Andrew S.

People seem to LOVE to trash Starbucks, most likely because of its ubiquity and success. The quality of their coffees is excellent. It dies seem that the prices for accessories are a little elevated, but not when compared with, say, Williams and Sonoma. The critics of everything Starbucks are tiresome. If they do not like the company, then shut up and go elsewhere!

Kayak has become my go-to site to find airline prices. Very quick and efficient!

I have been favorably impressed with TradeKing, which, although I have a small portfolio (under 200K), provides solid service. Questions are dealt with expeditiously, and the site is easily navigated. Kudos!

I continue to find Apple's products to be the easiest to use, with the greatest view ability, which is quite important to me because I am visually impaired. The margin over competitors is not great, however, and Apple is more expensive. Nonetheless, it remains my choice. I currently own an iMac and an iPhone 6s.

JetBlue provides first-rate service, particularly for travelers like me with disabilities, on my frequent flights in and out of Boston. It stands in sharp contrast to other US airlines, most of which are abysmal.

I have found TripAdvisor very dependable over many years. It offers a well-designed, easily navigated website, and if one bothers to actually read reviews, one can find dependable, helpful information.

Like its competitor, Petsmart, Petco is a one-stop shop for most pet needs. Peptic always has what i need, and staff are courteous and helpful.

PetSmart has always had what I needed for my poodles; food, toys, treats, leads, etc. The stores are well maintained and staff is pretty dependable and friendly.

I have fed my dogs ProPlan, per their breeders' advice and they have done well on it.

I have ordered from Nordstrom Rack and been consistently impressed with both merchandise and service, as well as prices. Like Nordstrom, it is a quality operation.

Saks Off Fifth has proven a dependable site to obtain Saks merchandise as deep discount prices. I have found it to be as reliable as the parent store in service.

I have not used Expedia extensively, but when I have, I have found service to be helpful. Once I made a mistake in dates that could have cost me a significant amount of money, but Expedia resolved my problem without costing me a penny.

Marriott is not in any way distinctive, but the hotels are dependable.

I recently ordered from this Neiman Marcus discount site and was quite pleased with the result. I received exactly what I expected quickly. Materials were of first quality, exactly like those I have purchased at N-M itself. N-M is more expensive than the department stores I normally patronize, like Nordstrom and Bloomingdales, I had some trepidation paying close to Nordstrom prices for items an bargain outlet of N-M at similar, i. E., would I receive lower quality for similar non-sale prices? At least on this occasion the answer was no. (Purchased items included shoes, ties, socks.)

Jos. A Bank provides good to excellent quality men's clothing (at least in more expensive level suits/jackets/shirts, etc.) at very reasonable prices. Certainly, Bank's clothing is the equal of that at Nordstrom's or Macy's.

I know that BB is frequently criticized by some consumer publications, but I have found the selection, prices, delivery, and set up series to be very good.

I must say that Amazon delivers the goods in a timely manner. No criticism on that count. But the company apparently treats its employees horribly. I cannot give a savage capitalist enterprise top marks.

Target has a very wide range of merchandise, and even has some surprisingly high quality stock in its inventory. It puts its rival Walmart to shame. It is my "go to store" for everyday items.

I do have some issues with Starwoods, but have found their Westin hotels to be very good to excellent, particularly in Europe. (I particularly liked the Westin Palace in Madrid.) The SPG program leaves much to be desired!

I have stayed at Hiltons several times over the past couple of years and found the hotels no better than average or below for their class. Westin, Marriott, Intercontinental were all superior.