December 22, 2012

►    A Service and Repair Report Card was received from Tom Roddy who had his hot tub repaired.  They rated us Excellent on most points, and Average on two points.

►    New advertising and weekly specials start Sunday, 12/23: “Seasonal Greetings”. The Bar and Patio department sales change.  The other department sales continue into their final week. 

►    Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone.

►    Congratulations to John, who was accepted to Wentworth Institute of Technology.

►    From Victor:  “Open Package” stickers will no longer be a sticker.  Stickers damage the packaging or product.  Use tape to adhere.

►    From Anne-Marie:

a)  Congratulations to Rose & Chester, who got married on Friday, December 21!  Wishing them many years of wedded bliss!

 b) Roz had a great idea for the Seasonal Reward$ Program.  When customers sign up, if you are not absolutely sure of  their email address, confirm it with them on the spot.  This would save me a lot of work chasing people down because we can’t tell if it is an “el” or a “one”, or an underline or a hyphen, a zero or the letter “O”, etc.  I sent out nearly 400 letters this week telling people that         unless they confirm their email address, I am moving them to the Seasonal Sense program instead, which will mean they lose 85% of their award dollars when I cut the certificates.

c) We have a new mailing list program. Now we can manage our mailing list on our own.  The problem is with all the sources we use, we need accurate addresses.  The index to the file is built using zip code and street address.  Many customers that were having water tests performed had no zip code or a zip code of 00000.  I have fixed as many of these customers on the waterlabs as I have found.  But, it would be a huge help if when adding any new customers, you make sure they have a zip code.

►    The 2013 Pool School schedule is now on the web and in the store.

►    We have redesigned the Gazebo page on the website.

►    If someone wants you to email a photograph of something in the store, you can do it.  Use a smart phone to take the photo, email it to the store, then email it from the store to the customer.  We have wireless now.  I am working on texting but it’s similar.  Email to the store and there is a way to email a text.  More on that after I research more.

►    How Green are you?  Continuing a test on your environmental habits.

7.  Okay, you’ve had enough burgers and barbecue.  It’s time for a healthy dinner:  salmon.  At the fish counter, you choose:

a. Atlantic.     b. Wild caught from Washington, Oregon or California.    c. Neither; you skip the fish counter and buy canned.

8.  Now let’s head over to the produce section.  With fruits and vegetables, you look for this label:

a. Organic.     b. Locally grown.     c. I don’t look at labels.

9.  Your spouse cooked dinner, so you’re on dish duty.  Do you:

a. Wash everything by hand.      b. Rinse off bits of food, then load the dishwasher.    c. Put the dirty dishes straight into  the dishwasher.

►    More court testimony:

– Attorney: “All your responses MUST be oral, OK?  What school did you go to?”  Witness:  “Oral.”

– Attorney:  “Do you recall the time that you examined the body?”  Witness:  “The autopsy started around 8:30 PM.”

-Attorney:  “And Mr. Denton was dead at the time?”

– Attorney:  “Are you qualified to give a urine sample?” Witness:  “Are you qualified to ask that question?”

►    Answers:

7. a. 0; b. 1; c. 2.  Canned salmon comes mainly from wild Alaskan waters; many salmon from other U.S. states are considered endangered or threatened.;  And “Atlantic” usually means “farmed,” a process that critics assert uses chemicals and unsustainable fishing practices.

8. a. 1; b. 2; c. 0.  Researchers have found that the average meal can travel 1,500 miles to reach your table, says Sam Davidson of CoolPeopleCare.com.  You can cut down on emissions by buying local produce (which is usually organic or grown with sustainable farming practices).

9. a. 0; b. 1; c. 2.  Running a fully loaded dishwasher may use half the energy and one-sixth less water than doing dishes by hand, according to a study by the University of Bonn in Germany.  And research by Consumer Reports found that prerinsing can waste up to 6,000 gallons of water per household each year.