When Jerry Kohl and Brighton went up against Kay’s Kloset, he never backed down, and the case went all the way to the US Supreme Court.
The result was new law. Yeah Jerry!!!
6/29/07
High Court Rules Manufacturers Can Set Prices
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled yesterday that manufacturers have the legal right to set minimum prices for goods sold through retail stores. The ruling overturns a 96-year legal decision that had put pricing in the hands of retailers and, in the process, may change the relationship between merchants and manufacturers.
The case brought before the nation’s top court pitted Leegin Creative Leather Products, a manufacturer of a wide range of casual and dress leather products under a variety of labels including Brighton, against Kay’s Kloset, a retailer in Texas.
In 2002, Leegin discovered that Kay’s Kloset was moving Brighton merchandise but at 20 percent below the manufacturer’s recommended minimum. The retailer argued the pricing was necessary for it to compete against others also discounting Leegin merchandise while the supplier said Kay’s Kloset was, among other things, contributing to a devaluation of the brand.
When Leegin requested the discounting stop, Kay’s Kloset refused and the Brighton line was pulled from the retailer. It was then that the retailer brought a suit, which argued that Leegin was in violation of a 1911 ruling (Dr. Miles Medical Co. v. John D. Park & Sons Co., 220 U. S. 373) that determined minimum prices set by manufacturers were anticompetitive and therefore illegal.
In its new ruling, the Supreme Court has taken the position that manufacturer-set minimum prices do not always discourage competition and in some cases encourage it.
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We at Success Dynamics are proud to have Brighton as a client, and I am proud to call Jerry my friend. After reading this article I called him last night and found him celebrating with his wife Terri in a Newport Beach restaurant. YEAH JERRY!!!
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Willie Nishi and I found ourselves on the same flight to Las Vegas yesterday.
I am not a gambler, but if I see a place to gamble on the number 37 I will.
Willie is celebrating 37 great years with ABC Stores. With six (or more) ABC Stores in Las Vegas he may have chosen a tough place to “get away”.
As for me, we have clients all over this place so I feel right at home.

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I have only flown 1st Class for more than 30 years (long before I could afford it).
Masae on the other hand is a bit (lot) more frugal, so when she elected to come along to Las Vegas she insisted on flying coach. She pointed out that she is much smaller than me (thanks a lot), and that’s it is only a six hour flight.
Upon web check in last night I saw a 1st Class upgrade for “only” $379 and suggested she go for it. “No way” was her answer.
When we checked in at the Premier Club lounge today I asked Marilyn, a long time Hawaiian Air employee if a 1st Class upgrade was available. “Yes” she said, “And it’s only $379, and there is a seat available right next to you (2A).” I commented that it isn’t worth that much for Masae to move up. Marilyn said, “But is it worth it to you?”
What else could I say but, “Sure?”
My next comment was, “Hey Marilyn, how would you like to have a job in retail?”
Hawaiian Air is fortunate to have someone like this .
What was Masae’s reaction? She said, “I would have rather had that $400 bucks to gamble with”. Sometimes feeling appreciated can be a tough task!

I am off to Las Vegas to meet with Team Lassen Las Vegas, attend two Lassen art shows and watch Masae tote full shopping bags around The Forum Shops.

I will leave Las Vegas on Sunday to go to INspiration in Vancouver, BC; more on that later.

“Drugstore giant Walgreen Co., in the midst of an aggressive nationwide expansion, plans to go head-to-head with Longs Drug Stores Corp. in Hawai’i, eventually opening as many as 40 stores in the state and locating them next to Longs whenever possible.”

That story in the Honolulu Advertiser must have Long’s worried.

If it doesn’t they are asleep at the wheel. With the lack of major competion all these years, they have been able to survive complacently.

I sense that those days are over. Competition is a great motivator and it will be very interesting to see how they (Long’s) go about that process.

What do you think is going to happen as more and more Walgreen stores are opened?

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Some people go to Tahiti to just sit and relax; and then there’s Christian Riese Lassen.
Those that are used to success find different ways to “relax” than others.
Surfing, Kayaking and jet skiing might be a bit too much for some, but not this guy.
And he somehow finds the time and energy to paint new masterpieces and send me 20 or more e-mails a day as well, and I’ll bet I am not the only one.
What a vacation!

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Bob and Barbi McAllaster had their “prospect-icles” on at the Honolulu Star Bulletin’s presentation of the Best Businesses in Honolulu.
INspiration and the Honolulu Design Center were voted the Best Furniture Store.
Congratulations to Thomas, Peter and the whole staff at both stores.

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The late George Kanahele was known for the wisdom he shared with Hawaii businesses.
One was his definition of the Hawaiian word; Kina’ole.
Kina’ole: one who has done the right thing, in the right way, at the right time, in the right place, to the right person, for the right reason, with the right feeling, the first time.”
Another meaning is flawlessness. Are you striving for Kina’ole?

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Beverly; Blue Hawaii Surf manager, not only showed up for Ron’s Success Rally at Waikele Shopping Center, but she won one of the door prizes as well; no not the skateboard; a calculator from Success Dynamics to add up her sales.

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Mahalo is the Hawaiian word meaning, “Thank You”. What do you do to make “Thank You” more memorable to your customers than others do?
Words are nice, but almost (definitely) expected.
To make your “THANK YOU” stand out, do the unexpected.
One great way to do that is with a simple e-mail to your customer sent the same day that he or she was in your store or business. It only takes a minute to do, but will last for a VERY, VERY long time.
Just create a template e-mail that says something like; “Thank so much for visiting our store today. We really do appreciate it. If at any time I can be of service to you in any way, just let me know. And when you get a chance click here (type in your web address to make a link) and check out the latest on our web site. If you have any questions about anything you see in there, give me a call. I hope to see you again soon.
(Your name and number)
There I just created the template for you. Cut and paste this into a word document, customize it a bit, save it and most importantly, SEND IT!