One of the critical concerns of retail businesses today is Retail Loss Prevention. This is true regardless of the size of the business. Small family owned businesses face the same problems with shop-lifting and burglaries as large department stores. Such crimes are on the rise and the authorities can do little to prevent them. The best the police can do is to try to catch the criminals after the fact, but this seldom leads to the recovery of lost inventory.

It is up to business owners to find and install good Loss Prevention Systems that keep these crimes from ever occurring or stop them in the act. While no Retail Loss Prevention System is foolproof, modern technology has provided the means to protect even the largest business complex and minimize losses.

However, the best Loss Prevention Systems must contain the latest technology and be properly installed and maintained. CCTV, (closed circuit television) Systems often provide the best protection for retailers if they are properly set up.

Unfortunately, many small retailers try to cut costs by simply installing a few closed circuit cameras on the premises. While this may work to a limited extent, it will not provide the coverage needed to fully protect the business. CCTV Systems are virtually useless if there are blank spots that can easily be spotted by potential thieves.

So if your business is in the market for the best Retail Loss Prevention products you’ll want to find the best services and products at an affordable price.
There are companies with great reputations that have been in the business of providing the best in service and Retail Loss Prevention equipment for years.

The CCTV Systems that are offered should be top of the line and you’ll want to have superior installation and consulting services when you decide to get a system.

CCTV systems incorporate the best in current technology into integrated systems that will fit the needs of any size business. Everything you need to protect your business can be found if you know where to look. The products come from the top manufacturers and include cameras and monitors, lenses, mirrors, wireless systems, and printers. You can also get a wide variety of time lapse VCRS, phone line video equipment, and domes and enclosures.

The brand names for such products range from top of the line, to more affordable brands that work just as well. In addition to finding the right products for your protection you’ll also want to locate the right experts to help you design and install the exact Retail Loss Prevention system you need to protect your business. These can range from single camera units to the latest in multivision technology that incorporates a 4 camera black and white digital picture processor. This can often be the most cost effective application available for a retail business.

There is no longer any reason for you to see the bottom line of your retail business suffer due to product losses. The technology is available to help you and it will often pay for itself in a short period of time by keeping your products on the shelves where they belong, instead of in the hands of thieves.

Protect your company today before it is too late.

Anna Woodward
http://www.articlesbase.com/electronics-articles/solutions-for-retail-loss-prevention-89954.html

What is the average rent for a kiosk or shop in a shopping mall in Trinidad, and where is it located? Which mall do you think is the best to do business and why? Thanks!

For West Mall, you can start at $10,000 (TT) per month, in probably the worst location. I believe $15,000 is about the average for the decent spots. West Mall is on the upper end of the scale, Long Circular should be a fair bit less, but there are a *lot* of kiosks there. No idea about Movie Towne or other Western malls (or anywhere else in the country).

Actually, I do remember a friend who rented a decent kiosk in Trincity, near the old Hi Lo entrance for about $7,000 monthly. This was atleast 3 years ago however.

Many businesses sell their products or services to consumers on terms. The consumer can purchase high priced goods and services with affordable monthly payments over 6 to 60 months. This enables many consumers to buy products and services, which they could not pay for in one large payment.

This method of buying products and services allows consumers to enjoy and utilize products immediately while paying for it over several months or years and fits into a budget that is manageable. This type of purchase is called a Retail Installment Contract, which is between the retail establishment or merchant and the consumer. The consumer signs a contract and agrees to pay the merchant a monthly payment until the purchase amount of the product plus the interest is paid in full. When the contract is paid in full, the consumer has full ownership of the product.

Many businesses would be unable to stay in business if they did not sell goods and services on terms. Products and services ranging from $500.00 to $15,000.00 are usually financed – sold by using a Retail Installment Contract. A good example would be purchasing a car. The car is financed for 60 to 72 months and the buyer can drive the car as long as the payments are made each month.

Buying a home would not be considered a consumer Retail Installment Contract. A home is financed by a mortgage with a payment term of 30 years.

Some common industries that sell products and services using Retail Installment Contracts are Health, Home, Technology, Education, and Recreation. These might include Computers, Campgrounds, Radio Keratotomy, Personal Jewelry, Internet Access, Nursing, Travel Clubs, Orthodontia, Security Systems, Web Sites, Massage, Resorts Timeshares, Veterinary, Water Purification, Dating Services, Electric Mobility, Furniture, Business Opportunities, Fitness Equipment, Hearing Aids, Plastic Surgery, Pet Stores, Appliances, Household Goods, Seminars, Martial Arts, Dentistry, Buyer’s Clubs, Electronics, Health Clubs, Piano Sales, etc.

Merchants can be traditional brick and mortar retail and service stores, in-home direct sellers, direct-mail, infomercial sellers, and internet sellers. Merchants that are selling products or services that range between $500 and $15,000 may lose many sales opportunities unless they offer financing to the buyer. By utilizing a consumer finance company, merchants are not required to have deep pockets to carry the sales financing themselves.

A finance company buys (at a discount) the installment sales contracts of retail merchants, which provides an immediate cash flow to the merchant. The merchant can stock more products and make more sales. A merchant can sell new Retail Installment Contracts as they are originated and their current in house portfolio of consumer receivables to generate immediate cash for restocking, capital improvements, and provide working capital.

Carson Nash
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/retail-installment-contracts-and-consumer-receivables-112154.html

I’m planning I go on an awesome shopping spree and I need some opinion on how I could make it the best shopping spree ever?

What should I bring?

How much should I bring?

Where should I shop?

What time should I start?

1. You, your wallet/purse, mom, dad, their wallet/purse haha
2. i guess as much as you plan on spending. that really depends on how much money you have, or your parents i guess.
3.Which ever store that YOU like NOT what your friends, or parents tell you. well within reason
4. i would start reallllllllly early. that wat its not so crowded, and you and your parents arent that tired by the mid of the day.

answer mine?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100706113837AATZR7l

Retail loss prevention is vital to the success of your retail business. Shoplifters cause retailers billions of dollars in retail losses each year. Employee theft is an equally insidious contributor to losses in inventory or cash. Robbery and vandalism can cause serious financial damage to your business.

There are numerous ways to protect your inventory and ensure the success of your business. Be thorough in your hiring practices. Be sure your employees are aware of any loss prevention measures you employ at your business. Be alert in your environment. Learn to spot the signs of potential shoplifters. Are customers spending too much time browsing? Utilize strategically placed mirrors in difficult-to-see areas of your retail business. Security tags, combined with security gates, can help some businesses keep track of their inventory as well.

Most small businesses lack the financial means to hire a professional dedicated to retail loss prevention. One alternative, and one of the most effective methods of loss prevention, is modern security technology, which can significantly reduce the losses your business will suffer if you are the victim of a crime. A Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) system is one method of retail loss prevention that can, at best, completely deter theft of your retail property and, at least, document a crime and help police to apprehend the criminals and recover your goods if your business is targeted.

CCTV systems work by sending a signal to a set of monitors or recording devices. Some security systems provide live, real-time surveillance that can be actively monitored throughout the day. Other systems can record the activities in your retail location for use on an as-needed basis. You must determine what kind of system would best fit your retail loss prevention needs.

Be sure to place your security camera or cameras in areas of your retail store that will get the most effective coverage of the area. A security system that monitors only a small area of your space is not very effective. Don’t place cameras in vulnerable locations, such as within easy reach, where they could be tampered with.

Decide whether you’d be better served by a hidden camera system or a visible system. While hidden camera systems may more readily catch unsuspecting thieves in the act, a highly visible security system may serve as a deterrent to theft altogether. You should also decide, based on the size of your retail business, whether a single camera would provide all the security you need, or whether a multi-camera system would be appropriate. Larger businesses would probably not be served well with single-camera systems, and vice versa.

Advancing technologies make it even easier to monitor your business and prevent losses due to crime. Old, familiar videotape security systems, while still available, are becoming obsolete and are being replaced by systems utilizing digital recording devices, providing a much higher level of quality. Updated security systems even have the capability to send signals directly to a computer.

Cameras, monitors, and VCRs or digital recording devices can be combined to provide a high level of protection against retail loss. There are numerous details to consider as you plan for your personalized security system. Most suppliers of security equipment not only provide the security systems, but also offer installation of your new system and consulting services for getting the most out of your investment. Experts can help you analyze your needs and create an effective security system for maximum retail loss prevention.

Anna Woodward
http://www.articlesbase.com/electronics-articles/proactive-retail-loss-prevention-techniques-to-save-your-business-money-54483.html

My brother & I start in November and sometimes in late October.
I LOVE shopping for my family.

i usually start around now.
right now im making a list, im checking out stuff online and writing it down so whenever i go out and we end up somewhere near there i just end up getting all the presents sometime before christimas
i love christmas shopping!

Strategy is a strange word. It is treated like a gospel. Once it is put on paper, it needs to be revered, etched in stone.

Strategy may be all that. But that does not make it sustainable?

Most strategists usually jump headlong into full throttle execution, assuming that the gospel will lead to the holy trail. They do not feel the need to test it. Extensive rollout is planned without doing a pilot. And lessons in execution are learnt in ‘hindsight’ rather than during the process of execution.

Strategy is never ’sustainable strategy’ unless it is backed by successful execution. Lessons learnt during the initial stages of execution should be used as inputs to alter/modify/overhaul strategy . Closing this loop is the only way for generating sustainable strategy which delivers long lasting business results.

An interesting example is the bitter lesson learnt by organized Indian retail in the last few years.

Indian Organized Retail story took off with a bang with the launch of Reliance Retail , followed by a slew of other big retail players like Aditya Birla, Bharti, Walmart, Tatas…the works.

Indian retail strategists opined that retail was getting organized, and the poor corner store was threatened with crippling loss of business . Organized retail would unleash deals driven by economics of scale and a whole new customer experience . This would cripple the neighbourhood store, which would not be able to compete on these attributes.

Consumers did throng the stores, esp. when there unique promotions were launches like Big Bazaar during days of ‘maha bachat ‘ (massive saving), but they continued to patronize their neigbourhood shops.

Unorganized retailers in the vicinity of organized retailers did experience a decline in their volume of business and profit in the initial years after the entry of large organized retailers. But the adverse impact on sales and profit weakened over time.

Big Indian retailers failed to take notice of this. Customers kept flocking to organized retail but repeat buying was not robust.

Any business which does not generate robust repeat sales is a leaking pot. But oblivious to this big retailers continued scaling up, implementing their strategic plan of adding outlets to reach their staggering targets of reaching an x number of outlets .

Size & scale, the strategy proclaimed will bring volumes. It did not.

The neigbourhood unorganized retailer would suffer badly as customers will plumb for great shopping experiences. This did not happen.

Besides, the proximity, which is a major comparative advantage , the unorganized retailer displayed significant competitive strengths that included consumer goodwill, credit sales, amenability to bargaining, ability to sell loose items, convenient timings, and home delivery.

By the times big retailers started realizing that numbers were not coming in and the strategy was not sustainable , a lot of money had already gone down the drain. Reliance was around 700 outlets old, Subhiksha was refuting selloff rumours in media.

I think the day you start executing strategy, you should immediately be open to learning lessons and incorporating them back in.

Day 1 of execution, should be the day that the strategists need to start learning whether the strategy is really sustainable. And unless the execution lessons are incorporated, a closed loop between strategy & execution is fully in place, it is the duty of the strategist to remain fully involved.

It is a leader’s job to drive execution and not delegate it. The business leader needs to be held accountable for driving the process till sustainable strategy ( that has incorporated lessons from execution ) is firmly in place.

So initial strategy is more like a direction. It is the inputs provided by rigorous execution that gives it legs and makes it potent and long lasting.

Sarvajeet Chandra
http://www.articlesbase.com/strategic-planning-articles/closing-the-loop-between-strategy-execution-lessons-from-the-indian-retail-story-681547.html

I’m in my first trimester with my first baby.

When should I start shopping for baby stuff and how much stuff should I get?

What baby items are must-haves and what items (if any) can I put off until after the baby arrives or put off completely?

Also, how much newborn clothing should I have and how soon will the baby outgrow it?

All advice appreciated.

congrats! what an exciting time!

on a serious note, if your pregnancy were to have complications they’ll most likely be during the first trimester. therefore, it may be a good idea to wait until the 2nd trimester to buy a bunch of baby things.

if you cant wait to start shopping (i couldnt!)clothes are really tempting to buy , but i try to limit myself to only buying things that i think are super cute because i get so many outfits as gifts. if they’re full term they only wear the newborn size for a month at the most, so its a good idea to start with the 0-3month size.

you can always "shop" for the things you’d like to have by starting a gift registry. give other people the opportunity to help you celebrate your family’s new edition!

what are the different stages of a shopping mall development, from planning, designing, to construction to managing?

Zoning proposals to the local government
Government passes needed zoning
Commission passes proposed project
Financing secured by developer from lenders
Management company begins pre-leasing to interested businesses
Continue leasing throughout process
Clear land
Build
Final payments to developers from loan proceeds
Open store
Lease payments begin to flow to the lenders
Any components sold outright, proceeds to lenders
Loans paid off
Project owners either keep the property and collect lease payments as cash flow or sell the whole thing

Local taxpayers talked in to believing this was good for their community get stuck with tax increases to improve the infrastructure that the developers snaked out of paying.