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Daily Archives: August 8th, 2012

rant


I read and viewed a short clip on a rant about the Government. What keeps me from  inserting that clip here in the language, it has as many expletives as ordinary words.  The gist of the message was the Government  cannot balance their check book.  This is apparently true since our fiscal state is dire. Our  self serving Scamocrats and Dupublicans have spent more time politicking than earning the money they usurp from the public coffers under the guise of public service. These “representatives”  have used  irrelevant and immaterial issues to avoid doing what they need to do. It seems to be  normal procedure to cloud the issues by attacking one another rather than expending any effort to collaborate on some viable solutions. The party system is irreparably broken and is no longer a means of getting government work done. I propose no more party’s, a 13 year term limit and a salary adjusted to what an average middle class American has to live on. To further improve this position, no per diem for overtime, no more free postage, no pension other than social security  (when eligible). No more free lunch for Congress. They should not be allowed to cross over to the Lobbyist side after serving for 10 years. The only way for this to happen is when we the voters start voting them out and demanding these changes , especially the term limit.

Where Are The Retail Managers?


After spending many years in retail as an  equipment salesman, equipment cleaner, and rental agent for photographic equipment. Continuing on as a flooring and wall covering salesman and installer, I have found that managers who have not had the basic frontline experience in retail cannot properly manage a retail operation.  The things that make a retail operation successful are customer service (no service ,no customers), having the product in stock and proper pricing. The ancillary items are a clean store (especially bathrooms). The  important thing then is customer service which involves all of the above along with a friendly face to assist in the purchase if needed.  Apparently many companies have forgotten this concept and have lost market share. A couple of examples are     HD and SHC which both were and are being managed by  people whose retail knowledge is limited to maybe their making a purchase somewhere but not recognizing the process of the sale at the time. The mantra seems to be : “you are a manager and have ultimate responsibility for success”. This does account for the support people who have no hands on retail experience  yet are responsible for store setup and product line up on the shelves. With the computer age arrived the desk bound retailers who design layouts and shelf spacing without ever having worked in a store. This leads to continual changes in the set up and shelf spacing aside from the normal seasonal changes. This is disruptive to the workers and the customers, the workers spend more than average amounts of time moving merchandise around instead of maintaining stock levels on the shelves. The customers spend more time seeking  a product they purchased before and cannot readily find it since the area was reset. At this point some leave the store without making a purchase or seeking assistance. That is dollars on the hoof going somewhere else perhaps never to return.

The Coffee Conundrum


I started drinking  flavored coffee while delivering newspapers, I would stop for coffee at one of several White Hen convenience shops. These are open 24 hours daily, but fresh coffee is usually done about 3:30 to 4AM. The coffee while not considered gourmet, it was good and properly brewed (not watery). That was when I discovered the assorted flavored coffees as  they brewed several and I was able to try them. My initial favorite was Irish Cream (I am sure it was the aroma that got me) but I was quickly wooed away by Hazelnut and stuck with that until the past year. My favorite way of drinking it was with about a teaspoon of  sugar. I then began to use one of the flavored creams since the Black coffee stained my teeth. Of these assorted creamers Hazel nut became the favorite. The combination of the flavored coffee and the flavored creamers was too sweet but it took  a while for me to figure this out and only after a mention by my daughter about the combination and her comment that the duo was too sweet. Once I began to use  an unflavored coffee with the flavored creamers the results were much better and my enjoyment of coffee has grown, an occasional tip of the Irish adds variety.