Can you guess what product people largely abstained from buying last year -- thanks to COVID-19 -- but are purchasing in droves now that vaccines are widely available and the pandemic appears to be receding? I'll give you a minute to "make up" your mind. (Note: That was a subtle hint...) If you guessed lipstick, you hit the nail on the head. Lips for the most part remained out of sight last year because they were being concealed by our face coverings.  But consumers (presumably vaccinated ones) must be feeling more comfortable about stepping out without a mask because lipstick sales hit a whopping 34 million in April. That's an 80% from the same period a year ago.  While that's 40% lower than pre-pandemic levels, it's still a marked improvement and suggests the economy is beginning to turn the corner.  The fact that the CDC announced last week that vaccinated folks no longer have to wear masks or practice social distancing indoors or outdoors (with a few excep...

If you ask most women, they would say they're always up for wearing a nice necklace. If you ask most men, they'd assert that they're happy to gift one to the woman they love. But chances are you wouldn't be as inclined to wear or give a vibrating social distancing necklace. You're probably wondering what on God's earth that is (as I was when I first read about it on the Smithsonian's website). You may remember that Italy was one of the first countries to get buffeted by the coronavirus. As of this writing, it has led to nearly 33,000 deaths in the European country. Even though the lockdown measures there have largely been eased, businesses big and small are taking steps to curb the virus's spread, and museums are no exception. At Florence Cathedral, electronic devices worn on lanyards will notify visitors if they’re standing too close to their neighbors. How? By vibrating and lighting up, much like a noisy cell phone or a pager you'd ge...

Aside from masks, disinfectants, toilet paper, and other health-oriented items, can you guess which product is flying off the shelves at grocery stores big and small, near and far? I'll give you a hint: It's something you'd expect people to consume when they're feeling down, as many in this lockdown are. If you said beer, you hit the nail on the head! Indeed, Americans' thirst for booze has actually increased since the coronavirus began spreading across the U.S. in mid-March. Beer, a beverage that was once falling out of favor with consumers as their tastes shifted to such low-calorie drinks as spirits and spiked seltzer, is surely benefiting. In particular, home-grown budget beer brands have spiked in sales over the past two months. For instance, sales for Anheuser-Busch's Busch Light have gone up 44%, thanks largely to amusing promotions like implementing price cuts depending on how much snow has fallen. Other brands have recorded similar do...

There's no question we've been living in a different world the last couple of weeks -- one that has upended our routines and made Zoom meetings, food delivery, and shopping for virtually everything through Amazon our new, sometimes unpleasant reality. No event has felt this disruptive and widespread since the global recession of 2008. While back then we were dealing with a global financial crisis, this time, as President Donald Trump put it, we are grappling with an invisible enemy. So just how will the world be different once this pandemic is behind us? As was the case with the Great Recession, people are going to retrench for a while. From souped-up cars and big vacations to fancy clothes, consumers are going to put the kibosh on high-end purchases until they feel that (1) the economy is mending (2) their financial affairs are in order. The first order of business for many will be finding a job. Those who have been fortunate enough to still have jobs may be contem...

Do you embrace your uniqueness? Do you like the fact that you have quirks, talents, and convictions that set you apart from your peers? Do you take pride in the fact that there can never be another you ? If so, the last thing you should allow is for other people to change you. I mean, really...who are they to dictate how you should think and act? Are you not a grown adult capable of making your own decisions? As I've stressed in several other posts, people will try to goad you into changing for a variety of reasons: There's something about you that's a little different, and that makes them feel uncomfortable and insecure. They subscribe to the herd mentality, believing everyone in their immediate circle should share exactly the same beliefs, habits, goals, etc. They secretly envy you: Rather than celebrate your good qualities, they'd rather see you lose them; instead of cheering your successes, they take delight in your failures.  Indeed, certain people we...

Those who try too hard to be liked by everyone demonstrate two things: (1) they're insecure (2) they need others' approval/validation to feel better about themselves . They're the ones who cunningly adapt their personality to get in the other person's good graces. Consequently, they come off as being less genuine, willing to do almost anything to bolster their appeal. For example, they might say they share your passion for baseball or gardening when, in reality, they wouldn't be caught dead watching a game or fiddling with soil. I like to call these people fakes, charlatans, posers. There's a fine line between being gregarious and trotting out a deceptive persona. I urge people to be true to themselves -- to let the real them shine through. No one says that everyone has to like you. No one says you need the approval of all those around you. The day you relinquish the need for others' validation is the day you'll feel much happier in and about ...