Minnesota Municipal Beverage Association Newsletter
(January 10, 2010 - January 16, 2010)
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As I See It...... 
 
Theft - 1

 

As I see it....

Theft is a problem that continues to be on the increase. Since alcohol is an "age" controlled substance it is one of a few products a thief can make money over it's retail value. I doubt a thief would take a $20 pair of jeans and try to sell them on the street for $30. But would a underage kid hesitate to buy a liter of Captain Morgan for $25 or $30 from some irresponsible thief?

One common thread I have seen among all the 5 finger discount crowd is visibility. They will continually look to the registers to see who is looking at them. So make sure you greet all customers and periodically ask them if they need help. Let's try to protect our inventory, but never at the cost of our personal security!

Cameras are always helpful and most of them can now be networked with your register system so they can be viewed virtually anywhere. We have our cameras available for our police to view them inside their squad car. We also print pictures of people we have seen pocketing bottles and post them in the back room for all employees to keep a look out for.

We have heard from many different people that the biggest shrinkage problem among retail stores is employee theft. We all want to feel like it cannot happen to us because our crew would not do that to us! But as time moves on we hear of more and more stories of that happening.

At our store, we have methods we have always used such as facing bottles. When someone buys a bottle, move the remaining product forward so you have consistent face to all bottles. While this has been a great method to tell when a bottle is missing, the good crooks have caught on and face their own bottles.

In addition, I don't think those half round visibility mirrors will ever go out of style. They seem to be an affordable way to track customers.

Also make sure you have a good return policy in place. There have been many occasions where someone will grab something off the shelf and bring it to the counter to return it. We even had a guy use my name and said he worked with my wife. He Didn't!!

So protect that inventory and cash to the best of your ability, and remember to always protect yourself and your employees in the process.

Tom Agnes

Brooklyn Center Liquor Manager

MMBA President

 

Are You Leaving Money on the Table By Not Upselling?
Bar - 2 

One of the easiest ways to raise your bar's beverage sales is by using suggestive selling or upselling techniques.

It can be the customer ordering a call liquor instead of a well,
upgrading from a well cocktail to a specialty drink or any number of
situations.

Upselling on a consistent basis will make a huge difference to your
beverage sales.

For example, if 30 people per night switched from a well to a call
or a specialty drink with an increase average of $1.50 per drink,
that's a $45.00 per night increase times five shifts per week -- $225,
times roughly 50 weeks in a year equals an additional $11,250, plus
an average of $1,687.50 more in tips for your servers (at 15%.)

Here are some examples:

Guest: I'll have a vodka tonic.

Server/Bartender: Will that be Absolut, Stolichnaya or Grey Goose?

Guest: What is your house white wine?

Server/Bartender: Our house white is X, but we're running
a special on "Y" for only $Z a glass.

How do you get your employees to do this? Explain to them the
benefits of upselling and train them how to do it.

With upselling, your servers and bartenders will have higher guest
checks and thus better tips. If you have a reluctant group, show
them the benefits in real numbers. As they say, money talks.

And while some customers will say no, many customers will say yes to
the upsell and will appreciate the added service of your servers'
suggestions.

Upselling is easy to implement in your bar and is a great way to
increase sales even if you have the same number of customers.
Beer Pong & Bong
 
MMBA works hard to promote responsible use of the products we sell. 
 
The effectiveness of our efforts is made much more difficult when some mainstream retailers sell items like beer pong equipment & beer bongs to their young customers. 
 
Below is a photo taken by an MMBA member at a metro Minneapolis Spencer's Gifts.
 
Beer Pong
 
 
Interesting Hitterdal Promotion
Ugly Sweater 
 
Future Dates to Remember!!
2010 MMBA Boot Camp,
 
February 22 - 24, 2010 Breezy Point
 
 
2010 MMBA / MLBA Legislative Day
 
March 1, 2010
 
2010 MMBA Conference
 
May 15-18, 2010 Arrowwood 
 

 
Ask A Director
 
Gary Buysse
Rogers
763-428-0163
 
Bob Leslie
 Pelican Rapids
218-863-6670
 
Brian Hachey
Stacy
651-462-2727
 
Nancy Drumsta
Delano
763-972-0578
 
Lara Smetana
Pine City
320-629-2020
 
Joyce Zachmann
Spring Lake Park
763-780-8247
 
Virgene Shellenbarger
Hutchinson
 320-587-2762
 
Tom Agnes
Brooklyn Center
763-381-2349
 
Steve Grausam
Edina
952-903-5732
 
Toni Buchite
50 Lakes
218-763-2035
 
Michelle Olson
Sebeka
218-837-9745
E-Mail Me
 
Bridgitte Konrad
North Branch
651-674-8113
 
Paul Kaspszak
MMBA
763-572-0222
1-866-938-3925

 
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Public Intoxication
Intoxication

The MMBA office was recently asked if Public Intoxication is a crime.

 According to Minnesota Statute
 
340A.902 DRUNKENNESS NOT A CRIME

No person may be charged with or convicted of the offense of drunkenness or public drunkenness.

Nothing herein prevents the prosecution and conviction of an intoxicated person for offenses other than drunkenness or public drunkenness nor does this section relieve a person from civil liability for an injury to persons or property caused by the person while intoxicated.
 
 
Tip of the Week
Pricing
 
When pricing a product, remember there is a difference between "mark-up" and "gross profit." 
 
For example, a 50% mark-up is a 33.33% gross profit.
 
 
 

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