$80,000,000 Could Mean “Go to go!”

Mesa Air Group on Tuesday was ordered by a federal judge to pay Hawaiian Airlines $80 million in damages for using confidential business information to gain an unfair advantage against its inter-island competitors.

Faris declined to order go! to stop flying, saying the $80 million judgment adequately compensates Hawaiian.

I have to wonder if this ruling today by Judge Robert Faris will at the very least stop the crazy Air Fare War going on between our three inter-island air carriers. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that the long range effect of money losing fares will not be a benefit to the islands. Driving each other into the red is crazy.

Hawaiian Airlines president and CEO Mark Dunkerley called the ruling “a triumph for fair competition and ethics over dishonesty and illegal behavior. Nobody benefits when a company like Mesa misuses confidential information to gain an unfair competitive advantage then lies about it and destroys evidence.”

55 Total To Be Exact

Bob was out visiting customers today, and thought everyone would enjoy this observation.
The anticipation of the Holiday season seems to be on everyone’s mind. With Halloween tomorrow, I was telling people that there’s just one more day until the Christmas shopping season begins.

We all know how it used to be; Christmas shopping started the day after Thanksgiving. That is not the case anymore. I’ve already seen Christmas decorations up and others are in the process of putting theirs up.

Look at the photo above. It might be hard to see, but they have both Halloween items in the window and in the store, however they are being overshadowed by the large display of Christmas decorations going up on October 30.

Hold on, “tis the season” is just around the corner. Click Here to get your own Google Gadget to add to your iGoogle home page, counting down the days until Christmas.

Ron and Famous Amos Smiling Anyway

My friend Wally Amos and I were on the runway, about to fly from Maui to Honolulu this evening when the plane engines suddenly stopped. We looked at each other and said in unison, “I don’t like the sound of that”.

The next thing we heard was the pilot saying, “I’m sorry folks, but while going through our check list before take off I noticed a problem with our brakes. We need you to leave the plane and return to the terminal while we have our mechanics take a look at it.” He went on to say, “We only have a 30 minute opportunity to fix it before it gets too dark to take off”. We were at the tiny Kapalua Airport on West Maui, where there are no runway lights.

Everyone returned to the terminal and got on their cell phones to announce our delay. Wally got on his Blackberry and I opened up my lap top. Wally got us both laughing when he said, “Hey, I have an e-mail here from Ron Martin, what a world this is.”

The good news is that we were able to re-board in time to take off before dark. While in flight we talked about the importance of pilots going through their pre-flight check list even though they may have flown the plane thousands of times. It is surprising to think that most salespeople don’t go through their check list before greeting the first customer of the day. When flying an airplane doing so can make a life or death difference. In selling it is only success or failure.

To see those smiles up close, click on the photo, and then click on your back button to return to the blog.

Saddleback Mountains

Saddleback is the landmark formed by the two highest peaks in the Santa Ana Mountains, and the ridge between them. This formation, which resembles a saddle when viewed from most of Orange County, California, dominates the county’s eastern skyline, and on the clearest days can be seen from most of the Greater Los Angeles Area; from Santa Monica to downtown L.A., to the highest points of the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains, to the Inland Empire, and to Palomar Mountain and San Diego’s North County.

The view today is marred by tragedy as the worst fire in the history of California rages through these beautiful mountains. Our hearts go out to everyone directly connected to this disaster as well as all of the lost wildlife with nowhere to hide.

Trabuco Canyon was for many years my secluded weekend hideaway when living in Southern California. I shudder to think of what is happening there today.

For a full view of this majestic, tell-tale photo taken from Lake Mission Viejo click on the photo. Then click on your back button to return to the blog.

Longs Beware!

Pacific Business News announced today that the Walgreen Co. plans to open their first store on Maui late next year.

The store will be 15,000 square feet, and will be built in Lahaina across from the Lahaina Cannery Mall. It will include a drive-through pharmacy, and they are expected to employ more than 40 people. With unemployment being as low as it is, this should be very interesting.

They announced earlier this year that they intend to open 30 stores in Hawaii and will position them as close to Longs as they can. This one will be right across the street.

The nation’s largest drugstore chain is set to make its Hawaii debut on November 1, when it opens its first Hawaii store on November 1 in the former Tower Records store on Ke’eamoku Street in Honolulu.

#5 in the Nation
Pacific Business News reported today that Honolulu ranks fifth in the nation in the percentage of adults that post and comment on Blogs.

The study was done through a random survey by Scarborough Research of New York City. The study reported that 12% of Honolulu adults read or contribute to Blogs.
Austin, Texas ranked #1 at 15 percent followed by Portland, Oregon at 14, the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle were both at 13%.

Last place was Buffalo, N.Y. and Pittsburgh tied at a mere two percent.

Promotions and Deals

CNNMoney quotes the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) as saying that this year’s holiday sales will be “the softest levels seen since 2004″. Their prediction is that “retailers will be relying on promotions and other deals” will be the way most retailers will deal with the softening trend.

While these marketing efforts might bring more customers into the store, my suggestion would be a stronger focus on selling to those in the store.

It’s amazing to see the lack of attention that shoppers get these days, and the biggest violators seem to be the biggest stores. My father told me that “volume can make up for a multitude of sins”.

While that is probably true, why not capitalize on what is in front of you with better service?

You Never Know!

As a retailer, you never know who might drop into your store to shop.

When Victoria Beckham goes shopping with her kids, the body guard goes along. I have to wonder if his instructions are coming from her or from a husband that wants to control her spending.

I’m guessing it’s her that is calling the shots.

For a closer look, click on the photo, and then click on your back button to return to the blog.

Violet Anderson

We are proud to have Hawaiian Brian’s as a long time client using the Morning Report. This is not your typical “Pool Hall”.

I snapped this photo of owner Violet Anderson at last nights “Taste of Hawaiian Brian’s” event.

115 people were there for this private affair honoring long time customers and friends. We were proud to be among the attendees.

This is the place to take the entire family for fun and games.

For a closer look, click on the photo, and then click on your back button to return to the blog.

And, good food too…

While Jim and Polly Douglas are in Hawaii they took time to have dinner at Roy’s, Waikiki with Masae and me. We enjoyed great food and some lively conversation about salesperson excellence.

Jim is the national training director for Hearts on Fire; the worlds most perfectly cut diamond. He will be working with the Wedding Ring Shop later this week. They are the only store in Hawaii offering this diamond.

For a closer look, click on the photo, and then click on your back button to return to the blog.