The tree lights shone in the Schwipple house.
Once again Winston had done his job well. Perfectly spaced bulbs twinkled on the freshly cut balsam tree. Beatrice and the kids, Billy, Tiffany and little Joey, nicknamed "Band-Aid" because of his ability to always hurt himself, had spent the last three hours decorating the tree with the family-treasured ornaments.
"Look Mom. Here's the one from our trip to Tennessee", exclaimed Tiffany. "Remember that trip?", she asked.
That was one of their last family vacations. The economy had hit them hard. Winston's company, Schwipple, Inc., had faced unheard of losses this year. People just weren't buying Schwipps the way they used to.
"Yes, Tiffany, that was a wonderful time", said Beatrice, looking at all the empty space beneath the tree. How are going to get presents for the kids this year, she mused to herself. There just isn't enough money to go around.
Jingle Bells was finishing on the radio and a commercial began.
"Yes, we believe in Christmas and want you to also. Now you can help Samta Claus bring joy to your family. Stop in at your local Wal-Mart and watch your dollars stretch to brighten your holidays."
Samta Claus, thought Winston. Boy, things had changed since Wal-Mart had replaced the old Santa Claus with their new character. Samta Claus was dressed in a 3-piece, pin-striped suit instead of the traditional red suit that Santa had worn and now sat in a huge executive's chair behind a big desk. No more lap time for the kids. Just step up to the desk and leave your list in the "In" box.
"Mom? What do you think Samta will bring this year? I really want a 10 speed bike," said Billy.
Well, dear, don't get your hopes up. It's been a pretty bad year for his elves," replied Beatrice.
Once more the radio blared, "And we have a special gift for all of you. Samta has decided to give everyone a special 3.5% discount this year!"
Winston and Beatrice exchanged glances. They both had the same thought. "We could get Billy a 10 speed bicycle hot wheel now."
"Beatrice, did you see the letter I got from my brother, Chadsworth? His company closed last week and I guess they didn't offer any kind of retirement or severance package to their employees. Apparently they had lowered their prices as far as they could to compete with Wal-Mart and just ended up losing the whole company. All the employees were let go," said Winston.
"So what's he going to do?"
"He's coming to live with us for a while"
"With his 7 kids?"
"And Francine and the 3 German Shepherds."
"For how long?"
"Until the economy turns around. The Dow is still at 400 pts. The only place making money is Wal-Mart and the Walton family. And, of course, they're privately held so they aren't traded on Wall Street. That means they get to keep all the profits."
"Well, thank goodness people are still buying Schwipps," said Beatrice.
"But for how long?" finished Winston
(To be continued)
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Religious Prejudice
The mid-year elections will get into high gear in a couple of months. And, as usual, everyone has their own criteria on who to vote for.
Was the stimulus good and has it worked? Are we getting out of Afghanistan or Iraq soon? What are states like Michigan and California going to do when they run out of money? Tax the non-working citizens? Raise property taxes on homes that are in foreclosure?
There's a lot to think about this year.
But what did some of our past Americans have to deal with?
How about a sitting president who added close to 10 states to the Union? He also broke up close to 90 trusts although the previous president has the nickname of the great "Trust Buster".
He initiated the Civil Service, eliminating the spoils system that had been in place since the beginning of the Republic. He strengthened the Interstate Commerce Commission and worked on improving the postal service.
He searched for peace by establishing the League to Enforce Peace. After leaving the White House, he was named Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and wrote many decisions still being used today.
Upon his death, he was buried in Arlington Cemetary. During his campaign, he fought against religious prejudice from those who felt he was unfit to serve as President due to his religious beliefs.
John Kennedy? No, William Howard Taft, the heaviest President in American history, weighing in at over 300 pounds, reaching just 6 feet tall. His estimated BMI was about 40.7. No shrinking violet.
And the religious problem? He was a Unitarian. When asked about his beliefs, he replied "I believe in God, but I don't believe in the Divinity of Jesus Christ."
Think about the upcoming elections. Could anyone be successful if they were an avowed non-Christian? How the times have changed.
Remember, you can receive my Notes From The Gene Pool by selecting the little orange box in your URL above.
Was the stimulus good and has it worked? Are we getting out of Afghanistan or Iraq soon? What are states like Michigan and California going to do when they run out of money? Tax the non-working citizens? Raise property taxes on homes that are in foreclosure?
There's a lot to think about this year.
But what did some of our past Americans have to deal with?
How about a sitting president who added close to 10 states to the Union? He also broke up close to 90 trusts although the previous president has the nickname of the great "Trust Buster".
He initiated the Civil Service, eliminating the spoils system that had been in place since the beginning of the Republic. He strengthened the Interstate Commerce Commission and worked on improving the postal service.
He searched for peace by establishing the League to Enforce Peace. After leaving the White House, he was named Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and wrote many decisions still being used today.
Upon his death, he was buried in Arlington Cemetary. During his campaign, he fought against religious prejudice from those who felt he was unfit to serve as President due to his religious beliefs.
John Kennedy? No, William Howard Taft, the heaviest President in American history, weighing in at over 300 pounds, reaching just 6 feet tall. His estimated BMI was about 40.7. No shrinking violet.
And the religious problem? He was a Unitarian. When asked about his beliefs, he replied "I believe in God, but I don't believe in the Divinity of Jesus Christ."
Think about the upcoming elections. Could anyone be successful if they were an avowed non-Christian? How the times have changed.
Remember, you can receive my Notes From The Gene Pool by selecting the little orange box in your URL above.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
A Diamond Day
John Denver sang it best, "Some Days Are Diamonds, Some Days Are Dogs".
Today was a diamond day.
TAKE ONE:
Wal-Mart announced today that it will begin selling caskets, effectively reducing the price by about $1,000 from funeral home pricing. Another consumer win. Under consideration is the offer of 100 free prayer cards with a detachable coupon for 20% off the price of graveyard Styrofoam crosses with attached plastic flowers. Only 10% on plain crosses.
TAKE TWO:
Milwaukee County Executive, Scott Walker, announced his budget for next year which included the layoff of up to 200 workers. County Supervisors revolted and said money could be saved in other areas, protecting those jobs. One of their ideas was taking $2,000 out of each of their office budgets for newsletters. Remember, the taxpayer is paying for this "benefit" which "keeps us in touch with our elected officials".
Anyone thinking that these should be considered campaign material is wrong. Because we wouldn't want our tax dollars to go for that.
TAKE THREE:
We've all seen those ubiquitous little markers in the middle of the street reminding drivers that pedestrians have the right of way in crosswalks. In other words, stop your car so they can cross safely.
This driver apparently didn't get the message. Let's hope the pedestrian made it across in time.
Remember, just click on the little orange box in the URL address to subscribe. Why miss these?
Today was a diamond day.
TAKE ONE:
Wal-Mart announced today that it will begin selling caskets, effectively reducing the price by about $1,000 from funeral home pricing. Another consumer win. Under consideration is the offer of 100 free prayer cards with a detachable coupon for 20% off the price of graveyard Styrofoam crosses with attached plastic flowers. Only 10% on plain crosses.
TAKE TWO:
Milwaukee County Executive, Scott Walker, announced his budget for next year which included the layoff of up to 200 workers. County Supervisors revolted and said money could be saved in other areas, protecting those jobs. One of their ideas was taking $2,000 out of each of their office budgets for newsletters. Remember, the taxpayer is paying for this "benefit" which "keeps us in touch with our elected officials".
Anyone thinking that these should be considered campaign material is wrong. Because we wouldn't want our tax dollars to go for that.
TAKE THREE:
We've all seen those ubiquitous little markers in the middle of the street reminding drivers that pedestrians have the right of way in crosswalks. In other words, stop your car so they can cross safely.This driver apparently didn't get the message. Let's hope the pedestrian made it across in time.
Remember, just click on the little orange box in the URL address to subscribe. Why miss these?
Thursday, October 29, 2009
News I'd Like To See
News Item ----
"The Legislature should remove the markup law --- also called the Unfair Sales Act --- from state statutes. This law, enacted in 1939 to protect mom and pop outfits, ultimately harms consumers by denying them bargains that people in other states can enjoy" - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009.
NEWS FLASH --------
Milwaukee, WI - Today Wal-Mart announced their entry into the wonderful world of broadcasting. Having secured approval from the FCC, Wal-Mart will be broadcasting on WWAL-TV in high def. The channel will primarily feature their signature, low priced items. However, in a stunning development, Wal-Mart stated that any company can advertise for free on their channel. No more high priced TV ads.
Reaction from local station, WTMJ, Channel 4, a wholly owned subsidiary of Journal Communications (which also owns the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel), was somewhat reserved.
"We're not sure how this will work out. Our survival as a viable television station relies on our advertising dollars. We may have to cut back on some of our programming. We're thinking of dumping the local news (those anchors are pretty expensive when there's no money coming in).
Asked what other steps they might make to respond to the Wal-Mart challenge, a WTMJ spokesman said that station management is looking into paying advertisers to be on their station. "If we give each advertiser $2,000 for being on WTMJ, we feel that it could put Wal-Mart out of the market".
Unfortunately, WTMJ has only enough money to give to advertisers through Saturday of this week.
In a related story, Wal-Mart says that they are having great success with their new printed classified newspaper being delivered free to citizens in the city.
They've successfully put the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel into a frenzy to survive. Asked about the loss of their main source of income, now that the classified section has disappeared from the paper, a Journal Sentinel spokesperson stated, "We still have the obituaries. And we now put the logos of the funeral homes in the listings, driving our income upwards".
The editorial board has announced that it is re-thinking their stand on removing the Unfair Sales Act. In the meantime, their printing presses are scheduled to be available on Craig's List early next week.
(If only it were true.)
As always, keep up with the Notes from the Gene Pool by clicking on the little orange box in your URL box and subscribe today.
"The Legislature should remove the markup law --- also called the Unfair Sales Act --- from state statutes. This law, enacted in 1939 to protect mom and pop outfits, ultimately harms consumers by denying them bargains that people in other states can enjoy" - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009.
NEWS FLASH --------
Milwaukee, WI - Today Wal-Mart announced their entry into the wonderful world of broadcasting. Having secured approval from the FCC, Wal-Mart will be broadcasting on WWAL-TV in high def. The channel will primarily feature their signature, low priced items. However, in a stunning development, Wal-Mart stated that any company can advertise for free on their channel. No more high priced TV ads.
Reaction from local station, WTMJ, Channel 4, a wholly owned subsidiary of Journal Communications (which also owns the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel), was somewhat reserved.
"We're not sure how this will work out. Our survival as a viable television station relies on our advertising dollars. We may have to cut back on some of our programming. We're thinking of dumping the local news (those anchors are pretty expensive when there's no money coming in).
Asked what other steps they might make to respond to the Wal-Mart challenge, a WTMJ spokesman said that station management is looking into paying advertisers to be on their station. "If we give each advertiser $2,000 for being on WTMJ, we feel that it could put Wal-Mart out of the market".
Unfortunately, WTMJ has only enough money to give to advertisers through Saturday of this week.
In a related story, Wal-Mart says that they are having great success with their new printed classified newspaper being delivered free to citizens in the city.
They've successfully put the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel into a frenzy to survive. Asked about the loss of their main source of income, now that the classified section has disappeared from the paper, a Journal Sentinel spokesperson stated, "We still have the obituaries. And we now put the logos of the funeral homes in the listings, driving our income upwards".
The editorial board has announced that it is re-thinking their stand on removing the Unfair Sales Act. In the meantime, their printing presses are scheduled to be available on Craig's List early next week.
(If only it were true.)
As always, keep up with the Notes from the Gene Pool by clicking on the little orange box in your URL box and subscribe today.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Wal-Mart Uber Alles
Well, they're one step closer to taking over our lives.
Wal-Mart has started the "Great Book War" by offering six soon-to-be-released books on their online store for just $10, taking on Amazon. Amazon responded by lowering their price to $9.00. Quickly, Target offered the books at $8.99.
These low priced books will affect all the small book retailers in your town who are paying the same wholesale price from the distributors but can't afford to sell below their cost. But that's what Wal-Mart pretty much does. Takes out the competition.
Once touted as the "Great American Company" (remember them showing all those American workers holding hands in front of a store?), Wal-Mart has morphed into a retail monster that features products made overseas. Some manufacturers are "forced" to make their products in other countries so they can gain entrance into this monolith.
So they've done their best to destroy many American jobs and stores. Go into a Wal-Mart and check out the children's clothes' racks. Taiwan, Bolivia, Guatemala, Venezuela, Vietnam, China, Thailand, India, you name it. Block out a 40 square foot are in their store and see how many countries you can find. Each one of those countries is now producing items instead of the U.S. So put the US in the middle of your Bingo card. You can use it as a free space.
Taking on Amazon and Target moves Wal-Mart into a new area. No longer content with closing local grocery stores, toy stores, bakeries, butcher shops and hardware stores, they now want it all.
As an owner of a small company selling school supplies, it's difficult to compete with the low prices they offer. We have to place our orders with manufacturers in January and February based on our projections. We pay the full wholesale price and have to set our selling price for the year. Then Wal-Mart comes out with pricing way below their costs, just to pull people into the store to buy all those other items like underwear and socks.
Over the years we've positioned School-Pak as a company that focuses on brand name quality, convenience and customer service. We've been successful at that. You can see Wal-Mart's model any time you get in line in their store. 12 checkouts available but only 4 being used. Customers aren't their focus.
Wisconsin is one of a few states that has the Unfair Sales Act which prohibits stores from selling below their costs. That's the only protection we have here.
Most upsetting about the Wal-Mart phenomenon is that it's a privately held company. The Walton family can take a few million dollar "hits" if it puts other companies, those with stocks that fuel our economy, out of business, opening the door to monopolizing retail sales. No wonder the family has a number of billionaires!
Soon you'll see them expand to other "sacred" areas. How about "Blue Cross, Blue Wal-Mart"? Have your gallbladder removed at a reduced rate providing you use Wal-Mart surgeons. Need a hip replacement? Great price for that with a special discount on walkers and canes. They'll take care of everyone from womb to tomb.
And the bouncing, smiling yellow face may someday roll down "tithing" (from 10% to 7%) at your local C.O.G.I.W. (Church of God in Wal-Mart).
Want to keep up to date with Notes from the Gene Pool? Simply click on the little orange box at the top of your browser. You can subscribe there.
Wal-Mart has started the "Great Book War" by offering six soon-to-be-released books on their online store for just $10, taking on Amazon. Amazon responded by lowering their price to $9.00. Quickly, Target offered the books at $8.99.
These low priced books will affect all the small book retailers in your town who are paying the same wholesale price from the distributors but can't afford to sell below their cost. But that's what Wal-Mart pretty much does. Takes out the competition.
Once touted as the "Great American Company" (remember them showing all those American workers holding hands in front of a store?), Wal-Mart has morphed into a retail monster that features products made overseas. Some manufacturers are "forced" to make their products in other countries so they can gain entrance into this monolith.
So they've done their best to destroy many American jobs and stores. Go into a Wal-Mart and check out the children's clothes' racks. Taiwan, Bolivia, Guatemala, Venezuela, Vietnam, China, Thailand, India, you name it. Block out a 40 square foot are in their store and see how many countries you can find. Each one of those countries is now producing items instead of the U.S. So put the US in the middle of your Bingo card. You can use it as a free space.
Taking on Amazon and Target moves Wal-Mart into a new area. No longer content with closing local grocery stores, toy stores, bakeries, butcher shops and hardware stores, they now want it all.
As an owner of a small company selling school supplies, it's difficult to compete with the low prices they offer. We have to place our orders with manufacturers in January and February based on our projections. We pay the full wholesale price and have to set our selling price for the year. Then Wal-Mart comes out with pricing way below their costs, just to pull people into the store to buy all those other items like underwear and socks.
Over the years we've positioned School-Pak as a company that focuses on brand name quality, convenience and customer service. We've been successful at that. You can see Wal-Mart's model any time you get in line in their store. 12 checkouts available but only 4 being used. Customers aren't their focus.
Wisconsin is one of a few states that has the Unfair Sales Act which prohibits stores from selling below their costs. That's the only protection we have here.
Most upsetting about the Wal-Mart phenomenon is that it's a privately held company. The Walton family can take a few million dollar "hits" if it puts other companies, those with stocks that fuel our economy, out of business, opening the door to monopolizing retail sales. No wonder the family has a number of billionaires!
Soon you'll see them expand to other "sacred" areas. How about "Blue Cross, Blue Wal-Mart"? Have your gallbladder removed at a reduced rate providing you use Wal-Mart surgeons. Need a hip replacement? Great price for that with a special discount on walkers and canes. They'll take care of everyone from womb to tomb.
And the bouncing, smiling yellow face may someday roll down "tithing" (from 10% to 7%) at your local C.O.G.I.W. (Church of God in Wal-Mart).
Want to keep up to date with Notes from the Gene Pool? Simply click on the little orange box at the top of your browser. You can subscribe there.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Fall In Wisconsin
Been keeping pretty busy the last few weeks.
Terri & I took a ride to the Green Bay area to look at the fall colors. The newscasts had said that the colors were peaking around Fond Du Lac, so up we went. But the leaves hadn't changed at all. It was pretty bleak up there, rain, clouds and cold temperatures. What happened to the weather this year?
We tried to go to Door County but couldn't find a place to stay in Sturgeon Bay or anyplace else near there so we headed back to Green Bay. It turned out to be a good choice.
Having never been there before, we went to Lambeau Field and the Packer Hall Of Fame. Pretty cool. They have 4-5 minute videos showing the Packers from the 1920's to 2008. By now everyone knows about the special place they have in pro sports history, being the only professional sports team that is owned by the fans.
The first franchise fee the Packers paid was $250.00. The Houston Texans paid $750 million for their franchise fee. And I though gas prices went up.
Their very first year the players shared in the "profits" (the hat was passed at every game), each getting $16.75 for playing in 11 games, a little less than Rodgers is getting. Of course, after checking out the Packer Fan Shop, and seeing that buying a retro jersey cost $285.00, those old players would have to play for 17 years just to buy one of their jerseys!
Took the tour of Lambeau and got into one of the private suites. Probably the only way we'll ever be there. They then took us down to the basement and we got to go onto the field through "the tunnel". They played a tape of the crowd noise so we could "feel the excitement the players have" running onto the field. Cool.
They say that defense wins games. How about those 1929 Packers that allowed just 22 points in 13 games? They won 12 of those and tied the other.
Now if this year's squad could only do the same thing.
On the business side, things are starting to ramp up. We've received more request for quotes than we've ever had at this time of the year. I think the new options we're offering schools this year are getting a lot of attention.
2009 is turning out to be a pretty good year and 2010 looks even better.
Terri & I took a ride to the Green Bay area to look at the fall colors. The newscasts had said that the colors were peaking around Fond Du Lac, so up we went. But the leaves hadn't changed at all. It was pretty bleak up there, rain, clouds and cold temperatures. What happened to the weather this year?
We tried to go to Door County but couldn't find a place to stay in Sturgeon Bay or anyplace else near there so we headed back to Green Bay. It turned out to be a good choice.
Having never been there before, we went to Lambeau Field and the Packer Hall Of Fame. Pretty cool. They have 4-5 minute videos showing the Packers from the 1920's to 2008. By now everyone knows about the special place they have in pro sports history, being the only professional sports team that is owned by the fans.
The first franchise fee the Packers paid was $250.00. The Houston Texans paid $750 million for their franchise fee. And I though gas prices went up.
Their very first year the players shared in the "profits" (the hat was passed at every game), each getting $16.75 for playing in 11 games, a little less than Rodgers is getting. Of course, after checking out the Packer Fan Shop, and seeing that buying a retro jersey cost $285.00, those old players would have to play for 17 years just to buy one of their jerseys!
Took the tour of Lambeau and got into one of the private suites. Probably the only way we'll ever be there. They then took us down to the basement and we got to go onto the field through "the tunnel". They played a tape of the crowd noise so we could "feel the excitement the players have" running onto the field. Cool.
They say that defense wins games. How about those 1929 Packers that allowed just 22 points in 13 games? They won 12 of those and tied the other.
Now if this year's squad could only do the same thing.
On the business side, things are starting to ramp up. We've received more request for quotes than we've ever had at this time of the year. I think the new options we're offering schools this year are getting a lot of attention.
2009 is turning out to be a pretty good year and 2010 looks even better.
Monday, October 05, 2009
It Had To Happen
By now you're familiar with the Enron problem a few years ago. You might also have been taken by Bernie Madoff. It seems if there's a way to get taken, someone will do it.
Well, after 18 years in business, it finally happened to us.
In the middle of January, 2008, we received a commitment form, signed by the President of the PTO at Godley Elementary, Patty Dickey, committing to our Basic program for the 2008-2009 school year.
They sent us the orders and we made the packs, but made a mistake. We produced the wrong packs. We sent all the correct items to complete the packs and told them to just keep the items we had sent in error.
We then re-billed them and that's when the problems started. They didn't pay. Since school was out, we contacted the alternate contact for the school but she had moved, left no forwarding address, did not respond to telephone calls or emails. We knew we were in trouble. The school still owed us $1700.
We finally wrote to the Patricia (see the attached letter, Godley Letter) asking for payment. At first she didn't respond. She knew that there was money due and eventually sent a check for $700 but marked it for "Final Payment". Obviously, we couldn't accept that and write off $1000. We're not that big and we were owed the money.
To make a long story short, the school refused to pay saying that neither the school district, the school or the PTA was responsible for the actions that Patricia took. Wow! You would think that someone signing for the group would make the group responsible.
Our mistake was not taking the $700. Godley has now sent us a Cease and Desist letter stopping us from collecting our money. While told that we had a strong case, the fact was that we would end up spending more to get our money than we could collect.
It kind of makes us afraid to trust anyone out there. They not only received all those products but also kept the items we sent in error. I believe an overwhelming number of people are honest and pay their bills and we'll keep doing our thing the way we should.
So move over Bernie. There's a whole group of people out there that won't do the right thing.
Well, after 18 years in business, it finally happened to us.
In the middle of January, 2008, we received a commitment form, signed by the President of the PTO at Godley Elementary, Patty Dickey, committing to our Basic program for the 2008-2009 school year.
They sent us the orders and we made the packs, but made a mistake. We produced the wrong packs. We sent all the correct items to complete the packs and told them to just keep the items we had sent in error.
We then re-billed them and that's when the problems started. They didn't pay. Since school was out, we contacted the alternate contact for the school but she had moved, left no forwarding address, did not respond to telephone calls or emails. We knew we were in trouble. The school still owed us $1700.
We finally wrote to the Patricia (see the attached letter, Godley Letter) asking for payment. At first she didn't respond. She knew that there was money due and eventually sent a check for $700 but marked it for "Final Payment". Obviously, we couldn't accept that and write off $1000. We're not that big and we were owed the money.
To make a long story short, the school refused to pay saying that neither the school district, the school or the PTA was responsible for the actions that Patricia took. Wow! You would think that someone signing for the group would make the group responsible.
Our mistake was not taking the $700. Godley has now sent us a Cease and Desist letter stopping us from collecting our money. While told that we had a strong case, the fact was that we would end up spending more to get our money than we could collect.
It kind of makes us afraid to trust anyone out there. They not only received all those products but also kept the items we sent in error. I believe an overwhelming number of people are honest and pay their bills and we'll keep doing our thing the way we should.
So move over Bernie. There's a whole group of people out there that won't do the right thing.
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