Shortages are Costly; but Controllable!
There are two basic sources of missing merchandise;
1.) Customer theft
2.) Employee theft.
Statistics show that employee theft is the largest.

Employee Theft:

Employees have the best opportunity to seal if so inclined. They know what your security systems are, who is watching and when. It is almost impossible to keep an employee that wants to steal from doing so. They can steal money as well as merchandise.

What can you do?
You can be more careful when hiring. Do background checks and call references. When in doubt, do without. A person who will lie to you on a resume may also be inclined to steal from you on the job.
When scheduling, keep in mind that it is easier to steal when alone than when working with another employee. There are many good reasons to have people working with someone. An even bigger reason than theft retardation is added sales. Once one person gets busy with a customer, that’s when more customers come into the store, and they are not as likely to be serviced.

Happy employees are not as likely to steal, so keeping people happy is another deterrant. Watch for trouble signals. When someone starts complaining (about anything) it may be time to move on.

Customer Theft:
The pros are going to get you; accept it. That being said, you can lessen their chances of being successful in your store by keeping a few simple things in mind.

The biggest deterrent to customer theft is an alert salesperson. The simple act of making eye contact and greeting a customer will cause some would be thieves to turn around and leave.

Your constant attention drives shoplifter’s nuts. A person intending to steal from you gives up as a result of your willingness to help with information and buying decisions. It is interesting that the things you can do to lesson theft are the same things that increase sales.

Thieves know how to remove security tags, so check the change room when someone leaves and limit the amount of merchandise taken in there. When someone comes out of the change room looking like he or she gained a few pounds in there, be suspicious.

If you see someone put something in his or her pocket or purse, say something like, “I think you accidentally dropped that Rolex you were looking at into your purse. Will you please take it out?”

There is no crime committed until the culprit leaves the store. Should that be the case, make a good note of the person’s description and license plate number, and then call the police. Don’t be a hero! People about to get busted can become violent, and your health is more important than the merchandise.

NOT HERE PLEASE!

What a great invention the cell phone was. I have had my same number for over 20 years.

Everyone has one today, and I think it is time to impose some etiquette when using them.

People using cell phones seem to think that it is necessary to talk real loud to be heard. I don’t know about you, but I find it annoying (make that amusing) to be sitting next to someone at the airport and hearing about “what’s for dinner tonight?”

It is not necessary to raise your voice to a “presentation level” when using the cell phone.

I am also a bit surprised to hear people discussing business matters in public as though no one around them can hear it.

I see (and hear) people sitting in restaurants, walking through the mall, strolling down hallways, as well as going in and out of stores talking at a near scream level.

How did we ever survive before the cell phone?

Press Release Just Issued:

THE STATE DEPARTMENT HAS MADE A DECISION TO CONTINUE TO HOLD HIM AND HIS ASSOCIATES ON BOND DESPITE MEXICO’S FULL DISMISSAL OF THE CHARGES

Hawaii hero Dwayne Chapman is having a tough time doing his job of arresting criminals these days. Here’s a brief history of events:

Andrew Luster was convicted of rape 82 times. He hid out in Mexico until The Dog and his boys tracked him down and brought him back to the United States for trial.

Next; Mexico puts out a warrant for The Dog, for breaking Mexican law, and he gets arrested in Hawaii.

Next; Mexico drops the charges.

Now: The US Government won’t release the bail.

Next: God only knows.

Visit Glenn Beck’s website (www.glennbeck.com) for a recap of his exclusive interview yesterday with The Dog.

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Pacific Business News Article Today

“Macy’s Inc. posted a 77 percent decline in its second-quarter earnings on ongoing integration costs and weakened sales, forcing the department store chain to cut its annual profit outlook.”

Have you shopped at Macy’s lately? How was it?

With the exception of the Kailua store (where I hear fabulous comments), finding a salesperson is like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. It seems like the bigger the store the worse it gets, with Ala Moana topping the list of empty register stations.

As excited as the Honolulu community was to see Macy’s arrive, the chorus I hear today is, “Bring back Liberty House”.

The sign says, “Open for Business.”
Within hours after a car drove into this business the hole was boarded up, a temporary door made, and business was going on as usual.
This is the way that “life’s little situations” should be treated.
Some businesses might be closed for days weeks or even forever after such an event, but not this one.
I would call this salon “well named”.

1st Class all the way to Kapolei.

New INspiration salespeople always get a tour of the company warehouse in Kapolei.
This time Ron had his Uraku limo pick up Peter and four new salespeople at the Honolulu Design Center, then meet Ron’s flight from Maui and take them all to the warehouse.
It is hard (impossible) to imagine the magnitude of this warehouse without seeing it in person.
Watch for more photos in the blog photo album.

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The sign below was prominently displayed in the window of a business in Philadelphia.

“WE WOULD RATHER DO BUSINESS WITH 1,000 AL QAEDA TERRORISTS THAN WITH ONE SINGLE AMERICAN”

You are probably outraged at the thought of such an inflammatory statement. One would think that anti-hate groups from all across the country would be marching on this business and that the National Guard might have to be called to keep the angry crowds back. But, perhaps in these stressful times one might be tempted to let the proprietors simply make their statement.
We are a society which holds Freedom of Speech as perhaps our greatest liberty. And after all, it is just a sign.

You may ask, “What kind of business would dare post such a sign?”

Answer: A Funeral Home

Who said morticians had no sense of humor?

Bob sent me this article he read, and it struck home with me.

I am in the San Diego airport as I write this. After I got through security, I made two purchases. I bought a bottle of water and I bought a book. I paid for both in cash. I got the change in a way that really irritates me. In both cases, the counter person took the bills, placed the receipt on top of them and then the coins on top of the receipt and handed the whole precarious package to me. This seems to be the new way of giving change to customers – it’s not just the San Diego airport – it’s everywhere.

When I was a young guy, I worked a few retail jobs. I was always taught to first give the customer the coins, saying “that’s 32 cents”, then to hand the customer the bills, saying “and three dollars” and then to hand the customer the receipt. To me, this is common sense. It is easy for the customer to verify the change, and to put it into his pocket or her purse.

The way counter people give change today doesn’t make sense to me. First of all, the coins often fall during the hand to hand transfer. And, even if they don’t, I now have a handful of coins; bills and a receipt which I need to separate and count before I put them in my pocket.

For some reason, this really annoys me – mostly because it is not common sense. It may be easier and quicker for the counter person, but it is more difficult for the customer – at least when the customer is me.

There, I’ve gotten that off of my chest.

Am I crazy? Am I a curmudgeon? Do I worry about things that don’t really make any difference?
Does it make any difference to you how you receive your change from a purchase? Please comment, I’d really like to know.

Its success is, and always has been about people.

UPS was founded in 1907 by two teenagers in a Seattle basement. They made deliveries on foot or on bicycle. They made personal contact with their customers; they still do.

UPS Inc. celebrates its 100th anniversary this month. It has become the world’s largest shipping carrier, doing $47 billion in business by company trucks and its own airline, operating in 200 countries with 427,700 employees.

The company is still growing; Last month, UPS reported a 4.1 percent rise in second-quarter earnings. The company’s shares are up more than 14 percent over the last year.

In 2001, the company bought Mail Boxes Etc. and renamed most of the stores “The UPS Store”.

The thing that keeps customers coming back is their drivers having contact with customers every day; what we call “CPC” (Constant Personal Contact). The average UPS driver has been with the company for 16 years.

To get a better look at this slick aircraft, click on the photo. Then click on your back button to return to the blog.

Carsten Pedersen is a busy guy.
Carsten is the president of BoConcept, an international furniture maker and retailer headquartered in Denmark. He is “busy” opening and operating BoConcept franchise stores and studios across the United States.
In addition, he “finds time” to be a dedicated husband and father to two beautiful teen age daughters. Carsten logs about 200,000 airline miles a year. That’s Busy!

I posted the following note along with my Saturday blog quote;

“Special Note: I’m curious as to how many people are seeing this blog. If you are one of them, send me an e-mail to ron@ronmartin.net with the word “blog” in the subject line. Include your mailing address and I will send you something. I have $50 for the first to reply, $25 for the second, $10 for the 3rd and something for all who reply.
Success Dynamics company employees are not eligible.”

Guess who the first person to reply was? Yep, it was Carsten Pedersen.

My daddy used to tell me, “If you want to get something done, you should ask a busy person to do it”. Those words rang in my ears when I awoke to see Carsten’s e-mail the first in line. Not only does he find time to read my blog, for which I am honored, but he also had the time to reply, saying, “Do not send any money, I actually enjoy your Blog. See you in September.”

This is not a great quality photograph of the Pedersen family, but if you click on it you will see it better. To return to the blog, click on your back button.