December 29, 2012
►Customer Feedback: The Pardoe family stated that their general shopping experience with us was Excellent. “Helpful, friendly, etc.” Sales help, operations, and products were all rated Good. “Helpful, kind, caring, good service.” Product performance was excellent. “Sturdy pool, good chemicals.” What do we do really well? “Everything – communication, help, services.”
► Everything changes Sunday, 12/30/12. Web-based advertising and weekly specials: “Family Fun Sale”. All-new department sales: AG pools, hot tubs, pool tables, game tables, patio furniture, and bars & stools. The new above ground program also starts. Make sure you have learned it before you see your first customer. It is better in many ways, but also different. The pool table price list was revised to eliminate discontinued tables.
► Remember, we close at 3PM on New Year’s Eve, and we’re closed on New Year’s Day.
► Happy Birthday to Josh on January 2, and Tod on January 3. Happy New Year to everyone.
► Have a great time at the Wrap Party on January 5. We’ll start at 6:30, with dinner at 7:00. Remember, no one under 21 is allowed to have alcohol, and your future employment can hinge on your behavior. So no one should drink to excess.
► The Cloth Program has been updated to show the premier cloth as a special order option. A little heavier than our BCA cloth, with a stain-resistant coating. We also dropped the contrasting-rails option. It’s way too expensive and difficult now that we are stocking bags pre-cut for each size table. Due to popular request (or salesperson whining) we will be stocking small amounts of Bankers Gray and Camel
► It does appear that we will show a small profit this year, so we will be funding profit-sharing in the spring. We probably won’t know the amount until early March, though. While the 2012 money stops coming in on 12/31, the 2012 bills continue to come in until February.
► Submitted by Jen: In case you were wondering…….The IRS has not released new income withholding tax tables for 2013 since there has been no decision in Washington with regard to the “Fiscal Cliff”. Many current tax rates are scheduled to expire on December 31st which would result in the majority of Americans paying more taxes in 2013 than in 2012 on the same amount of income. The IRS will wait to release the official 2013 tax withholding tables until a final decision is made in order to avoid potentially having to release a second official version. This means you will not immediately see a difference in your withholding taxes during the beginning of 2013. Once I have received a new tax table, I will notify you in the newsletter. The social security tax on your wages will go back to 6.2% from the temporary cut to 4.2% that we have paid for 2011 and 2012. I have received this payroll update and you will notice this change effective with the first check paid in 2013 on January 4th.
► Added by Dennis: Except for those of you who make more than $250,000 a year, it is highly unlikely that your income taxes will go up in the end. After everyone’s taxes go up January 1, the House Republicans will be able to lower them retroactively back down for everyone else, and say they “lowered taxes” for 98% of the country. Instead of raising them for 2%.
► How Green are you? Continuing a test on your environmental habits.
10. After mowing the lawn, what do you do with the clipping?:
a. Leave them in the yard. b. Bag them and put them out by the curb.
11. When a lightbulb in your house burns out, you replace it with:
a. An incandescent lightbulb. b. A compact fluorescent lightbulb (CFL). c. A light-emitting diode (LED) bulb.
12. You’re cleaning out the medicine cabinet and find a bunch of expired medications. Do you:
a. Flush them down the toilet. b. Toss them in the garbage but recycle the container. c. Return them to the pharmacy.
► More court testimony:
– Attorney: “Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?” Witness: “No.” Attorney: “Did you check for blood pressure?” Witness: “No.” Attorney: “Did you check for breathing?” Witness: “No.” Attorney: “So, that it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?” Witness: “No”. Attorney: “How can you be so sure, doctor?” Witness: “Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.” Attorney: “I see, but could the patient have still been alive, nevertheless?” Witness: “Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.”
► Answers:
10. a. 1; b. 0. Every year, Americans produce millions of tons of leaf and grass clippings; some end up in landfills. In most cases, leaving the grass on your lawn is not just greener; as the clippings decompose, they actually make the soil healthier.
11. a. 0; b. 1; c. 2. Super-efficient LED bulbs are expensive-you can end up paying over $20 a pop-but they last three times longer than CFLs and more than 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs.
12. a. 0; b. 1; c. 2. Flushing pills can send them into waterways, says Davidson. Recycling the container is a good move, but it’s best to return medications to your pharmacist, who will dispose of them properly.