It doesn't do what it says on the tin!

Firstly best wishes to all for 2010. I trust you have been hitting the high street shops and searching online for all those bargains to be had (unless your a man of course and hate shopping, according to BBC news this morning). Well I have been doing a bit myself and over the past couple of days, mainly buying for the birth of my first child who is due any day now. I was in the kids sections of Next, M&S, Hoopers and the mecca of all...Mothercare. I also purchased a new i-Mac for my business, which leads me to the topic of this particular post.

I went up to 'PC World' store in my city of Carlisle as there is no Apple Store here yet (nearest is Manchester I think). It got me thinking about brand names of big shops and why quite a few of these names don't actually match up to what they sell. PC world was selling furniture, cameras, paper shredders, Sat Navs and of course Apple Macs. Yes some of these products are all linked in some way to your computer, but there not the strongest of links. Is it time for a re-brand or name change. I am not talking about brands that have some obscure names like Santander or Argos, but brands that name themselves after the product they initially sold, and have diversified so much over the past few years that their brand name struggles to match what they actually sell or is their core product.

Another one I came across whilst shopping was 'The Carphone Warehouse' which sells laptops, gaming, i-pods etc...these products have nothing to do with a car or a phone and the store itself looks nothing like a warehouse. I am sure there are more stores like this in the UK, and I will be on the lookout when shopping with my new baby, but if you know of any other shops or brands that "doesn't do what it says on the tin" then please let me know. I am trying to reach one hundred brands by the end of the January sales, so if you can think of any then do let me know. I will also try this on my facebook page for all you Facebookers. Thanks again and I look forward to seeing what you all come up with. Here's to a BRAND NEW YEAR. Paul Smith