On January 1, 2009, the State of Colorado will impose an hourly wage increase on businesses from $7.02 to $7.28. The reason behind the increase stems from legislation passed in 2006 which measures the CPI of Denver, Boulder and Greeley. The CPI measurement from the first half of 2007 through the first half of 2008 [...]
For a small business owner, the adoption of a video system in a restaurant or retail environment is often not unlike the Kubler-Ross model, otherwise known as the Five Stages of Grief. See if this sounds familiar: Phase 1 – Denial: I don’t have any shrink in my business, there’s no way my employees are stealing [...]
I came across an interesting read while viewing a related article at the networkworld.com website. It cites marketing departments as one of the big drivers behind the growth. This has actually been a strong value proposition as we gain more traction in the retail market vertical. For example, analyzing linger times and traffic patterns around promotional [...]
I recently read a great article in my favorite restaurant industry publication Nation’s Restaurant News. Most of the headlines are laser-focused on the economy and it’s effect on the industry. In fact, of the six leading stories, five of them contained the headline words gloom, glum, laid-off, slump and downturn. On the bright side, the articles focus [...]
The day is finally upon us. What seemed to be one of the longest campaigns in recent memory comes down to the wire as our nation decides the next leader of the free world. Last evening, NBC aired a prime time SNL special featuring campaign skits from the past several years. One skit featured Obama dressed [...]
Rarely is it possible for me to enter a retail, restaurant or hospitality establishment without, essentially, casing the joint. I’m constantly reviewing the staffing levels, cleanliness, product display, POS and of course, surveillance. A couple weeks back my wife and I took in a movie at the local theatre. We purchased our ticket from the [...]
Since the announcement of Conoco’s decision to locate its alternative energy HQ to Louisville Colorado, both start-up and veteran players in this space have been scrambling to occupy space in the surrounding business parks along the 36 corridor. While clean energy companies are landing the big investments, the top deals remain very diverse, including Lijit [...]
I applaud California Pizza Kitchen’s press release concerning 3rd quarter performance. In a very difficult environment, CPK provided indication that they’ve hit their per share earnings target. Despite providing earlier guidance that same store sales would drop by 2% in the 3rd quarter, CPK cited “operational efficiencies” as one of the main drives to hitting their per [...]
Across the country, municipalities ranging in size from Pompano Beach, FL. to Dallas, TX. are passing ordinances requiring the installation of surveillance cameras in certain retail environments. This growing movement lends credibility to our industry’s ability to not only deter crime, but assist law enforcement in the prosecution of criminals. This has a direct impact [...]
I’m a huge fan of the weekly publication Nation’s Restaurant News. This week’s edition had a great article in the Opinion section titled “Stopping employee theft a fast, cheap way to boost profit” by Kevin Lynch. The article does a wonderful job detailing how a reduction in shrink of just 1% (as a percent of sales) can lead [...]