economy

I have another newsletter

Yep, I started another newsletter. Blogs are called newsletters now.

I have my cartoon published daily at TomFalco.com, then there’s this Tomversation blog you are reading now. Then there is 10 With Tom, where I have lists of 10 things and also interview people with 10 random questions and the new newsletter is called The Morning Grapevine.

Yep, I’m a busy guy.

The Morning Grapevine is where I share ideas that will inform and help you curate a business. And even if you don’t own or run a business, The Morning Grapevine is fun and informative.

The newsletter features marketing and business news along with fun interviews with people about their businesses – how did they start, how did they get funding, how do they market themselves- things like that. From bakers to artists to Wall Street types, we want to know about them and share their knowledge, which will help us all with what we do whether it’s build things, write, teach, draw or run a large company.

I have a friend I am interviewing now. She’s a well-known artist and she is a whiz at marketing her art. I was with her this past weekend. I would love to share her techniques for selling art and getting clients, who keep coming back for more. I am interviewing her now.

I also want to ask people what they offer when they have Patreon sites as incentives and also when people have Go Fund Me sites. I’ve donated to a lot of Go Fund Me’s – usually for art project and books – and a lot of those have original art and things like that as incentives. But what about other Go Fund Me’s for different projects? I’m interested in that.

I hope you are interested enough to to subscribe to The Morning Grapevine. It’s free. No cost to you. You can check it out here to see what is published so far.

Are bookstores back?

Bookstores are back according to the news. The American Booksellers Association (ABA) has seen a growth in membership, with more than 2,500 member stores in 2,561 locations.

Large bricks and mortar bookstores and our favorite, independent bookstores are back.

I usually stop by the Barnes and Noble bookstore in Union Square in NYC, but I noticed the other day that they sort of have more security guys than customers. These guys look very official, like FBI guys with long black jackets and walkie-talkies and they are quite menacing. You can’t steal books there if you want. Which of course is a good thing, but it is a bit off putting.

I guess I look like a thief, because I left the store after being followed around for a bit which was very insulting and annoying.

There seems to be a nostalgia for bookstores. In the past, I would go in and take a picture of the book I liked and then just ordered it online for my Kindle. But of course that doesn’t work well with graphic novels.

Lately, I’ve been ordering comics and comic strip related books, so those I like having in my hands rather than trying to navigate them on a gadget.

For many years I was on a list for book reviewing and all of the major publishers would send me a few books a month – mostly graphic novels. I don’t know how I got on the lists, but it got overwhelming for a bit, but it was nice. During the pandemic, I donated most of them to a charity shop in the neighborhood.

What’s nice about bookstores is the warmth and smell when you enter. And of course, you can be going in for one thing and wander around for a long time finding other things.

In today’s 10 With Tom column, the subject is: “10 Reasons Bookstores Are Making A Comeback.” Read it here free.

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Living small in NYC

This is amazing, a guy turned a 400 square foot apartment in SOHO, NYC into a “large” apartment with all sorts of clever ideas.

When I’m traveling, I often picture my hotel room as an apartment. I think, “How could I live in here full time?” and I try to picture where things would be – the kitchen, the living room, the couch, all in a small area. And this guy did it.

This video is about 20 minutes long, but once you start watching, you can’t stop!

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How do you feel about self-check out?

This recent cartoon, really hit a nerve. I didn’t think it would affect people so much. It got thousands of shares an untold number of comments on social media.

Mostly people who work at Walmart were upset, thinking I was picking on them, but I just chose Walmart because I usually hear people complain about the check-outs at Walmart. Truth be told, I don’t remember the last time I was in a Walmart, I think it could be 10 years or more and it’s only because there are no near where I live, I think the closest is 10 to 12 miles away, which isn’t much, but why not go to closer stores, rather than drive 10 miles to get something?

If you didn’t realize, the lady in the cartoon has a Walmart logo on her vest.

And people seem to hate the self-check out, but is it mandatory in Walmart? Every place I have been that has them has them as a choice; they have the usual cashiers, as well.

I prefer the self-check out, I seek it out. I use it at Publix, Whole Foods, CVS, Home Depot and I’m sure whatever place I see it. I find it convenient, fast and I don’t have to speak to anyone.

I’m glad the cartoon made the rounds, it must have been seen by over a million people so far.

One site where it was shared, got so hot and heavy in the comments section, it almost came to blows, that they removed the cartoon! And it had hundreds of shares and almost as many comments!

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Google it

I have a friend who worked in an info booth in town for years. Whenever I wanted to go to lunch or whatever, I would say, “Put a sign on the booth and let’s go. Tell people to Google It!”

Actually, the city sort of did that. They removed the info booths and put in something like those LinkNYC things they have in NY, only they aren’t as sophisticated, you can’t go online or use the internet, it’s more of an advertising thing. I have another friend whose beautiful art is on the info link things as part of the City of Miami’s project, I would love to get some of my cartoons on them.

A few years back I was in New York and a Nor’easter was coming. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I asked the concierge about it, “What should I do Michael? Stay? Go home?” He told me he would let me know in the morning. I gave him my number and figured that being a concierge, he had some sort of in with the weather service.

I asked him, “How are you going to get the weather?” He said, “I’m going to Google it,” to which I laughed.

In the end, the airline contacted me and had me change my flight and I came home early because of the oncoming storm. Michael did contact me the next day about the weather, but I took an early flight and was already home in Miami by then.

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Stolen credit cards

Someone was using my credit card in NY the other day. VISA contacted me to tell me that someone tried to spend $1075.00 at a Versace store, but they stopped them and blocked the card. They knew it wasn’t me from my spending habits! Which is correct, I don’t wear Versace. I’m a t-shirt and jeans guy. Basically a slob.

The only reason I bring this up is that I find it interesting that our credit card companies know more about us than Google or Facebook. They know what we spend on everything these days – people use credit cards to buy a cup of coffee. If I drink coffee every day and order tea one day, will they see this as fraud?

A few months ago I wrote about having my card declined at a gas station which was a few miles from home – it was out of my usual buying pattern.

A few years back I was notified by American Express – they said someone was using my card fraudulently. I asked them how they knew – they said they were buying motorcycle parts – which was out of my buying pattern. The same week, VISA contacted me, again it was a case of fraud. How did they know? Someone was buying Avon – which was out of my buying pattern. So I guess my buying pattern is somewhere between motorcycles and Avon.

I’ve been extra careful with my credit cards, I keep them in special sleeves so they can’t be scanned, but I guess there is always a crook out there who knows a loophole or two. I’m glad that the credit card companies are stopping sales in their tracks and not letting them through. Still – it’s all about getting new cards and dealing with changing all that info on auto billing places.

Last month I had to change my American Express card – someone set up a fake account on Etsy and they were charging small sales to people. They charged me for four items at $62 each. I only noticed because I have this thing set up where they email me every time I use the card where the card is not present – mostly online. Even when I guy something they send me an email, which I like.

They don’t send out new cards overnight like they used to. What they do is give you the new number through secure means and you can use that number until you get the actual card. I already changed out my Apple Pay account with the new card info.

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