The Friday Bulletin. August 7, 2026

The Friday Bulletin. August 7, 2026

• Aries: 24 hours tops
• Taurus: Until they die, maybe not even then
• Gemini: Give it 30 seconds
• Cancer: Years
• Leo: Until the end of time
• Virgo: Couple of months
• Libra: 0.02 seconds unless you really messed up
• Scorpio: All of eternity
• Sagittarius: Two days
• Capricorn: Don’t even bother apologizing
• Aquarius: A year
• Pisces: 2 months maybe

Gen Z loves Costco! As most folks know, Costco is a warehouse retailer that sells in bulk.  I love Cosco for many reasons, and, surprisingly, so does Gen Z.  They appreciate the straightforward retail approach, the prices, no gimmicks, and the constant stream of new products. They are even giving Cosco-themed parties. Visitors for the World Cup couldn’t believe the size of the stores and brought home to their countries as much Costco ‘merch’ as they could.  Cosco gift certificates have become popular wedding presents.  Shoppers aged 18-24 made over 62% of their purchases in Cosco stores last year.  Over half of Coscos’s new growth in their membership programs comes from shoppers under 40. Cosco has only recently established their own TikTok account due to this age shift in their shoppers. Being ‘cool’ takes work!

The Japanese are obsessed with their toilets.  They turn a bathroom taboo into a tiny symphony.  I noticed when I was in Japan last fall that the public bathrooms were spic and span and there were many thoughtful bathroom accessories.  One item I noticed was a ‘white noise’ box that had a motion sensor and switched on when anyone entered the stall.  The point is to mask any possibly embarrassing bathroom noises.  The white noise boxes have evolved into music and nature sounds.  There is also a running water sound box which not only mimics the sound of toilet flushing but eliminates the need for the bathroom patron to flush many times to cover noises, thus saving water.  I came across some of the sound boxes on Amazon, and I’m quite taken with the one that features singing birds.  They’re charming.

Singing Bird Box with Motion Sensor $19.99.

The smart sensor detects when somebody has entered the bathroom or is approaching the toilet and automatically creates a personal zone by playing your preselected singing bird sounds. You can turn it on manually.

Another version of the bathroom noise machine with a motion sensor is this one that automatically plays running water sounds for bathroom privacy. These units eliminate water waste from bathroom users who run the sink tap or flush the toilet multiple times for privacy.  Nerra Bathroom Noise Blocker $25.00

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