Minnesota Municipal Beverage Association Newsletter
(October 25, 2015 - October 31, 2015)
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MMBA Website
As I See It...
 
Well our regional meetings have just wrapped up.

I find it incredible MMBA director John Jacobi couldn't make it to all six...Maybe next year.

At all of the meetings, Jim Langemo walked us through an outline on how we can create a customer service culture in our stores.

It's an important realization that we are leaving money on the table everyday unless we take the time to listen to our customers when they visit our stores.

A Forbes article from 2011 states 70% of our customers will spend 13% more in businesses that provide "exceptional customer service."

Your employee may be the first person that particular day to have said hello to this customer.

Your employee may have been the only person to show the willingness to help solve the customer's beverage challenges.

Your employee may have been the only one to offer a genuine "thank you"after a transaction instead of "have a good one." (What does that phrase mean anyway?)

We can and do change the lives of every person we meet.

I want to thank every person I've met in the MMBA for always teaching me how to become better at my job.
 
When we create a customer service culture we should be able to track the growth via increased transfers to city general funds, the average units per ticket and the average price per ticket.

We also discussed unique products our members can purchase that offer case one pricing throughout a list of over 3600 items.

We are extremely lucky that private labels, or what some call "proprietary" brands, are available to all retailers in our state.

At the Bemidji meeting, a manager stated a customer walked in and found a wine named Cloud Break Pinot Noir.

He said they have only seen and purchased this wine at certain stores in Arizona.

They were amazed his store, in Greater Minnesota, carried it and for   $2.00 less than the store in Arizona.

I learn something new every day from our incredible group of managers.

I was looking around the room in Bemidji and we had a group from Warroad Liquors.

I think they traveled the farthest, so kudos to them.

Next time you stop in Hawley I will buy you a bottle of Cloud Break Pinot Noir.

Oh and thanks to the Bemidji group for the Happy Birthday song, I'm 50 years strong!

The photo above was taken on my way home from Bemidji.

Michael Friesen
Hawley Liquors
Did You Know?

At the MMBA Regional meetings, Jim Langemo referenced a video on the impact of employees focusing on a specific task.

Click Here to See the Video

You will be shown a 30-second video clip of six college students divided into two teams.

Three students are wearing white T-shirts, while the other three are wearing black.

Each team has a basketball which they are passing to members of their team.

Your task is to count the number of passes made by the team wearing white T-shirts.
Researchers Studying Whether Kids Should be Allowed to Drink Alcohol at Home

A University of Buffalo scientist is tackling a question on many parents minds: Should kids be allowed to drink alcohol at home in moderation?

Some parents do allow their kids to have wine or beer at home, hoping if they drink in moderation with their family they may be less likely to binge on their own and therefore decrease their chances for future alcohol-related problems.

Now, new data says it depends on the type of home.

UB Research Scientist Ash Levitt uses data from a 15-year time span.

The research polls over 700 parents and more than two thousand kids from the Buffalo area.

Levitt said, "The biggest thing we found is, that kids being allowed to drink at home is not inherently protective or risky.

But, it really depends on the family structure which is defined as intact or not intact."

An "intact" family is where kids grow up with both biological parents.

"Non-intact" are blended or single parent family environments.

In this study, kids in intact families who were allowed to drink at home showed the lowest levels of alcohol use and problems over time.

That's compared to non-intact families who showed the highest levels.

Kids who weren't allowed to drink, regardless of family structure, fell somewhere in the middle.

Levitt says these patterns can make a lasting impact.

"These are effects that start when they are teenagers and continue into their early thirties, so these effects don't go away they can still have a meaningful impact later in life," said Levitt.

He said kids from intact- families did better because it's easier to monitor with two parents on hand. He said it is a reminder of the importance of communication.

"Parents just need to be in touch with their kids lives.

They just need to know what their kids are doing, and there needs to be effective two-way communication between parents and kids."

A father of two said he will have a no tolerance alcohol policy when his kids grow up.

Charlie Ashker from Niagara Falls said, "I would say it has very bad influence, and you're setting quite a precedent for your young children."

One mother of four agrees, and said she wants to set a good example for her kids so she doesn't drink at home either.

But up to 30 percent of parents allow their children to drink at home. Levitt says when it comes to this controversial issue, his studies aren't over yet.

"I think there's a lot left to learn about these types of things especially as they play out over long periods of time," he said.

It's important to note this research doesn't pin-point how much the families studied were allowing their kids to drink.

Levitt says he will now look to fine tune some of these points.
A Worker Goes to His Boss...

A worker goes to his boss and says, 'You have to give me a raise.

There are three other companies after me.'

'Is that so?' says the manager.

'And what companies are those?'

The worker replies, 'The electric company, the telephone company, and the gas company.'

The great secret is that an orchestra can actually play without a conductor.

Of course, a great conductor will have a concept and will help them play together and unify them.
Future Dates to Remember
2016 MMBA Annual Conference

April 16 - 19, 2016
Arrowwood Resort

Ask A Director

Gary Buysse
Rogers
763-428-0163

Cathy Pletta
Kasson
507-634-7618
  
Bill Ludwig
Paynesville
320-250-3325
  
Candice Woods
Hutchinson 
320-587-2762
  
John Jacobi
Isanti
763-444-5063

Michael Friesen
Hawley
218-483-4747

Steve Grausam
Edina
952-903-5732

Tom Agnes
Brooklyn Center
763-549-3710
Brenda Visnovec
Lakeville 
952-985-4901
 
Bridgitte Konrad
North Branch
651-674-8113

 Karissa Kurth
Buffalo Lake
320-833-2321
 
Paul Kaspszak
MMBA
763-572-0222
1-866-938-3925
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We believe Minnesota's current alcohol regulations are smart, balanced, and supported by many citizens and our local small businesses.    

    

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