RGIS Inventory Blog

A Friendly Black Friday Shopping Reminder

2020-11-13T09:51:00.000-08:00

Black Friday deals are happening now right here.

Black Friday for many is a much-awaited shopping event of the year. Countries including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Germany, Italy, New Zealand, South Africa, Sweden and many others, traditionally observe it.

Because of how Covid-19 pandemic is shaping the retail landscape, it will be a bit different depending on the state you live in or country you are from. So, before you rush in, or plan to camp outside a store ground, contact your retail store for in-store shopping restrictions.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) has outlined guidelines when shopping or doing essential errands. Following these simple steps could significantly decrease your chances of not getting infected.

For a more convenient shopping experience, simply follow these simple tips:

Shop Early. Black Friday deals are everywhere now
Buy Online, Curbside pickup to avoid the crowd.
Buy Online, Ship to home or address
Or, let someone shop for you. Shipt it!

Remember:

You don't want to catch the deadly virus on your way out after getting the best deal on your way in. Be safe.

Home Depot Now Hiring 80,000 Seasonal Workers

2013-02-07T16:31:00.001-08:00

Image courtesy of www.gannett-cdn.com

That is 10,000 more workers to hire compared to last year's 70,000.

It is a tradition of the company to hire thousands of workers every spring, since it is the busiest of the year. Most of these hires will be employed in retail stores across the country depending on individual store needs and geographical locations.

Positions to fill range from cashiering, customer service, garden associates, warehouse, distribution, and administrative. Most of these positions will last throughout the season. But Home Depot also absorbs spring workers into permanent full time positions.

Application process is easy. Log on to http://www.careers.homedepot.com/ Submit your resume and application letter and go from there. (You may also proceed to a store near you. Have your resume and application letter ready)

About The Home Depot

The Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer, with 2,256 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico.

In fiscal 2011, The Home Depot had sales of $70.4 billion and earnings of $3.9 billion. The Company employs more than 300,000 associates. The Home Depot's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HD) and is included in the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's 500 index.

The contributor of this post works for The Home Depot.

Walmart, Dick's Sporting Goods Pulling Semi-Automatic Rifles From Stores

2012-12-18T20:37:00.000-08:00

As Walmart pulls all Bushmaster AR 15 Semi-automatic rifles and similar rifles from all of its stores in response to the shooting carnage at a Newtown Elementary School in Connecticut last weekend, Dick's Sporting Goods also will remove all guns from its stores that are near to Newtown, Conn.

The retailer says this change comes out of respect for the victims of last week's shooting that killed 20 kids and 6 adults at Sandy Hook Elementary.

Black Friday Ads and Flyers Are Here

2012-11-11T20:35:00.001-08:00

Black Friday normally launch the day after Thanksgiving (if you happened to live in the US). Most retailers and store owners open as early as 4am. In recent years, many big stores such as Walmart, BestBuy, Target, etc. open as early as 10 p.m Thursday.

This year, it will be much earlier. You will get the chance to get into your favorite shopping store hours earlier than 10 p.m. To name a few, Wal-Mart and Sears plan to open at 8 pm.

The best shopping tool one must have before buying your favorite electronic gadgets, computers, DVD's Games, Kitchenware, Clothing, Appliances, Furniture, or even Firearm is the store's Flyers and Ads. Some of you may already have an idea where to look and print these Black Friday Ads.

But for those who have been wanting to have a copy or copies days before Black Friday, here are some of the most sought ads and flyers for your convenience.

BLACK FRIDAY ADS AND FLYERS

Happy Shopping, Be safe.

Living The American Dream: Interview With Home Depot Co-Founder Ken Langone

2012-10-28T15:18:00.000-07:00

Watch billionaire financier and Home Depot CEO Ken Langone share his rag to riches story.

Home Depot, World's Largest Home Improvement Retailer is Not Improving in China

2012-09-16T16:07:00.000-07:00

Image from MSNBC News

Homed Depot had announced that it will close all remaining 7 big box stores in China and will cut 850 jobs. The company will continue to retain two recently opened specialty stores, a paint and flooring store and a home decorations shop in Tianjin. It will also continue to employ 170 store associates. The company says that it will focus more in Chinese market to online shopping.

What happened?

Sometime in December 2006, Home Depot entered China and acquired a local 12-store home improvement retail chain, the Home Way. At that time, the Chinese economy was great and business opportunity was seemed endless.

In recent years, China's economy has slowing down. Retailers are facing pressure in China, where the slowest growth in three years. Retail sales growth in August rose just more than 13% from a year earlier, slower than a 17% climb in August last year. Well, that is an excusable reason. I think that every business, both local and abroad is experiencing some tough economic challenges.

Image from PRNewswire.com

One more reason is that China is a "do-it-for-me" market and not a "do-it-yourself." Home Depot's approach to home improvement is the Do-it-Yourself concept. It works well in the US, but not necessarily overseas. This is one of the main struggles of Home Depot prior to acquiring the Home Way in 2006 and even more evident after the first 4 years of its operation.

With China's thriving cheap labor, why would I do it, if I can pay others for me? Most Chinese prefer apartment-based living which leaves a scarce demand for products such as lumber, and other building materials. I think that Home Depot has failed to translate the "do-it-yourself" ethos in a totally foreign culture.

Sometimes, when you take a business concept abroad, it just doesn't match up with local culture.

Now that Home Depot has created a void in home improvement market niche in China, I am sure another business will fill the gap: Why IKEA Took China By Storm, While Home Depot Failed Miserably

Postal Service Cuts 35,000 Jobs This Year

2012-02-25T08:14:00.000-08:00

video platform video management video solutions video player

Planning to look for a job at USPS? Not a good idea.

Because USPS plans to close or consolidate more than 250 processing plants starting May or June. That speaks more than 35,000 jobs in danger of lay offs this year. The job cuts would include 30,000 full time positions and 5,000 non career employees. In the State of Washington alone where I live, it plans to cut more than 300 jobs

Wonder if how many processing plants will shut down in your city? Read this complete list (in PDF)

RGIS Employee Gets 7 Years After Setting a Building Complex Ablaze

2012-02-18T08:39:00.000-08:00

Mark Carleton who admitted to torching an office complex on Mount Auburn Rd
in November received the maximum sentence for the arson Tuesday.
Carleton worked for RGIS Inventory Services, which occupied two
of the building's offices. Image from Southeast Missourian

Either he wanted to get even with his employer, or maybe he failed to claim or receive his settlement check, a felon, or all of the above, the story is worth reading and a wake up call for RGIS company.

Read the full story here.

I remember those days when the company's hiring practices were so unrestricted and tolerant to job qualifications, to drugs and criminal backgrounds. As long as you can demonstrate how to count 1 to 10 (and it doesn't have to be perfect), you are bifocal (at least you could see what you are counting), bipedal (at least you can walk to you stores), bi-manual (at least you can hold your counting machine and some merchandise with your hands), non-lingual (at least you speak little or no English), you are welcome to the team!

The same building complex on the right months before the arson. Image taken
two years ago. Courtesy of Google Maps. Click image to enlarge

I think the company should, for the protection of its properties and interests must require new hires criminal background checks AND drug testing as a precondition to employment. Currently, the company only and selectively requests employees on voluntary basis for stores that require them. These stores include TJ Maxx, Marshalls, some medical establishments and pharmacies, etc.

District Managers would love to say that the company is constantly evolving. Let's cross our fingers to that.

Off Topic: The Best Marriage Proposal on Valentine's?

2012-02-13T16:31:00.000-08:00

The two-time gold medalist Matt Grevers, had planned to propose to his longtime girlfriend, fellow national-team swimmer Annie Chandler at the Missouri Grand Prix.

Watch how she reacted:

The whole story here

Top 10 Retailers With The Most Sales Worldwide

2012-02-05T16:05:00.000-08:00

The Home Depot, the largest home improvement retailer in the United States,
ahead of rival Lowe's, and the fourth largest general retailer in the world
ranks #8 from the Deloitte report.

Deloitte has recently published a new report on Top 250 Global Retailers with the most sales worldwide. The first top 10 retailers which include 5 retail giants from the US, 3 from Germany, 1 from France, and 1 from the UK alone accounted for 29.4 percent of the all sales.

Download and take a look on this report here in PDF format .

Nokia Lumia 900: Winner of Best of CES 2012

2012-01-28T06:56:00.000-08:00

Learn More

NRF honors Burberry as the 2012 International Retailer of the Year

2012-01-18T12:23:00.000-08:00

U.S. Says Million-Dollar Italian Supercar, "Not so Fast"

2011-08-09T19:36:00.004-07:00

The Pagani Huayra 2012 model will be sold in the US by the end of this year
only if the automaker installs the missing safety feature for its new model:
Advanced safety airbags. Image from DupontRegistry.com

The speed demon prides an impressive 700-horsepower 6.0-liter, V-12 twin engine under its hood. It accelerates from zero to sixty mph in as little as 3 seconds and can reach a top speed of around 230 mph with more than 738 lb-ft of torque. The car has an estimated base price of $1.4 million.

Lately, the Italian automaker Pagani, intends to sell the exotic car with its 2012 models in the US late this year. It applied for an exemption but the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) denies the request and blocks the car from sale in the US until a major safety issue with the car has addressed: No advanced airbags installed in the car.

The 2012 Lamborghini Reventon

Hmmm... that's interesting. If the automaker can produce a million-dollar car with carbon-titanium monocoque chassis, why did it fail to install a basic safety features which costs only a small fraction from its production cost?

It's closest rival, the 2012 Lamborghini Reventon which will be sold in the US has met and surpassed safety ratings including advanced airbags and all the bells and whistles. If I have the money, why would I invest it into a million-dollar car if I can have all the amenities and prestige in Reventon for the same price?

For now, let's just watch and play the Shift 2 - Unleashed Pagani Huayra videogame until the automaker can fix its safety issue. Shall we?

Settlement Delayed Part 6: Checks Are Here!

2011-07-29T19:25:00.007-07:00

Rust Consulting has mailed out tens of thousands of settlement checks this week for RGIS claimants
days after the July 22 expected date set by the court. The image above is an example of the check
from one of our blog authors. Use of the image with permission.

Share your comments here and let everybody knows you have received your own settlement check.

Dear Readers and RGIS Claimants,

As of today July 29, I have received several emails confirming that some claimants already have received their settlement checks as early as yesterday. Rust Consulting has confirmed that it sent out thousands of checks this week from its Minneapolis, MN law office. I know some have already received your own checks late this week. For some who have not, just be patient. You may receive your own next week, and others will be the week after depending on your location, weather condition in your state, difficulty of reaching your physical address especially if you have moved to a newer location recently, and some other factors as well.

Make sure to double-check your mails from now on. Santa will be in your town anytime and drop some good stuff in your mailboxes!

As we are getting closer to receiving our own share of the settlement check, I thought it is a good idea to make a separate post for all RGIS settlement claimants.

So when you receive your own check, make every opportunity to post your personal comments thru this post and let everybody knows how do you feel about getting (or not getting) your own checks. How do you spend it, what were your experiences, things like that. I and the rest of the authors of this blog will post ours too, including images (names will be hidden) of our checks the moment we get our own.

The checks are coming from Rust Consulting Law Office in Minneapolis, MN with address at 625 Marquette Ave.
Image courtesy from Google Maps

Some of you have suggested if I can post images of your personal checks. I declined because that will only defeat the confidentiality and privacy of your identity. But I appreciate for sending me that suggestion.

Before going any further, I would like to acknowledge one good trait that I've noticed from everyone who has been waiting and monitoring the development and outcome of this case:

We may not know one another, in fact we have just met thru this blog. But you have demonstrated to everyone for being vocal, for showing solidarity in one spirit and one goal, and for participating in the exchange of views and opinion with everybody thru this blog. These actions alone are great achievements in their own rights. I appreciate everybody for going through this journey. One of the named plaintiffs dropped me an email lately thanking this blog and thanking you for support of this case.

We shall continue to fight our rights and privileges as workers in matters of compensation, fairness, and equal opportunity.

The comment settings of this blog assures complete privacy of your identity. It can accept both anonymous and regular comments from readers like you.

Good luck everyone!

DSE: World's Largest International Tradeshow for Digital Signage

2011-07-20T23:17:00.005-07:00

Looking for a world-class digital signage experience for retail? There is no more innovative, and interactive signage show than the Digital Signage Expo. The video above was a recap of last year's event. You may visit the DSE website to get a better feel of what I am referring to.

For next year's event, DSE will be held at the las Vegas Convention Center on March 6-9 2012. To give you an idea for DSE 2012, sponsors of this event will include some of the best names in the industry such as Intel, AMD, Dynasign, BroadSign, Wireless Ronin Technologies, among others.

If you are an exhibitor, digital signage innovator, digital content provider, retail owner, or a visual merchandising executive, and interested in attending DSE 2012, you may request information about how you can attend the next year's expo. Contact Form here.

About DSE
The world's largest international trade show and conference dedicated to digital signage, interactive technology, and Out-of-Home networks. Digital Signage Expo was launched in 2004 and quickly became the #1 event serving the fast-growing digital signage industry, drawing impressive attendance from a wide variety of industry segments, including consumer brands and advertising agencies.

ExpoNation, LLC.
1405 Old Alabama Rd Suite 120
Roswell, GA 30076
Phone: 770-649-0300
Fax: 770-518-0022

New Walmart Stores Hiring

2011-07-03T00:50:00.000-07:00

A newly remodeled Walmart store in Miami, Florida

Retail giant Walmart is accepting job applications for its soon-to-open 120,000 square-foot Quincy Store in Charleston, West Virginia. The store is expected to open in mid-September and plans to hire more than 200 new employees for both full and part time positions.

The store needs floor associates, cashiers, supervisors, and administrative positions. Since the store has not officially opened yet, hiring center will be at 200 Upper Kanawha Valley in Cabin Creek if you plan to apply in person. You may also do it online at Walmart Careers.

As of this month, Walmart currently operates 37 superstores in West Virginia, including 5 Sam's Club and employs more than 12,000 workers in that state alone. Better hurry, hiring process begins now.

Another new Walmart store hiring at Westchester, Florida. This is one of the eight (8) new stores that will soon to open in South Florida. Again, the store will hire more than 300 new workers for various positions. If you are interested, you may apply online here or proceed to Miami-Dade County & Fair Expo Center at 10901 Coral Way, Monday to Friday to apply in person.

The store is scheduled to open August 31. Hiring process starts now until August 5.

Related Topic:
More Companies Hiring Now: 10 Companies Hiring the most in Marketing

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Loss Prevention Conference 2011 Unprecedented Success

2011-06-27T22:55:00.001-07:00

The 2011 Loss Prevention Conference is over. It was held last week in Dallas, TX with more than 2,700 attendees coming from the United States and other countries. It was so far the biggest conglomeration of LP professionals since the creation of the conference.

I already had mentioned about this conference in my earlier blog, but I just want to give some highlights and coverage of what happened in this event. Here are some of the big names in the retail sector that attended the conference in random order:

7-Eleven
Amazon.com
American Apparel
Walmart Stores, Inc.
Apple, Inc
Barnes and Nobles, Inc.
Whole Foods
Bartell Drugs
AT&T
Costco
CVS
Fred Meyer
JCPenney
Kohls
Walgreens
TJX Companies
Target, Inc.
Sears
Safeway
Pier 1 Imports
Macy's, etc.

Here's another video presentation by NRF Senior Asset Protection Advisor Joe LaRocca who outlines trends and issues in retail loss prevention:

Go here to view a more complete video presentations of this event.
If you are interested to attend next year's LP conference sponsored by NRF, take a look here.

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Settlement Delayed, Settlement Denied Part 5: Individual Checks Will be Distributed by July 22, 2011

2011-06-21T22:42:00.012-07:00

Image courtesy from Renjith Krishnan/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

New Post as of July 29: Settlement Delayed Part 6: Checks Are Here!

Last Updated June 22, 2011 12:05am PST
Last Updated June 22, 2011 6:00 pm PST
Last Updated June 29, 2011 8:51 pm PST (Author added a countdown clock)

Dear Readers,

We have the latest update of the Settlement Claims as of June 20, 2011.

Finally, after six grueling months of waiting for our individual settlement checks to be released, due to various reasons and delays, there we see a bright light at the end of the tunnel.

I would like to take opportunity to dispel rumors that have been circulating and percolating the blogosphere about the date for the distribution of individual checks to tens of thousands of eligible claimants. Many of us have been advised from other groups, from individuals, from our friends, or even from Rust Consulting associates that individual settlement checks will be distributed this June.

That is incorrect. Distribution of individual checks will likely be on July 22, 2011, according to Court order. Here, I added countdown clock (based on PST US and Canada) for everybody's convenience, until the date when you and I should be expecting a settlement check:

Based on the latest stipulations by the Court, here's the final words from Magistrate Judge Joseph Spero in his Court decision as ordered dated June 20, 2011:

"WHEREAS settlement class members are guaranteed at least $12,599,452.37 of the settlement amount; WHEREAS individual settlement awards will likely be distributed by July 22, 2011;"

That statement alone should clarify the expected date for the distribution of individual checks. But if you look closely how the statement was being worded, you would observe that the court's statement seemed not a rock solid assertion as far as the actual date of distribution is concerned.

Note the phrase from the statement above, "...awards will likely be distributed..." (italics and emphasis mine). A more assertive statement would have been, "...awards will be distributed..." Did you spot the difference?

Now, when you call Rust Consulting, what you hear is nothing but uncertain distribution dates. Their associates would say end of June. Others say first week of July. Truth of the matter is, they have not sent any checks yet. I think it is more realistic to believe and rely on the court's statement about the distribution date and let us stick our hopes to that date... for now. After all, it is the court that controls this settlement. Rust Consulting simply follows a court order. Rust has no legal power to distribute checks outside of an order.

Furthermore, the following are important part of the court order which details the costs, fees, and administrative charges of the settlement. Here's the exact words from Judge Joseph Spero:

"WHEREAS the amount of the settlement fund remaining after deductions for Court-approved attorneys’ fees and costs, service awards, settlement administrator’s charges and costs, and PAGA penalties is $12,995,851.28, as detailed below:"

TOTAL SETTLEMENT AMOUNT: $27,000,000.00

Attorneys’ Fees Awarded -$11,307,449.62

Costs to Schneider Wallace Cottrell Brayton Konecky LLP -$ 1,598,589.41

Costs to Grady Schneider LLP -$ 217,323.64

Costs to Goldstein Demchak Baller Borgen & Dardarian -$ 24,000.00

Costs to Bailey Pinney & Associates LLC -$ 107,427.39

Amount Reserved for Future Attorneys’ Fees -$ 144,375.57

Twenty $5,000 Service Awards -$ 100,000.00

One $2,500 Service Award -$ 2,500.00

Two $1,000 Service Awards -$ 2,000.00

One $500 Service Award -$ 500.00

Amount Allocated to PAGA -$ 100,000.00

Settlement Administration Costs for Rust Consulting, Inc. -$ 399,983.09

TOTAL REMAINING $12,995,851.28

From the allocation of settlement above, more than half of the settlement money went to fees and cost alone. There is also a fee being allocated to PAGA (Private Attorney General Act of 2004) amounting to $100,000.00 which has never mentioned previously.

As far as the settlement tax that will be deducted allegedly from the settlement money, the court didn't mention in its stipulation. But I will not be surprised when a deduction will be excised at a later period. I hope it won't.

Another thing that should concern everybody: Remember when you received a letter from Rust Consulting last November 2010 about the Official Court Notice of Settlement where the expected amount you will likely to receive for the settlement was mentioned in that notice? Well, don't be surprised when there will be significant changes in respect to the amount you would receive from the mail. To be honest, I expect some confusion the moment you get your own individual check when comparing it with the original notice. I can almost guarantee that. We are talking about more than 30,000 former and active RGIS employees here hungry for fairness and compensation.

In his final and concluding statement, Judge Joseph Spero became more revealing about a Reserve Fund being allocated in excess of the $399,983.09 that is already included in Rust Consulting's invoice. The following are his:

"The Court, having reviewed the parties’ stipulation, and good cause appearing, hereby ORDERS as follows:

(1) a Reserve Fund in the amount of $150,000.00 will be withheld from the settlement fund for the sole purpose of providing settlement awards to eligible settlement class members who may be inadvertently omitted from the initial settlement fund distribution, and to pay Rust Consulting, Inc. for any related administration charges and/or costs in excess of the $399,983.09 already included in Rust Consulting’s June 15, 2011 invoice; and

(2) any residual monies left in the Reserve Fund 180 days after the initial distribution of the individual settlement awards will be distributed evenly to the cy pres recipients identified in Section 2.12(G) of the Settlement Agreement.

IT IS SO ORDERED."

The court has mentioned about "cy pres" recipients. What is it?

The term has been applied in the context of class action settlement specifically in the United States. It allows the court to amend the terms of the trust or settlement fund as closely as possible to the original intention of the settlor to prevent the said trust from failing. This happens when the original objective of the settlor became impossible, or illegal to perform. In short, it is a protection clause that a court can perform favorably both for the recipients (or beneficiaries) and the settlor.

Finally, the rest of the stipulations did not mention how the distribution of the individual checks will be implemented but we TRUST RUST Consulting to perform well as the settlement administrator.

To Rust Consulting:

You are being paid close to $400 Thousand just to perform this job description. If you can update information on claims for a lawnmower product that you previously administered, which fees were not even close to the amount you get from RGIS Settlement Claims, why can't you update us in a more timely and accurate manner? Give us good reasons this time that you perform well and beyond the plaintiffs' expectations and satisfaction.

Rust Consulting is open to comment and share information pertinent to the case.

We also hope the court shall stand by its words.

Top 10 Cities Affected by Organized Retail Crime

2011-06-11T15:01:00.000-07:00

The Midtown Atlanta from the Northwest near the Cobb County/Fulton County border on the Chattahoochee
River. The city was among the top 10 places being affected by organized retail crime.

It was a staggering result from a recent NRF survey.

Of the 129 retail companies surveyed this year, nearly all (94.5%) have been the victim of organized retail crime in the past 12 months, a 6% increase over last year and the most in the survey’s history. Retailers said thieves are becoming more brazen and dangerous that, on average more than one in 10 organized retail crime apprehensions (13%) lead to some level of violence.

Here are the cities that retailers were most affected by organized retail crime rings:

Atlanta, GA
Chicago, IL
Dallas, TX
Houston, TX
Las Vegas, NV
Los Angeles, CA
Miami, FL
New York, NY/Northern NJ
Philadelphia, PA
Phoenix, AZ

Survey also indicates cargo theft poses a big problem for retailers. Organized retail crime has been highlighted in the past as thefts in stores. Now, half of retailers (49.6%) say they have been a victim of cargo theft in the past 12 months. Theft also occurs en route from the distribution center to the store (57.4%), between the manufacturer and the distribution center (39.7%), at the distribution center (22.1%), and as merchandise moves from one store to another (22.1%).

NRF's Senior Asset Protection Advisor Joe LaRocca appeared live on CNBC to discuss the result of the survey on Organized Retail Crime (ORC). Watch him in this video:

What is Organized Retail Crime?

Organized retail crime (ORC) refers to groups, gangs and sometimes individuals who are engaged in illegally obtaining retail merchandise through both theft and fraud in substantial quantities as part of a criminal enterprise. These crime rings generally consist of "boosters" - who methodically steal merchandise from retail stores - and fence operators who convert the product to cash or drugs as part of the criminal enterprise.

According to congressional testimony and industry experts, ORC losses total an estimated $15-30 billion annually.

Download complete Organized Retail Crime report here.

About the Survey

The 2011 NRF Organized Retail Crime survey was conducted from April 19 – May 10, 2011 by the National Retail Federation. Senior loss prevention executives at 129 retail companies completed the survey with the purpose of identifying the depth of organized retail crime throughout the entire industry. This year’s survey features responses from executives representing department/large box stores, discount, drug, grocery, restaurant and specialty retailers.

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Father's Day Spending this Month is up says NRF

2011-06-05T07:21:00.000-07:00

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Chart: Fathers Day 2011 - Fathers Day vs Mothers Day Spending

Powered By: iCharts | create, share, and embed interactive charts online

But still trails behind Mother's Day spending.

What makes it higher this year is the topic.

Well, one possible answer has come from BIG Research that conducted the survey. Spending on Dad has taken a backseat for the past few years, but many families "are planning to make up for lost time this Father's Day" says NRF President Matthew Shay.

On average, wives and kids will spend $106.49 for dads compared to last year's $94.32 (that is $12.17 more than last year).

Another possible reason is based on the U.S retail sales trends and demographics. As many of us know, US retail sales rise for 10th month in a row. If we apply that as rule of thumb, dads will get better pampering this month from their families.

In a broader sense, economic analysts say that US spending is back on track and rapidly catches up where it slided down in 2007.

In my opinion, whether or not the trending is going up this month, the more important is that we give due recognition to millions of dads. There's no other time it makes more sense to celebrate the "man who makes it all better than Father's Day."

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A Time to Honor America's Heroes

2011-05-29T07:51:00.003-07:00

Martha Stewart Hires Blackstone Group for her Comeback

2011-05-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

In a statement released today, famous business magnate Martha Stewart, also the founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (MSLO) will rejoin the board of directors of the company in June 6 of this year. Shares of Martha Stewart Living shot up 32% following the news.

Martha Stewart, the company’s largest shareholder, also was pleased about the move to hiring Blackstone Group to “take our business and iconic brand to the next level" the statement said. Blackstone Advisory Partners, the investment banking arm of the Blackstone Group, was hired for the task to "review and respond" to investors who have expressed an interest in partnering or investing with MSLO.

Once chairman and chief executive office of Martha Stewart Living, She had to relinguish her position and left the board after her conviction in 2004 for obstruction of justice and served 5 months in a federal prison.

Martha Stewart wearing the Home Depot orange apron. Photo
courtesy of eEcostyle.com

The reason why I brought up this news is somewhat interesting. Blackstone has been helping to revive the once dying business empire of Martha Stewart Living after three years of falling revenue. In fact, the results are somewhat promising. But did you know that it is the same private equity firm which MSLO has hired to take up its business branding to a higher level, that acquired a controlling interest at RGIS LLC in March 2007?

After the inventory company had lost $27 Million recently in a FLSA class action settlement case to tens of thousands of current and former employees, I am interested to know how Blackstone Group will be able to help the inventory provider regains back lost financial and business opportunities to a higher level. Although I am not crossing my fingers but it will be a challenging task to perform.

About Blackstone Group:

The Blackstone Group is a global alternative asset manager and provider of financial advisory services. The firm's asset management businesses include the management of corporate private equity funds, real estate funds, mezzanine funds, proprietary hedge funds and closed-end mutual funds. Blackstone also provides M&A and reorganization advisory, as well as private placement services.

It is one of the largest private equity firms and alternative asset managers in the world, with more than $98 billion in assets under management and such notable holdings as Hilton Worldwide, Equity Office Properties Trust, The Weather Channel, and Universal Parks & Resorts. Blackstone has 17 offices around the world.

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Settlement Delayed, Settlement Denied Part 4: Delaying Tactic or Delaying Antic?

2011-05-17T20:49:00.005-07:00

Image courtesy of Salvatore Vuono / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

New Post as of July 29: Settlement Delayed Part 6: Checks Are Here!

Supplemental Updates as of May 13, 2011

Dear Readers,

After the last batch of plaintiffs that filed opt-ins in January 2011, another cause of this already delayed settlement case, but this time, from the very lawyers of the Plaintiffs. I was surprised because the issue with them is not about attorneys' fees. As everyone knows, they gladly accepted their fees in the amount of $11,321,849.62 in total. But the issue this time is on material expenses and cost they incurred during the litigation of this case.

It is ironic because, it should be the least among complicated issues. It revolves around money, money and nothing but money. After all, money is the main driving force for their actions, c'mon let's face it.

In their meeting last February 28, the Court had asked plaintiffs' lawfirms Schneider Wallace, Grady Schneider, Goldstein, Demchak, Baller, Borgen & Dardarian, and Bailey Pinney to submit documentation and receipts. However, since they only presented figures and numbers, the Court failed to grant their motion but instead RESERVED it until they can substantiate their expenses. Plaintiffs' lawyers asked the Court another extension of deadline until March 3.

But in March 3, these law firms with the exeption of Schneider Wallace, failed to submit their documentation and receipts supplementing their expenses and cost for the second time. Therefore, the Court was unable to complete its review of the expenditures.

At their subsequent meeting On April 1, the Court has only granted 3 Motions that Plaintiffs have requested but still RESERVED its ruling on Plaintiffs’ request for awards of costs incurred by Grady Schneider, Goldtsein Demchak, and Bailey Pinney pending Plaintiffs’ submission of supplemental documentation.

It is only on May 13, that the Court has finally approved Plaintiff's request for an award of litigation costs and expenses to Grady Schneider, Goldstein Demchak, and Bailey Pinney. Here's the breakdown:

Schneider Wallace: $1,598.589.41 in costs and expenses
Grady Schneider: $ 217,323.64 in costs and expenses
Goldstein Demchak: $ 24,000 in costs and expenses
Bailey Pinney: $ 107,427.39 in costs and expenses

Here's the Court's exact words in its concluding statement in its May 13 decision:

"In sum, the Court GRANTS Plaintiffs’ request for an award of litigation costs and expenses as follows. The Court awards Grady Schneider $217,323.64 in costs and expenses. The Court awards Goldstein Demchak $24,000 in costs and expenses. The Court awards Bailey Pinney $107,427.39 for costs and expenses. Pursuant to the terms of the Settlement Agreement, the remaining $6,418.38 previously reserved from the Settlement Amount shall be included the Settlement Payment distributed to Authorized Claimants.

IT IS SO ORDERED."

Of course we respect the decision of the Court.

But, if you compute the days passed from February 28 until May 13, that's another solid 6 weeks of delay. Should plaintiffs' lawyers filed their expenses and costs together with receipts and documentation in their meeting last February 28, the court should have been more expeditious in granting these motions and we wouldn't have all these delays in the first place.

It seems to many that this is nothing but delaying tactic AND delaying antic on the part of the lawyers. They should be more expeditious to perform their work on time. After all, this is all about their reward. I said "their" reward because we all know that they get compensated first before plaintiffs do. This has been causing pain in the rear for most of the class members. How much more time do we have to wait for our check to arrive in our mailbox?

We dare anyone from the plaintiffs' lawyers to come up and answer these questions. They should give Plaintiffs some concrete dates and not just some fancy "any day of the year" predictions. If they couldn't send email updates to every class member, (which is the easiest thing to do, BTW and the least expensive) at least they should update their website dedicated to this settlement case, right? When was the last time they updated their webpages for this case? Two years ago?

It is not difficult to update a webpage. You and I can do it. They already have all the latest information about the case and they know better than the rest of us, right? If they can't do it, then I am willing to volunteer myself to update their webpages pro bono if that is necessary in the service of the more than 30,000 class members that participated this case.

When was the last time you get an email from Rust Consulting or from any of the law firms representing the Plaintiffs? I believe that it is their responsibility to inform their clients because it is also the right of every class member to be informed. We are not questioning their expertise or reputation but at least they should inform all eligible claimants what's happening. C'mon your honors, speed up the settlement, let us know what's going on, and do not be a cause of the delay...again.

Michaels Stores' Checkout Terminals Hacked

2011-05-14T10:33:00.001-07:00

A typical Michaels retail store

Another credit card security breach again. If you happened to shop at any of the Michaels local stores recently that are located at the following states, your credit transactions may have been compromised:

Illinois, Colorado, Delaware, Gerogia, Iowa, Massachussets, Maryland, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Islands, Utah, and the State of Washington.

Few days ago, many Michaels' stores have found have been hacked on their PIN readers/Credit Card readers at checkout. The Texas-based arts and crafts supplier has determined that the hacked could have been perpetuated between February 8 through May 6 according to the latest law enforcement investigation. The hack was initiated from PIN pads that are attached to credit card readers where customers use to key in their personal identification numbers upon checkout.

These scam artists were able to steal credit card information including personal PINs. The first discovery of the breach was at a Michael stores in Salt Lake City and Midvale in Utah. As a result, the arts supplier has removed more than 7,200 PIN pads from all its US stores.

I got interested with the story not only because the company is a customer of RGIS LLC, but because I wanted to know how in the world one can hack PIN pads in a busy store at busy checkouts. What is their modus operandi? Was there any collusion between scammers and employees?

Honestly, the trick is quite simple, but with calculated risk.

A VeriFone PIN pad and Credit Card reader combo.
Image courtesy of VeriFone.

FIRST, there was a careful planning. These criminals pose as legitimate customers of Michaels. At checkout, they then observe several things such as the models/make of Michaels PIN pads, standard cable connectors, etc. Since many Michaels art products sell in less than a dollar range, they can come back as many times as they want and master how the plan works, how many seconds would it take to deinstall and reinstall a new PIN reader, when is the best time to to do it, and how to do it clandestinely without much effort and detection.

SECOND, scheduled activity. Scammers come back in packs of two or three posing as customers not knowing each other. The first act as the customer/installer, the second as a legitimate buyer, the third as customer/distractor. While the second or third scammer busy distracting the unsuspecting cashier with questions related to their purchase, it will take no more than 10 seconds for the first buyer to unplug the old PIN reader and replace it with a reprogrammable RFID chip when the PIN pad is not in use.

THIRD, leave without a trace. After a successful installation, scammers leave the store. Since many newer PIN reader models have built-in RF chips (meaning, it can read your RF-enabled credit card), scammers can easily install PIN readers with a reprogrammed chip. But just outside the store, with the use of a laptop, high frequency RF proximity scanner, and a customized software, they were able to monitor/ skim credit card transactions complete with PIN numbers for the installed compromised PIN reader from a vehicle within dozens feet away from the store.

A typical PIN Reader with a bult-in RF
technology. Photo Courtesy of VeriFone.

The idea that these scammers pose as repairmen may not be suitable in this case because to be able to that you need to appear as repairmen which include having tools and equipment, with uniforms and all that, not mentioning the fact that they need to obtain a clearance from the Store manager FIRST before any repair can be initiated which is not a good idea. Because the lesser people detect your activity, the better your chances.

That is the basic idea of a detectionless PIN reader skimming. But you know it is illegal, right?

Poor Michaels. But how many times I've heard from credit card companies, from POS solutions providers and software vendors that their systems are secured, and reliable. But when things are happening on the contrary, you realized that they themselves need some serious reality check.

The arts supplier is closely monitoring fraudulent transactions with credit card companies while advising all their customers to take precautionary measures. So, if you live in the States I just mentioned, and need to buy your next quilting, embroidery, or arts projects for yourself or for your kids from your local Michaels store, I suggest that you use cash for payment transactions...for now.

For more information on RF-enabled smart cards, read my previous post on RF technology and The ABC of Hacking

Cheers!

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iHop Serves at Walmart Stores

2011-05-09T18:50:00.000-07:00

Imagine those hearty combinations of two medium cooked eggs, crispy bacon strips, soft pork sausages links, hot and fluffy buttermilk pancakes, hash browns combined with hot coffee and a deliciously old-fashioned cholocate cake for desserts in a breakfasts at your favorite iHop restaurant? Hmmm...yummy!

iHop will soon serve breakfast menu at Walmart Stores.

Almost but not quite. Truth of the matter is, iHop for the first time, will enter the retail business by offering frozen breakfast items to 3,000 Walmart Stores nationwide which include French Toast Stuffed Pastries, Omelet Crispers, and Griddle 'n Sausage Wraps. For now, those items can only be purchased from Walmart Stores but DineEquity plans to expand its products to other retailers as well. Currently, the chain has more than 1,500 restaurants in all 50 states, Disrict of Columbia, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands.

iHop's French Toast Stuffed Pastries will soon be sold at Walmart Stores

So, the next time you go shopping, try to see if these frozen products have been in your local Walmart Store.

Company Information:

Revenue: $349.6 million USD (as of 2006)
Operating income: $72.8 million USD (as of 2006)
Net income: $44.5 million USD (as if 2006)
Employees: 32,300 (as of 2007)
Parent Company: DineEquity

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