Consumer Alert.

Steven Seagal has a novel out, The Way of the Shadow Wolves.  Don't read it.  Why?  Just read this review.  Having said that I'm sure reading this book might be of benefit to some would be writers.  After all if Stevie can get such a badly written piece of nonsense published their much better stuff might stand a chance.

Gas In Saskatoon, February 23, 2018.

It was a confusing week for gas prices.  At the start of the week gas dropped to 100.9 cents a litre.  Wednesday it rose to 106.9 cents a litre.  But by the time most of you read this it will be 100.4 cents a litre at most locations.  I'll be total unsurprised if the price jumps back up again on Monday.

Such An Important Story.

I can't say I'm too impressed with the lineup editor for CTV Saskatoon's 6 o'clock newscast tonight.  The lead story?  That consuming marijuana is bad for dogs, and the number of cases is going up.  I don't know about you, but I'd say a report about someone being shot last night at Preston Crossing is more important than dogs getting sick from people being stupid.

Just As Well.

I haven't been watching the Winter Olympics, but I've been paying attention to the medal count.  At the time of this writing Norway is in first place with 29 medals.  Canada is third with 19.  The US?  They're in sixth place with 12.  Apparently Donald Trump isn't paying attention, since he hasn't Tweeted about it.  Which is just as well, as he'd probably go on a rant about how other countries are somehow cheating, things are stacked against the US and on and on.  After all the greatest country ever should be winning all the medals.

Gas In Saskatoon, February 16, 2018.

Back up we go.  Gas in Saskatoon has risen to 106.9 cents a litre at most stations.  Since it's a long weekend in Saskiatchewan some folks will assume that's the reason for the price rise.

"Do not take if you are allergic to..."

This is a line that's increasingly heard in US drug ads.  How does that work, exactly?  Do doctors have some sort of allergy test for such drugs?  Are people asking their doctors to prescribe drugs they already know they're allergic to?  Or is it just a general legal CYA for the drug companies in case people are hurt by such allergic reactions?  "Hey, we warned you not to take Zigsergon if you're allergic to it."

Gas In Saskatoon, February 9, 2018.

A small trickle down to report this week.  Gas in Saskatoon is 102.4 cents a litre at most locations.  With the price of oil dropping a bit lately hopefully gas prices will also continue to go down.

Scam Month?

Weird.  3 different scam e-mails have turned up in my e-mail spam folder since yesterday.  Is February International Scam Month?  At least there is some variety.  One claims to be from the UN, one claims to be from a US Army Sergeant in Afghanistan, and one from a DHL courier.  The DHL courier wants to give me a 5.4 million dollar "ATM VISA CARD."  Too bad, I don't have $245 handy at the moment to send them for the airport fee.

Needs More Optimuming.

Yesterday saw the beginning of the PC Optimum loyalty program.  It unites the previous loyalty programs of Loblaws brands, such as PC Points and Shoppers Optimum Points, into a single program.  But the software still needs some tinkering.  Not surprisingly there were a few glitches yesterday, but some of them seem to have continued into today.  I went to Real Canadian Superstore on 8th Street to pick up a couple of things.  When I was paying I whipped out my shiny new PC Optimum card, which I picked up yesterday.  But instead of giving me a new point total for my account the bill stated my balance was unavailable, and "Your account will be updated within 24 hours."  Oops.

It's not that much of a surprise though.  The various brands owned by Loblaws have a giant customer pool.  For example Shoppers Drug Mart has more than 1300 stores across the country.  So a lot of people have been replacing their existing loyalty cards and starting new accounts since early yesterday.  The strain on the system will be considerable.