[Spring in your step] Spring in your step - 1 Sep 2008
[Shan Radcliffe] Spring has sprung - a leak. In its usual fashion, the advent of 1 September (otherwise known as Spring Day) has brought with it a torrential downpour to the west coast, while the north of the country begs for the wet weather to douse the fires that have been ripping through its veld this weekend. read more

[The cost of the good ol' days] The cost of the good ol' days - 25 Aug 2008
[Shan Radcliffe] Having spent the weekend with around 50 kids with an average age of 11, all clutching bags of chocolates, gummies and other sweets that would rival any American child's annual Hallowe'en haul and must have cost their parents a week's worth of groceries, I took a trip down memory lane to the price of things 'now and then'... Remember when you could buy your weight's worth of Chappies for R2, Wicks sticks for under 50c and Eskimo Pies for less than a buck? (In fact, some of you may even recall purchasing all of the above for around half a cent...) I think back to a time when my mom was looking grim-faced at a 10kg bag of dog food that was nearing the R20 mark; a time when a hotdog or hamburger cost R1 at the school tuckshop, and (some 10 years later) a pie was still R3... read more

[Fashion fabulous] Fashion season kicks off in style - 18 Aug 2008
[Shan Radcliffe] It's been a busy time for the fashion industry with culmination of the Virgin Mobile Cape Town Fashion Week on Saturday, while the Joburg crowd start setting up ramp for the Sanlam SA Fashion Week from 27 - 30 August. For those who couldn't make the CT event, check out Terry Levin's "One night at...", as well as the style galleries. read more

[Guerrillas hit fashion week] Guerrillas hit fashion week - 11 Aug 2008
[Shan Radcliffe] Fashionistas, designers and models alike will be alighting on the Mother City this week for the Virgin Mobile Cape Town Fashion Week, which kicks off on Wednesday, 13 August. Running in conjunction with the event is South Africa's first taste of a global phenomenon: the guerrilla store. read more

[Bagging that sale] Bagging that sale - 4 Aug 2008
[Shan Radcliffe] The courteous offer of "Would you like a ... with that?" has got to be the most ingeniously simple sales gimmick known to man. read more

[Happy Birthday!] Happy Birthday! - 21 Jul 2008
[Shan Radcliffe] Last week the world celebrated a very special birthday - one so special in fact that celebrations began around a month before. If you have no idea whose birthday that I'm talking about, then I'd need to ask you which planet you've been living on for the last year. read more

[Rentals and returns] Rentals and returns - 14 Jul 2008
[Shan Radcliffe] It's half past eleven on a Saturday morning, the DVD's are due back at midday, but the kids fell asleep halfway through the movie last night and now they're insisting on watching the rest of it, plus the hour-long bonus features... What do you do? Upset the kids and hear them whine for the rest of the day? Return the videos late only to be fined for the full amount? Or drop the videos in the dead of night and never go back? With the economy facing the possibility of recession, retaining loyal customers is as important as making sure your books balance at the end of the day, and it's becoming more and more necessary to find the equilibrium between the two. read more

[Fowl play] Fowl play - 7 Jul 2008
[Shan Radcliffe] First it was bread, then milk and medication, and now another plate has been served to the Competition Tribunal's table: poultry. It seems Astral Operations hasn't been playing fair with its 'down-the-food-chain' partner Country Bird, with Elite Breeding Farms coming under fire as the go-between for the two companies... read more

[On the bright side of life...] On the bright side of life... - 30 Jun 2008
[Shan Radcliffe] It's almost the beginning of a new month and we're all scrambling to fill up our cars, while those fortunate enough to have pre-paid electricity meters are stockpiling units. Being one of these lucky people, I have, however, been in two minds whether or not to buy copious amounts of electricity units... read more

[The art of getting a raise...] The art of getting a raise... - 23 Jun 2008
[Shan Radcliffe] As if we didn't have enough reason to save electricity, the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has just given the go-ahead to let Eskom burn a hole in our pockets, while giving us more encouragement to switch off our geysers. On top of the 14.2% increase confirmed in December, Nersa has added another 13.3% to that - with the combined hike to come into effect on 1 July. read more

17 Jun 2008
[Shan Radcliffe] This is another prime opportunity to whinge about rising inflation, but, by the look of things, it's not going anywhere but up, so let's leave it to another week. The country, however, celebrated a very special day yesterday - no, not just a public holiday, it was Youth Day. read more

9 Jun 2008
[Shan Radcliffe] So the country's in a flap again about rising inflation, and the price of fuel all but has a death grip on our wallets. In fact, the country was so unprepared for the rocketing rise of fuel, that around 18,000 diesel pumps nationwide can't even handle the hike into double digits. read more

2 Jun 2008
[Shan Radcliffe] In the wake of global warming, social and environmental consciousness is becoming more than just the concern of lentil-and-wheat germ munching, tree-hugging hippies. Eco-friendliness is finally becoming fashionable, as a number of speakers at last week's Fashion Exchange +27 highlighted. read more

26 May 2008
[Shan Radcliffe] Greetings to all on this trepid Monday morning as I take the reins of responsibility for the Retail.bizcommunity.com portal. I'd just like to thank Rod Baker for all the encouragement, support and advice he's given me during our time together - it's been an absolute pleasure - and to everyone else at Biz for their faith and trust over the years; may I be able to successfully fill the large leather chair that Rod has left for me (although I may need to attend a few more foodie expos before I'm able to do that). read more

19 May 2008
[Rod Baker] Be strong: I am on my way... to the desk next door. read more