American Airlines Affiliate Launches Nonstop Service from DFW to Aspen
American Eagle Airlines (regional affiliate of American Airlines) started running a nonstop service from DFW Airport to Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado yesterday. They will be running this service through April 8th and then resume the service again in mid-June through mid-August 2012.
iPad3 Rumormill: Coming out in March, iPad4 in October
One of the best things that Apple does for its marketing team is keep secrets. This allows the media and everyday users to wonder what its going to be like. The downside to keeping secrets is that people tend to start guessing what all is going to be updated on the new product. We also tend to want to know what makes it so special compared to all the other competitors with similar products. According to sources at CES 2012, the Apple iPad 3 will be coming out sometime this Quarter (prob Mid-March). My question is still what changes are going to be made to make this iPad the 3rd generation. I have a feeling the product is just going to be called the iPad 2s because other than a better screen resolution, slightly longer battery life, and an 8mp camera/HD-capable FaceTime video chat. So what does this mean for you, the consumer? Basically if my sources are correct, then I would just wait for the iPad 3 to come out and then go ahead and buy the iPad 2. Rumor has it they are going to be lowering the price of the iPad 2 once the iPad 3 comes out. Here are some of the rumored updates for the iPad 3:
- 1 MM thicker due to the added components
- FaceTime HD
- Smart Cover Support
- Green Signal for retina display
- Samsung A6 Processor
Girl Scout Cookies Are HERE!!!
Yes, that is right. Girl Scout cookies are officially here. I stopped by my local Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market and there were a group of girl scouts out selling cookies. I ended up with six boxes of Thin Mints (only $21 which is cheap considering all the groups out there selling goodies) and figured out they had just picked up their supply two hours before from the Fort Worth Zoo! So hope everyone knows that in Fort Worth you should have a Girl Scout or two coming to your neighborhood soon! I believe this is their 100th year anniversary also which is pretty crazy to think about. Anyways, I hope people get the word out that Girl Scout COOKIES ARE HERE!
Payless shutting down two Fort Worth locations
According to the Star-Telegram Payless Shoe Source is closing down two Fort Worth locations in the next couple of months. This is apart of a larger plan that involves closing down over 475 Payless and Stride Rite shops over the next three years. The customers who use this store will receive coupons for the nearest open location to them. There will be five stores left in Fort Worth that will remain open.
“These affected stores are underperforming and low-volume stores,” Waugh said. “A comprehensive analysis was conducted to determine which stores to close with a goal to optimize the profitability of markets by removing many low sales-volume stores, as well as those that cannot support the assortments and staffing that the company believes its stores should offer.”
So what does this mean for the normal consumer? Other than having to drive a bit further, this does not mean much yet. With the constant reports of solid numbers coming back from consumer spending in the retail industry, one has to think that possibly the numbers are exactly reflecting the truth.
Connecting Kansas City to Fort Worth via Passenger Train
That’s right people, apparently the Kansas Department of Transportation is considering two options for a passenger rail service that would link Fort Worth to a bunch of the Kansas Communities. To me, this is a great idea because I have personally never been to Kansas City. I may not be using their service all the time, but I promise you that I will be using it at least once. My question to the guys in Kansas would be if they can get some sort of deal worked out with the Casino’s in Oklahoma. I believe if they could get some help from the Casino’s they could attract more customers by putting stops at some of the more popular casinos such as Winstar Casinos. The train could potentially pass up nearly 20 Casinos actually. MBA programs often contract their students out to major corporations who are stuck in situations or need information in a timely basis. In this case, Amtrak used the University of Kansas team to run a study on the impact of Wichita, Kansas. Their results included things like how over 30,000 passengers would pay over $100 each to use their service alone and for every dollar invested they would come out with as much as $3.20 in the long term. A more recent study showed that it would be far more expensive than helpful so obviously the Departments of Transportation’s got a lot to think about when weighing all three case studies. I have a feeling that they will end up choosing not to go with this plan only because of the amount of money involved. You can see the same problem in Alaska right now with half the state wanting to build a road out to Nome and the other half talking about how its going to cost the citizens too much money.
Magic Johnson Announces AIDS Clinic in Fort Worth
According to the Fort Worth Star Telegram, former NBA star Magic Johnson and the AIDS Healthcare Foundation announced they have plans to open up a clinic in Fort Worth. Magic Johnson announced such last Thursday. He is lending his name to three clinics, one of which is based here in Fort Worth. Magic Johnson is the chairman and founder of the Magic Johnson Foundation (created after he found out he was HIV-Positive while playing in the NBA during the 1991 season). The new clinic is going to be offering several new options for AIDS sufferers in the Fort Worth area.