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.

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

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?

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iHop Serves at Walmart Stores

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

More iHop Interesting Links:

• Jobs and career opportunities at iHop
• iHop corporate awards and achievements
• iHop has been accused of animal cruelty and food safety by the Humane Society of the United States

Active Shooting Incidence: The Retail Perspective

Active Shooter Protocol by Personal Defense Network

A man enters your late night store. In an instant and unprovoked situation, he becomes violent, brought out his handgun and opens fire. People in the store began to scream. What would you do?

 Whether you are in a retail store, inside a mall, or simply buying your beer from your favorite late-night local convenient store, the risk of encountering an active shooter can happen and even riskier when your city has a relatively higher crime rate (check your city here for Crime Rate Rankings).

For  24-hour convenient stores, many of us believe that they are called that way because, as their names imply, the most convenient and vulnerable for robbery, violence, or active shooting incidence. Many small time retail owners despite the spate of these incidences are lenient in providing adequate active shooter emergency training for their employees.

Most of them rely on 911 when the incident happens. But 911 is only as good when you have the opportunity to call, and how the police will quickly respond to the situation. But what if they couldn't call 911 emergency given the nature of the incident? As a retail owner or late-night employee, would you be ready?

Download a copy of "Active Shooter" booklet

Here, I am not talking about the Second Amendment, nor the latest Supreme Court's big ruling for gun rights although these topics are excellent and deserve their own posts. I brought up this topic because recently, the Department of Homeland and Security (US DHS) has added "Active Shooter Online Training Program" and the National Retail Federation (NRF) has updated its Emergency Response Guide for Retailers due to spate of active shooting recently in retail stores.

Retail employers and employees can help prevent and prepare for potential active shooter situations. Adequate training is an integral part in properly responding to an active shooting situation. Many employers hire professional services for active shooting training and emergency response. But you don't have to. There are free government-approved online training and printed publications that can be utilized for this purpose.

Free Training and Free Downloads

You will need a PDF reader to download these documents

• If you are an owner of Late-Night Retail Establishments, this active shooting emergency response manual is highly recommended for you. Download the "Recommendations for Workplace Violence Prevention Programs" from OSHA. 
• The US Department of Homeland Security also provided a handy booklet on, "Active Shooter, How to Respond."
• If you are a retail chain owner, and would like to request the NRF Emergency Response Protocols Retail Guidelines March 2011 Edition (NEW Edition), you may request a copy by simply filling up this registration Form.
• If you are a retail employee, or simply interested to know the Basics of Active shooter emergency response, this free online training course, "IS-907 Basic Training Course" from FEMA is right for you.

Be safe. Life is good.


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Why Boston Public Schools Need to Upgrade Their Inventory Management System

Bradley Elementary School in Boston, MA

 Here's a good story why efficient inventory management system is critical to food storage management especially when the establishment is in the business of feeding thousands of school children everyday.

Read the whole story:

• Expired food worth $7000 removed from Boston schools
• Boston Officials Pledge To Improve Quality Of School Food

Let us not wait until something goes terribly wrong to the very products we sell and to the very customers we serve before we upgrade a dated inventory system and non-compliant inventory procedures.

Top 5 Inventory management software for small to medium-sized businesses.

Related Topic:

Watch President Obama as he delivers his speech at TechBoston Academy when he visited the school in March 8, 2011:

FDA Warns: Beware of Fake Potassium Iodide Pills

 Three FDA-approved Potassium Iodide brands: Iosat from Anbex, ThyroSafe from Recipharm AB, 

and ThyroShield from Fleming & Co. Image brands courtesy of their respective manufacturers

In the wake of Japan's nuclear meltdown, and the imminent global fallout, fears of possible contamination overseas including the United States have escalated in the last seven days. The search for potassium iodide (KI) both in retail stores, online stores, and in Google has spiked dramatically in the last few days.

The hunt for the miracle pill has just started.

Here in the US, we read news about potassium iodide supplies have sold out in retail stores, clinics, vitamin shops and pharmacies. And because of high demand of these pills, website scammers, and online marketers alike have entered the scene and took advantage of the opportunity. And what is interesting about them is that they are selling nuclear survival kits, nuclear decontamination packs, potassium iodine supplements, nuclear and radiation wipes, etc.  as if we are in the midst nuclear fallout or in a verge of nuclear war or something. And most of these sites are  from the US.

But what exactly does potassium Iodide do?

When a nuclear meltdown happens, radioactive iodine may be released into the air and then be breathed into the lungs. Radioactive iodine may also contaminate the local food supply and get into the body through food or through drink. When radioactive materials get into the body through breathing, eating, or drinking, we say that “internal contamination” has occurred. In the case of internal contamination with radioactive iodine, the thyroid gland quickly absorbs this chemical.

Radioactive iodine absorbed by the thyroid can then injure the gland. Because non-radioactive KI acts to block radioactive iodine from being taken into the thyroid gland, it can help protect this gland from injury. Potassium iodide (KI) acts as a radiation protective (thyroid blocking) agent. It a prophylactic measure against accumulation of radioactive iodine in the thyroid gland. For a complete information on Potassium Iodide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a fact sheet on this topic.

Don't be fooled by fake Potassium Iodide FDA warns

The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) said that if you live in the United States, there is nothing to worry about. Health experts say there's no need for US consumers to stock up on potassium iodide. The agency also warns that fake iodide products may hit the market. 

Do not get scammed by hundreds of these online marketers selling fake pills or those that are not approved by FDA. There is nothing wrong in buying a bottle of iodide pills for your family. It is good that we make precautionary measures in any event like a nuclear disaster. But we should always look  the situation in its proper perspective. 

If you do buy iodide, check the packaging to make sure it's from one of these three FDA-approved brands and manufacturers:

• Iosat, made by Anbex
• ThyroSafe from Recipharm AB
• ThyroShield from Fleming & Co.

The following video is an expert advice on potassium iodide:

Target Settles $22.5M For Hazardous Waste Violations

The Nicollet Mall, downtown Minneapolis Target, two stories with a varied facade to mimic multiple buildings.
The tower in the background is Target Corp. headquarters.

Retail giant Target (NYSE: TGT) has agreed to pay 22.5M to settle a lawsuit filed against the company in June 2009 for alleged violation of California's hazardous waste law by improperly disposing these materials to landfills AND for disposing them off to California Food Bank.

Target has reached a tentative agreement with California's attorney general. As part of the deal, the retailer does not acknowledge any wrongdoing and a county judge is scheduled to review the agreement on March 2, 2011. On top of the settlement, Target must also train staff how to properly dispose off waste materials and pay an independent auditor to check for compliance for the next three years after the signing of the final approval of the settlement. Also, Target shall pay around $3.4M to the California Attorney General's Office.

Here's what happened in June 2009: A lawsuit filed against Target Stores in California in June 2009 over disposal of hazardous waste materials by a joint complaint in Alameda County Superior Court. It alleges that over an 8 year period, more than 200 Target stores dumped various hazardous wastes including but not limited to bleaches, pesticides, paints, aerosols, and other flammable substances into landfills throughout the state. It also alleges that Target had donated these waste products to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

Who would think that this typical store of Target with its clean and tidy isles was
fined with $22.5M for unhealthy dumping of hazardous materials in the State of
California and for donating them to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank?

There are more than 1,700 Target retail stores in the US and 236 of them are in California. If the stores in the state practice improper dumping and donating of wastes, there is no doubt that the rest of Target stores throughout the country may have illegally dumped similar wastes or donated them to local food banks as well.


Please note that this is not the first time the company has settlement issues with similar issue.

Target had just settled in another similar case, this time, the selling of expired baby food in 2009, the same year the retailer was slapped with violation of dumping of hazardous materials.

Hmmm... there is something fishy (literal and figurative) going on with these stores. Extra care is necessary when you get food from your local food banks. We assume that what we get from them are perfectly safe. But due to some evil practices by retail and grocery stores, they may not be as safe as you may have thought of.

• To read the whole story, visit MailOnline.
• To read more about Expired Food, this article may help you: Expired Food: What consumers should know

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Bumble Bee's Recalled Item "Lunch on The Run" Chicken Salad Becomes "Lunch on the Loose"

Image from Bumble Bee

In the midst of overwhelming recall notices both from food, and OTC drugs for the last quarter of this year, the USDA FSIS once again released another nationwide recall on the delicious and hunger-busting chicken salads from Bumble Bee. All BumblBee's"Lunch on the Run" Chicken Salad Complete Lunch AND Bumble Bee's "Chicken Salad with Crackers" with the "Best-By 07/11" and "Best-By 01/12" expiration labels respectively, have been recalled simultaneously.

The Suter Company, Inc. is voluntarily recalling more than 72,000 pounds of these canned salad products that have been distributed and being sold on retail and grocery stores across the 48 states. The recall was prompted after several complaints have been received by the department due to foreign materials found in the food particularly some hard plastics. The origin of these plastic residue has not been known.

The "Lunch on the Run" is among the bestselling food at Amazon.com In fact, the item now Ranks #72 under Bestsellers in Poultry. If you just ordered these items online, you may request for refunds or simply cancel your orders.

The USDA classifies this recall as Class 2 with low health risk i.e. remote probability of adverse health consequences. To date there have been no reports of injury associated with this issue. The USDA also advises consumers to seek medical assistance in case of injury or any medical condition associated to consumption of these food products. Consumers and media with questions about the recall should contact Tim Suter at (815) 895-9186.

Valuable Links:

• Read the Food Recall Manual and Recall Classifications (PDF Only) 
• When to recall a product and how to do it effectively (PDF Only)

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Warehouse Safety Rule #1: Don't you ever play with the forklift!

Watch how a forklift accident can bring down the warehouse. I don't know if this is funny or awful. But one thing for sure: sometimes, practice does not always make perfect. :)

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• Download: OSHA Pocket Guide: Workers Safety Series for Warehousing
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