Best Shopping Discounts

Laura W asked:


why doesnt walmart have different palnts everytime i go there they have the same ones .id like a varity tp pick from and why do they look so bad?

Dustin

alexda asked:


The following is a general roundup of US apparel and shoe chains’ October 2008 sales results. The list will be updated as new results become available.

Sales at Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world’s biggest retailer, rose 2.3% in the four weeks to 31 October, up to $28.57bn from $27.9bn a year earlier. Sales at Walmart US were up 5.3% to $18.36bn and rose 4.5% at Sam’s Club to $3.44bn. The company’s international sales fell 5.9% to $6.76bn, which it blamed on the strengthening of the dollar. Total US same-store sales climbed 2.4%, with a 2.2% gain at Walmart and a rise of 3.6% at Sam’s Club.

Target Corporation described its October results as “very disappointing,” with sales falling 0.7% to $4,415m from $4,445m a year earlier. On a same-stores basis, sales were down 4.8%. The company said it expects the challenging sales environment to “continue into the holiday season and beyond.”

Manufacturer and retailer American Apparel said sales at its 152 stores open for more than 12 months increased 22% in October. But this compares with the same month a year ago when same-store sales increased 44%.

Women’s wear retailer Cache Inc, which operates 297 stores, posted an 11% drop in comparable store sales. Total net sales fell 10% to $18.5m. The company said declines in mall traffic were to blame.

Same-store sales at department store retailer The Bon-Ton Stores Inc were down 11.1% in the four weeks to 1 November. Total sales dropped 10.7% to $218.4m from $244.7m. It said cold weather boosted sales of outerwear, but could not mitigate the sales shortfall early in the month.

Fashion apparel and home furnishing retailer Dillard’s Inc saw its October sales fall 8.7% to $406m from $444.7m last time. Sales in comparable stores dropped 8% for the four-week period.

Macy’s Inc reported total sales of $1.7bn for the four weeks ended 1 November, down 6.9% from last year’s $1.8bn. On a same-store basis, sales were down 6.3%. The retailer operates more than 850 department stores under the Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s names.

October sales at retailer Saks Incorporated tumbled 18.6% to $219.0m from $269.1m last time. Comparable store sales decreased 16.6% for the month. The strongest categories were Saks Direct, men’s shoes, men’s contemporary apparel, and women’s outerwear. Shoppers shifted purchases from regular price to promotional priced merchandise, the company said.

Kohl’s Corporation saw a 4.8% drop in its total sales for the four weeks to 1 November, to $1,212m from $1,274m. On a comparable store basis, sales decreased 9.0%. The company said customers focused on “need and value” in their purchases.

JC Penney Company Inc posted a 13% drop in comparable store sales, while total company sales in October decreased 11.8% to $1.36bn. Results were impacted by ongoing declines in mall traffic and a pronounced slowdown in consumer spending, it said, adding that its apparel divisions were the strongest performers.

October sales at off-price retailer The TJX Companies Inc fell 2% to $1.48bn, from $1.52bn last year. Comparable store sales were down 6%, driven by an unexpected drop in foreign currency exchange rates versus the US dollar. The company operates TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Winners, and TK Maxx nameplates.

Fashion retailer The Buckle Inc said its same-store sales rose 14.5% in October, with net sales rising 20.7% to $60.3m from $50.0m in the prior year period. Buckle operates 387 stores.

Bakers Footwear Group Inc, a specialty retailer of fashion footwear for young women, reported a 3.1% rise in net sales for the four weeks to 1 November, up to $13.4m from $13.0m in the same period last year. Comparable store sales were up 6.2. The company said it saw “increased regular price selling.”

The Wet Seal Inc, which sells fashion apparel and accessories through its Wet Seal and Arden B stores, has posted a 3% drop in October sales to $40.3m. Sales were up 4.2% at Wet Seal to $33.4m, but tumbled 27.3% at Arden B. On a same-store basis, total sales were down 6.2%, with a 0.9% rise at Wet Seal and a 29.4% drop at Arden B.

Limited Brands Inc, operator of the Victoria’s Secret, Pink, La Senza, and Henri Bendel said its same-store sales fell 9% in the four weeks to 1 November. Net sales were down 10% to $580.4m from $644.7m last year.

Youth fashion retailer Pacific Sunwear of California Inc, which operates 815 PacSun stores and 125 PacSun Outlet stores, posted a 10% drop in its total sales in fiscal October, to $69.3m from $76.7m. Same-store sales were down 11% during the same period.

The Children’s Place Retail Stores Inc announced a 9% rise in net sales of $144.9m, up from $133.0m a year ago. Comparable store sales increased 4% at the retailer, which operates 920 stores.

Total sales at off-price retailer Stein Mart Inc fell 12% to $100.0m from $113.7m a year earlier. Same-store sales fell 12.5% it said. Ladies’ casual wear and dresses produced the best comparable store sales, while ladies’ career sportswear was among the worst performers. The company has 280 stores.

Cooler weather in October helped The Cato Corporation to a 5% rise in sales for the month, up to $59.5m from $56.9m. Comparable store sales increased 4%, but were at the lower end of expectations. “Business remains very difficult,” said the operator of the Cato and It’s Fashion chains.

Gap Inc saw its sales tumble 12% in the four weeks to 1 November, dropping to $1.08bn from $1.23bn in the same period last year. The company’s comparable store sales dropped 16%. By division, same-store sales were down 14% at Gap North America, fell 17% at Banana Republic North America, and plunged 20% at Old Navy North America. Its international sales fell 5%.

American Eagle Outfitters Inc, which targets girls and guys aged 15 to 25, reported a 3% drop in total sales for the four weeks to 1 November. Sales fell to $204.8m from $210.2m last time. Same-store sales decreased 12% for the month.

Another youth apparel retailer, Abercrombie & Fitch, said its net sales tumbled 14% to  $215.0m from $251.1m. October comparable store sales decreased 20%. Total direct-to-consumer net sales fell 4% to $17.7m at the retailer, which operate Abercrombie & Fitch, Abercrombie stores, Hollister Co, Ruehl and Gilly Hicks stores.

Aeropostale Inc, which sells casual and active apparel for young women and men, saw a 9% rise in total October sales, up to $127.4m from $116.4m in the same month last year. The company’s same store sales rose 1% for the month.

Chico’s FAS Inc, operator of the Chico’s, White House | Black Market and Soma Intimates names, reported a 2.2% drop in its net sales for October, to $118.5m from $121.2m a year ago. Same-store sales dropped 13.4%.

October same store sales at off-price retailer Ross Stores Inc declined 2%, due to unseasonably warm weather in many of its markets and ongoing macro-economic pressure. Total sales rose 4% to $490m from $470m.

Specialty fashion retailer Nordstrom Inc reported a 15.5% drop in October sales to $529m from $626m a year ago. Same-store sales dropped 15.7% percent, compared with the same period in 2007. The company, which operates 167 stores, said the economic and competitive retail environment “remained challenging.”

Mall-based specialty retailer Hot Topic Inc posted an 11.6% rise in October net sales, to $64.8m. Sales were up 23.6% at its Torrid chain, and rose 9.3% at its Hot Topic stores. On a same-store basis, total sales fell 4%, with a 0.6% rise at Torrid unable to offset a 4.7% decline at Hot Topic.

Weak demand meant that October same-store sales at action sportswear retailer Zumiez Inc fell 13.1%. However, total net sales were up 1.2% to $25.0m from $24.7m a year earlier. The firm operates 340 stores.

For more information, please visit www.cantonfootwear.org



Paul

Rick Schleicher asked:


The Information Age dawned with the internet, the reason the sun is still shinning on this age is the inception of Search Engines. We are now, all of us in their debt or held hostage for our access to information.  

Looking for information in years past meant a trip to the library, looking in card catalogues, periodical indexes, etc. The information was arranged alphabetically, giving no more or less importance to minor or major works or sources. Today, the search engines have the difficult task of trying to organize and prioritize a much larger pool of pertinent information to help the researcher. In order to do this they have had to adopt certain criteria for choosing which material or web sites to present first for a given search query. The systems and criteria are having profoundly negative impacts on small businesses. The travel industry is a good case in point as even in the remotest “inbound” locations (travel destinations) throughout the world the internet and ability to create a web site are available. The same can be said for the other side of the coin. “Outbound” services (travel agencies) with the help of the internet allow an agency for example in Japan to be able to send American tourists to Europe. There in lies the problem.

In order to be “found” easily on the internet, a company or web site must come up on the first one or two pages of search engine results for a search query. People generally don’t have the time or willingness to search much further. The search engine companies necessarily need to choose criteria for their “ranking” of results in order to be of the most service to their clients. They must also battle companies who try to manipulate the criteria in order to raise the ranking of a web site undeserving of a higher ranking. There is an entire industry devoted to doing just that. It is called “Search Engine Optimization” or SEO. There job, often costing tens of thousands of dollars is to manipulate the search engines rankings. There is a war going on between people who want to buy their way into preferred rankings and the search engines who are trying their best to deliver fair and accurate search results. The criteria and tactics of search engines have been evolving, but four basic criteria seem to be surviving.

Compelling content, traffic, links from legitimate related websites and dynamics and age of a web site.

Large international travel agencies and dot com travel sites appear at the top of search result rankings because they receive a large quantity of traffic and their large marketing budgets allow them to use “pay per click” advertisements which appear at the sides of search results to enhance the traffic still further. These companies sell travel to every corner of the globe and receive traffic for people looking to go to every corner of the globe, unlike a locally owned web site which would receive traffic only for people interested in their one particular location.

The net effect of search engines criteria for ranking websites on local travel companies, the inhabitants of travel destinations throughout the world is to bury their company’s web sites near the bottom of search results, making them basically un-findable. Not being able to draw customers directly to their business they are often forced to work for the large international agencies whose web site is available on the first couple of pages of a search result or pay dot com travel sites for the ability to be seen. If the inhabitants of a destination are working for an international travel agency they are providing their services for a huge discount to their actual world value. If they are paying a Dot Com travel site their net earnings are also discounted.

Every day another international travel agency announces “their” new tour of some precious travel destination. These agencies make money marketing destinations throughout the world, but share none of the responsibility for the impact their clients will have or for the care of the immediate environment, nor do they pay taxes on the profits they make to the government which has the responsibility for the care of that destination. It would be as if someone offered tours of your neighborhood, promoted it on the web, made money from these tours, but had no responsibility for the maintenance of your streets, nor care about the impact tour buses would have on the general quality of life in your neighborhood.

There was a time before the existence and world wide use of the internet when these travel agencies provided a valuable service to their clients. They were accountable for their client’s experience and could offer the same level of service and accountability to destinations throughout the world. This provided a sense of security for the traveler. Now, the value of that “homogenized” service is debatable. With the rise of many popular travel review websites, anyone anywhere in the world can know before they go into whose hands they are intrusting their vacation (www.cometogalapagos.com) 

Dot com travel sites are essentially new age telemarketers and present an opportunity to large international travel agencies where they can pay for a preferred location within those sites. Small local companies can not afford the fees for preferred placements within dot com travel sites which occupy many of the first results for a search engine query regarding travel and again, just as international travel agencies make money marketing destinations throughout the world, they share none of the responsibility for the impact their clients will have or for the care of the immediate environment, nor do they pay taxes on the revenues they earn marketing a specific destination to the government of that destination.

Part 2- A Case Study of San Cristobal, Galapagos

 

Part 3- Solutions for both travelers and local governments



Douglas

Jeff asked:


The unemployment rate of United States would reach to a record high 7% since World War II. Some big chain stores, such as Circuit City, Linen and Things, are out of business. However, Walmart is one of a few winners at the current stock market. Why? Save money is the most popular topic everywhere and it is also Walmart’s slogan.

Which purchase is better

Most of time people have a misconception that cheap is equal to save. But it doesn’t always work that way in the real world. I remembered that I had an experience to buy a dish rack in Walmart. It is supposed to be a stainless steel one at an inexpensive price. However, it became rusty only in a couple of weeks. You could say: not that bad for only around $20. Throw it away and get a new one. If you really consider how many those items you have bought in 2008, you will be surprised how much you spend on those useless save. On the other hand, a pair of running shoes from Adidas is still with me for a couple of years. Even I wear a lot but still an excellent condition like a new one. The price is $120. Which purchase is better? So the price is never, ever your only determined factor for your purchase.

Answer to the best buy

Now it is the time to answer the question what the best buy is. The answer is the high quality product with an affordable price. The definition of high quality depends on the type of the products. Different categories have different quality features. The affordable price is not only based on the product itself, but also determined by your own economic basis. One people would think that the price range of $20 - $40 is reasonable but the other would think that $50 - $100 is the choice. Many factors are weighed including your salary, your family, and your purchase habit.

How to be the best buy

Recession is not just the bad thing. It can push you to know before you buy. Knowledge is power. It works everywhere from high technology to your daily shopping. For example, shopping of clothing and clothing accessories is a never-ending hot topic for women. When you are in the shopping mall, you will be confused by the different price for the similar clothing. You could find a $5 T shirt in Walmart or $30 for a similar at another store. What is the difference and how to identify that? For clothing, it is important to read the fabric content tag. It can tell you the fabric, such as cotton, silk, or polyester. The fabric is one of the most important factors for the price. Also you could feel the fabric weight, density, and stitching details which bad quality shows loose stitch in the same unit length. If you have a plan to be a smart shopper, why not spend 10 minutes a day to google something you are interested in? Usually, online shopping websites are happy to share their expert view on some certain products.

Over Purchase 

That is the big hurdle to your best buy. Have a rule in your mind: you buy because you need it, not you want it for a cheap price. Believe it or not, you could find a lot of this category in your wardrobe.

Be knowledgeable makes you a smart buyer and you also win a big, real save for your better life.



Claude

Jim Williams asked:


Lately, I decided to alter my home office because it was in alarming need of organization and decor. I know what I want in a work station, I just have never taken the time to sit down and plan it all out.

The first things I knew I needed were a new desk, desk chair, filing cabinets, and media station. I had a set budget of what I wanted to spend and truly didn’t want to surpass it. I went to Office Depot and Office Max to see what I could acquire.

All of the furniture totaled up to be more than what I wanted to drop. I ended up searching online to see what I could find. I was able to go through a company located in Texas that sold some of the same furniture in Walmart and Office Max for much less.

I was glad to be able to get all of the stuff I needed without even coming close to my budget. Once I got all the essentials, I wanted to work on the entertainment area of my home office. I savor listening to music and having the tv on in the background while I work.

I wanted to buy a new stereo and an HDTV if I could afford it. I headed out the door to Walmart to see what I could find. The first thing I looked into was the stereo. They were expensive so I started looking at the iPod players. They weren’t so much money and would fit my needs so I purchased one.

Then I browsed the high definition televisions. The pictures on HDTVs are out of this world. I knew I wouldn’t be watching much of it while I worked but how could I get anything less than a high definition picture? I had to buy the finest.

The HDTV I decided on is only a 32″ but I can mount it on the wall, which means it won’t take any area. I was so excited to get home and try out my new stuff. When I came home, I instantly put up the HDTV and MP3 player.

It was as if I had my own personal space where I could do anything I wanted. I turned the TV on and it had the clearest picture I have ever seen. High definition sure is one of the best inventions.

At first, I thought my new HDTV and sound system was going to distract me too much but it has actually made me more creative. It was all well worth it… I love my new office!



Tammy

JASON HOSKINS asked:


Times are tough for many Americans today. Some financial experts suggest we are teetering on the verge of a modern day recession.

Whatever the case one thing is true, we as Americans, are not financially prepared for the future. What is the definition of really being financially prepared? I believe financial preparedness is the result of having the following aspects in place:

To be DEBT FREE, a strategic plan to have all major debt reduced to nil come time to retire, mortgage(s)included

To have a working RETIREMENT plan, a strategically funded investment, designed to allow you to retire with all the money you need to continue your life style as you see fit, particularly a tax free plan not a 401K.

To have adequate INSURANCE protection, a whole life or fixed universal life policy in place to not only protect the family from the impending reality of life, but to also serve as the vehicle for retirement investments.

You see, most Americans today simply do not have a plan in place to achieve these goals and therefore are in real danger of finding themselves working as greeters at WalMart, in those most precious golden years. A harsh but realistic consequence for not planning properly.

I need to point out, that this is the mindset we are brought up with. Think about it, why is it that the richest 3% know so much more about finance than the other 97% of us? Is it the Ivy League educations or are they mostly just born into wealth or could it be that only those who pay for it, get access to it?

Maybe its only meant to be taught to the priveledged and not the rest of us, the truth is America makes a lot of money on our general ignorance. The banks know how to make and invest money, we all use banks, we pay their interest on their terms. We pay taxes and are told to invest money into our government designed retirement accounts such as 401K’s, etc. Why not, its to their advantage that we use these vehicles for our retirement investment as they take nearly half of it from taxation when its time to retire.

We are conditioned to do things a certain way, to trust the establishment, be good citizens, follow the leaders and live out our happy lives, quitely.

Consider, why we do not have classes in elementary or high school that teach our youth about the concepts of investing or retirement for their own benefit or perhaps world economics so we graduate international leaders who can actually solve our economic problems.

If our children understood finance and the dicipline of earning it and turning it into more through basic investment principles, perhaps there would be less crime and poverty, perhaps children would see a future for themselves that is not apparent to them today.

Only by first building a country where our children are brought up understanding the concept of finance and how it relates to their lives, can we fully begin to heal the damage generations of failed trust in relying on the establishment to do it for us.

Think about this, how many of us actually become engineers or physicists? We are forced to learn geometry, trigonometry, things that the majority of us will never use in real life. I personally, have been a mortgage planner my whole life and have not applied geometry or trigonometry once as an adult. But If I knew then financially, what I have come to learn though experience, wow would I have had a better head start on my own retirement plan.

Consider this scenario, Jon and Rebecca Smith decided to start an investment fund for their son Michael. They open a simple, but strategic, permanent life and tax free investment policy when Michael reaches the age of 10 years. They decide to use their annual tax return as the primary funding source for this policy and they maintain the monthly premium just as they would a regular bill (always consult your trusted insurance professional).

They then continue to build this investment until Michael reaches the age of 18 or graduates from college.

By then they have taught Michael about the purpose of this investment and what it means to his future, he then responsibly takes over the investment and manages it on his own from there.

If we teach our children about the value of saving money and what it can do for their future, it doesn’t take them long to grasp the concept. I’m suggesting raising a trust fund child, referring to a wealthy child with no real respect for the concept of earning money, but raising a child with the understanding that they, with proper discipline, can see a viable retirement a decade sooner than we ever could imagine for ourselves today.

Michael has a excellent chance of having all the money he would need to raise a family, build a life for himself and retire tax free because of a simple thing his parents decided to do for him all those years ago.

What would the world be like now, if our parents were encouraged to do this for us?

It would mean that we would have a nation where the majority of us were financially fit and healthy and no one would care for or about social security issues.

We would be self sufficient. We could even help to supplement our parents needs in those later years. Helping them retire to enjoy the remainder of their years. Not scraping away working at a WalMart.

I think the next thing worse than watching our parents retire in poverty is thinking of our children suffering the same fate. The only way to stop the cycle is to make sure, that we do not burden our children, all the while teaching them the principles that they can pass onto their children!

It all starts with us.

This is an interesting commentary and might provoke some thought from its readers, some of you might be saying, well, its too late for me to fix things, I am in my 40’s, 50’s or beyond.

Folks, its never too late to benefit from the same financial concepts banking institutions gain from. Its never too late to plan for a better future!

Learn as much as you can about how proper insured protection can be there to ease the things that happen to us all eventually. Talk to your financial advisor and insurance professional for more information on this subject and make sure your family is protected!

Live life with Abundance!



Mary

rachel neil asked:


I saw a t.v. show last night about the Wal-Mart family that I found fascinating and I thought I’d share what I’ve learned with you.

Now this program is from 2005 although it aired again last night.

The Wal-Mart family (the Waltons) are worth over 100 billion dollars…..too big of an amount for me to grasp my little mind around!!!!

They donated less than 1% of their earnings to charities while Bill Gates donated over 50% of his earnings!

They’re making millions at the expense of poor workers from bangladesh, Honduras amongs a few places where the workers work 7 days per week, very long hours, for a ridiculously small pay!

Wal-Mart employees pay into a fund from their pay checks to help other employees from anywhere in need. In 2005, they’ve donated a total of $5,000,000.00

The Walton family pitched in a measly $6,000.00!

There’s a Wal-Mart commercial proudly stating the fact that their products are made in the USA, hence providing valuable jobs for the US citizens when in actuality their products are made from extremely poorly paid workers around the world.

A lot of crime also seem to happen in Wal-Mart parking lots and no one seem to be watching their security cameras at the times.

In Chandler, Arizone, the citizens came together to stop a future Wal-Mart superstore from being built in their Inglewood neighborhood. They stopped the monster in its tracks.

This is just some of the info I collected while I was watching the program but I found this website that dwells more in debt at all the facts:

http://www.1worldcommunication.org/Walmart.htm



Alfred

qazwsx asked:


I was on the Walmart website, and everything is so freaking cheap! I live in a third world country and we pay way more than that for stuff. How does Walmart sell stuff for so cheap?

Ruben

Colleen Francis asked:


“Is it possible that what we’re selling is just priced too high?” I hear that question a lot when troubleshooting sales issues for clients during my seminars and coaching sessions. Plus it’s worth noting that it’s a question that tends to turn up again and again like a bad penny particularly in challenging economic times. My answer is always the same: price isn’t the problem.

I’ll repeat that again so the folks in your accounting department can hear me.Price isn’t the problem.

If you are already established in your market and you have set your prices competitively, then price-cutting is the last thing you should be thinking about as a solution to boosting your sales. Even in today’s tumultuous marketplace. To be clear, you do need to make sure that you price yourself strategically because your price determines a lot about who will buy what you’re selling-not just in the short term, but in the years to come. Consider who you want to attract as a customer–a Tiffany’s™ minded consumer or a Walmart™ minded consumer? I am not making a value judgment here, just noting that for each consumer there is a corresponding strategy.

Let’s start by considering the risks of price cutting and then we’ll look at solutions.

Price can determine who you are and who your customers will be

The trouble with playing the low-end pricing game is that it comes with a cost. Costs influence how customers perceive your products or services and can even reshape who buys them and why they choose you over a competitor.

Sure, some cite high-volume retailers like Walmart™ as proof that low prices and sales success can go hand-in-hand. But here’s something worth considering. How many successful low-price/high-volume retailers or airlines can you name? Now name as many successful higher-priced, value-driven retailers you can think of (e.g., Banana Republic or American Airlines). I’ll bet that your first list is shorter than the second one.

The high-volume business model is one that most simply cannot emulate. Even fewer can sustain it. One of my mentors, Dan Kennedy, says it best: “being the second-lowest price has no advantages.”If you are going to be the cheapest, be the cheapest, but that’s a very hard game to play.

Seasoned sales professionals will attest that a low-pricing strategy can also have an adverse influence on who you do business with. Instead of attracting customers who appreciate dealing with a sales staff and organization focused on value and excellence, you risk attracting buyers with fewer expectations other than your ability to offer the lowest price. Not only is that expectation difficult to sustain over the long term, it also makes it much harder to engender an emotional connection with them. And without that magic ingredient, those customers are less likely to stick with you. And why should they? They chose you largely on price in the first place.

Low pricing can very quickly become a slippery slope-once you start down that path, it becomes increasingly difficult to recover from it. Instead, consider the solution that I share with my clients. Start by re-examining what it is that your customers are buying from you, what needs they have that compel them to make the decision to buy and why they choose to buy from you rather than from someone else. What value to you bring? And if necessary, defend yourself against a price-lowering competitor.

Focus on value and benefits

Top-ranked sales performers don’t sell their products or services based on price. They focus on the value of what they are selling and how it can best meet the. They do that by finding compelling answers to the number-one question that every buyer asks themselves when considering a purchase, no matter how large or how small: “what’s in it for me?” Your customers want to know what they can expect to gain by choosing your product or service at the price you’re offering. Recognizing this, focus your energies into ensuring that your product-or service-offer meets (and even exceeds) those expectations.

That’s not to say that the value and benefits that a customer perceives is something that’s carved in stone. Far from it. Needs change with the times and the value that customers associate with your product or service today could very well be different from what it was just two years ago. That’s one of the key reasons why the most successful sales professionals invest a lot of their time talking and networking with their customers—they are always learning more about what their customers want today and in the coming years. The kind of insight you gain from that kind of legwork can prove to be invaluable, especially in a changing marketplace.

Defend yourself against a price-lowering competitor

Just because one of your competitors decides to start competing on price alone does not mean that you have to make the same mistake. If this is what you’re facing in your marketplace, push back by focusing on your strongest suit—the value and benefits you offer to your customers. Tony Cram of the United Kingdom’s prestigious Ashridge Business School (and noted author of “Smarter Pricing”) recommends conducting a “benefit audit.” Take stock of the following:



Look at your products or services and ask yourself if there are new innovations you can offer. Also, consider how you might improve the range, choice and selection you offer to your customers.

Reconsider the needs of your customers. Are they changing? If so why…and find out how you can keep meeting those needs.

Reinforce peace-of-mind in the mind of the buyer about choosing you over a competitor. Offer a money-back guarantee, or extend the warrantee on your product.

Position yourself as a leader or expert in your field. Be more than a provider to your customers…be a resource.

Personalize your service and make sure that what you offer is always relevant to your audience.



By maintaining pricing a premium level, you continue to work with the best customers out there—the ones who are motivated by great service, who recognize the value behind what you do, and with whom you can connect with emotionally. Not only are these kinds of clients easier to manage, they are vital for you to be successful at your job of selling more to more people in less time.

Staying in-tune with the needs of your market does take work. It still requires legwork and thoughtfulness on your part to remain focused on fine-tuning the value and benefits of your product or service. However, it pales in comparison to what you’d be up against trying to find ways to constantly keep up with falling prices.



Florence

Juan Trevino asked:


Two solar power technologies exist, the passive and the active technology. The passive technology are the photocell panels or the photovoltaic film that receives sunlight and generates electricity. The active technology is a solar dish that concentrates sunlight, uses the heat to produce steam, which in turn powers a turbine that produces electricity. Another active technology is using the Stirling Engine to move a power generator.

The passive technology is ready to go, and there are a few homes that have already installed the system. This system is totally clean, backed by the USDOE Solar American Initiative, it requires sufficient space on the roof to position the panels or film, and uses an inverter to turn direct current into alternate current homes can use. The Utility companies have also developed the Net Metering system to buy electricity on their terms, from homes that have generate a surplus of electricity. The new federal tax law "Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008" effective January 2009 provides a 30% tax credit of the cost of a solar system. Some States are also providing large incentives to install solar systems. The rest of the payback has to come from real savings generated over time by the system from the Utility company. This passive solar system is expensive as of today, and payback is obtained in 8 years of savings. Photovoltaic film or photocell panels are low efficiency and voltage, and compare badly with the option of buying electricity from the utility company. Currently you require from 13 to 15 photocell panels to generate the 2.5 to 3.0 Kilowatt hours generating capacity.

Walmart has established a pilot plan to install photovoltaic panels in several of their stores. If the system produces a return, they will massively implement it in all their stores, since they have sufficient roof space currently not utilized.

The solar system that uses heat to produce steam and power, or the Solar-thermal is mainly for large Utility companies and not for homes. However, the active system based on a Stirling engine to power a generator which could be applicable for homes, is not ready to go. Although all of its components have been developed, no one has yet integrated the solar power generating kit, or a home appliance. This system should be very low cost because it requires: a solar collector or dish, a stiriling engine, the 3 KW per hour power generator, and a battery bank, to store electricity if the system is a stand alone not tied to the power grid. If the home is currently supplied by a utility company, then the battery bank is not needed and the Net Metering system with the public utility company can be used. In addition to the sun collector dish you would have two boxes. One which has the stiriling engine and power generator, and the battery box if you are a location not tied to the grid.

Apparently there is a race to develop the stiriling engine from companies in America, New Zealand, India, Sweden, and other countries. A few companies are receiving funding from investment funds to develop the stiriling engine for this home appliance. However, the race is not required because there will be enough room for all suppliers. Markets are huge. Just in United States alone there are 124 million homes that could use the solar power appliance, plus commercial and industrial sites. These companies will have to lobby, compete and go up against big business interest and big government. Homes, commercial and industrial establishments in every country in the world would be a potential customer for these systems, because they would use a small space to position the solar collector, two tubes going to the solar dish, the power generating box, and the battery bank box. With this solar unit, you could power any site in the desert or the wilderness, and provide them with modern comforts they lack today.

Having the home powering appliance, can be the initial steps for returning to sustainable systems. Today, the sun is light and warmth, free for all of us to use and enjoy. A home solar powered generator would provide clean energy, and allow equal footing to all nations rich and poor, to devote their funding into other worthwhile social services such as health and education. Rich nations which have electrical grids and power generation capacity would suddenly feel there would be no need to continue increasing Power generation capacities and hopefully they would discontinue all those plants that contaminate.



Martin