let it cook for several minutes on each side. **Use caution if you choose to do this there is a very real possibility of getting burned. Make sure you wear protective gear or use very long utensils for your own safety.

If you want your steak more done but don't want to cook the outside more then move it near the heat and close the cover on your grill. Check your steaks frequently but keep in mind that the more you open the grill the longer it's going to take. This is because you are now using the indirect heat from the fire to finish off your steaks so you need it to build up and hold the heat inside your grill.

Whatever you do don't cut into your steak to see how done it is. This will allow all the juices to flow out and into the fire. You can test how done it is by pushing on the meat. Soft meat is more rare and gets firmer the more it cooks. You can also use a meat thermometer to check the temperature.

Once your meat is cooked take it off the grill and let it set for about 5 minutes. This allows the fibers to relax and retain all the moisture.

Additional:
This is my basic recipe for steaks since it gives you a great flavor but you can still taste the steak. I designed this recipe because you may not know what your guests like. This way I have a fairly universal recipe that is enjoyed by most people. It was intentional that I didn't put any amounts in this recipe since everything should be mixed to your taste. Let me know of twists that you have found or tips that you want to share. One last thing, if you are going to use this recipe the please don't use BBQ or steak sauce. They are both designed to covered the flavor of your meat. Enjoy your summer!

Spandex - Wonder Fabric or Worst Nightmare?

Spandex leads a strange existence being ostracized yet is so commonly worn, often without the knowledge of the wearer. Back in the 80's and early 90's spandex was all the rage. Manufacturers were making every conceivable item they could from spandex and those items flew off the shelves.







Bella Ladies Camisole Shelf-Bra Tank Top
5% Spandex









So what happened to the miracle known as spandex? As usual fads die out and fade away however spandex has enjoyed life as being perfect for blends ever since. There are still a few items that are made out of primarily spandex such as bike shorts, lingerie and some compression items but they day of all spandex anything are long gone.






Under Armour Men's Endurance Short
16% Spandex











Today you still find spandex in many items such as shirts and jeans adding some stretch and making the fabric it's added to lighter and more comfortable. Manufacturers often state they try to stay under a 30% blend but you will typically see around a 12% to 15% blend in compression items and 5% for stretch garments. This just goes to show that a little spandex goes a long way.







5.11 Tactical Muscle Mapping Shirt
5% spandex








The next time your shopping and see an item that interests you don't just put it back because you see spandex on the tag. With the new uses and blends for this material you may be passing up the most comfortable shirt you ever wore.

Custom Items Are No Problem

If you are having a hard time finding a product let us know what your looking for. We can make custom or customize garments that won't find elsewhere.

We have a lot of experience in custom projects since we have provided special items for many businesses and government agencies. With low minimums and a fast turn around time you won't be disappointed.

For more information or to discuss a particular project please get in touch with Miranda or Nilo in our sales department at 800-222-1474.

Don't Risk Your Future on a T Shirt - Nail That Interview

Hi Doug. I need to talk to you. Business has been slow and we to make some cut backs in order to save money. I'm sorry but we're going to lay you off. I need you to clean out your desk and leave the building.

Unfortunately this is a conversation taking place all over the country and according to the bureau of labor statistics the current unemployment is at 9.4%. That means there are a lot of people looking for a job. If your one of them it is important that you don't blow your interview by showing up looking completely inappropriate.

There are three levels of dress that you should be prepared for in going to an interview. They include casual, business casual and professional. You need to know the correct style of dress before you go to your interview. You can ask what the dress code is when they call to set up your interview or call the company receptionist and ask them what the dress code is.

Casual dress is simple. You can wear jeans and a shirt. Make sure your clothes are clean and free of smells with no holes. I would suggest that you wear a nicer pair of shoes and not the tennis shoes you have had for almost a year. Make sure your hair is neat and groomed. Under no circumstances should you ever wear a T shirt instead wear a solid color polo or button up shirt. The types of jobs you would dress casual for would be fast food establishments or other similar jobs.

Business casual is what most people should wear to an interview. For men this would usually include a collared shirt, possibly a sport jacket, slacks, black socks and a matching belt and shoes. For women it would be a good quality blouse with a blazer, slacks or a skirt, nylons if wearing a skirt and leather closed toe shoes. Also and appropriate dress can be considered to fit in this category. You should wear business casual for any jobs from retail to management positions.

Professional dress is one of the most dangerous areas of dress since a slight miscalculation could cost you any chance of advancing past the first interview. When you dress professional people expect you to be on top of the game and will not let little mistakes slide as if you had dressed in one of the other two categories. For men you are going to wear a suit and tie with a white or solid color tie. Also shoes and belts must be black or brown and your shoes must be well polished. Pressed slacks and dark socks are also a must and ensure your hair and nails are well groomed. Keep any tattoos covered and wear only a wedding ring and a watch for jewelry. For women a business suit or dress with a suit jacket are acceptable. Shoes should be closed toe pumps. Limit jewelry to small pair of stud earrings, wedding band, watch and maybe a necklace/pendant that compliments the outfit. For both sexes the preferred color is black, gray or navy. Professional dress should be worn for executive, banking, and professional types of positions.

Will Denim Ever Die?

A common misconception is the Levi Strauss invented denim when he started making pants for miners in the 1800's however there are reports that George Washington visited a factory that produced denim as far back as 1789.

When Levi Strauss started he made overalls from a canvas material. He quickly found that the miners didn't like the chaffing that they caused so he substituted the canvas for a material called serge de nimes that was produced in France. The name was shortened to denim and the pants were nicknamed blue jeans which still endures today.

Denim products have enjoyed an incredible product life that is quickly approaching 200 years. The biggest question is how much longer can it go? A recent study by Cotton Incorporated shows that the trend is going strong with over 60% of consumers enjoy wearing denim. Germany now has the highest number of consumers that enjoy wearing denim with a whopping total of 88% percent while the US is in second place with 78%. India is the lowest of all countries polled at only 27%.

Even a quick glance at the numbers show that most people enjoy denim because it is a comfortable and durable material that lends itself virtually every type of apparel. So if you haven't already, you should embrace denim because it's going to be around for a very long time.

Bing VS Everyone: Round 1

Atypical of Microsoft's normal style Bing.com went on line with relatively little fanfare. This made me wonder if it was something that they didn't really believe in and just wanted to keep a presence in the market or were they just trying a new tactic. Either way I needed to check it out.

Balloons? Why would they put balloons on the front page? I know that it would appeal to some people especially those under the age of 6 but as I moved my mouse around I saw the information boxes pop up telling me more about the picture. The facts were short, concise and interesting. Well maybe balloons aren't as bad of an idea as I thought. I took the time to read every box and even clicked on one to find out where the picture was taken. I never would have guessed Turkey. Today were looking at windmills from the Netherlands and once again the facts are interesting. I think I'm going to enjoy the changing scenery.

So now that I've rambled on about the front page let's discuss what else is of interest. The first thing I noticed is that even with the graphics it rivals Google for speed and quality of results and is light years ahead of Yahoo. A couple of nice features that are located on the left hand side of the results are the related searches that may help you narrow your searches for even better results and the search history so you can easily redo a search.

Another feature that is very useful is having the ability to preview what the site is about before actually going to it. By moving your mouse to the right of the result a box comes up that gives you an idea of the site content and also additional links that are on the page. This should save a lot of clicking on the back button trying to find what you are looking for.

If you have ever done a generic search you are going to love the way that the search results are now categorized to make things even easier when trying to narrow down what you want. For instance if you search for shoes you get the paid search results at the top and then the regular search results. What makes it so useful is after the regular results then you the categories that has a few results under each of them but you can also expand to get a full listing of that category. It seems that the order of the categories are arranged by what most people are looking for when they search that term. This is purely speculative and more testing needs to be done but if I am correct then this becomes an even more useful feature.

I'll be honest about the fact that I have not had as much time to test and use Bing as much as I would like however I have to say by what I've seen so far I think Microsoft has definitively got it right. They have added tons of usability and time saving options without any major sacrifices of speed and quality. Since all search engines evolve I think that the future is very good for Bing.

Cotton, Polyester or Both?

We have all been to the store looking for new shirts and come across the three big fabrics. Ever wonder wonder what the difference between cotton, polyester or a mix of the two mean? Take a few seconds and read on to become an expert for your next shopping trip.

Cotton
Cotton is what can called a tried and true fabric. There are several age ranges for how long it has been around but it seems that cotton was first used for fabric around 5000 bc. Cotton has some excellent properties that has made it so popular.

• Soft on the skin
• Breathes well
• Releases perspiration quickly
• Some variations can hold up to 27 times it's weight of water

The biggest drawback of cotton is that it tends to wrinkle easily but with some finishes even that can be minimized

Polyester
Compared to cotton polyester is a young contender since the first patent was in 1941 but has played a major role in clothing for many years. Polyester has been an ugly duckling since the late 1960's because of the negative public image of the double knit fabric. Polyester has some excellent benefits that include:

• Strong
• Resists stretching and shrinking
• Quick drying
• Wrinkle and mildew resistant
• abrasion resistant
• easily washed

Polyester is less comfortable to wear than cotton and because it doesn't absorb water as well it don't breath as well either.

Poly/Cotton
What happens if you take two items that have advantages to one another and mix them? If done correctly you get the best of both worlds. That's what they have done with Poly/Cotton material. With these two blended you get most of the advantages of both cotton and polyester the biggest differences are:

• Don't dry as fast as polyester but faster than cotton
• May hold more stains than polyester
• Holds less water than cotton

There are several different blends out there and they will be tagged something like 65/35 which means 65% polyester and 35% cotton. There are many other blends like 50/50 or 70/30 but just remember that the first number is polyester and the second one is cotton. The more of one material it has means that the more of its benefits it takes on. So if you want something soft that don't wrinkle then a 65/35 or 70/30 might be right for you but if your looking for a shirt that will release perspiration quickly but is strong and mildew resistant then you would want to try a 50/50 blend.

The next factor that can make a huge difference in a shirt is the weave such as microfiber which is also polyester but we will cover those in a later article.

How Good Is That Sale...Really?

We all see those sales that look unbelievable so we got to go shop for everything we ever needed or wanted. They are especially prevalent in late summer and around the Christmas shopping season. Have you ever noticed how once you go to check out it still seems like your spending a lot? Are you really getting as good of a deal as you thought? Let's take a look at the three most common "huge" sales and see how good they really are.

Store closing sales
In my opinion these are one of the biggest rip offs out there. The store spends a ton of money advertising that they are having their sale and raise their prices as much as 50%. Here's and example of how they may run their sale:
Weeks 1 and 2: 25% off everything
Weeks 3 and 4: 50% off everything
Weeks 5 and 6: 75% off everything
Weeks 7 and 8: 90% off everything

Now let's say that the store only marked up 15% for their closing how much do you really save on a $100 item?

Pre sale price $100
Additional markup price $115
Week 1 and 2 price $86.25 13.75% savings
Week 3 and 4 price $57.5 42.5% savings
Week 5 and 6 price $28.75 71.25% savings
Week 7 and 8 price $11.50 88.25% savings

Now as you look at the above examples you may think that if you just wait until week 5 your still going to get a great deal but stores know people run to liquidations so most of the items you would want are already gone. Which is why their more than happy to raise the discount as time goes on because everything after week 4 is pretty much dead inventory anyhow.

Spend X and get Y
This is where you spend $50 and get $10 store credit that you can use at a later date. If this is being run with another promotion and their are other items that you need but can wait for this may be a great deal.

Let's say the store is doing a 25% off sale plus for every $50 you spend you get $10 store credit. Your interested in a $100 item so the sale price will be $75 plus $10 store credit and you need a $10 item that you can wait on. So your total purchase is $110 but you get the 25% sale and $10 credit you pay $75 this gives you a savings of almost 32%.

The biggest way to lose on this type of sale is to buy extra items to get the $10 credit and have no need for additional items.

X% + X%
I really hate how deceptive this sale is because it depends on two factors. First people do not understand how the sale works so they overestimate their saving and second the stores rely on people avoiding confrontation.

You may see a sign that says 25% off plus take an additional 25% off between 10 and 1. Here is where it gets deceptive since you were taught in school that in a word problem if you see the word plus it means to add. A lot of people will look at a sign like that and think 25 plus 25 = 50 and assume that means they get half off. They only realize the error once the check out and seem to spend more than they thought.

Lets use your $100 item again. Here's what you would pay on a 25 + 25 sale:

$100 Item price
$25 First 25% off
$18.75 Second 25% off
56.25 Final Price

As you can see you didn't get the 50% off they suggested and only got a 43.75% discount. These are especially deceptive on end of the season sales where it is not uncommon to see X%+X%+X% often times adding to 100% or more. 50+25+25 seems to be fairly common and simple math looks like 100% savings but in reality it's only 71.875% off.

There are great deals out there and lots of different sales. The biggest thing to remember is that the people who put these sales out are not trying to get you a good deal but to get you to spend more than you normally would have. Make sure you know how all sales work and judge for yourself how good a sale really is.

Going Green

Everybody knows that from an environmental stand point we are in a bad place that it's only going to get worse if we don't change our ways. Everyone's trying to come up with new and unique ideas that will save the world. Maybe what we need to do is look at how we used to do things to help determine our next step.

This won't work in every situation since I don't realistically foresee people abandoning their cars and start riding horses again but with simple everyday tasks that we all take for granted. A perfect example is using your clothes dryer. Often times it's not even that good for your clothes since it can be rough on the fabrics shortening the lifetime of your garments and it's also not that cheap since on average it costs about 35 cents for every load.

Maybe it's time we looked back and pull an old trick that will still work. It's one of the original forms of solar power known as the clothesline. The big question is can it really make a difference. The US census put the number of American households at 115,904,641 so if each household used the clothesline for one load per week it would save $40,566,624 in electricity costs every week and $2,109,464,448 every year. Now this is just a drop in the bucket but every little bit helps and as an added bonus your clothes usually smell better.

Anyhow that’s just my two cents let me know what you think.

Hello From UMIdirect

The parent company, Uniforms Manufacturing, Inc was founded in 1972 with the specified purpose of providing clothing and uniforms to government facilities. Since then the company has grown to include customers from some of the smallest towns to the largest federal branches.

We started expanding beyond just a government supplier soon after we incorporated and distribute some of the top brands along side of the products we manufacture. In 2007 after successfully selling wholesale and retail UMIdirect.com was born in order to facilitate our customers with an easier and faster method to get the items they desire.

Now with well over 15,000 items currently available and about 10,000 more items on their way we are excited to be able to offer most anyone the items that their looking for below the retail costs that you'll find elsewhere.