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

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

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.

RGIS Employee Gets 7 Years After Setting a Building Complex Ablaze

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?

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

Father's Day Spending this Month is up says NRF

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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Osama is Alive! At Least in Some Retail Stores

Well, immediately after that breaking news about Bin Laden's death, many of us have mixed feelings about the end of the US' Most Wanted Man. But for many retail stores, the message is very clear: it is a great opportunity to make money... while the news is still hot.

In tough economic times, it takes a lot of creativity to make money.

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The 2011 NRF Loss Prevention Conference is Open for Registration

The NRF Loss Prevention Conference is now accepting registration for its 2011 World Conference in Dallas, Texas on June 13 - 15, 2011.

For those of you whose job descriptions are related to retail operation, warehouse, supply chain, asset tracking, purchasing, security, inventory, human resources, merchandising, and information technology, this conference is definitely for you.

Some of this year's session activities include:

• Topics include, "Prepare, Respond, and Recover: Collaboration Between Government and Private Sector During Times of National Emergency"
• Product Exhibitions
• Awarding Ceremonies

Watch this video about the importance of attending the 2011 Loss Prevention Conference.

Click here to read more about the conference

Click here for online registration information

If you are interested or planning to exhibit your latest product innovation or service to this conference, please contact:

Tami Sakell
Director of Exhibit Sales
(202) 661 3044

This conference is sponsored by National Retail Federation, among others.

How Industry Leaders are Profiting From RFID Technology

Ad courtesy of RFID Live Journal

In essence, that will be the main agenda for the upcoming Ninth RFID Journal Annual Conference and Exhibition on April 12 - 14 2011 in Orlando, Florida.

Representatives from Boeing, Walmart, US Department of Homeland Security, NASA, Motorola, and RGIS LLC, will be among the attendees of this annual RFID conference.

For those of you that work as manufacturing and operations professionals, IT Professionals,  merchandising/inventory/logistics professionals, retail business owners, and exhibitors, you will greatly benefit from attending this conference.

• For a complete line up of prominent speakers, go here
• To register, go here
• Check if you company has signed up for the event. Current list of attendees here

Watch this video from previous RFID Journal Live conferences

Highlights on the 2011 NRF Annual Convention

Here is Terry Lundgren giving the opening remarks at the recently concluded NRF's 100th Annual Convention in New York City. He is the CEO, President and Chairman of Macy's Inc. He was among the speakers for the National Retail Federation's 2011 Convention. The convention was attended by more than 20,000 attendees and represented by more than 80 countries worldwide.

For exhibitors, and innovators, you may register now for next year's convention. Go here for more details.

The iNNOVATE 2011 Retail Conference on March Opens For Registration

If you are an exhibitor, an innovator, a retail owner, an IT or marketing professional, and looking for the right place to enhance your experience in retail innovations, or want to engage with big luminaries in the retail business, this conference is best suited for you.

The iNNOVATE 2011 Retail Conference will be held this time at the Concourse Exhibition Center in San Francisco, CA. on March 8 - 10. A plethora of great speakers will delight all attendees and exhibitors at the conference. Part of this even will be the Racie Awards, which honors the best in retail ads, commercials, digital productions that consumers first enjoyed during the past year. You will also witness the Innovation Zone, the newer version of an EXPO hall where exhibitors will display and demonstrate the latest innovations in the retail business.

Some of the speakers include Lee Applbaum, Executive VP RadioShack Corporation; Van Baker, VP and Research Director for Retail and Manufacturing Industry advisory Services, Gartner, Inc.;  Guy Kawasaki, Founder of Alltop.com

Early registrants for this event are big names in the retail industry such as:

• Amazon Services
• Hotels.com
• RadioShack Corporation
• Best Buy
• JCPenney
• Sony Electronics
• CostPlus
• Kohls
• Toys R Us
• Office Depot
• Overstock.com
• OfficeMax
• Gap, etc.etc.

Did you miss last year's conference? Don't worry, catch up some of the conference's handouts now for free while the files are still available here all in PDF formats. Or, better yet watch some of the video presentations at the last year's conference.

The iNNOVATE Conference is being brought to you by RAMA and Shop.org