After 2,471 paper jams and 1 small fire, the Finance team has finally gotten a new copy machine!! And it is a big deal! Every Thursday for 2 months the old copy machine would just stop working, as if it were saying “Hey you know what? I need to take a break, so I’m going to be over here chillaxin (chillin’ and relaxin’).” We in finance were not being wowed by the frequent breaks, so we decided to go copy machine shopping. Someone was so un-wowed they even wrote a break up letter:

Dearest Multi Printer,
This breakup letter should come as no surprise nor cause any heartache to someone as cold hearted as you. Time and again we’ve tried to get you to show me how much you care. Time and again we’ve been rudefully rebuffed. We have emotions. We have needs…. we have love to express. But you, Ms. Selfish, just don’t care that you make us feel like our needs, emotions and loving intentions are shamefully wrong. Well news flash, Multi-Printer, they aren’t. So, after this long time together we are ending this charade of a relationship in hopes of finding someone who is mechanically mature enough to love us like we need to be.

Love,
Finance

Here is the little Demon Machine of Death!

Here is the Happy Giant machine that is yet to be named. (Yes that is a sombrero)

Another yummy exciting event took place today with our 1st Ever Rice Krispie Treat Day! With crazy flavors like Strawberry,Chocolate Chip, Peppermint Pattie and even a Vegan Gluten-free treat. Finance is still on a sugar buzz. Oh, and can’t forget about the Zappos themed treats seen in the middle(Thanks Lakshan’s Wife).

PUMA PG Saddle shoes at Zappos.com – $94.00
O’Neill Bermuda shorts at Zappos.com – $44.00
Linda Long dancing on the table at Zappos.com gathering – PRICELESS

(A little background: It was a Thursday night. The marketing department and other Zappos friends took over the Roadrunner patio. There was a farewell party for our friend Neill. There were friendships blossoming. There were funny stories being told. It started to get dark. There might have been a full moon? Hmmm…and then it happened…our very own Linda Long up on the table! Linda, we can probably never live up to that moment again but you set the standard high – you go girl!)

You can take the mandals out of the man, but can you take the man out of the mandals? Now that is the question! What are mandals you say? Well, some may call it a fashion atrocity; others may say they are simply, man sandals.

Ah, yes…meet Ned, ladies and gentleman! He’s our fearless Affiliate Program Manager, commonly known for his keen fashion sense – polos, shorts at all times of the year, and an extreme love of mandals.

Those who know Ned would probably never believe me when I say that he was recently spotted without mandals at the Shop.org conference in Scottsdale. Ask him and he may deny it, but take a peek for yourself! Proof is in the pudding, my friends! And by the way, Zappos.com has a huge selection of mandals !

“There would be more peace in the world if everyone wore mandals” – Ned Farra

Welcome to the very first pulse-pounding post from Zappos.com’s HR and Training departments! For all you feverish fans out there, this is the place to learn about the activities, events, and just plain wackadoo things that we do, straight from the source!

So without further ado, let’s get to it!

From Shannon “Shanadoo” R., one of our truly amazing Recruiting Assistants:

“Early one morning, while pondering the state of the world, Eric, Jacob and I bantered back and forth about holding a company-wide typing contest. The more we talked, the grander the plans became….and the more real! Soon the call went out to all Las Vegas Zappos.com employees:

So Your Momma Can’t Dance and Your Daddy Can’t Rock & Roll—-But CAN YOU TYPE?! Thus, the first ever typing competition becomes a reality!”
Below is a video account of our first ever typing contest!
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In other news, Training Manager, Rachael B., has a weird thing for bubbles. I sit facing her and I can tell you I’ve never seen anyone sooo excited over bubbles. My phone and desk are permanently encrusted with bubble residue. To share her bizarre fascination with the rest of the company, she got HR and Training together and a Bubble Parade was born! In true Zappos (and HR / Training) fashion, wackiness ensued…

Here’s the bubble head herself, the lovely Rachael B, in the midst of the parade!

HR and Training in full bubble regalia. ‘Nuff said. ;)

Some parting notes:

What makes Recruiting blow milk out their collective nose:

Coming Soon:
-Zappos.com Annual Employee Picnic! (oooh…)
-HR’s Monthly Outing! (ah….)
-And, Random Rozzy Thoughts!! (wha…???)

Oh, and we’re hiring!!!

Today we handed out our 2008 Zappos.com Print Ad Creative postcards
to Vegas employees! They are a sampling of some of the visuals being
used in our print ad campaign, which hit the newsstands this week!

All employees received five cards to send anywhere to anyone in the world! (I suggested we send them all to Val Kilmer. I don’t really know why. First person that popped in my head.)In true creative service/marketing style, we just wheeled them around the office in a wagon and dove headlong into the seas of madness that are the CLT and Merchandising Floors.

Our Creative Service and Marketing crazies filled the aisles in a very non-disruptive…..well, ok, rather disruptive manner to hand bundles of postcards to the un-suspecting masses. Every employee has been given free reign to do what they want with them…who knows, you may be receiving one yourself!
These cards are a part of the 2008 Zappos.com Print Ad Creative, which is also coming along the same time as our brand spankin’ new television commercial that began airing a few weeks ago. It is airing on multiple networks throughout the U.S. T.V.-O-Sphere, maybe you’ve seen one….if not, and if you’re nice, I’ll post it right below. I’m considering it…...I’m considering it…..alright, you won me over. But barely. : )
It’s a great new direction for us and we are very excited about it!
Anyway, back to filling out postcards, I’m sending one to my favorite
New Kid on the Block! (I won’t say who)
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I’ve never personally been one of those butterflies-in-the-stomach, cuddle-loving, super mushy romantic types. I’ve had great loves, to be sure, but some aspects of love have always been beyond my comprehension. For example- having never experienced it first hand, I’ve always viewed such concepts as “love at first sight” with a somewhat skeptical eye.

Not to mention, I’m a creature of habit. It’s not that I’m afraid to try new things, I’m just stubborn in my tastes and don’t often venture outside of my box. Basic observation of the world around me, and the people therein, has lead me to the belief that when it comes to fashion, I’m a far cry from the minority in that respect. I know the brands I like, and tend to loyally stand by their side through thick and thin.

Although I don’t think these are inherently bad traits, they’re not exactly things to brag about. I’ve been working on the self improvement section of my brain. I’m trying to open myself up to new and exciting possibilities on all fronts, and working at Zappos has certainly helped in that regard (see Core Values 2, Embrace and Drive Change, 4, Be Adventurous, Creative and Open-Minded, and 5, Pursue Growth and Learning). Since Zappos.com carries so many brands (1,175 and growing!), we will occasionally have brand representatives come in to familiarize us with their products- supplying information about any new merchandise, new styles, new avenues into which they may be venturing.

Yesterday, I met our Camper representative. Admittedly, I didn’t know too much about the brand going into the meeting, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

How do I explain what I saw, what I experienced? I’m still trying to process it, to be honest. They say a picture is worth a thousand words…

I never thought I’d say it, but it was love at first sight. I fell hard and I fell fast. It was my first time experiencing the sentiment, and I wasn’t sure how to respond… and with Camper the hits just kept on coming.

It was unnerving at first, but it didn’t take long for me to give in to the wanton, uncontrollable, fantastic, wonderful, all-consuming enthusiasm that filled my heart. And it took even less time for my favorites page to grow exponentially.

What I’ve come to realize is that although loyalty and caution are certainly valuable sentiments, it is worthwhile on occasion to break out of routine and try new things. Have you looked through our brands list lately? You may be surprised by how quickly the love bug can come up and bite you!

Yesterday was book fair day at Zappos, wherein half of our cafeteria was transformed into a small book shop. It really brought some of us developers back to the days of elementary school where such events were not uncommon. Perhaps this feeling was strongest of all for Shane, who discovered a gem of a book entitled High School Musical : All About Dancing.

Part story book and part instructional dance manual, nobody had seen anything quite like it before. It’s true that one can get away with a great many things by saying “It’s for my daughter”, but I happen to know for a fact that Shane is a man who loves to dance! As soon as the recess bell sounded, Shane grabbed Becky and the two started cutting a rug- with director of development Brent calling out dance moves from the book. I was pretty surprised, but the three of them managed to pull off a pretty good show for not having had any rehearsals!

Incidentally, 10% of Shane’s book purchase (and all of the other books sold that day) will be donated to the Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation. Thanks to Suchi for the great action shot!

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!