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From the Director
"For every sale you miss because you're too enthusiastic, you will miss a hundred because you're not enthusiastic enough." -Zig Ziglar
 A great quote for September! How is the enthusiasm level of the team? What about YOUR enthusiasm level? YOU are driving the attitude in your store with your own attitude. This is your prime time for customers visiting your business - put forward a great foot everyday with the experience you are providing for your customers. Enjoy and listen to the music of the customer buzz, clanking of the hangers, and ding of the cash drawer!
The customer count continues to grow across the brand, and they are bringing in more inventory & having that wonderful effect of more sales across the country. Thru July, year to date sales are up 17%. You can keep it going!
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Category Analysis Planning (CAP) for July 2012
 The above information was taken from the All Combined CAP rollup. Note that the # of stores column is the total number of stores that have 13 months of rolling Key Indicator & Month close information. If an FOM is missing one month of data, it will kick out that store. Check out the regional results on the Extranet. Click on your region to see how well it's been doing! All reports are also housed on the extranet under Sales Performance> 2012 OUAC Performance> CAP Rollups.
Region 1
Region 2
Region 3
Region 4
Region 5
Region 6
All Regions |
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Numbers
The following results are now posted on the extranet under Sales Performance > 2012 Sales Performance Results.
Click here to see all results.
Click here to see what region your store is in.
Top 5 YTD Results:
1. 20344 Minney $1,212,943
2. 20110 Burtner $1,035,831
3. 20650 Simpson $958,951
4. 20032 Tevlin $950,358
5. 20116 Fitzer $892,819
Top 5 YTD % Increase: 1. 20809 Morehouse 68.5%
2. 20386 Suntken 60.7%
3. 20735 Joseph 57.6%
4. 20736 Frisch 57.1%
5. 20702 Deziel 51.6%
Candian Top 5 YTD:
1. 20675 Henderson $752,147
2. 20256 Wright $679,677
3. 20622 Eccles $658,710
4. 20395 Tainsh $657,794
5. 20213 Wright $657,000 |
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Monthly Operational Reminders
 September
03 - Labor Day
04 - Order Red Attachers from DE for use beginning November 1
08 - Host a Coat Kick-Off Event
09 - Grandparents Day
13 - Print Bounce Back coupons for distribution in October
17 - Rosh Hashanah
26 - Yom Kippur
October
08 - Columbus Day
08 - Thanksgiving Day (Canada)
14 - ABC Kids Show begins in Louisville, KY
20 - Host a Holiday wear Kick-Off event
25 - Mark down Halloween to 50% off
31 - Halloween
November
01 - Begin redeeming bounce back coupons
04 - Daylight Savings Time ends
11 - Veteran's Day
11 - Remembrance Day (Canada)
20 - National Child's Day
22 - Thanksgiving Day
23 - Black Friday
23 - Begin Promoting your Clearance Blowout for Dec. 8
24 - Small Business Saturday
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Operations Department  It's happened again...a store experienced a break in. It appeared nothing was really taken; however, a cash drawer was damaged as it was closed and the robbers thought they would find cash in there. Never shut the drawers of your POS stations at night...even if you leave the coins in there. It's more expensive to replace the drawer than the small amount of change that might be taken. In this case the store lost the use of this POS as a check-out for a few days and cost them the replacement charge of the drawer. Additionally, the camera system had recently gone on the fritz and there had been no urgency to have it repaired. Don't delay when it comes to protecting your store. You really never know. We can all fall in the trap of "It will never happen to me", but you need to change your mind set to - It could happen, so what do I need to do to minimize my losses? Look around your counter and back room today...are there purses scattered about or are they together and secured. There are professional thieves out there that make a living at weaknesses like this. Other basic Asset Protection tips include keeping stock room and office doors shut. Back Exit doors should be secure at all times. During non-business hours, doors should be secure. While it seems convenient as staff members will be arriving soon, you may find an unwanted visitor take advantage of the situation. Be safe.
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Multiple Store RequestsInterested in opening another store with Winmark? Check out the Multiple Store Request Requirements that are located on the Extranet. If you have any questions, contact your Field Operations Manager.
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Marketing & Advertising
 Back to School, Youth-Focused Radio Script
We know many of you are focusing on tween and youth apparel for this busy season. If you're looking to refresh your radio script, check out the newest one on the Extranet. Remember that if you have your local station create a script, forward it to your Marketing Manager for approval before launching.
Website Portal Payment Processing Change
Important reminder: Treefort has updated the payment processing information for the website portal. You should have received an email last week, which asked you to reenter your billing information. This is needed for all Portal accounts. Please take the time to update your information as soon as possible.
 Google+ Update
The Google Places to Google+ transition is complete! Wondering what all the buzz is about when it comes to Google+? Basically, it's Google going "social" to, quite frankly, outdo Facebook. When you have a Google+ account, sharing, searching and advertising becomes a well-oiled machine catered to...well, you! Click here to learn about Google+ in-a-nutshell. This is important to you because now that your Google Places has transitioned to the Google+ business page, this page can be shared across your social circles, giving you the opportunity to advertise your store among your networks to, hopefully, collect reviews, boost rankings and gather more loyal customers. We don't expect you to become an avid Google+ user but you should create your Google+ account (use the same username and password from when you claimed through Places) to update your business listing. You'll see that you can now upload photos, videos and share your page with others. Click here for instructions.
Now Available: Acrylic Sign Holders
Are you tired of tape, laminating and intrusive signs to promote stores sales? We've got the perfect answer for you: introducing new acrylic sign holders available at Designed Environments (DE)! You can easily print on an 8.5"by 11" or 7" by 5" sheet of paper - Once Upon A Child stationary preferred! - and slide into the slot. These holders have a round lip to securely attach to grid and will conveniently swing if bumped into or if customers grab product from behind the sign. They're affordable and easy to use at$5 for the 8.5" by 11" and $3 for the 7" by 5."
 
 New, Easy-to-Use Online Advertising Gallery
To make locating online ads easier, we have added a photo gallery to the Marketing/Online section of the Extranet. There are 3 folders set up: Facebook Ads, Google+ Business Listing Cover Photos and Web Banners. This system will allow you to scroll through the images for viewing and then download the item of your choice.In addition to the new set-up, new Facebook ads have been. All images meet the updated 100x70 pixel size requirement for Facebook advertising.
Coupon Disclaimers When creating an offer, coupon or promotion of any sort whether it is in a local paper, magazine or online, it is extremely important to always place a disclaimer on the ad. The disclaimer specifies where and when the offer may be redeemed - i.e. Offer valid only at XXXXX location Aug 1st - 31st, 2012. Without a disclaimer, a customer could walk into any one of our locations and request that you honor the offer, thus causing some confusion. With the growth in online advertising, we have noticed an increase in online ads showing up without disclaimers - i.e. Groupon, Google, website. Be diligent and thoughtful and place disclaimers on ALL online ads.
 September is Baby Safety Month
This month is the perfect opportunity for Once Upon A Child stores to reinforce our commitment to safety in our business model and in our communities. Create an event to partner with community organizations, educate customers and to establish your store as the "community expert" on baby and children safety. Need ideas on how to run this event? Visit the Extranet under Marketing > Event Marketing > Baby Safety Month for directions and marketing materials. 
Share Our Success Reminder
Need a refill on those Share Our Success tri-fold brochures? Remember, this is a brand standard item so make sure you are stocked up. They are available at MHC - at no cost to you (other than shipping).
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DRS Update
We continue to work on DRS 7.0 and will try to shed light on our project timelines as we move ahead.
The difficulty in communicating hard timelines right now is the fact that there are a lot of moving parts as we upgrade both hardware and software components, as well as get Play It Again Sports and Music Go Round onto a new platform with DRS 7.0. Once we have all brands on the 7.0 platform, it will be easier to estimate projects and their respective timelines.
That being said, we should be finishing work on DRS 7.0c in October 2012. We have 20 test stores in operation on 7.0b in Play It Again Sports currently. In the fourth quarter 2012 and through the first quarter 2013, we will be working on getting Music Go Round, Plato's Closet and Once Upon A Child to the 7.0 platform. During this time, we also need to address some programming language updates to Powerflex, Pervasive and Vb/.net.
We will do our best to keep the franchise system informed as we move ahead with each project. Decisions regarding projects and project timelines are consistently evaluated to maintain focus on efficiency as well as the brands' operational needs. We are confident that the ability to get all four brands onto the same platform will be a reality in the near future. We will be working with your FAC groups to prioritize needs and wants in the system as we plan the future performance upgrades.
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Another Great Win For Secondhand Dealers!!
Diane Hubel recently purchased a new Once Upon A ChildŽ franchise for a store to be open in Virginia Beach, VA and was notified of a secondhand dealer ordinance currently in effect that would significantly hinder her ability to successfully operate a resale business in that city. Recently, through Diane's diligent efforts to reach out to the City Council Members, the Mayor's Office, City Attorney and local law enforcement regarding the impossibility of complying with such a prohibitive and paralyzing ordinance, an amendment was successfully passed exempting secondhand clothing and children's furniture dealers from the definition of secondhand dealer. As a result, she is no longer regulated under the ordinance. Congratulations, Diane! Your hard work and perseverance has paid off.
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"QuickBooks How To": Entering Credit Card Purchases
 Many of our customers struggle with the way to handle credit card purchases and how to enter them into QuickBooks. Many simply write a check and code the expense to a credit card account. This does not record the expense and it does not record the actual transactions, just the totals. As a lot of credit card purchases are for major items you really want the detail. Following is the preferred method of entering credit card charges into QuickBooks.
Read the full article
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Are daily deals worth it for small businesses?
 Daily deal sites have been making headlines as of late, and it isn't for positive reasons. Not only is the share price of Groupon sliding downward, but consumers are growing tired of the sites and are not buying as much as they were beforehand. As a result, many small business owners are questioning if featuring these sites are worth it, according to Fox Business.
A recent survey conducted by Utpal Dholakia of Rice University's Jones Graduate School of Business found only 20 percent of deal users come back to the store after their initial purchase.
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What's HOT
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Mixing Patterns
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Gold Standard
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Congratulations are in order for the following stores who achieved "Gold Standard" for their store:
4th Year Winners:
Suzanne & Gregory Simpson - Ocoee, FL
Larry & Kelly Weldon - Erie, PA
Tracy Schrimsher - Goshen, IN
Tracy & Roy Schrimsher - Mishawaka, IN
3rd Year Winners:
Brenda & Brian Money - Niles, OH
Monica & Demetri Vassiliadis - Orlando, FL
2nd Year Winners: Shannon & Dimitri Lopoukhine and Brian Joseph - Rochester, NY
1st Year Winners:
Randy & Tiffany Burg - both stores in Austin, TX
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Celebrations!
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Million Dollar Store
Andy & Kim Burtner - July 30th - Southport, IN
Lori Janke & Tracy Powers - August 4th - Newport News, VA
Suzanne & Greg Simpson - August 11th - Ocoee, FL
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Buyer Certification
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Surprise, AZ
Stacy Lopez
Lisa Healy
Liz Spitler
Marcia Brough
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Kudos
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Sharon & Terry Talbot - Wilmington, NC
Hi, my name is Brenda Albright and I want to thank you all for my first shopping experience at your store. I am a soon to be grandmother of a baby girl Lorelei. I can't wait and have prayed for her for a very long time. I live in Brunswick County and do not make it to New Hanover County very much. So glad I went that day. The other day I shopped at your store and had the best time. Your staff was so courteous and helpful. They helped me with shoes, age appropriate toys, and also helped with items from top shelf. I did not realize customers were allowed to get items by yourself. Before that, each time I had someone from your staff help me, they were so nice about it even if I had stopped them from what they were doing. And the selection of clothes. WOW! I am so grateful we have your store in Wilmington. Once again, thank you...all of you that made this a happy & fun experience.
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Opportunities
We went to the store dropped of some clothes to get a trade amount.....we came back and my mom, my sister and I stood there to hear an amount of $40.80 that they will trade for the clothes. We had a purchase as well so after all the things were done on the till we walked out the store and into the car and realized that didn't sound right so we looked at the receipt and only showed a trade amount of $35.80. We called back and talked to the manager. She was very rude when she answered saying she didn't know why all 3 of us thought that we heard $40.80 when she said it was $35.80. She told me as well very rudely not to come back to the store and she won't change the amount of what is on the receipt. She was also rude by not serving us right away.... She was too busy on the computer dropped our ticket on the floor and left it there while we walked out the store. She didn't seem like she wanted to be there and was rude to me in the past.
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HR News: I-9 Form Update
You may have noticed in employment-related publications that the current Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification Form) is due to expire August 31, 2012. What does this mean to employers?
At the point of writing this article, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has not issued an updated or replacement form. Until the revised form is released employers are instructed to continue using the most recent version of Form I-9 currently available on the Extranet.
A resource to ensure you have the most updated information relating to this form can be found here. Winmark will also update the revis ed document on the Extranet as soon as it is available. (Note that once this revised form is available, employers are only required to use the new version going forward; they do not need to replace previously completed old versions of the form.)
As the USCIS continues to review this document, some of the changes anticipated may include:
- Expanding Form I-9 instructions and layout.
- New data fields to obtain optional information such as employee's email address and phone number.
- New data fields to collect foreign passport number and country of issuance for aliens working in the U.S. that have provided an admission number.
As an essential document to demonstrate that your new employees are legally eligible to work in the U.S., the Form I-9 is a required document for all employees, and new employees must be verified per the I-9 form within 3 working days after hire. The types of documentation an employee can provide are varied, so if you are unsure what a document should look like refer to the Extranet file labeled " I-9 Handbook for Employers". This Handbook includes pictures of each type of document, and also more information regarding the purpose and compliance of the form. |
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WBS Online: Hiring Decisions on Information Obtained from Social Media
 Employers frequently use social media to obtain information about job applicants. So long as the employer does not violate state or federal discrimination laws, nothing currently prohibits an employment decision based on information an applicant places in the public domain. Nevertheless, employers should balance the need to obtain information against the risks associated with acting on such information if it reveals an applicant's protected characteristics.
When using social media to vet job candidates, an employer may inadvertently become aware of an applicant's protected characteristics, such as race, age, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, and even genetic information protected under federal law. If the employer decides not to hire the applicant, he or she could sue the employer, alleging that the decision was discriminatory.
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