Making a List

It's not even Thanksgiving yet, and the stores already have their Christmas music playing and the decorations out. So it's only a matter of minutes before their newspaper advertising circulars start touting the "perfect" gifts for Mom, Dad, kids, and that "special someone." And I fully expect them to follow their tried and true format--

Remember Mom this Christmas! Get her what she's always wanted--
a hot pink blender!

Or how about a status symbol Dooney and Burke purse?

Husbands, show her you REALLY love her with a diamond tennis bracelet!

I would bet that even Home Depot and Lowe's will push a new stove or, at best, a pink screwdriver set for the woman of the house, all while advertising a he-man cordless drill set or table saw for Dad.

Too bad. They'll miss out on a great market--we female do-it-herselfers. If they did their market research, they'd know that it would be worth their time and money to invest in a promotion targeted toward women, not just as gift-buyers for men, but as recipients of these great tools!

When the last Consumer Reports magazine arrived, my husband and I pored over the cordless tool review together. We discussed which ones were better in regard to weight, battery type, power, etc. It was great. (However, the cursory tool review left a lot to be desired.) Why can't the manufacturers and stores understand that women want to be treated with respect. Don't assume we don't know what we're talking about!

A case in point. There's an ad now playing on the radio for Bellsouth DSL internet service. It has the voices of several people saying how easy it was to install themselves. One voice is obviously an airhead female, who says, "Even I could do it! And I can't even use a screwdriver!" or something to that effect. Tsk, tsk.

Maybe it's because men still rule the boardrooms of most companies. Maybe we women haven't been as vocal as we need to be. I promise to be louder if they promise to listen.