Come see the things that our Legal Secretary Alane C. keeps on her desk (except for all the legal documents, because those are top secret and you may be tackled if your eyes were to gaze upon them).

Oh Ned, I am a bit sad that the world could not see, enjoy, and envy the "Mandles" that you wear every day – except for today, because it is raining and you are on your way to Portland, where your toes might actually catch a chill. But at least the world gets to enjoy your fresh new bald look. Ned, we salute you today, which is why you my Marketing friend is our honorary Zapponian of the Day.

It's beginning to look a tiny bit like Christmas (man, that's catchy, sounds like a song title) and Help Desk is prepared, like usual!

On Thanksgiving Eve, the help deskers began what is to be a mission of great importance; the front lobby of Zappos will be transformed into something new and wonderful. Just walking into Zappos you will feel like you're walking in a Winter Wonderplace (hmm...sounds like another good song title)

I don't want to let the cat out of the Help Desk bag just yet, but they have some very creative plans for the Dance Dance Revolution machine that resides in the front lobby. It too will be engulfed in the holiday spirit. Ros, Renna, Andrea and Jo are hard at work today.....their work will be the envy of every front lobby in the city, I promise you this. Oh yes, i promise you this.

Stay tuned, this is only the beginning! I'll be dreaming of a white winter season – another song title. Wow, I'm good.

Tis the Eve of Thanksgiving and some of us are either rushing to get out of work early, defrosting the turkey, pulling up Grandma's old stuffing recipe, deciding to eat tofurkey this year or making sure they didn't forget anything on their shopping list because the stores are going to be chaotic tomorrow. But whatever it is that you're doing today in order to prepare for this special All American Holiday, we are all brought to think about the things we are Thankful for and for all the blessings we have in our lives. After all, that's what Thanksgiving is all about.

So we walked around the office and asked Zapponians what they're Thankful for.

At Zappos, we are very rarely hard on each other for a mistake. We just fix the issue and move on.....with one exception. The Reply-All award. Nicole S. is our newest recipient.

Let me explain. For many a year, we have kept track of who replies-all to a company-wide email, and they are forced to wear the hat of shame. But Nicole S. from our Comfort Team decided to go all out.she did it twice in two days!

But I must warn you as you laugh....it's not hard to make this mistake. The ones who usually laugh the loudest are wearing the hat soon thereafter. Muhahahahahahahaha!

Have you ever had a Acai bowl? Its this Harmonious mixture of Acai berries, granola, bananas and its addicting!!!

I love berries, but it really never occurred to me that all berries have seasons, and though it may seem they are available year round, truth be told it takes alot of energy to keep us eating blueberry pie for the holidays

GREEN TIP OF THE DAY

Buy Seasonal Produce
Next time you reach for the strawberries in the middle of winter, think about whether you really need them.

Keeping food available all year round leads to massive travel costs and pollution.

Buy foods seasonal to your local climate. Summer is Berry season and the best time for : Gooseberries, cloudberries, strawberries, blue berries, black currants, red currants, and raspberries.

Till Next time, Stay Green YO!

Monday night, 300 Zappos employees were given a rare treat when they were invited to a private, preview screening of the new movie Four Christmases, starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn!

Zappos teamed up with Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema for a contest to win two free tickets to see the comedy, and they were nice enough to arrange for the private screening, which was held at the Rave Motion Pictures Theater at Town Square Las Vegas.

The movie, which opens Nov. 26, was great and everyone seemed to have a blast. Zapponians gathered before and after to discuss the movie and the craziness of the evening, video below!

Get out and see Four Christmases in a theater near you!

Hollie D., our HR Generalist Manager, may look like she's all business when she's sitting at her desk, but we now know that she really dreams of Smurfs, possibly getting a faux-hawk and being a kitten in her next life.

My Mythology - Creating our own living legacy at Zappos.

One of the joys about working at Zappos is the freedom to be ourselves through our own personal style. Style shouts! Individuals identify themselves through their personal style. Taking the chaos out of the closet and using clothing as a celebration to create personal mythology or legend is something I have been fascinated by.

What is someone trying to say through their style?

Join me in the discovery. Each week I will take an employee from Zappos and find out their personal psychology through their favorite outfits.

Today we study the mythology of Hannah E. : Lead Content Coordinator for Fashion Jewelry at Zappos.com.



Today Hannah's outfit shoutouts are a vintage Moschino Cheap&Chic dress, CC Skye, Accessories & Beyond bracelets, Miss Sixty boots, and a Sheila Fajl ring.

How would you define your look?
Vintage-inspired or beachy casual, depending on what I feel like that day.

What inspires your style?
I get inspired by people who look effortlessly stylish…there’s absolutely nothing worse than someone who looks and acts like they try too hard.

Who is your favorite designer?
My all-time fave is Christian Dior, but some of my favorite contemporary designers are Zac Posen, Alexander Wang , Charlotte Ronson and Marc Jacobs…oh! and I can’t forget—TOM FORD!

What fashion item would you never leave the house without?
Underwear…just kidding. I’d say jewelry. On days I do forget to wear jewelry, I feel naked.

Who are your fashion/style icons?
I think Nicole Richie has a great instinct for style…and of course I love Kate Moss, she’s like the Twiggy of my generation.

What are your favorite labels?
I’m not too particular, as long as it fits and looks good.

Local or haole style?
Haha! I’m no haole…I can get down with the slippahs and shorts any day…just not in the office!

How would you define your mythology that you portray through your style? Laid-back beach bum meets high-maintenance Vegas chick? Yeah…let’s go with that!

What is your favorite decade for style?
My favorite era for style and everything else is the 60s, and early (PRE-DISCO!) 70s.

What is your favorite fabric?
Cotton (Supima cotton to be exact)

Pleasers or Naughty Monkey?
Oh boy…Naughty Monkey, but Pleasersfor Halloween!

What is your favorite color?
I have three I can’t live without, grey, black and white! Are those even colors?

What item do you allow yourself to splurge on?
Handbags and Jeans

Do you need to take out a second mortgage for your style?
In this economy? Never!

Diamonds or pearls?
I don’t wear either

Trina Tarantino or Gasoline Glamor?
Tarina of course! She’s fabulous.

Which bag?
Bulga, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Kooba…I just like bags in general!

Sunglasses?
I love my Ray Bans, but I buy cheapies and vintage sunglasses too

What are your fashion rules?
If you can’t drink beer and still be comfortable in it, your outfit is too tight!

What is the most you’ve spent on a handbag?
800 bucks, Dior logo saddle bag, which I sadly never wear anymore.

Would set foot in a thrift store?
Of course!

What is the best thing you’ve ever found at a thrift store?
Someone found it for me….this Moschino dress!!

What is the most you’ve ever spent on fashion and for what item?
That aforementioned Dior bag. I don’t know how I afforded it…I was a broke college student!

Tis the season of chowing down. Now I ask you, is there a better way to enjoy copious amounts of food with coworkers than with a potluck? I think not.

The 2290 building decided to have a housewarming, “International Potluck”. The HR and Training teams brought American food, the Finance team brought Spanish food, the PM team brought desserts, and the Dev team brought whatever they wanted to. It’s the best Potluck ever! So much food! Yum!!

Now that's what I call a potluck!

Inside Zappos really is all about culture and the "things" that make Zappos so unique from every other company. One thing that us Zapponians pride ourselves in is how encouraged we are to decorate our desk space as we see fit; because lets face it, we spend a lot of hours at our desk and if a fake bird with a wig on it helps you get through your work week, then so be it.

So see the things that CLT member Diana G. keeps on her desk.

Brooke J., our handbag enthusiast is our Zapponian of the Day today! Hooray!

I always seem to be in the right place at the right time when it comes to the Zappettes!

As I strolled through the lobby late in the afternoon on Thursday, once again, I found this Zappos singing trio beautifully singing Happy Birthday to a visiting guest that happened to be touring the office. These ladies can belt it out, I'm telling you. Thanks to you, Zappettes, for Wowing our friends with your wonderful voices!

Keep up the good work!

As a Preface to this blog, I will explain what the Fun Dollar is. In our CLT department, we have an ongoing contest to see who can eat the grossest thing possible. If said Zapponian can accomplish said consumption goal, they are awarded the Fun Dollar. I've seen quite a few gross combos in my day, but this is up there. Proceed, sir.

I awoke today unaware of the glory that awaited me. As I sat at my desk with the aroma of guac floating in behind me, I was greeted by Scotty to my right offering a chocolate frosted donut. Now most would think that this aroma and this sight would not mix, but for far too long have we separated Pennsylvania Dutch pastries from Mexican dips. Here I sat on the precipice of cultural mixing, and I decided that today should be the day that we finally shatter these walls and reveal the delicious truth that comes from adventurous eating. And, so, with a dream of uniting desserts and dip, I smeared a healthy serving of guacamole upon my donut and chomped down in to an explosion of flavors that lit up the tasting part of my brain like the 4th of July. No more will I be constrained by the boundaries of fascist eating. I am free, my friends. Join me! Join me!

We don't get it either.

Our very own Techie extraordinaire, Pawel S., discovered a strange reaction between his beloved plasma ball that sits on his desk and keeps him company throughout the day (for those who can, see his SM picture) and his Apple computer - more specifically the Mighty Mouse. You see, Pawel discovered how to transfer the energy that the plasma ball emits in order to control the mighty mouse functions.

See for yourself! And, unlike most things that we do in this office and post on the blogs, this trick is safe to try at home.

See, I Told You Those Cats in Dev Were Magic!

Today we launch our new video series, Happy, Happy, Zappos Cheer-Up! Everybody gets down sometimes, and here at Zappos, we will go very far out of the way to make sure our friends and colleagues in the office are doing well, and we will do just about anything to cheer them up.....and we thought, why not spread some of that good will out to the rest of the world!

Adriana, here is your Zappos Cheer Up! If anyone out there knows someone that needs cheering up, email us at zapposcheerup@zappos.com!

Harris Interactive polled 1,569 office workers across the US and Canada and found interesting pet peeves amoung the employees. Pet Peeves were:

Mindless printing (40%),Lack of recycling bins (33%),Co-workers not recycling (27%) Leaving lights on (37%), Excessive air conditioning in summer and heat in winter (29%) Co-workers not printing double-sided when they can (24%)

And that leads me to today's

GREEN TIP OF THE DAY #3

PRINT IN DRAFT MODE AND DOUBLE SIDED

Printing in draft mode, prints lighter than on the regular setting. It saves ink and is still readable.

When you need to print mulitple pages switch to the double sided option to conserve paper.

And always consider the environment when printing an email.

Green never felt sweeter :) STAY GREEN, YO!

HAPPY TUESDAY!!

Soo I stopped to get gas this morning, and as I'm standing at the pump the tv advertisement attached to the pump keeps repeating " Wash your car, go green, give the earth a hand, let us wash your car". The advertisement got a little annoying after a while but the truth is, they are right. Letting a gas station wash my car would be much better for the environment, plus it lead me to my next green tip of the day :)

GREEN TIP OF THE DAY #2

Let The Experts Wash Your Car

According to the trade group International Carwash Association, washing your car all by your lonesome can consume between 80 and 140 gallons of water compared to the 45 gallons per car a commercial car wash will use.

So when its time to get those bugs off the hood, go with the pros!

And if your budget cant afford the experts, try a 2 gallon car wash.

Till Next time... Stay Green ,Yo!

Last week, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh sent out a Twitter to all who were in Vegas attending the PubCon Search Marketing Conference and invited them out to magnificant night of drinking, mingling and good rock and roll. The event, which was held at Wasted Space in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, became a hotbed of SEO-Meisters who were all alerted about the 'Tweetup' via a Tony-Tweet.

Everyone was told that the way to gain entry to the event was to simply write the word 'Zappos' on their arm. Below is a video of what went down. Take it away!

Thanks to everyone who came out and partied with Zappos!

This may seem a bit odd that I am writing an ode to apples and bananas blog, but I promise there is a reason behind my madness - all the time, 60% of the time - and this may very well be one of those times.

As I look at the beautifully ripe apple and banana that are sitting on my desk waiting to be devoured, I think of how fortunate Us Zapponians are to be provided with fresh fruit daily. To some this may not seem so special, but to others the thought of fresh fruit really is just that - a thought, or a dream. There are a vast amount of people who can't afford to have fresh fruit daily, let alone work for a company who provides it.

Most of the time I do wake up grateful for the "big and obvious things" that I have in my life, but I don't wake up every morning saying thanks for the fresh fruit and vegetables that I am fortunate enough to eat every day. And I know that I am not the only one who overlooks food everyday as something to be thankful for. And why is that? Well, that's because I have it. Those who wake up hungry and spend their day wondering where their next meal is coming from, would be extremely grateful for fresh apples and bananas. And to think I am fortunate enough to be picky and search for the best looking apple and banana in the bunch!

So, being as to how this is the month to say thanks and be grateful for all the amenities we have in our lives, I encourage you to do so. Take a moment to think about the "small things" in your life and you'll probably realize that it's a lot "bigger" than you thought.

What are the "Apples and Bananas" in your life that you look over daily?

Post a not-so-obvious thing that you're thankful for. Really. Think about this one.

Ahhhh George T. He may seem all friendly and happy-go-lucky (and he is, most of the time) but once you ask to challenge him in his crazy musical reflex game of pure madness that he keeps on his desk, he turns into a whole different person.

I strongly encourage all of you to stop by George's desk in the 2280 building and challenge him in the shocking game that he keeps on his desk. And who knows, maybe you'll be able to blow him away with your cat-like reflexes.

Check out the things that CLT Lead George T. keeps on his desk.

Ok, so what's the deal with everyone going green, right? Now-a-days, you can't walk into a store and buy a product without seeing "organic" this or "eco-friendly" that....and what is "going green" anyway?

At Zappos, we want to do our part to clean this world up a little at a time, and it really comes down to the individual that the actions that you take.

So, I will be giving you some Eco-Friendly advice every couple days on the Zappos blogs to let you know small little ways that you can help the environment. I want to make your transition to the "Eco-friendly New You", as Cheap and Painless as possible!

GREEN TIP FOR THE DAY #1

BRING YOUR MUG TO WORK - The list goes on about the benefits of doing this, plus why have those stainless still mugs that keep your coffee hot if you're not going to use them? Styrofoam is not recyclable, so even if you wanted to you can't. Do the Earth a favor and use that Mug!!

See you next time, and stay Green, yo!

My Mythology - Creating our own living legacy at Zappos.

One of the joys about working at Zappos is the freedom to be ourselves through our own personal style. Style shouts! Individuals identify themselves through their personal style. Taking the chaos out of the closet and using clothing as a celebration to create personal mythology or legend is something I have been fascinated by.

What is someone trying to say through their style?

Join me in the discovery. Each week I will take an employee from Zappos and find out their personal psychology through their favorite outfits.

Today we study the mythology of Jason Lee : Senior Content Coordinator for Contemporary Fashion at Zappos.com.

How would you define your look?
Where’s Waldo meets American Apparel.

What inspires your style?
I am super tall and super skinny, so anything long and lean.

Who is your favorite designer?
None currently, but I did like the design team behind Esprit in the late 80s and early 90s – Alice Heller, I think her name was.

What fashion item would you never leave the house without?
Funny because I frequently have nightmares about this very topic. I usually don’t leave my house without wearing some sort of pants or shorts.
Chaps at the least.

Who are your fashion/style icons?
Vegas Vic and Buffalo Bob Smith.

What are your favorite labels?
American Apparel, Earnest Sewn, Rock and Republic and any vintage western wear brand.

How would you define your mythology that you portray through your style?
I like co-workers to look at my outfit and think to themselves, “Didn’t he wear that yesterday?” I probably did, but I’ll never tell. Wait! I just did. Oh dip!

What is your favorite decade for style?
I have to say that I really like the puke greens and the burnt oranges of the 70s.

What is your favorite fabric?
Cotton! Thank you Eli Whitney.

Which watch?
I don’t wear watches, but Cat S. on the Athletic team gave me a cool OBEY watch. Wasn’t that just so sweet of her?

What brand of denim do you prefer?
Please refer to the second and sixth question! Thanks.

What is your favorite color?
Green.

What item do you allow yourself to splurge on?
First, let me tell you that I consider $97 splurging. Now that we have that out of the way, I would splurge on a great fitting pair of designer jeans.

Kid Robot bags, apparel, or toys ?
Kid robot jewelry!

Fixed gear or freewheel?
If I say free-wheel, my friend Brandon will get mad at me and skid on my face, so I’ll say fixed-gear (even though I am a free-wheel kind of guy). How’s that for some critical sass?

Black tie, bow tie, skinny tie or bolo tie?
Skinny tie for the skinny guy.

Which bag?
Military-issued mask, chemical and biological messenger bag.

Sunglasses?
I usually don’t wear any, but I probably should considering my future is so bright.

Maui Jim or Ray-Ban's?
I used to have Maui Jim glasses, but now I prefer Paul Frank ‘Crafty Engineer’ glasses.

Paris Hilton or Playboy?
Oh boy! If I say Playboy, Paris will get upset, but if I say Paris, the bunnies will get upset. Um, you may have to ask me this again next time I’m in the grotto and have had a few martinis.

What are your fashion rules?
I just have one: Try to remember not to wear my Ed Hardy clothes.

What would you consider a fashion faux pas?
I would say the rat tail, but I’ve had one during my adult life, so…

Man bags or man jewelry?
Man bags with American flags, zig-zags and dish rags. I just wanted to rhyme.

What women’s style do you admire?
Keira Knightley is pretty hot, I mean has style that I admire.

What beer do you consider fashionable?
My favorite beer is Hitachino Nest beer – white ale. The Japanese know how to brew, dude.

Emo or grunge?
Emo, but the trick to dying your hair with kool-aid is adding a little ketchup. Trust me, I read it on the Internet.

What band do you consider fashionable at the moment?
I have to give props to my main man, David Bazan (Pedro the Lion).

Crew neck or V-neck?
I’m trying to grow pectoral muscles so I look better in American Apparel deep V-necks. My goal is to have massive pects like Brandon A. and Mike F.

Briefs or boxers?
Diesel Briefs!

Andrew Buckler or Diesel?
I am not really a sexy bastard, so I am going to say Diesel.

Would set foot in a thrift store?
Yes, in fact, I would set my whole body in one.

What is the best thing you’ve ever found at a thrift store?
I found a vintage Christian Dior sweater that I love. It’s pink and has a V-neck to show off my man muscles.

What is the most you’ve ever spent on fashion and for what item?
I forget how much, but it was for a Betsey Johnson bag and shoes. Let’s just say that I’m a nice boyfriend. ;)

The Zappos Kid's Team decided to embrace our Zappos Core Value of "Do More with Less" last week by hosting a Thanksgiving potluck. I know it's a bit early, but you can't ever go wrong with finely cooked bird and all the fixings!

Below is an account from Kid's team specialist, Lynsey C.!

This month we cut back our team dinners and events and decided to host a mixed Kids team potluck with our awesome Content Team! We had everyone sign up for various dishes and then Nick P. and myself took on the meats. We had two dishes of everything from sweet potatoes casseroles to Mashed Potatoes. We had a mini pie contest that consisted of a killer home baked pie by Marisa R. and a (shhh Costco maybe) pie by the other entry. Andy H. surprisingly made his very own green bean casserole...actually no one believed that he did actually make it, we assumed he had conned someone into making it for him! But, nope, Andy came through for us!

Kelly D. and Tara J. made very different, but equally awesome sweet potatoes, both won the eaters votes! All in all, our early Thanksgiving was quite a success. We are all happily stuffed employees ;)

Below is a shot of the most original desert I've seen in years......an Oreo, Rice Krispies Treat, Candy Corn turkey! Fine work!!!

Renna C., our always bright and energetic personality at the front desk, has been with Zappos since July of 2007, and she has become an invaluable part of the hard-working machine that is Help Desk!

Renna is an outgoing and spunky girl, who hails from a little bitty town of 2600 in Colorado. She moved to Las Vegas when she was 12, and she's been making her mark here ever since.

Renna is addicted to makeup and her cell phone, and she loves to rock out to her favorite music while going for a drive. Be sure to say hi when you see her, and make sure you ask her how tall the bus is when you say hi!

Written by Jo C.!

Yep, you heard right. The world famous Oscar Meyer Weinermobile visited Zappos.com's Henderson office today to the delight of everyone!!!

This story begins two days ago, when Zappos CEO, Tony Hseih, was the keynote speaker at the Word of Mouth Marketing Summit and Research Symposium here in Las Vegas. The Weinermobile was actually on display, and Tony decided to began his speech inside the Weinermobile, and emerged to everyone's surprise!

After the address, Tony arranged for the Weinermobile to make a stop at the Zappos offices on Friday, and everyone freaked out and had a great time! Below is a video of how it went down!

Oh Pat, we all need a little help in this office from time to time. I do hope our Zapponian of the day session helped you out in wonderful ways and more importantly, made your Mom proud.

Yeah, we gonna fight that influenza!

That's right Zapponians, we have free flu shots until 3pm today!

No one likes the flu (ok...I'm sure there's a select few of you that do, but we're not gonna talk about that right now). However, for those of you who want to save your sick days for "sick days" I suggest you move on up to the Mandalay Bay conference room in 2280 and get yourself a flu shot.

Linda S., CLT Supervisor, has a desk full of fun trinkets, brain bustin' puzzles, plants, an armed penguin and a Darth Vader mask. It's true, see for yourself.


And if you're in the mood for a mind game, I'm sure Linda will let you try out the magnetic block puzzle that she keeps on her desk. I know from experience, it's not as easy as it may look.

Ok, so the Development team got a bad rep after the whole nerf gun scenario, and rightfully so, they did get a little carried away. Ok, more than a little carried away, they turned their area into a battleground and who so ever dared to enter was in for a few high speed nerf bullets to the body.

Well, it seems like the trigger happy Dev team has finally retired their nerf weapons - most likely in a location that is easily accessable - but none the less, innocent bystanders are free to walk in the Dev zone without needing a shield of some sort.

Behold, a video clip proving that Dev isn't all bad. You see, they're friendly and waving. For now. Muhahahahahaha.

As you know, we here at Zappos love the Twitter. And, with our offices being located in Las Vegas, we are in the main vein of almost every conference that is held on the planet. And we were lucky this week to be here for the PubCon Search Marketing Conference, and we held a Tweetup (a gathering sparked by Twitter) at Wasted Space in the Hard Rock Casino that was only announced on Twitter by Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh. We had a blast, and Brett had a very exciting encounter towards the end of the party.....we'll let the video speak for itself.

They just don't stop! Inner monologues are whispering, shouting, whistling, and singing all over the Zappos Headquarters. Today we step inside the mind of our one and only Finance Administrative Assistant, Cynthia T.


A wish list to "Santa" huh. . . good thing our trusty people in finance always have their minds on their TPS reports and the overall financial state of Zappos.

Today we bring you Zapponian of the Day with Bertha P. from the land of OZ!

The other day at the Rdesk Jeff found a box full of good ole' Halloween goodies. Fortunately for the growing needs of our own personal amusement, Jeff found some temporary tattoos to satiate Abby N.'s hunger for “cool, new things”. You see, Abby really loves “cool, new things”. She also loves “shiny, new things” – I think you get the idea. The debate surrounding Abby's tastes has continued for years, nay centuries, nay millennia, nay – forever.

I'm sorry, I allowed myself to be sidetracked. You see, when I ponder Abby my mind goes fuzzy and my reality seems to swirl into the never-ending sinkhole of my sub par comprehension for the way Abby works. I love Abby. She is my Michael McDonald. She forced my love for him, my love for her. So, let me return from this ridiculous, yet oddly enlightening tangent that I find myself on, and deliver to you my original message, which was to display for you Abby's “sleeve” of temporary tattoos.

Zappos behold! And now, from Abby herself, as she tries to give an explanation for this madness:

“SO...We were looking through the goody bag for the Halloween treats and noticed a lot of unused temporary tattoos. First, Alicia said I should make a sleeve of temporary tattoos to achieve a life long goal of mine to become Rob Reynolds. Jeff over heard and he decided to make a fun dollar challenge to make the temporary tattoo sleeve on my left arm. I used my apprentice Nick B. to assist me in the applying of the tattoos. When Nick had to leave at 5:00pm, I asked for the help of Alicia, Steve T. and Eric L., all of whom assisted me brilliantly. When we were applying the tattoos, a thought ran through my mind saying, "why?" Then I remembered, " O yeah, I can be Rob." It was very sticky and a whole lot of fun. Now my arm feels like it has eczema. Brilliant! Now, all I need is a head rag and severe ROCKER skills to achieve my goal of being Rob Reynolds.”

Abby, we love you. Salute!

My Mythology - Creating our own living legacy at Zappos.

One of the joys about working at Zappos is the freedom to be ourselves through our own personal style. Style shouts! Individuals identify themselves through their personal style. Taking the chaos out of the closet and using clothing as a celebration to create personal mythology or legend is something I have been fascinated by.

What is someone trying to say through their style?

Join me in the discovery. Each week I will take an employee from Zappos and find out their personal psychology through their favorite outfits.

Today we study the mythology of Rico N. : Senior Manager of the Content Department at Zappos.com.

How would you define your look?
It depends on how I feel that morning.

What inspires your style?
Basics and street art.

How many hats do you own?
Probably around 20 or so.

What is your favorite hat?
I used to wear fedoras pretty often but I've been rockin' my Goorin flat caps lately.

Who is your favorite designer?
John Varvatos.

What fashion item would you never leave the house without?
Watch/Hat… They are both attached to me at all times.

Who are your fashion/style icons
Style icons? I don't really pay attention.

What are your favorite labels?
Beautiful Decay, American Apparel, Vans, and Goorin Brothers.

How would you define your mythology that you portray through your style?
Simple style doesn't mean simple look. If you put it together correctly, your look speaks volumes.

What is your favorite decade for style?
70's.

What is your favorite fabric?
Cotton. So simple yet so versatile.

Which watch?
Gold Nixon Player.

What brand of denim do you prefer?
Energie, Levi's, and Crate.

What is your favorite color?
No single favorite. Earth tones.

What item do you allow yourself to splurge on?
Denim.

Obey, 2K, Stussy, or Creative Recreation?
Obey. I don't really dig huge, bright clothing like Stussy. Plus I agree with a lot of Shepard Fairey's ideals.

What is your favorite brand of sneakers?
Toss up between Vans and Chucks.

Which bag?
OGIO.

Sunglasses?
Von Zipper.

Hip Hop or Trip Hop?
Real Hip-Hop. Unfortunately it can't be found on Vegas radio stations.

What are your fashion rules?
Nothing baggy. Nothing I can't breath in.

Man bags or man jewelry?
Man jewelry. I accessorize.

Argyles or paisleys?
Argyle.

Cardigan or turtleneck sweaters?
I don't wear either. So I'd like to phone a friend…

Briefs or boxers?
Boxer briefs. No tighty whities please.

Would set foot in a thrift store?
Yes sir. Only clean ones though. I love to trade clothing.

If your answer was yes, what is the best thing you’ve ever found at a thrift store?
Probably a my favorite pair of Energie denim.

What is the most you’ve ever spent on fashion and for what item?
Not as much actually. Couple hundred on an overcoat. I prefer shopping for others rather than myself.

Ok, so October 28 came and went and we didn't post a blog about how Zappos joined forces with Ocean Minded in order to clean our beloved Lake Mead – but I say it's never too late to pay homage when it is needed.

So thank you Comfort, Outdoor, Athletic, Rideshop, Content and Marketing teams for being Ocean Minded (or should I say Lake Minded) and cleaning up the shores of Nevada's favorite watering hole. By the end of the day, Zappos employees gathered a total of 500 pounds of debris and waste – and that's just what they could get to. I can only imagine how much more trash is surrounding the many coves and lining the lake's floor.

Again, way to go Zapponians. Hopefully one day, people will stop littering our Oceans and Lakes, but until then, way to do your share in keeping them clean.
For more information and better pictures, visit:

http://www.alliancewake.com/article_gallery.php?id=4219

Get a sneak peek on the things that Britni D., our Marketing Associate Coordinator, keeps around her desk.

Siegfried and Roy have been a mainstay in Las Vegas since 1972 and they came to represent what the city is: Over the Top Entertainment.

Siegfried Fischbacher and Roy Horn were both born in Germany and they met in 1959. One being a magician and the other raised around an array of animals, they decided to join forces to create a show that combined magic, illusion and many white tigers.

The duo is probably one of the most well known icons of Las Vegas, and they became synonomous with the Mirage Hotel and Casino, which still, to this day, has a habitat for tigers on the premises that is a prime tourist attraction for the city.

The event in recent memory that sticks with most is the attack on Horn by one of the tigers in 2003, in which he was bitten on the neck and rushed to the hospital. Horn demanded that, even after the attack, that the animal not be killed.

Horn lived, and although the show did stop after the attack, the Siegfried and Roy Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat still represents the legacy these gentlemen made on the city, and we honor them in our 2290 building.

Continuing on with our 2290 Las Vegas Icons Conference rooms, you know we couldn't leave out the amazing Wayne Newton, who is sometimes referred to as..... Mr. Las Vegas. For good reason, I might add.

Wayne is probably the most popular and most well known entertainer that is directly associated with Las Vegas. He has come to represent the standard for an evening show in the 702 Area Code since the 60s. Wayne has also appeared on many tv shows and in many movies as himself....no movie about Vegas is complete without a little Wayne!

Four decades in the business should earn you a reputation, and it also earned you a conference room at Zappos 2290!

As a stress reliever from planning warehouse budgets, making purchases, hiring and handling all benefits paperwork, writing scripts to run site manager, and becoming friends with OSHA; the admin team wants to throw something!!!

They decided to start a friendly game of dodge ball, the all time favorite recess sport! Dodge ball is played daily at 3pm in the upstairs office. What a great work out and stress reliever! Kudos, my friends, and remember... safety first!

At Zappos.com, safety comes second to none and it is better to be safe than sorry. The team has created many rules to keep the game fair, friendly, and safe. They actually have too many rules now but they are still having FUN!

We are looking forward to next spring when the weather warms up. Maybe the game can be taken out side and more players can join in. Go Team!

Our world famous Zappos singing group has struck again today in honor of our beloved Miss Patty, the Queen of Facilities!

The Zappettes were hired by Zack in Help Desk to deliver a singing happy birthday wish to Patty, whose birthday was actually Tuesday, but it's the thought that counts! The Zappettes are hired by Zappos employees to deliver the singing birthday messages, and all proceeds are given to charity.

Keep it up you vocal wonders!

Continuing on with our exploration of our Vegas Icon themed conference rooms in our 2290 office, today we take a look at the room dedicated the man, the legend, Liberace.

Liberace gained great fame throughout the 50s through the 80s for his flashy, technical, complex piano playing, along with a showmanship that not many have rivaled. He was a huge celebrity in the 1950s and was considered one of the greatest musicians to ever grace a piano bench. He eventually focused his career on playing in Las Vegas and helped to further the glitz and glamour that is now a mainstay of the Las Vegas reputation with his over-the-top stage outfits and performance style.

Liberace died in 1987, but his memory lives on in the the Liberace Museum in Las Vegas, and now, in the Liberace room in Zappos headquarters!

Long live the Showman!

Denise D is part of the KY receiving team in the warehouse. You may have noticed that Denise has some pretty rad art on her body! Taurie, photographer in KY, sits down with Denise to get the story behind the ink. Denise was born in Germany but her father, who was part of military, was stationed in KY landing this city girl right smack in the middle of the country! From her biography, Denise shares what she enjoys about life... good food, warm nights, compliments, hot baths, massages, hiking, camping, and most of all tattoos! Get the behind the ink stories straight from Denise herself. Here you go...

Oh the voices, the voices! Hey, we have to think of something while our manager types behind us, otherwise we might not look productive.

Lets get a glimpse of Zeta warrior Rafael M.'s inner monologue.

Our wonderful Help Desk Coordinator in the 2290 building, Miss Dorsey T., knows that nothing makes you feel at home quite like the smell of homemade cookies. The smell alone makes you forget that you're at work - and not at Grandma's. And that, my friends, is what the Zappos culture is all about.

So come visit the 2290 Help desk around 1pm every day for a fresh afternoon treat.

Nope, it's not an illusion, there is an actual Penn & Teller room in the 2290 building!

The magicians/satirists/comedians Penn & Teller have had a long running show in Las Vegas at the Rio Hotel and Casino, and also have a television program on the Showtime network, of which has a title that really can't be mentioned here: )

Penn and Teller first appeared in the mid-1980s, and since then have made their mark in the entertaiment industry as an original magic/comedy act by actually revealing how they perform their tricks to the audience and providing a biting but hilarious look at magic.

There have been two instances that have crossed this reporter's Zappos life that involved P&T. In our original offices on Warm Springs, there was a coffee shop close to the office that we would walk in and occasionally see Teller sitting and drinking coffee. To our surprise, (because in their act he is mostly silent) he was actually quite talkative.

The second was when I was writing a blog a few months ago in our offices, I looked up and saw our CEO, Tony Hsieh, standing outside of our room giving Penn a tour. He is a tall man!

This room is a salute to you, Penn & Teller!

He may not be Canadian, but he's still a maple syrup lovin', CLT Lead of the Canadian team and incorporates "aye" in his every day vernacular. That's right, Jesse C. is our Zapponian of the day and today he reveals his top secret sugar high sandwich that is sure to add a bit of flair to any Zapponian's lunch break.

Our own Rebecca L., who helps to oversee the real estate that we occupy here in Henderson, NV, came up with an excellent plan for decorating our conference rooms in the new 2290 location. We have discussed this on the blogs before now, but the rooms have been coming together even more and most are near completion.

In true Zappos fashion, we let them employees suggest themes for the building's conference rooms and then the individual rooms themselves. The consensus of Zappos employees voted to have the theme be Vegas Icons, and each room would represent a different Vegas personality, television show, movie...just about anything that has an established association with Las Vegas.

Everyday this week, we shall be profiling a different room, and today we start with the room that is dedicated to Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, who wrote the monumental counter-culture book, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, which has become a landmark in the creation of what is now called "Gonzo Journalism", a style of writing in which the reporter becomes a part of the story.

In the book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, he explored the Las Vegas of the early 1970s as a metaphor for the America of the time in a style mostly unheard of.

Our Zappos employees thought that the Dr. deserved his own room as an Icon of Las Vegas, so here it is!

Gonzo, indeed!

Come see the things that keep our wonderful friend in CLT, Kris Z, company all day long!

The October Customer Loyalty class graduated on Friday, and as is the tradition, they did a parade and their inspired chant for the rest of the office in the 2280 building. We love our CLT department, and good luck to all of our new Zapponians! Welcome and congratulations!

My Mythology - Creating our own living legacy at Zappos.

One of the joys about working at Zappos is the freedom to be ourselves
through our own personal style. Style shouts! Individuals identify
themselves through their personal style. Taking the chaos out of the
closet and using clothing as a celebration to create personal mythology
or legend is something I have been fascinated by.

What is someone trying to say through their style?

Join me in the discovery. Each week I will take an employee from Zappos
and find out their personal psychology through their favorite outfits.

Today we study the mythology of Rob Reynolds: Customer Loyalty Team at Zappos.com.



How would you define your look?
Sleazy rock n roll, with a punk rock sensibility...if that makes sense to anyone.

What inspires your style?
Honestly, my paycheck. I can make anything work for me, from cheap hats to expensive jeans. It just depends on what I make that week.

Who is your favorite designer?
Agatha Blois, just because I love leather.

What fashion item would you never leave the house without?
A wristband of some sort. Naked wrists are wasted space.

Who are your fashion/style icons?
Dregen, Joakim Berg, and Johnny Thunders.

What are your favorite labels?
Trash and Vaudeville, No Future, Mosquitohead, Dogpile, Tripp NYC, Ben Sherman, and occasionally Lip Service.

How would you define your mythology that you portray through your style?
I guess the myth that I'm somebody else. It's not what I aim for, but people often confuse anyone with black hair and tattoos for people they have nothing in common with. It works for me though, as it's sometimes a good foot in the door.

What is your favorite decade for style?
I gotta be difficult and say 67-77.

What is your favorite fabric?
Leather, with denim a close second.

Which watch?
I'm not big on watches. I kinda like not knowing what time it is.

What brand of denim do you prefer?
Dogpile or Guess. they've lasted me longer than any of the expensive brands.

What is your favorite color?
blue.

What item do you allow yourself to splurge on?
I can justify spending way too much on anything, but mostly jackets.

What music influences your style ?
Scandinavian rock n roll.

What are you favorite style of shoes?
Chuckie T's. They will always be a staple in my wardrobe.

Black tie, bow tie, skinny tie or bolo tie?
Skinny tie, but only as a belt.

Which bag?
I prefer pockets.

Sunglasses?
Tres Noir or generic aviators from random truck stops.

Alexander McQueen or Vivienne Westwood?
I gotta say Vivienne, because I love the DIY aspect. But it would probably be McQueen if I could afford it.

What are your fashion rules?
Really, there are no rules. Just do what you want. Take something you like and make it your own. I suppose the only rule is don't look exactly like anyone else.

Man bags or man jewelry?
Man jewelry. Always gotta accessorize.

Leather or vinyl?
Scandinavian Leather.

What style of hat do you like to wear?
Spitfires or bandannas. I keep it simple as far as my dome goes.

V-neck or crew neck?
crew.

Briefs or boxers?
Neither, until I wear a hole in the crotch of my jeans, and then it's boxer-briefs.

Would set foot in a thrift store?
About to go to one right now, actually.

If your answer was yes, what is the best thing you've ever found at a thrift store?
My favorite denim jacket. It was a spiffy Maverick jacket, but I hadta trash it up.

What is the most you've ever spent on fashion and for what item?
I think $450 for an awesome women's Diesel jacket, but technically, it wasn't my money. And come to think of it, I worked there when I got it, so it wasn't nearly that much. Still, it's the most expensive piece of clothing I own.

The KY team wanted to share their favorite core values with you! Its a Special Halloween Version.

Zappy Zalloween!

Please note: The King was not injured in the making of this video. Rest Assured!