Free Outstanding Warrant Search
December 27, 2011 | 
Author A free outstanding warrant search is a great service that most states now provide its residents. The search allows you to search and see if someone has an outstanding warrant that is filed with the court. You enter the persons name that you wish to investigate and the web site will tell you whether or not the person has a warrant filed against them.
Protecting yourself and your family is very important because you never know who might have an warrant. The government passed a law call the Freedom of Information Act which made the government divulge information related to public safety to the public. It is important for the government to protect its citizens from people that might be dangerous.
It is important to know if people have warrants filed against them. For instance, when doing a background check on a baby sitter or nanny you need to know who will be watching your children. You can check out the person who applied for the position by visiting a web site that does a free outstanding warrant search.
If while using a free warrant service you discover that someone has an warrant out for their arrest, please do not alert the person in question. People who have avoided correcting their outstanding warrants do not want to be turned in to the proper authorities. This creates a very dangerous situation.
You need to contact the proper authorities in your state and keep the person in question away from your family because they are criminals and can pose serious physical harm to you and your other family members. You should not tell other people outside of your family because if the person finds out that they are going to be turned in to law enforcement officers then they are likely to bolt or disappear and leave the state which is not a good thing.
Law enforcement officers need the help of the public to locate those people who have outstanding warrants filed. Never try to apprehend a person who has an outstanding warrant filed against them.
Hopefully these tips about using a free warrant search will help you keep yourself and your family safe.
Rent to Own a Car
Rent to own programs are helping many people with bad credit buy a car. Typically, rent-to-own car dealers will allow you to visit the lot to pick out a car you like and then make a down payment. Once the car is in your hands you will make rental payments on the car and each payment will be applied to the purchase of the car. When you make the last payment, the car is yours.
Rent to own car programs are becoming increasingly popular because of their flexible eligibility policies that allow people with damaged credit to buy a car. No matter what your background, more than 99% of applicants are eligible for most rent to own car programs. Repossessions, bankruptcy, judgments, and bad credit are no problem. In fact, most dealers won’t even do a credit check.
Most rent to own car programs will require the following:
Proof of ID: A driver’s license and/or a social security card
Proof of Residence: A phone bill and or other utility bills and or hospital bill, bank statement, credit card bill or other mail with your name and address on it.
Proof of Income: Check stub or a letter from your employer if you get paid in cash. Some may also request three months of bank statements or other forms of proof of your income.
Down Payment: Minimum down payment amounts will vary and depend on the individual program and the car desired.
Renting to own a car is a great way to purchase a used car when bad credit prevents one from being approved for a car loan. Most rent to own car dealers are locally owned businesses, though some national franchises are now expanding throughout the nation.
Free Warrant Search
These days most states offer a free warrant search service threough the Internet. Thanks to the Freedom of information act, government departments are required to make information available to the public, with the exception of state and federal secrets, and information which violates person’s privacy for no good reason.
In the past, you would have had to pay a fee to virtually every state to cover administrative costs, but this was in the days when getting an arrest warrant to you meant manually searching through filing cabinets and then producing a photocopy and mailing it to you. If the state could not charge a fee but this, their expense would become prohibitive when you consider all the different people questioning arrest warrant and other public records.
Arrest warrants are stored by the courts, with copies being distributed to the police forces and other public agencies.
There are some states, counties or courts that will charge you a fee to access these records, but these days this is the exception rather than the rule.
So while it’s possible to do a free warrant search, the one thing you need to become aware of the fact that it can very time-consuming. You need to visit lots and lots of different websites, because information can be stored at the County or state level, and you will need to do this search for each state to make sure that you have covered every single possibility.
This is why private detectives can charge a lot money to provide this service – what you’re paying for their time.
However, there is a website which can take all this time out of the equation for you. It provides access to a database of all public records in the entire United States, stored in a database and cross referenced so that you can do a simple search and get all the information about a person from the entire country.
In order to use the service you just need to pay a small fee. While the search is not entirely free, price is very low and I’m sure you’ll agree that your time is worth something.
Car Rentals and Unlimited Free Mileage, Its Evolution
From the beginning of time car rentals were only available on a per day, per week, per mile basis. You rented a car and paid for the time used and the miles driven. However it was only a question of time and circumstances before car rentals would be offered with free mileage.
In 1967 my partner and I took over a bankrupt car rental company and had three rental stations, Miami, 5th Street on South Beach and the third in Ft. Lauderdale. At the time Yellow Rent A Car, owned by Yellow Cab of Miami, with rental stations in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale was offering a sub-compact car with unlimited free mileage at $45 a week. They were the first and only car rental company with free mileage but with a one week minimum rental requirement.
I can not tell you what year they first offered free mileage but I can guess why. They were only in South Florida, they were only dealing with the leisure market and Disney World 200 miles north was not open. Renters did not use a lot of miles. The competitive rate for a sub-compact car back in the 1960s was $5 per day, $25 per week [5 times the daily rental] and 5 cents per mile. With a one week minimum rental at $25 and with their weekly rate of $45 they would have the difference, or $20, to cover the cost of the miles. At 5 cents a mile the client could use up to 400 miles for the week and the rental would be a wash. I found out later that this was a winner for Yellow Rent A Car.
To my knowledge Yellow Rent A Car was the granddaddy of free mileage. Their caveat was a one week minimum. My partner and I, owners of Capital Rent A Car took it one step further. We were the first to offer unlimited free mileage one day or more. One week minimum rental did not apply. It couldn’t get any better than that and I will tell you how it evolved.
Our business was generated by advertising in local tourist magazines. We also paid a commission for referrals from hotel and motel owners, hotel doorman and cab drivers. We were just like the other 20 to 30 local car rental companies that we competed with. We needed an edge and the idea of some sort of free mileage program intrigued both of us.
Our business was with tourists and their average rental was 6 or 7 days. Looking at our completed rental agreements the average amount of miles driven in a week was about 250. If we offered a daily rate with some free miles would that fly? We thought so and we could have offered 50 free miles and that would have covered the average renter’s mileage needs. But the rate that we eventually settled on permitted us to offer more miles. More than what the average renter would use and would be perceived as a genuine bargain. The original free mileage offer included in the daily rate was 75 miles.
We were phasing out our Volkswagens, a sub-compact car, with a rate of $4 per day, 4 cents per mile. Our compact car, a Dodge Dart which would become our lead car, had a rate of $6 per day, $30 per week and 6 cents per mile. We arrived at a daily rate of $8.50 which included 75 free miles. Typically the weekly rate was 5 times the daily rate and in this example 5 times $6 the daily rate equaled $30 plus of course the mileage. With the free miles we decided that we would not offer a weekly rate. The renter paid by the day regardless if the rental was one day, 7 days or whatever.
Our business took off and why wouldn’t it. We were advertising in the local tourist magazines “free mileage.” At $8.50 per day it was a bargain and I can only guess the thoughts that our callers had. The extra $2.50 per day over the $6 per day rental charge was a bargain. They got 75 free miles so they wouldn’t have to worry about a mileage charge. Or possibly they thought $8.50 a day is cheaper than $49 a week, the recently increased rate from Yellow. Within 6 months we realized that no one drove anywhere near the break even mileage figure. So we did the next best thing. We offered unlimited free mileage. The year was 1969.
Soon thereafter we became aware of CATM. CATM is an acronym for Consolidated Air Tour Manual. A publication put together by the airlines serving Florida. It was a compilation of rates from hotels, car rental companies, attractions and other tourist support companies including tour operators. Tour operators offered “packages” which included air fare, hotel and other services such as car rentals. The theory was that if a client purchased each component of the package separately the cost would exceed the operator’s package price. By being in CATM airlines and travel agents could reserve our cars directly or through tour operators.
So we are in CATM and find ourselves competing with the big boys, Hertz, Avis and National. Not so big at the time but impressive, were Budget, Olins, maybe American International and Dollar A Day which became Dollar Rent A Car. Our $8.50 a day and a weekly rate of $59 a week [we rounded the rate out] stood by itself. Not one other car rental company offered free mileage and used the per day, per week, per mile rate schedule. Two or three years later Avis was the next car rental company to offer unlimited free mileage but with a three day minimum.
We first published in CATM in 1970 and I mention this because I previously stated that we, Capital Rent A Car, was the first to offer unlimited free mileage one day or more. To substantiate this claim I must mention that in 1942 I was in my seventh grade Shop class and the teacher claimed that he invented the airplane before the Wright brothers. I am not kidding you and maybe he did. But if he did he didn’t tell anyone so Wilbur and Orville got the credit.
Maybe we weren’t the first with unlimited free miles and maybe someone in Okemos. MI or Rockford, IL did. But if they did they didn’t tell anyone. We did by being in a national publication, CATM. So we are going to take the credit for being the first. The next time you rent a car and don’t pay for mileage you can thank us.
For those out there who wish to contest our claim please contact me at my email address below, You can also read another one of my Ezine Articles, “Start A Major Car Rental Company”, dealing with the car rental business at the resource below.
The Carrot Principle – Book Review
The central issue in “The Carrot Principle” is to spark motivation and enthusiasm in employees. The writers of the book, Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, claim that the main catalyst for that endeavor is recognition.
Part one of the book starts with Charles Goodyear’s experimentation, hard work, failures, and eventual success in coming up with the prototype of today’s rubber industry. Once the writers lure the interest of the reader with that fascinating story, they go on to present their more or less proven theory of management rewards to stimulate employee participation.
They categorize leadership in basic four areas: Goal setting, Communication, Trust, and Accountability. When and if a manager becomes proficient in these areas, he still needs something more as an accelerator or a catalyst for employee motivation. That catalyst is recognition. Recognition is not a money reward, for money, as much as it is appreciated in the beginning, is used up and forgotten in its due time.
Real recognition comes in many forms: day-to-day pat-in-the back form of recognition, more formal recognition of employees when they go above and beyond their duties, employee’s general career recognition, and celebrating with the entire team or company.
Whether they run a ten-person company or a major mega business, sticking with the carrot principle, managers achieve higher successes with productivity, engagement and retention of employees, and customer satisfaction. The book, The Carrot Principle, emphasizes the triumph of its principal idea with statistical proof by showing several graphs and remarkable case studies of ten years and numerous managers.
For those who claim they have budgeting or other problems for proper employee recognition, chapter ten gives 125 recognition ideas such as: “Don’t send a card on an employee’s birthday; deliver it to her in person. In advance of the visit, write on the card a short list of the person’s achievements during the past year. Read it together. It will be one gift she won’t soon forget.”
As seen from the above quote, the language of the book is easy to understand and the ideas in it are explained with strength and clarity to obtain and maintain a motivated work force that will empower any business.
The book–ISBN-10: 0743290097 and ISBN-13: 978-0743290098–is in 176 pages and is divided in three parts and ten chapters with four appendices at its end.
Of the two authors who are best known as the carrot guys, Adrian Gostick earned his master’s degree in Strategic Communication and Leadership from Seton Hall University, where he is a guest lecturer on organizational culture. As an employee motivation expert, Gostick has appeared on several network television programs, and he is the leader of O.C. Tanner company’s recognition training and publishing practice. Gostick has written several successful books, including the New York Times bestseller, The Invisible Employee. He also wrote the Wall Street Journal and Business Week bestseller, A Carrot a Day; The Integrity Advantage. His books The 24-Carrot Manager and A Carrot a Day are sold in more than fifty countries around the world.
Chester Elton, the other carrot guy, is a writer-lecturer on motivation. He has also co-authored The Invisible Employee; The 24-Carrot Manager, which was called a “must read” by Larry King; and the Wall Street Journal and Business Week bestseller, A Carrot a Day. As a motivation expert, Elton has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Fast Company magazine, has been profiled in The New York Times, and has been called “an apostle of appreciation” by the Globe and Mail (Canada). He has also been a guest on NBC’s Today Show, CNN’s Business Unusual, and on National Public Radio.
The Carrot Principle is an indispensable book for any manager; however, it is also a good book to read by the layman, because the ideas in it can readily be applied to everyday living.
Why the Current American Health Care System Does Not Work and Why It Should Be Changed
The preference for minimal government oversight and ideas of individualism are responsible for the way American health care system is structured. However, access to health insurance and health care has been a pressing issue in this nation for a long time; rated by the WHO as one of the worst among industrialized countries, the United States’ health care system is too costly and fails to cover everybody. Despite president Obama’s attempt to bring about change, many continue to question the effectiveness of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act the concerning both costs and overall coverage. The issues regarding health care reform directly affect the feasibility of the American Dream because adequate health care and insurance are necessary to full citizen participation and it is the government’s responsibility to provide access. I believe that given this nation’s strong anti-statist values it will be difficult to implement a federal health care policy; therefore it is more feasible for states to create health reforms like the one in Massachusetts and ensure universal health care.
In 2007, the US health system presented many problems concerning the amount of people who were both uninsured and underinsured and the fast rise of insurance premiums causing many Americans to report debts and problems due to medical bills (Commonwealth Fund Commission, 232). The cost of American health care is inarguably one of the major setbacks of the system; it is the highest amongst those of other industrialized nations but not necessarily more effective. For instance, a case study in the town of McAllen, Texas, shows how the overuse of medicine and the “fee for service” incentives available to doctors can really drive up the cost of medicine. McAllen is one of the most expensive health care markets in the country where most doctors focus less on preventive care and more on running extra tests, services and procedures out of fear of malpractice, influenced by differences in training, or simply to make a few extra dollars. (Gawande, 340-342). Although the situation in McAllen might be an extreme example, it does not fail to explain how the “culture of money” partly affects the cost of health care system. Unlike systems such as Canada and Japan, the American government plays a minimal role in bargaining down prices or setting price standards, this lack of control allows doctors and medical institutions to often purchase the latest technology, but not the most efficient (Klein, 256). Nevertheless, doctors are not to be labeled as the villains because private insurance companies add to the problem by expending a quarter and a third of their revenues on administrative costs (Weissert and Weissert, 350).
The high number of uninsured Americans (45 million in 2007), is another disconcerting fact regarding the downfalls of the American health care system; it is unfortunate that in an industrialized nation, once considered the most powerful in the world, people are often forced to put their career dreams on hold in order to gain access to employer based insurance. This has a negative impact on the nation’s economic and political development because people who could create the latest technological innovations are “locked” at Wal-marts and the likes. Low income uninsured families like Greg and Loretta, who struggle to keep their children healthy, lose all faith in the American dream and essentially become a burden for the rest of society. Some argue that good health is a personal responsibility, and yes eating a burger everyday will obviously have negative impacts on a person’s health and they should be held accountable for those poor choices. Consequently, some would blame Greg and Loretta for their unfortunate condition, but the question is; how can their children be expected to become productive citizens if they lack basic health care? The American Dream encourages individualism, but individuals cannot perform to the best of their abilities if they lack the necessary tools to do so.
In 2006, the state of Massachusetts passed an “ambitious” health care reform that improved access to care and lowered the rate of uninsured working age adults; in spite of its high costs, this plan exemplifies how reforms at the state level can perhaps be easier to implement and regulate, consequently having successful results. The plan is essentially composed of three parts: expansion of the state’s Medicaid progress (establishing income-related subsidies), creating new private insurance plan open to individuals, and lastly it requires that both individuals and employers participate in the health insurance system or pay a fine. Furthermore, it provides individuals with the alternative to buy from private insurers if they do not have access through an employer (Long, 321). Mixing public and private markets achieves near-universal and gives citizens options.
Two of the most important elements of this reform are the certainty of having access to coverage in the case of unexpected unemployment and not having to worry about rejection due to pre-existing conditions (Kaiser Family Foundation, 325). The economic downturn has and continues to hurt many families, many jobs are uncertain and health insurance is no longer secure, therefore by making sure citizens continue to have access to health coverage, the state of Massachusetts is essentially contributing to the overall development of the nation’s economy. When people are not worried about paying astronomical medical bills, they have more time and money to spend on purchasing houses, cars, etc which ultimately results in consumerism and more profits. Lastly, the Massachusetts provides citizens with high quality care that allows them to make regular doctor visits and access specialists, tests and medications as needed (Kaiser Family Foundation, 328). This approach is similar to the preventive care practiced in countries like Great Britain; essentially it is more beneficial for both the doctor and the patient to treat any conditions before they get out of hand.
Although the Massachusetts health care reform has proved to make significant improvements, like any other reform it has its downsides which may lead people to focus on the inequities and overlook the success. For instance many Massachusetts residents believe that more education about key aspects of the health reform would help better understand how the programs work. Residents are specifically interested in income limits to qualify and how to apply for coverage (Kaiser Family Foundation, 331). It is expected that citizens have questions about newly implemented programs and that they may not understand specific medical, political or economic jargon, but this is not a major concern because education can be easily provided. On the other hand, some would argue that the high cost of this plan is indeed a significant problem which must be addressed; nevertheless Massachusetts legislators are aware of the cost and are working to stabilize the finances. Firstly, they want a new payment of method that rewards prevention and effective control of chronic disease instead of paying according to the quantity of care provided. Secondly, the commission is looking to reimburse physicians for episodes of care rather than individual visits. Health experts agree that if Massachusetts is able to implement this changes, it will be as “audacious an achievement as universal healthcare” (Sack, 334-336).
Today, the future of president Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is somewhat uncertain. Republicans want to repeal it and skeptics argue that it is not going to solve the existing problems. Although this reform promises desirable aspects like overall coverage and cost reductions, the results are solely based on projection, making it difficult to guarantee that it is going to be successful. The Massachusetts health care plan has already been implemented and proved to create significant improvement. Essentially this model presents an effective alternative for health care reform and it celebrates the values of anti-statism by allowing states to make their own decisions.
Works Cited
Commonwealth Fund, “Why not the Best: Results from the National Scorecard on US Health Performance”. July 2008
Gawande, Atul. “The Cost Conundrum”: What a Texas town can teach us about health care. The New Yorker 1 June 2009
Kaiser Family Foundation, “The Uninsured: A Primer”. October 2008
Klein, Ezra. “The Health Nations: How Europe, Canada, and Our Own VA Do Health Care Better”. The American Prospect. 7 May 2007
Long, Sharon K. “On the Road to Universal Coverage: Impacts of Reform in Massachusetts at one year”. The Commonwealth Fund. June 2008
Sack, Kevin. “Massachusetts Faces Costs of Big Health Care Plan”. The New York Times. 16 March 2009
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Current USA High School Boys Track and Field Records Through July 2009 – Part 1
Here are the current USA High School Boys Track and Field Records through July 2009. This list gives every high school runner, jumper and thrower an idea of what it takes to become a world-class athlete at the prep level.
Some of these record-holders have just completed their senior season and are likely headed for college competition somewhere. They include hurdler Reggie Wyatt, long jumper Marquis Goodwin, discus thrower Mason Finley, hammer thrower Conor McCullough, decathlon athlete Curtis Beach, and relay speedsters Andrew Hendrix and brother Anthony Hendrix.
The list of names from the past and their performances is amazing, and they have become household names in the track and field community worldwide. They include Alan Webb, Galen Rupp, and more recently German Fernandez.
USA High School Boys Track and Field Records
100 Meters – 10.01 in 2008 by Jeff Demps of South Lake High School in Groveland (FL).
200 – 20.13 in 1985 by Roy Martin of Roosevelt HS in Dallas (TX).
400 – 44.69 in 1982 by Darrell Robinson of Wilson HS in Tacoma (WA).
800 – 1:46.45 in 1996 by Michael Granville of Bell Gardens (CA) HS.
1,000 – 2:24.79 in 2003 by Bobby Curtis of St. Xavier HS in Louisville (KY).
1,500 – 3:38.26 in 2001 by Alan Webb of South Lakes HS in Reston (VA).
Mile – 3:53.43 in 2001 by Alan Webb of South Lakes HS in Reston (VA).
2,000 – 5:18.50 in 2004 by Galen Rupp of Central Catholic HS in Portland (OR).
3,000 Steeplechase – 8:50.10 in 1979 by Jeff Hess of Eugene (OR) HS.
3,000 – 7:59.83 in 2008 by German Fernandez of Riverbank (CA) HS.
2 Miles – 8:34.40 in 2008 by German Fernandez of Riverbank (CA) HS.
5,000 – 13:37.91 in 2004 by Galen Rupp of Central Catholic HS in Portland (OR).
10,000 – 28:32.70 in 1976 by Rudy Chapa of Hammond (IN) HS.
110 Hurdles – 13.30 in 1990 by Chris Nelloms of Dunbar HS in Dayton (OH).
300 Hurdles – 35.02 in 2009 by Reggie Wyatt of La Sierra HS in Riverside (CA).
400 Hurdles – 49.38 in 2002 by Ken Ferguson of Mumford HS in Detroit (MI).
4×100 Relay – 39.76 in 1998 by Milton Wesley, Montie Clopton, Michael Franklin and DeMario Wesley of Wyatt HS in Ft. Worth (TX).
4×200 Relay – 1:23.31 in 1998 by Milton Wesley, Montie Clopton, Michael Franklin and DeMario Wesley of Wyatt HS in Ft. Worth (TX).
4×400 Relay – 3:07.40 in 1985 by Michael Graham 48.1, Mike Marsh 47.7, Sean Kelly 47.1 and Henry Thomas 44.5 of Hawthorne (CA) HS.
4×800 Relay – 7:30.67 in 2009 by Garrett Bradley 1:55.43, Zach Vrhovac 1:50.57, Luke Noble 1:55.34 and Anthony Kostelac 1:49.33 of Albemarle HS in Charlottesville (VA).
4×1,500 Relay – 16:03.70 in 2002 by Eric Mason 4:05.6, John Chambers 4:05.1, Will Kimball 3:58.5 and Matt McGuirk 3:54.5 of South HS in Eugene (OR).
4xMile Relay – 17:06.6 in 1976 by Dirk Lakeman 4:16.9, Chris Nielsen 4:19.7, Bill McChesney 4:11.8 and John Gustafson 4:18.2 of South HS in Eugene (OR).
Sprint Medley – 3:19.58 in 2009 by Fuquawn Greene 21.5, Miles Sparks 21.8, Andrew Hendrix 46.6 and Anthony Hendrix 1:49.7 of New Bern (Track East Carolina) HS in New Bern, NC.
Distance Medley – 9:49.78 in 2001 by Richard Smith 3:03.2, Justin Smyser 50.2, Kanda Karmo 1:56.6 and Alan Webb 3:59.80 of South Lakes HS in Reston (VA).
4×110 Hurdles – 56.32 in 2004 by Dennis Martin 13.9, Brandon Brown 13.8, Martez Brown 14.2 and Mauricus Brown 14.4 of Westside HS in Anderson (SC).
High Jump – 7-07 in 2002 by Andra Manson of Brenham (TX) HS.
Pole Vault – 18-02.75 in 2003 by Tommy Skipper of Sandy (OR) HS.
Long Jump – 26-10 in 2009 by Marquis Goodwin of Rowlett (TX) HS.
Triple Jump – 54-10.25 in 2004 by Kenny Hall of Tara HS in Baton Rouge (LA).
Shot Put – 81-03.25 in 1979 by Michael Carter of Jefferson HS in Dallas (TX).
Discus – 236-06 in 2009 by Mason Finley of Buena Vista (CO) HS.
Hammer – 260-00 in 2008 by Conor McCullough of Chaminade HS in West Hills (CA).
Javelin – 241-11 in 1988 by Tommi Viskari of Amsterdam (NY) HS.
Decathlon – 7,909 in 2009 by Curtis Beach of Academy HS in Albuquerque (NM).
Marathon – 2:23.47 in 1973 by Mitch Kingery of San Carlos (CA) HS.
(Editor’s Note: This is Part 1 of a 2-Part Series.)
Jewelry Retailing – The Current State of the Industry And What the Future Holds For Independents
Over the last 10 years there are so many things that have changed in the jewelry business, some of them for the good of the industry and others to its detriment. The internet has accelerated the transference of information and made products readily available. National chain stores have changed their business models to become more aggressive and today’s consumers have altered their buying habits accordingly. Industry veterans suggest that 10,000 privately held stores could close over the next 7-10 years.
Simply put, the jewelry business isn’t the same as it was 10 years ago and independently owned jewelry store owners need to respond quickly. With this article, I hope to offer advice on how to overcome the many challenges that independents will encounter.
Today’s consumers can be categorized as value or experience driven. The value driven consumer rarely cares about the image of the store, the brand name of the products, or the service after the sale. He/she is concerned about one thing and one thing only and that is “the lowest price possible”. The internet is best equipped for this type of customer and has done a great job of servicing them. The attraction for potential internet consumers may be the value and the anonymity of comparing products and prices without human interaction.
Some people have told me that they feel obligated to purchase after spending time with salespeople at brick and mortar stores, this adds undue pressure to make a quick decision. Spend thrifty consumers can also be methodical decision makers and require time to feel good about their decisions; the internet offers this while brick and mortar stores do not. Generally speaking, a retail store’s operating expenses represent a high percentage of their overall revenues. They simply have to sell their diamond and jewelry for more – competing with internet retailers on price and shopping leisure becomes a difficult task.
So in turn, independently owned stores have lost market share every year for the last 9 years. In fact, the retail independents have shown only modest growth of 2%-5% per year while internet retailers have grown 25%.
The experience driven consumer is largely concerned about selection, convenience, brand image, availability, and service. Recognizing this are the national superstore chains, including Jared Jewelers, Helzberg, Bailey Banks & Biddle, and others like them. These companies are building bigger and better stores with millions of dollars in inventory bursting out of the showcases. Every possible jewelry choice is available and their customers don’t have to shop anywhere else.
In addition, they are placing a greater emphasis on training their employees than they have in the past. The days of receiving second rate advice and service at national chain stores are becoming a thing of the past. This is something that independent retailers have always hung their hats on: they can no longer say that you’ll only get great service at privately owned stores. All of this is made possible by an aggressive plan to take over a market previously controlled by mom and pop stores, and then investing in that plan. The independent jewelry store can’t offer the same size product selection because they don’t have the finances. The chain stores have better real estate, better product selection, and more money for advertising.
You could say that the internet retailers have opened the door for the chain stores by fragmenting the marketplace and putting independents on the ropes. Recent growth by chain stores and internet retailers has placed independents in a bad place. They can’t sell their jewelry at the same price as the internet retailers and can’t afford to offer the same product selection as the chains. Without careful planning and adjustments in their business model independently owned stores could border extinction. There are some that would strongly disagree with this outlook and think that it would be impossible for it to happen.
To that I ask one question…”When was the last time you purchased home improvement items from a mom and pop hardware store?” Or “When was the last time you purchased electronics from a mom and pop electronics store?” These stores existed until the consolidation of their industries occurred. It simply took longer to happen in the jewelry business, but I assure you that it will continue to happen. The future for independents seems bleak but there are things that can be done to assure their healthy existence in the industry.
Taking back market share is going to be a very important part of the process and this should start with the internet. Most independents have done nothing to create a presence on the internet; I’m amazed to hear that some jewelers don’t even have a website. I think this is largely due to their reluctance to embrace a business practice that has taken so much from them.
An example of a well-done internet jewelry website is design your engagement ring
The internet retailers have grown quickly because they haven’t been challenged, it’s time for the independents to step up and create a much more competitive environment for internet retailers. The area most needing improvement is the sale of online diamonds and engagement rings. Margins of course, have dropped considerably on loose diamonds because of the availability of aggressively priced goods.
Independents have a real problem accepting the notation of selling diamonds for much less than they have in the past. In order to succeed, they’ll need to understand that diamonds can be sold for more in a store and less online. Why not do business with both types of customers and take back some of the market share previously lost to competitors. Putting together an effective website involves more than listing jewelry on web pages. Content is very important as well as search engine optimization, I recommend hiring an SEO specialist before hiring web programmers. They’ll give valuable insight on how to create a successful website.
Dealing with the superstores takes a different approach and a lot of courage. Most independents will never have the funds needed to compete on the same level as the superstores. That’s not to say that they can’t hold their own and carve out a good living. It will require choosing a jewelry category that is possible to dominate or own a large piece of. Dealing with the chain store advertising budgets, inventory, prime locations, and trying to be all things to all customers will be next to impossible. I think the store owners that’ll be successful will leverage their passion and strengths in certain product categories and attempt to own that market.
I’ve owned a retail jewelry store for 13 years and witnessed the deterioration of the market for privately held stores. I’m also experiencing first-hand the problems faced by my counterparts and vacillated over the proper course of action. I’ve decided to stay true to my passion and continued to promote my bridal and diamond business. I know in the end that it’ll be the right decision because I have a good chance of creating a strong presence in one product category. This presence will be hard to take away from me and I should always be able make a good living. I hope that all independents can do the same, but it’s obvious at this point that it will take courage and commitment.
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A Fitting Career For the Current Times – Political Psychology Degree
We have currently embarked on some exciting political times. You can’t escape it – it’s everywhere you look. With so much discussion on the future political developments, goals for the new president and the team that will support him, can we really talk about anything else? If you have become interested in politics but don’t really know how to bank on that interest, consider a degree in political psychology. Is there really such a degree, you may ask. Yes, actually there is!
Political psychology degree programs prepare you for the application of contemporary psychological theories, concepts, and methods to the study of political behavior. This field is based on the study of both psychology and political science. If you like both areas of study, you don’t have to pick and chose. A degree in political psychology combines these two fields perfectly.
Political Psychology Degree Programs
The majority of degree programs in this area focus heavily on traditional areas in social psychology such as the field of attitudes, emotions, affect and group interaction. They also incorporate the areas of memory, cognition and decision making. In this type of program you will focus on the structure of political beliefs and attitudes, the processing of information, factors that influence political decisions and judgments. To accomplish this task you will learn to utilize empirical research, experimenting as well as survey research.
Curriculum in these types of programs focuses on political psychology as well as American government and economy. Additionally, most programs focus heavily on statistics and methodology. Course included in most programs include foundations of political psychology, experimental methods and design, ideology, socialization, mass communication and political persuasion, group influence, cognition, elite decision making, and behavioral decision theory.
Most Common Careers
A degree in political psychology prepares you to work in areas focusing in analyzing voters, lawmakers, local and national governments, parties and associations. Themes addressed include dynamics of public opinion, impact of media on attitudes, organization of beliefs, information processing, socialization, leadership, and international negotiation.
Degree programs in this area develop you people skills, critical thinking and problem solving abilities. They focus on statistic and research and combine a number of different fields, from political science and psychology to international affairs, sociology and anthropology. As a result, career options for these type of psychologists are vast and numerous. You could work as a faculty member in universities within the psychology, political science, business, and finance or sociology departments. You could also work on private research organizations or government agencies. If you like having many options and like being challenged by new issues and topic, consider a degree in political psychology. It just may be the perfect calling for you.
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The National Police Officer Selection Test
I wanted to talk to you about the national police officer selection test that you’ll have to take if you want to get a job in the police force. Part of the recruitment process that you’ll have to go through is the testing and it is designed to be difficult. The fact is that hundreds and sometimes thousands of people apply for a single job in the police department and they simply can’t go through interviewing everyone. The test is designed to put people through a rigorous knowledge based process, where they have to demonstrate that they truly understand what it means to be a police officer. That’s why I’m going to talk to you about the national police officer selection test.
The first thing you have to understand about this test is that it isn’t objective or unbiased. When we think of a test, we think back to high school. In high school the tests were fair because the teacher was only interested in measuring your aptitude, but this isn’t the same in the police test. They’re trying to find the best of the best. They have a very simple method of doing this and that’s through situational questions. They’re going to ask you what you’ll do in specific situations and you have to understand what you have to do as an officer.
The national police officer selection test is tough. It is estimated that around 7 out of every 10 people will fail the test. That should at least give you awake up call to how hard this will be. You shouldn’t underestimate how hard this will be because that could cause you to fail.