| As I See It... |
I personally love this time of year. It is time to get together with friends and family. Maybe some you have not seen since the last holiday season, and that can make for a very special event.
Each year at the beginning of December, I send out a letter to all my business customers and area Chamber members. In the letter I ask them to come shopping for their holiday parties and gift giving. I offer the assistance of myself and staff to help them with their planning and selections.
I thank them for their business throughout the year and offer them two coupons to use in the store while doing their shopping. One coupon is for a percentage of a gift basket or gift set and one a percentage of a purchase of $100 or more.
I have been doing this for at least the past 5 years and the coupons have always been very popular. We have had a few customers here and there call with an order or asking for help in the past, but this year we have had 4 businesses set up a shopping appointment with one of my staff. These appointments have added an additional $1,000 plus in sales to our month of December.
These calls for appointments have affirmed that it is very important to get to know your customers and hand sell to them all year round. These are regular customers of ours that we have gotten to know over the years. They trust that we know what they would like, which in turn leads to extra dollars to the bottom line.
I would like to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Lara Smetana
Voyageur Bottle Shop (Pine City) |
| Drunk Walking Can Lead to Problems | 
Editor's Note: This is why we stress in our Beverage Alcohol Trainings the importance of not serving intoxicated patrons even if they are not driving.....
Most everyone knows the dangers of driving under the influence of alcohol. With the holidays approaching, an expert warns that walking under the influence of alcohol can also have deadly consequences.
Over the past 25 years, Dr. Thomas Esposito, a trauma surgeon at Loyola University Health System in Maywood, Ill., has seen firsthand the adverse effects of "drunk walking."
From July 2009 to June 2010, 55 people who'd been struck by a car had their blood-alcohol content checked. Of those, "24 percent had blood-alcohol concentrations at or above 0.08 percent, the accepted level for intoxication," he said.
Although alcohol is involved in many pedestrian deaths throughout the year, alcohol-related pedestrian deaths reportedly peak on New Year's Day. Esposito noted that in addition to these cases, many people are injured at home after drinking too much.
"It's not just walking outside. We often see people who have been drinking that have fallen down the stairs or tripped at home and injured themselves," Esposito said. "Others have unwisely chosen to 'get into it' with guns, knives, bottles and fists." |
| Benson Job Opportunity |  The City of Benson is seeking applications for the position of Full-Time Liquor Store Manager. This is a combination On-Sale and Off-Sale operation. Qualifications include excellent public relations skills with a strong background in retail marketing, small business management and progressively responsible experience in liquor sales. Deadline for accepting applications is January 3, 2012 at 4:30 PM. Please send resume to the City of Benson, 1410 Kansas Avenue, Benson, MN 56215. 320-843-4775 EOE / AA Congratulations and good luck to current manager Pat McGeary on his upcoming retirement!! |
| Buffalo Job Opportunity | |
Buffalo and Downtown Wine & Spirits stores have an opening for Operations Manager.
The Operations Manager supervises all financial affairs including the accomplishment of prescribed margins and goals set forth by the City of Buffalo.
Experience in management required.
Salary range $46,862 - $61,672 DOQ.
Check the website for applications: www.ci.buffalo.mn.us and send to Laureen.bodin@ci.buffalo.mn.us or send to 212 Central Avenue, Buffalo, MN 55313 by January 12, 2012.
The City of Buffalo is an EOE
Congratulations and good luck to current manager Beau Hickman as he takes a new position at Leonetti Cellar Winery in Washington!! |
| Wirtz Beverage Job Opportunity | | Wirtz Beverage Minnesota is looking for a Sales Consultant in the Brainerd Lakes Area. Purpose: To sell, market and distribute Wirtz Beverage MN spirits and wine products in a professional and courteous manner. Required Duties: - Sell, display and merchandise all "Priority" brands of Wirtz Beverage MN
- Provide will-calls when orders do not get on a Wirtz Beverage MN or independent truck
- Execute shelf re-sets to standards, making sure Wirtz Beverage MN "priority" brands are at premium location at all times
- Complete any surveys requested by Wirtz Beverage MN Management
- Communicate through voice-mail, e-mail and proper follow-through on issues deemed important to management, our customers and suppliers
- Attend all meetings, tastings, seminars or any other function in a timely and professional manner
- Provide any other materials to Wirtz Beverage MN Management on request
- Work to obtain every goal or quota possible
- Show statements and make collections on a timely basis
- Work with supplier reps when assigned
- Dust and maintain our products on shelves
- Provide tastings
- Provide current up-to-date P.O.S. and rebates to all customers
- Provide signs, menus or other printed materials to all customers
- Provide information to Management when requested
Requirements: - High school diploma, college degree preferred
- Valid driver's license and good driving record
- Vehicle in good working condition/proof of insurance
- Previous industry experience helpful
- Ability to lift 50 lbs. on a regular basis
Working Conditions: - 90% of time spent outside of office in retail accounts
Backus, Baxter, Brainerd, Breezy Point, Crosslake, Cushing, Deerwood, East Gull Lake, Fort Ripley, Hackensack, Jenkins, Lake Shore, Little Falls, Longville, Merrifield, Motley, Nisswa, Pequot Lakes, Pillager, Pine River, Randall, Rice, Staples, Verndale Resumes should be sent to: wbgmn.hr@wirtzbev.com by January 15, 2012 |
| Gilman Job Opening | | The City of Gilman is searching for a determined, motivated person who can build and maintain an exciting atmosphere to be our next full time Municipal Liquor Store manager. Duties include: hire and maintain a positive workforce, schedule entertainment and events, determine new promotional events, bartend and monitor day to day activities. Candidates should have one year of managerial experience, preferably in the bar / restaurant industry, knowledge in advertising and promotional events, be able to lift 65 pounds and understand basic accounting & financial statements. Qualified candidates may submit a resume to City of Gilman, PO Box 212, Gilman, MN 56333 or email them to cityofgilman@jetup.net. |
| Holiday Hours | |
The MMBA office has received many calls concerning Holiday operating hours.
Click Here to See State Statute
Cities should note the new League of Minnesota Cities Calendar of Important Dates contains a correction to the Christmas holiday liquor sales.
The previous document indicated liquor stores must be closed on December 26. In fact, they can be open:
Click Here to See Calendar |
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| Future Dates to Remember!! |  |
2012 MMBA / MLBA Legislative Day
February 27, 2012
Kelly Inn - St. Paul
2012
MMBA Boot Camp
February 21-22, 2012
Breezy Point Resort
2012 MMBA Annual Conference
May 20-22, 2012
Arrowwood Resort
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| Ask A Director |
Gary Buysse
Rogers
763-428-0163
Cathy Pletta Kasson 507-634-7618 Vicki Segerstrom Milaca 320-983-6255 Brian Hachey Stacy 651-462-2727
Nancy Drumsta Delano 763-972-0578
Lara Smetana Pine City 320-629-2020
Michael Friesen Hawley 218-483-4747
Tom Agnes
Brooklyn Center
763-381-2349
Toni Buchite
50 Lakes
218-763-2035
Bridgitte Konrad North Branch 651-674-8113 Shelly Dillon Callaway 218-375-4691 Paul Kaspszak MMBA 763-572-0222 1-866-938-3925
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| Wine 101 |  | |
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| Santa Claus Decides to Vacation in Texas... |  | |
Santa Claus decides to vacation in Texas because it's warm and he heard the people are friendly there.
As soon as he arrives in town, people begin to point and say, "Look! Isn't he someone famous?"
Santa thinks to himself, "I'll never get any rest if people start asking to sit on my lap and try to tell me what they want. I gotta disguise myself."
So he buys a cowboy outfit, complete with snakeskin boots and a ten-gallon hat.
As soon as Santa goes out, people begin to point and say, "Look! It's that famous Christmas character!"
Santa rushes around a corner to hide.
"It's my beard!" he thinks. "They recognize me because of my long, white beard!"
So Santa runs into the nearest barbershop and has them shave off his trademark beard. "I really look like everybody else now!"
So he walks into a bar with a big smile on his face.
Suddenly, a man shouts, "It's him! It's the Christmas guy!"
Santa can't believe it. He's sure he's thought of everything.
So Santa walks up to the man and says, "How did you recognize me?"
"You? I don't know who you are. But isn't that Rudolph who just followed you in here?" |
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"Change is the law of life and those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future."
-John F. Kennedy |
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