Breakaway News Volume No. 11 Issue No. 2 February 2005

New Year Part II

Gung Hay Fat Choy! January 29^th was Chinese New Year. According to the Chinese calendar (which is a lunar, not solar, calendar) the upcoming year will be 4702, the Year of the Dog. Woof!

Minimum Wage Raise

New York State raised the minimum wage by 16.5%. On Jan. 1, 2005, the hourly rate went from $5.15 to $6.00. Stay tuned for further developments.

It Was So Easy

More and more customers are feeling the convenience of shopping by messenger.  They are ordering online or by phone from any store in Manhattan and Boston and then calling Breakaway to pickup the order. Try it, you'll love the simplicity.

Errands by the Hour

If you need an extra set of hands for a big job, give us a call. For a very reasonable price, we can send over a courteous messenger to do your bidding. Gift returning, moving, packing, cleaning, filing, research, standing in line, shopping, errand running, dog & cat walking, fish feeding and general schlepping are among the tasks that our skilled messengers can perform for you. You name it, we’ll do it! (Within reason)

Cell Phone Chatter

"Like, we were dancing, and, like, his wife was cheering me on. I couldn't believe it. They're, like, really weird."

One of thousands of titillating conversations overheard by our couriers every day.

Sneakers Subtleties

You have your work sneakers. You have your dress sneakers. And the two shall never overlap. Although we created lockers and bicycle parking for our couriers, we did not anticipate the need for sneaker parking. Everyday, on each dispatcher's desk, there is a row of pristine clean sneakers.  These sneakers are only to be used after work, preferably for a night on the town.

Stump the Band

Last month we asked you to tell us the meaning behind the Mets’ official uniform colors. This generated a lot of controversy. The answer we were looking for was that the colors represent the two teams that New York lost: Orange for the NY Giants and blue for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Others informed us that these are also New York State’s official colors. While the latter may be true, we’re giving preference to our original answer.

T-Shirt Question

What is the name of the boathouse where the Central Park Model Yacht Club members store their boats?  The first person with the correct answer to call John Handrik will win a coveted Breakaway T-Shirt.