In the spirit of Zappos Core Value #5, Pursue Growth and Learning, Jeanne and I took a group of Assistant Buyers, Merchandising Assistants and members of our Product Information team from Casual Lifestyle on a one-day, turn-around round trip to Southern California to tour the Magdesians shoe factory. One of only a few left in California, the Magdesian family was gracious enough to open their doors to us.

They have an incredible laser cutting machine that eliminates the need for costly dies and is also 30% more efficient in terms of raw materials. For those of you who don't know, a die is, in essence, a metal "cookie cutter" traditionally used to cut the upper pattern from a sheet of leather or other material. As each size and width combination required a separate die, this is one of the highest costs to a manufacturer in production. By using this new technology, Magdesians can keep the costs, and in turn, the retail prices of their U.S. made shoes significantly more affordable.

Thank you VERY much, Magdesians! It was a great trip and very educational for all!

Well, I guess I should get off my Spartan tushie, do my duty, post my requisite Argyle blog and keep my job. Here’s the lovely 5’10” Stephanie S. wearing some Argyle yet maintaining her covert operative status with the Argyle box I swiped off of Lauren C’s desk. (Thanks Lauren!) She’s standing next to old family friend Mr. MooVader and in the background some of our top secret Zappos commemorative t-shirts are hanging from the ceiling. Lads, she's quite proficient with firearms, so watch out!

I suppose some introductions are in order. My name is Nikki W., and I'm the latest (greatest? Time will tell!) blogger on the Zappos block. In addition to blogs, we've got some really exciting balls rolling in the way of video content- known around the interweb as ZapposTV- that I'm super thrilled to be a part of as well. Feel free to check out the new channel. We've got a bunch of great stuff on the way, so stay tuned!

To correspond to John H.'s Zpartans blog, we created the following silly short for your viewing pleasure.


Random randomness: I love the show Cheaters (it's a guilty pleasure- don't you judge me!). Some of my favorite brands are Roxy, Privo, Puma, Earth, MBT, and Betsey Johnson. I think life is what you make it, and for me it's an ever evolving, expanding, and always thrilling adventure.

That's it for now- I'll see you around the blog-o-sphere!