Minnesota Municipal Beverage Association Newsletter
(June 26, 2016 - July 2, 2016)
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As I See It...

Summer is here in full swing.

I know this is a very busy time for all of you in your stores and in life.  

When we get so busy, it is sometimes hard to remember to find that balance between work and home.

It must be the time of year when we all forget about that because I've seen a number of articles come across my desk and to my mailbox about "work-life" balance.

When we get out of balance it causes problems at every turn and we are unhappy.

That grumpiness permeates everything we do and impacts our family, friends, co-works and customers.

One of my employees said to me the other day, "Is everything ok?"

When I replied, "Yes" he said, "You have your Monday face on."

That really made me think about how people can tell when you are stressed, mad, happy, worried.... without even saying a word.

I'm trying to take bits and pieces from the work-life balance articles I've seen lately and try to get rid of that "Monday Face" and appreciate the abundant, great life I have!

Here's a few thinks that I've found are easy and helpful!

* Drop activities that sap your energy and where you are not getting a positive return for you're your time and talents.

* Get out and get some exercise.

It's amazing what even a short walk around the block can do for you.

* Force yourself to slow down and take some time for yourself.

Build downtime into your schedule if you have to.

Turn a bad day around by:
  • Pinpointing the concrete reason for your frustration and address it immediately
  • Writing down and recite three things you are grateful for
  • Chose not to be a victim of your frustration and make a conscious effort to be positive
  • Set realistic expectations for your day
Your emotions, positive or negative, can be contagious, so choose to be positive.

It will not only help you to be happier and more productive, but it will hopefully rub off on those around you.

Have a safe and Happy 4th of July!
 
Bridgitte Konrad
City of North Branch
Detroit Lakes Position Opening
Jobs

Evening Supervisor Opportunity

Full time opportunity with benefits. Position will be working primarily afternoons and evenings.

You will be responsible for supervising evening operations of a Municipal Liquor Store including, sales, merchandising and staffing.

Candidate must have proven and strong communication skills and supervising experience.

Salary range: $38,459 to $48, 692.
       
Desired qualifications:

Minimum of two (2) years in a supervisory position and two (2) years' experience in a retail business operation, and;
    
Graduation from a high school or GED equivalent, with classes taken in sales, accounting, bookkeeping and business management, and;

Any equivalent combination of relevant experience and education.
   
The employment application and job description can be found by visiting the City of Detroit Lakes website www.ci.detroit-lakes.mn.us
 
Interested persons are to submit an employment application, cover letter and resume to:

Glori French, City Clerk
1025 Roosevelt Avenue
Detroit Lakes MN 56501
 
Resumes must be received by 1:00 P.M. on July 13, 2016
The Cost of Poor Customer Service
Money3

Johnson and Wales University hospitality professor Brian Warrener recently stated 68% of customers who leave a business will do so because of poor service.

On the other hand, 70% of customers are willing to pay a premium for great service.

That premium is 13%, which translates to a 9% increase in revenue.
Minnesota Man Put Cheap Labels On Expensive Wine, Stole At Least $2.5K In Wine
Robber 4

From: WCCO Television
 
A 42-year-old Lakeville man is accused of swindling a business out of thousands by putting cheap wine labels on expensive wine, according to charges filed in Dakota County.

Clinton Patterson Balfanz faces one felony charge of theft by swindle in connection to the incidents, which are alleged to have occurred between Nov. 18, 2015 and Jan. 7, 2016 in Dakota County.

According to the complaint, Balfanz allegedly purchased - on multiple occasions - numerous expensive wine bottles from a Burnsville business, but they would ring up for drastically cheaper.

In one instance, Balfanz purchased four bottles of wine that rang up for $9.99 each, but in actuality two were valued at $79.99 and the other two were valued at $84.99.

The Burnsville business says the total loss as a result of Balfanz's actions was $2,591.80, the complaint said.

Balfanz is accused of trying similar tactics on another business.

Surveillance footage from that business showed him tampering with and replacing bar codes on bottles of wine, but not going through with the purchase.

It's unclear how much the business suffered in losses, if anything.

After the aforementioned business positively identified Balfanz as the suspect, a search warrant was executed at his house and business.

At his home, police located a sliding pocket door that concealed an insulated door encased in concrete with a key pad handle.

After finding a key to the door, police discovered a rack of wine inside containing hundreds of bottles of wine - including numerous bottles of wine that were listed on the search warrant, the complaint said.

Police also found sheets of bar codes, including bar codes for inexpensive wine bar codes that had been placed on the expensive wine purchased from the Burnsville liquor store.

If convicted, Balfanz faces up five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better.

Happy 4th of July!
Future Dates to Remember


2017 MMBA
Annual Conference


April 29 - May 2, 2017
Ask A Director

Gary Buysse
Rogers
763-428-0163

Cathy Pletta
Kasson
507-634-7618
  
Bill Ludwig
Paynesville
320-250-3325
  
Nancy Raines
Longville
218-363-3249 
  
John Jacobi
Isanti
763-444-5063

Nanette Serbus
Olivia
320-523-2730

Steve Grausam
Edina
952-903-5732

Chris Arnold
Bagley
218-694-2542
E-Mail Me

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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Clues to Prehistoric Times Found in Blind Cavefish
TED Fellow Prosanta Chakrabarty explores hidden parts of the world in search of new species of cave-dwelling fish.

 These subterranean creatures have developed fascinating adaptations, and they provide biological insights into blindness as well as geological clues about how the continents broke apart million of years ago.

Contemplate deep time in this short talk.

Click Here
Teenage Girl on the Phone
A teenage girl had been talking on the phone for about a half an hour and then she hung up.

"Wow!" said her father, "That was short.

You usually talk for two hours.

What happened?"

"Wrong number,"replied the girl.

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