Member Info for QueenElvis

I am going to stay off this bb as I don't want to get accused of dermaping. But I suppose this morning's fall on no news after all the positive posts last week is what puts me off. Got to say the shops looked busy on Friday but that's no more than I would expect at this time of year and on the last day for buying Advent Calendars on time. GLA

Tax: Starbucks in talks with UK's Revenue and Customs http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-20573208

As far as directors' options to buy shares in the future are concerned, I am never quite sure how important they are as they have often vacated their posts long before the option period has expired. Not sure if that 10% off is particular to the outlet your wife works at or is new, certainly didn't apply when I last visited McArthur Glen though the prices were a lot cheaper than at branches and I got the fluffy snowman (suitable from birth with the net of choc santas attached) in the summer to go with the fluffy penguin I got last Christmas for a new born. So far no sign of these in the branches I have visited this year. I'll do that feedback survey and if I win I'll buy some tht shares lol. I really couldn't repeat what the member of staff said to me on Friday about working all hours at a certain Glasgow south side branch but let's just say that she was glad her new branch was not selling ice cream at this time of year. ATB.

Just had time to flick back to your post with the strong buy recommendation on 19 October when the price was 32.50 - but in the intervening period the price was pegged back to the 28s at one point. I was back in Glagow today but not at the shops - buy one get one free entry to the Tall Ship in celebration of St. Andrew's Day all of this weekend. If Mrs. Sid Madrid does have the ear of the top brass here could you maybe mention to her that I am like Teutonic and don't have branches right on my doorstep following the closure of Irvine and Kilmarnock this year. However, sales are vanity and profit is sanity as they say but, just on that note, could thorntons not consider doing some Christmas and or Easter/St. Valentines Day/Mother's Day temporary pop up shops in some of these towns where they had a presence for years or even some other towns. I gather the rent and rates are usually on very favourable terms. Yesterday when I was looking for the location of all of the branches in Glasgow city centre, I looked at the store locator on line and was faced with a lot of red balloons which meant very little to me so I 'phoned up as I was sure that I had seen a list of exact addresses before. Got a very pleasant lady at the other end of the phone but, when she was reading out the list of stores nearest to me, she mentioned Kilmarnock and I told her that that shut in January. Just as well I knew that or I might have driven all the way there and had a wasted journey. I provided my post code and it was obvious too that the branches being listed to me were not in order of distance. Anyhow within Glasgow city centre Thorntons is well represented but two of the branches are in indoor malls that will not come cheaply. All the best to you and Mrs. Sid Madrid for the Christmas and New Year.

My advent calendars are reduced to half price today on-line. Those tree santas are in the 3 for 2 deals as well and I think you'll find they are £2.99 for a box of 9. Never too keen about putting them on the tree in case the fairy lights melt them and, when I moved to the countryside, the field mice made their way in doors. Used to waken every morning to a half chewed santa on the floor. Funny thing was they left the ones from the Pound shop or wherever untouched. If you can mention to Mrs. Sid that it was the nets of small santas, penguins, snowballs etc. for felt Advent calendars that I couldn't get this year in Thorntons. The net of chocolate coins are too big to use for that purpose. Will watch this next week and in the coming weeks. It was all sells yesterday without any damage to the share price. If I miss a hike then so be it. There's no way, I'm going to get caught out again here with a buy in price of over £1.23 or somethin in March 2010, a top up last year at 48p or something and then see the price taken down to sub 10p. I'd only ever buy these again on a day when it falls or there is official news of some sort to be on the safe side and if it rises and I miss a hike then so be it - plenty of other shares out there. Too many posters on this bb only crawl out the woodwork retrospectively to report their buys and sells for my liking - a far cry from the days when only bonz, you and I posted on here ad now we're told Monanco, a premium listed holder, and others have been holding all that time. In all my time here, this share had consistently one of the widest spreads of the lot. Fun for the MMs but for few others. I am still a supporter and customer of this company but I don't like the games that get played here. ATB

Advent Calendar sold out in all the Glasgow city centre branches by today. Apparently trialled this year and limited numbers made but it was still included in a 3 for 2 deal. Was told Braehead might have some left but too far to travel so settled for the standard red box ones - in the three for 2 deals but no small santas etc. to be had for my felt advent calendars. Had to get them in M & S. Pity.

32.25 - 33.75. Hmm where are those raft of posters from the Spring who were calling 40p and more and that's why I am being cautious here.

I was actually referring to the likes of NKOTB. He certainly sold up many many months before the shareholder discount vouchers got issued. I know because we had a little joke about it on the Stan bb in August.

Monaco "I would not conclude that when people go quiet they have sold" No nor would I in 100% of cases. In your own case, nobody would have even been aware that you had bought in here. In any case, I have been polite enough to respond to you here which is more than you have done when I have posted to you on the hmv bb.

You'll be there before Christmas at this rate http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoxQ4Ul_DME x

It' now a hold http://www.britishbulls.com/StockPage.asp?CompanyTicker=STAN&MarketTicker=Financials&TYP=S

http://www.britishbulls.com/StockPage.asp?CompanyTicker=STAN&MarketTicker=Financials&TYP=S LOL can't work out if that yardstick is 1440 or 1437.50

only another couple of pence and British Bulls will be able to say they got their buy recommendation correct.

I held relatively small numbers of these shares too for two and a half years. If you are a long term holder like I was then you'll no doubt have noticed that - particularly this year - many posters have bought in here at various points then disappeared to other lse bbs obviously having sold up without declaring their sells. I just like it when people who shout about their buys have the decency to mention their sells. Christmas gifts - well last year was Thorntons centenary year. I bought the centenary teddies and Christmas tree baubles and a wooden box of the limited edition £100 specials which were only available on-line. LOL you seldom hear any of the traders on here talk about any of the thorntons products which actually makes me think they know very little about them. Happy Christmas to you when it comes.

Good morning. Noticed that's a hold recommendation from you but not a buy recommendation for the likes of me who is still sitting on the fence here. Did hold these shares in various amounts for well over two years and never saw you posting on here until very recently so have no idea when you bought in and whether that influences your recommendation here but good luck to you anyhow.

around this year according to the Grocer which is a subscription only site "Advent calendar is a costlier way to count down to Christmas 17 Nov 2012 | By Vince Bamford Confectionery lovers will have to splash the cash if they want to gorge themselves on the usual festive fix of chocolates" Around 40.20 mins into this http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01nx6c1, Radio 2 were reporting on the Grocer piece along the lines of fewer 2 for 1 deals available this year on Advent Calendars and generally up 15% and chocolate Christmas tree decorations up 2%. All the time I was invested in tht, cocoa prices fluctuated so difficult to see what effect they have here at any point in time given that raw materials are probably bought at a fixed price quite a bit in advance. Usually, buy a few tht advent calendars with names iced on them at no extra charge and will be doing that this week and will try to get one of these luxury Continental tht ones Yanar was talking about, as well as my santa tree decorations, selection boxes, big white snowmen, milk choc reindere, big plump milk Santas with white beard, my marzipans, gingers, fruits and the penguins/santas for my felt advent calendars. Already have the fluffy Snowman which was sold out last year to go along with the fluffy penguin for a special grand nephew born on 23rd December last year when my groupie(s) were in full flow on the bbs. I may no longer be a tht shareholder but still very much a loyal customer. ATB to all.

Definitely surprising a good few that it has held up so well. Teutonic had it as a strong buy on 14th September then he/she switched to a strong sell on 18th September saying it would retrace to 25/26 but that hasn't happened yet and Teutonic seems to have done yet another U turn in recent posts and is once again mouthing a positive note here. Certainly the clown of a poster on iii poley's call of back to 20p in September hasn't materialised. Yanar and I have spoken in the past on here about lack of detail in company's calendar which does flag up main reporting events well in advance but omits the dates of the trading statements. Had a look back to Page 84 of this bb when my main groupie on lse was here on 21st December lol ie the day the profit warning/ trading update was made and that was followed up by the Trading Statement in January. GLA

I reckon I exited here too early tils. You could well be jingling all the way to the tills and be getting that £3.20 before Christmas right enough. ATB

There's a poster called Ripley94 posted that he's holding on iii. I just popped in to say hello as I know how lonely it can be on these bbs when fellow holders clam up but post all over the shop elsewhere. Good luck.

Pre-close report due soon.