| As I See It...... | |
Our sales of craft and import beer sales has significantly increased. With all this interest, we have created a "Pub Club", which is similar to a "Wine Club".
There is a membership fee which entitles them to the following: a Pub Club card, that can be used to receive a 10% discount on each Craft or Import beer purchase, a free spring and fall beer tasting, and a monthly email update on the latest beers to hit our shelves.
The Pub Club was started in November and since then we've had 55 memberships purchased. Our first tasting was last week and we had 64people attend. That was more than we had hoped for, the members had a very good time and are already looking forward to the next tasting.
If you have a good Craft beer following you may want to give this a try. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.
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| A Vintage Year in Alexandria |
By Al Edenloff, Alexandria Echo Press
It was a vintage year for Alexandria's two city-owned liquor stores.
Combined, Downtown Liquor and Plaza Liquor turned a net profit of just under $500,000, according to LarsonAllen's 2009 liquor store audit approved by the Alexandria City Council Monday night.
That's about $100,000 more than the stores made in 2008.
Out of the profits, $400,000 was transferred into the city's general fund - $25,000 more than the city had budgeted to receive.
The transfer, which matches the 2008 amount, ultimately helps reduce taxes, according to City Administrator Jim Taddei.
Mayor Dan Ness noted that without the transfer, the city would have had to increase its levy 9 percent.
As in past years, Plaza Liquor recorded the most sales - $3.15 million compared to Downtown Liquor's total of $2.29 million.
Beer accounted for 50.2 percent of the sales, followed by liquor at 31.7 percent and wine at 14.3 percent.
The cost of those products, along with miscellaneous items, amounted to $4.23 million, up about 7 percent from the previous year's $3.95 million.
Operating expenses at the stores jumped 12.7 percent to $710,873. Payroll was the biggest expense, accounting for $455,902 in salary and wages, payroll taxes, employee retirement and health and life insurance. That's up about 15 percent from 2008.
Plaza Liquor ended the year with a net operating income or profit of $294,991, up about 17 percent from last year's $252,908.
Downtown Liquor, meanwhile, had an even bigger surge, taking in a profit of $201,577 - 40 percent more than the previous year's $143,079. After approving the audit, the council thanked Carol Lanigan, liquor store manager, for keeping both stores running efficiently. |
| Customers Want More!! | 
Customers love to be repeaters. They love to come back time and time again.
Everything you do must be geared to the repeat customers. You'll go broke with 'onesies.'
Analyze what impresses or turns off your customers. Deliver beyond what customers want.
Be Quicker, Better and Different in what you do. |
| How to Keep Your Establishment Safe from Alcohol Liability |
 Use the Stoplight System Put a simple system in place to help employees determine customer's intoxication levels. The Green-Yellow-Red system is easy for staff to understand and helps employees recognize and communicate when a customer has had too much to drink. At a basic level, the Stoplight System goes like this: green means that staff can continue selling alcohol to the customer, yellow means that the customer is starting to become intoxicated and red means that alcohol service should be stopped. If an employee thinks a customer is in the yellow, he should notify the manager on duty and monitor the situation. Keep Good Records Be sure to record any incident that happens in your facility whether a customer slips and falls, a fight breaks out or an employee stops alcohol service for a customer. You should also keep records of completion of employee alcohol training and the dates when employees will need additional training. Train Your Employees
Every employee who serves alcohol to the public should complete a training program on how to serve alcohol responsibly and be well versed on the alcohol laws. Do your employees know what the passable blood alcohol level is? Do they know the potential legal ramifications for them if they serve alcohol to an intoxicated person? When employees feel confident in state laws and your policies, they know not to serve alcohol to minors or intoxicated customers and they can take the appropriate action to slow down service, refuse service, offer food or suggest a taxi for those customers.
Contact Bob Leslie to set up your on-site training. His information can be found in the "Ask a Director" section of this newsletter.
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| Elk River Position Opening |  The City of Elk River is looking for a Lead Liquor Store Clerk.
Responsible for maintaining store operations in the absence of the Liquor Operations Manager and Assistant Liquor Operations Manager. Responsible for knowing all product lines sold. Duties include but are not limited to: opening and closing of store, operating cash register, maintaining clean and orderly store; unloading deliveries, inspecting and verifying incoming stock, stocking liquor store coolers and shelves, developing displays to promote product, ordering merchandise as directed; daily bank deposits and cash reports, managing store and supervising clerks in absence of Manager and Assistant Manager; and providing excellent customer service.
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| A Giraffe Walks Into a Bar.... |  A giraffe walks into a bar and the the bartender asks, "Do you want a longneck?" The giraffe replies, "Do I have a choice?" |
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Don't look - you might see.
Don't listen - you might hear.
Don't think - you might learn
Don't make a decision - you might be wrong.
Don't walk - you might stumble.
Don't run - you might fall.
Don't live - you might die
Don't' change - you might grow. |
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| Future Dates to Remember!! |
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May 15-18, 2010 Arrowwood
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| 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
Toni Buchite
50 Lakes
218-763-2035
Bridgitte Konrad
North Branch
651-674-8113
Paul Kaspszak
MMBA
763-572-0222
1-866-938-3925
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| 2010 MMBA Conference |  | |
No Vending Machine Selling!!!!!
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| DWI Chair Sells for $3,700 |  |
The "DWI Chair," a tricked-out, motorized recliner confiscated from a drunken driver in Proctor, Minn., is about to get a new owner.
An online auction closed Tuesday night, with a man from the Duluth area winning the chair with a bid of $3,700, said Bart Kyte, sales manager of Oberfoell Auctioneers of Mountain Iron.
Previous attempts by Proctor police to sell the chair were foiled -- once when it was erroneously advertised on eBay as a La-Z-Boy model. Then in a do-over, the winning bidder backed out on his $10,999 offer. Kyte wouldn't say any more about the latest winning bidder other than that he is stop by Friday to pick up the chair.Proceeds from the sale go to the Proctor Police Department.
Equipped with a stereo and a cup holder, the recliner was converted from a gasoline-powered lawnmower and has a steering wheel, headlights and power antenna. Police estimate that it can top out at 15 to 20 miles per hour.
The recliner's former owner, Dennis Leroy Anderson of Proctor, pleaded guilty to hopping on the chair one night in August 2008, after visiting a bar in town, then crashing into a car in the parking lot. Anderson's blood alcohol content was 0.29 percent, more than three times the legal limit for driving in Minnesota. |
| Idea of the Week |  | |
Use "Gotcha" Cards
Imprint business cards with "Gotcha" on the back.
Have management award them to employees who have given exceptional service or performed outstanding work.
When 10 cards are accumulated, reward the employee with a token of appreciation.
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