Papyrus

Thanks to Meijer and Papyrus for a sample of their new line of cards. They are very unique and creative. Julie is having great fun sending them to friends and family for various occasions. You can find these cards at your local Meijer store;

Simply the Best

Another gift I (Julie) received from Meijer this summer was the "Simple" face products.  I actually got two sets, so I kept one, and gave the other to my friend, Lisa, to try.  She has younger skin than I do and I thought a little compare/contrast would be helpful.

To be totally honest, I LOVE trying new face products.  They might be my favorite of the Meijer gifts, because frankly, face stuff is expensive and I hate investing in a whole bottle when I'm not sure if I'll like it or not.

One thing that impressed me right away about Simple products, is that they are so... clean.  I know that sounds redundant, but you would not believe how many chemicals there are in cleaners.  Simple is great for those of you who have sensitive skin or skin allergies.  But don't ask me (because I don't have sensitive skin), ask the British.  Simple is the number one skin care line in the UK, and at least some of their play, is that they offer an inexpensive, clean alternative.

When Lisa and I tried the Simple products, here is what we learned:

B.U.Y.  T.H.E.  W.I.P.E.S.

The wipes are great.  They are soft, unscented, and are perfect for removing make-up in one swipe.  When sadly, my own stash of wipes were used, I trotted off to Meijer to get more.  FIVE BUCKS!  Something this handy should not be so affordable!

Neither Lisa nor I liked the moisturizer.  It was really wet.  I'm all about a five minute morning.  If my face takes longer than five minutes, I'm trying too hard.  So, it cramped my style to have to wait 2 or so minutes for my moisturizer to dry before I could apply my make-up.  However, my husband (whose skin is a little dryer than mine) really liked it.

Moral of the story:  buy the wipes.  It will be the best five bucks you will spend on your face.
buythewipes. buythewipes. buythewipes. buythewipes. buythewipes. buythewipes. buythewipes.

When Gud Happens

My (Julie's) favorite days, are when I come home, and there is a brown box on our front patio with a return address from Meijer.  It's amazing how such a plain, boring box can bring so much joy.  Of course, it's not the brown box as much as what's in it.  One day this summer, I got this great little gift box of "gud" products from Burt's Bees.  Inside was:

Or, in case you cant tell what these things are...

Spritz, Slather, and Lather.

I LOVED the "lather."  It was a luxurious body wash.  It was thick and soft, and smelled wonderful.  The scent "Floral Cherrynova" was not my favorite.  It was a little too... soft.  The "Vanilla Flame" was a nice regular smell.  You didn't have to worry about it being offensive in any way, but the "Orange Petalooza"?  The Orange Petalooza was my favorite.  Very crisp and clean.  It's yummy.

Gud happens at Meijer.  My suggestion would be to treat yourself to a little Orange Petalooza body wash. The next time you get groceries at Meijer remember that your favorite lip balm has a new line of products.

Tide Pods are Here

Thanks to Meijer for the free Tide Pod samples! We had an opportunity to try them out this weekend following a particularly muddy bike ride along the Maumee in Fort Wayne. Those who often make use of the River Greenway may be interested in the effectiveness of the new Tide Pods. Check out the photos below.

Here's the nifty trial package with specific instructions not to resell it.

Here a shot of the pod in its dissolvable wrapping. I'm not really sure why Tide felt it necessary to have three different colored detergents in one pillowy package, but we'll assume it enhances the cleaning power.

Next up, Julie's sweatshirt following her bike ride.

And wa-la! The Tide Pod seemed to work really well. It was certainly easy to use. No messy pouring or spilling powder granules all over the place. The downside was smell. It wasn't bad, but not anything exciting either. More chemical plant than Mountain Spring. Look for Tide Pods coming soon at your local Meijer store.

Gingerbread Contest

Meijer is sponsoring a Gingerbread Contest entitled, "Gingerbread Bites Back." There are three separate contests involved including: GingerSnaps, GingerMash, and GingerKids.

Here are the details.

Gingerbread Bites Back!

MEIJER OFFERS A FULL PLATE OF GINGERBREAD-THEMED CONTESTS FOR THE CREATIVE, ARTISTIC OR HUMOROUS AT HEART

Holiday Contests Will Include Funniest Video, Most Original Gingerbread Man, And More

GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. (Dec. 1, 2011) – The elusive gingerbread man has been caught by Meijer, and he’s been placed online this holiday season to serve as the star of three delightfully engaging consumer contests that require little baking, but much creativity.

The Michigan-based retailer’s online program, entitled “Gingerbread Bites Back,” invites shoppers to submit their funniest or most off-the-wall submissions for a photo contest of the most original gingerbread creation (person or house); a video project capturing an interesting take on people baking or eating gingerbread; or a contest inviting people to place downloadable gingerbread imagery in humorous or unique settings or situations.

The online contests live at www.facebook.com/meijer, and will include thousands of dollars in gift card prizes to nearly two dozen winners. The contests will conclude Dec. 23. Gingerbread fans are asked to submit entries for any of the individual contests to the Meijer Facebook page by Dec. 18.

“The gingerbread man is an iconic feature of the holidays, and the perfect symbol to generate excitement for a program that entails, fun, creativity and the joy of giving,” said Kevin Brown, chief marketing officer for Meijer. “As Meijer approaches one-half million Facebook ‘likes,’ this contest provides a great opportunity for our customers to demonstrate their creativity through the digital and social channels they continue to embrace.”

Here are the three different contests comprising the Meijer “Gingerbread Bites Back” contest:

• GingerSnaps: Fans upload a photo of their most original gingerbread people or houses.

• GingerMash: Fans are encouraged to create their own Gingerbread characters, as they will be provided with electronic “bits-and-pieces” of a gingerbread man so they can build their own creation. Fans can put a gingerbread man in an unusual spot or predicament, or create a zany new breed of ginger person. Others will be able to vote on the best submissions uploaded to the Meijer Facebook gingerbread tab.

• GingerKids: Fans upload their funniest videos of their kids decorating or eating gingerbread men or women, or building and decorating their gingerbread houses.

For each of the three contests, Meijer will award a $500 gift card to the first-place winner, a $250 gift card to the second-place winner, and $100 gift cards to the five honorable mention recipients.

About Meijer: Meijer is a Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer that operates 197 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. As the inventor of the “one-stop shopping” concept, Meijer stores have evolved through the years to include expanded fresh produce and meat departments, as well as pharmacies, comprehensive electronics departments, garden centers and apparel offerings.

For more information on Meijer and the ability to shop for more, please visit www.meijer.com. Follow Meijer on Twitter @twitter.com/meijer or become a fan at www.facebook.com/meijer.

Have Fun!

Sad News

I am ashamed to admit that I have only just heard of the passing of a great leader in business, society, and culture. Good-bye Fred.

http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2011/11/public_visitation_today_for_fr.html

also check out:

http://www.fredmeijermemorial.com/home

This weekend Julie and I drove up to Grand Rapids to visit my parents and attend the ArtPrize Contest. If you haven't heard of it, ArtPrize is a world wide art competition held throughout the city. Most of the art is inside of various venues, such as downtown restaurants, hotels, and public buildings like the Library and various museums. This picture was taken inside the Gerald R. Ford Museum. The large rock next to us is a piece of the Berlin Wall that was brought over by Fred Meijer. I don't know if the Meijer painted on the wall has any connection to Fred, but it is pretty cool.

Click here for more about ArtPrize.

Blessings in a Backpack

Today, Julie (my wife), who is a teacher at Wayne High School in Fort Wayne, had the privilege of hearing Liz Murray speak. Liz is the author of "Homeless to Harvard," a story of her life as a teen and daughter of addicts and how she was able to persevere and succeed where most people would have given up and allowed life to run them over. The speech was sponsored by Meijer, as part of the Blessings in a Backpack program. Julie said the students were really touched by Liz's story and many of them were motivated to start fund raisers to support the program.

An added bonus to the event, was that Doug Meijer, second son of Fred Meijer, was present at then event. My wife informed him that her husband (me) is a Meijer fanatic. That may be exaggerating just bit, but I think Doug was pleased with the news. It unfortunately didn't turn into a job offer, but I am still holding out hope.

Check out Blessings in a Backpack @ blessingsinapackback.org

Meijer Testimonial

Conversation I heard at work today:
Emily: mmm (she was eating a strawberry)...have you been to Meijer lately?
Rachel: A couple of days ago. Why?
Emily: They have all these great sales on produce right now. I love their produce!
Rachel: Ooo! I'll have to go.

Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, Emily said that she posted about it on her blog.

http://beyourdistraction.blogspot.com/2010/06/why-i-love-meijer.html

Feel free to share your "Why I Love Meijer" story. you can post a comment, or email me at meijerblog@live.com

Great Deals at Meijer

This week at Meijer there are several wonderful deals, as there always is, but I felt I should let you in on a couple that are extraordinary.

First, this week at Meijer you can purchase a $100 Visa Gift card and you will get a Meijer coupon for $10 off you next shopping trip!

Second, if you are in the market for a vacuum, You can purchase a Dyson Animal DC25 at Meijer in store or online and get a Dyson handheld DC31 FREE! I know Dyson vacuums are a bit steep to begin with, but the DC31 is a $220 value. Not a bad deal if you have had you eye on a Dyson for a while. Click HERE for the link.

Katie Brown – Simply Awesome

In case you haven’t been paying attention to what’s cool at Meijer, I want to make you aware of Katie Brown. She is a real person, like Martha Stewart, only more down to earth and less of a felon.

So, what exactly does Katie Brown do? Pretty much everything. She cooks, cleans, decorates, and smiles a lot. There are also videos of her showing you how to do all of these wonderful things, simply.

I was fortunate enough to get to try out one of Katie’s dessert recipes. It was a Chocolate Mousse Torte. See pictures below.

The Bag

The Goods, the green card was a gift card used to buy the perishable stuff2

The finished product.

We served it at a social gathering at our house and someone got into it before we added the shaved chocolate and raspberries. It was still quite tasty. Total cost to make this was probably less than $10, and that included buying most of the stuff. Everyone was impressed with how easy it was to make and how fancy it looked. I doubt Martha or Julia could have done any better.

Email me at meijerblog@live.com to get the recipe!

Travis, Meijer Associate with skills

Win an XBOX 360 autographed by Fred Meijer!!!

Meijer Facebook fans, enter for a chance to win an XBOX 360 that is personally autographed by Fred Meijer. Once on the Meijer Facebook page, click the "Contest" tab to enter. You can enter today, Friday, and Saturday.
Good to Facebook, or CLICK HERE

Another Great Meijer Commercial

Great lunch near Meijer on Maysville

If you shop the Meijer off Maysville Rd. in Fort Wayne, B. Antonio's Pizza is a great place to get lunch before you start shopping. For $5 dollars you get a slice of pizza the size of a Buick, a "mini" salad that looks like it contains all the lettuce in Mr. McGregor's garden, and a drink with free refills.

Enjoy!

Meijer Naturals Coupon

Here is a link to get a coupon for $4 off a $15 purchase of any combination of Meijer Naturals products. You will need to be a Meijer Facebook fan. Once on the site, click the "Coupon" tab. The coupon is good 6/07 - 6/21.

Click Here

$2 off $10 coupon

If you are a friend of Meijer on Facebook, go there and click the "Coupon" tab to get $2 off a $10 purchase of Meijer Gold Products. Meijer Gold was recently released as a branding of Meijer products that are unique from around the world. Click the link to learn more.
www.meijer.com/content/content_leftnav_dynamic.jsp?pageName=meijer_gold

The coupon is good through June 14th.

ecoStore Product Giveaway - April 11th only!

In celebration of our one year anniversary at Meijer and to announce to your shopper that we have expanded into the Baby category we will be handing out the following at 100 select stores...

FREE Samples:
One Wash Liquid Laundry Samples

Baby Mositurizer Samples

PLUS:
$1 off Coupon for any of the 10 ecoSTORE USA products that Meijer carries which are as follows:
32 ounce Liquid Laundry
33.5 ounce Oxygen Whitener
32 Ounce Liquid Dish
17 Ounce Citrus All Purpose Cleaner
12.7 Ounce Lemon Cream Cleanser
Baby Mositurizer
Baby Nappy Balm
Baby Shampoo
Baby Sleepytime Bath
Baby Body Wash

All ecoSTORE USA products are plant and mineral based and contain No Nasty Chemicals(TM).In conjunction with our anniversary at Meijer we are so excited to announce that we are now manufacturing in Michigan. This is a major selling point with the Meijer shopper....Made In Michigan!!

To see more about us please visit www.ecostoreusa.com .

Black Friday

Technorati Tags: Ad

Friday the 6th, my wife and I drove up to her parents’ home in Michigan. On the way, I had the option of listening to “Bleak House” by Dickens, or Christmas Music. I am typically a fan of Chuck, but something about “Bleak” being in the title, and the fact that the book takes about 43 days to listen to, pushed me towards the Christmas Music option. I still feel the first week of November is too early for Bethlehem's Greatest Hits, but like I said, those were my choices. Anyway, once the playlist got rockin’ I could hardly help but cheer up a bit at the thought of Christmas being just around the corner, or over the river and through the woods and then around the corner. Now certainly, I don’t want to steal and of the glory from Jesus. It is His birthday after all, and He deserves a lot of praise! But, one can hardly help but think about shopping as well. This likely brings more terror than joy. My wife may be the only person I have met who prefers going to the mall when the entire city is there, everyone is super grumpy and wearing 7 layers of clothes, and nobody has what you want. All this to say that today I got a sneak peek at the Black Friday Ad from Meijer. At this moment, only the front page is available, but there is a link below that will be operational after 12:01 am Sunday the 15th. I hope you enjoy getting some great ideas so you can plan for the madness. Don’t forget that Meijer has an even larger selection of items on their website and lots of great deals on shipping. There is also a really cool shopping list generator called “GIFTCRACKER” that you can send to everyone on your list, so you don’t have to constantly ask them what they want.

Here are the links to everything mentioned.

Click for Black Friday Ad

Click for GIFTCRACKER gift generating thing

Front Page of Black Friday Ad