It's like a speakeasy!

So when I heard this morning that there was a Starbucks that was still open during the Holy Month I immediately had drive over and check it out. So it really does make you reflect on what you have when you can't have it anymore, and I have become so addicted to the Raspberry Cheesecake and Skinny Vanilla latte's as my morning routine. Yes, I said it- I eat cheesecake in the morning- speak amongst yourselves, but it is the best! This is what the Starbucks looks like. Window gates are down, black cloth is put behind the gates as they are mesh to hide anyone in it, the gates are 1/4 of the way down with black drapes over them- again so you can't see in. Then you go in- no music, people huddled around their tables, not talking- just eating. IT IS ODD! It's so odd, I was like... Really? Oh well, if it gets me my Coffee and my cake, I'm happy and will deal with the "shame" of it all. :-)

Mall of Emirates Ramadan Deco

Here is a short vid to show you all the flashy sparkle in the Mall of Emirates. My first time using the Blackberry video- so if this works I'll post more :-) Imagine- you could be riding in the car with me next week!! Or in the Kuwait Airport! Can't wait to see what I can do with this.

Ramadan Day1

Today is the first day of Ramadan here in the Gulf. It marks the shortened work day- we only have to work 6 hour days with no salary loss to anyone working in an Islamic Country, and the no eating or drinking from dawn to sunset. Somehow all this equated to no traffic-?? It was nice though driving from my apartment to the office in less than 30 minutes this morning. I also went to the mall and that is where I took this picture. It was such a tranquil moment in the busiest mall, taken up in the "fashion corridor". Those things that look like falling water are actually white butterfly cutouts that hang down to the main level- very pretty.
The malls are DEC'd out in all kinds of Ramadan Decorations. It really is just like Christmas. Stores all use the same colors: Gold, Hunter Green, Royal Blue, Dark Purple and Silver. The store windows are all done up with different Islamic looks- even my stores went with dark purple banners, and Silver stars and Crescent Moons. It was very odd to be walking through the busiest mall in the world and not have any restaurants or coffee shops open. I mean NOTHING- the Starbucks were empty- no food in the displays, gates down at all the places, dark inside. As I was at Mall of Emirates tonight it was nearing Sunset and you could see workers inside getting ready for the explosion of people that would soon be arriving.
I do have to say I couldn't make it all day. It was hot! It was 45 out this morning at 10am! I'm not cut out for all this heat and starving myself. Usually I can put up a good "starve-out" when I'm angry or depressed or working too much- but today I could not find it in me and succumbed to a bottle of water and granola bars (yes that was plural- and yes it was the whole box). I literally had to drive home, get in the elevator, go up to the top floor, into my apartment, close the shades, and sit in the dark at 2pm to eat my box of granola bars, then leave and continue on with my day! :-) It felt so dirty!!!!! I can just see myself on the security camera walking in to my place with the box of granola bars; long pause on the tape- me leaving 25 minutes later----- with no box of granola bars. lol. The security gaurds were probably like "that's disgusting- we know what you just did!" :-)

Ahhh, well we'll see how I do tomorrow!

Pictures of new launch

Hi Guys, sorry I didn't post any other pictures since the launch, But here they are!

Picture of outside before the opening, then pictures of the store once we were open

Nice to be back

It has been so nice being back in Dubai since Sunday Night. After all that time in Saudi it makes Dubai seem like Disneyland! We have a mono-rail, seaside with beaches, great hotels, amazing shopping and everything is manicured beyond anything imaginable. That was I think the biggest difference. In Dubai they don't just let a side of the highway be dirt, they landscape it, add palm trees, grass, bricks, and make it look really nice. Many of the Dubai malls are also new within the last 5 years so are marbled and high-gloss finished whereas in Riyadh the malls are from the 80's, 90's and haven't really been updated. In Riyadh, they are trying and they did do landscaping, but it is so dry there that it just gets covered in dust, or dies from the heat, so it makes the city look really rough.

The past two days I have spent getting re-connected to the rest of my job. That Saudi launch took up 2 weeks for training the trainers, 1 week of training the staff, and one week of merchandising the new store so that was one whole month that I was disconnected from everything else going on! Today I met with the Regional for the southern gulf who is overseeing the Bahrain market entry. She is great and has it all worked out from the franchise side, I just have to input the brand training, merchandising, and opening things like I did for Riyadh. So another new market in 14days! YAY! I can't wait to see Bahrain! I know you just quivered and slouched back into your chair when you heard that- but really, the strife there has calmed and our malls are not on the same side of the island where the uproars were.

I finally got to see Harry Potter last night! It came out when I was in Riyadh and they don't believe in movies, so had to wait to see it. Very enjoyable, but seems hard to believe that the series is over after 10 years of movies! I also had my first drink last night after the movie. It was great to have beer, but I'm not craving it, and dare I say all these visits to dry countries may just cure me of it all together! And if the trips don't- Ramadan will- which starts on Sunday. ugh, I just convulsed when I wrote that. No eating or drinking from sun up to sun down (5am-7pm)- otherwise you get the "hot stone Massage" as they call it here :-) It will be an experience for sure. As much as that sounds horrid, at sundown they call it "Iftar" which is when you break fast and you GORGE yourself. Everywhere you go now they have signs up for "Iftar Buffet for 150D"- even Applebees and Chili's has it! The other part of "Iftar" is hosting a dinner party at your house to celebrate with friends and family and it is like Thanksgiving dinner every night for 30 days! So it does have this great community undercurrent. I am even having a dinner party when I get back from Bahrain for everyone- I'm going to actually buy real groceries and cook for people! Can't wait! :-)

T'was the night before ...

So much has happen this week. The ups and the downs, and the hard work, many awkward conversations with the partner, but it all ended tonight with that picture. The entire team smiling and beaming with pride because we did it! We finished our first store in Saudi Arabia on schedule even after a three day delay!!!
Yesterday was Thursday and it was day three of merchandising. We were all tired, ornery and sick of sorting products. But the best thing happened; because today is Friday and we are in a strict Arabic country, nothing opens until 4pm as this is a holy day. So we all were able to sleep in (me until 11:30am :-) and when we got to the store at 4 today we all were excited and re-energized to get it done!
The other great part was that all the executive flights were delayed so no one was in the store until today and we were 90% complete with everything.
When we took that picture tonight it was the best feeling. The guys are so excited and proud of what they accomplished. They really worked as a team and did what they were told and overall the regional director did a super job for it being his first store with our company.
Tomorrow morning we will be going in at 9:30am to practice registers, selling, and make sure everyone know's their roles. Then at 6:00pm is the press event, executive visit, and the VIP of Riyadh's time in the store till 9pm. We have swag bags for them all with products, a DVD of product shots for their magazines and newspapers. We have the banners outside the mall all up, and inside the mall are hanging banners and signs that look fantastic and brand right.
I feel so relieved, and relaxed right now. From a great week of training to a great week of Merchandising, I am so proud of how this entire launch has gone! :-)))

So here I am! Working in the store. Had some construction delays but today we finally were able to receive the props and visual displays. Since the mall is older, there is no loading dock, so they dropped the 16 pallets in front of the mall entrance and we had to- in the 115 degree heat- use pallet jacks and bring them into the store! On the positive side I got some good sun :-)