What specs do I look for, such as what kind of battery or bluetooth specs when shopping for a phone. I haven’t had any luck with Samsung batteries and if I don’t have the phone in my hand the bluetooth is all static. I’m going to shop around at AT&T and Verizon. Any suggestions?
I am currently a Sprint subscriber…
I am thinking of leaving Sprint.

I currently have a contract with Tmobile.. THey have a good phone which is the samsung behold. Right now if you order this phone you will get a bluetooth headset for free. T-Mobile has great coverage I will give them a try.

Are you a mid level web designer? I need a suggestion for an affordable and simple shopping cart. Easiest to use, install, maintain, etc. I’m a graphics person and know some HTML and JAVA script coding but not PHP. Used PayPal before, so need something a little more robust. Thanks for reading!

Have you looked into Os Commerce, Zen Cart, or Dashcommerce?

They are very secure and user friendly. If you need some programming help on a case by case basis, I would love to help.

Retail stores experience a substantial amount of loss every year. Retail loss prevention has become a hot topic in the boardroom and the back-room. Considering the current economy, consumers need lower prices and affordable goods in order to maintain their life-styles. Unfortunately, retail loss passes on to the consumer, as companies raise prices to keep up with the losses they are incurring.

Various methods of loss prevention allow retailers to reduce “shrinkage,” and increase profits, thereby benefiting both seller and buyer. Technology allows the business owner to view his or her precious merchandise with various scales of video and monitoring equipment, depending on their budgets. The implementation of this equipment has given many large and small businesses the ability to stand strong against retail loss, thereby allowing them to pass the savings along to the consumer. So how do you accomplish retail loss prevention and what steps can you take?

A popular methodology used by businesses consists of employing closed circuit television to monitor both customers and employees. This type of setup typically allows the owner or manger to monitor the entire store from one command center. The cameras require mounting around the store and may take on the look of a store fixture or be completely viewable to the public, depending on whether the objective is catch the perpetrator in the act, or forestall the act itself.

Technology provides many alternative ways for retailers and other businesses to protect their stores against both external and internal loss. Many companies show an interest in equipment that allows them to keep an eye on their products without infringing on the public’s right to privacy. This would be an example of utilizing “plain-site” cameras; Privacy can’t be infringed if there is no expectation of privacy. Money invested in the system is normally recovered quickly through the reduction of loss. Profits grow, resulting in price-to-value equalization. The security provider has demonstrated value to the retailer, who now has superior control inventory loss.

Both employee theft and customer theft are minimized after implementation of a detailed prevention plan to eliminate retail loss. “Pin” camera placement in areas that view fitting rooms, bathroom facilities and other, more private, areas of the store including warehouses, have helped increase the apprehension of shoplifters and dishonest employees. Such systems also reduce the cost of fraudulent work injury claims.

Retail loss prevention provides businesses of any size the ability to take control of the problem and limit theft to a level that doesn’t endanger the business as a whole. Owners that wish to view their business from home, or an area outside of the store, can access the monitoring system by adding an additional screen at a secondary location, thus allowing remote monitoring.

Another positive aspect for the business owner is that insurance companies take into account security systems of this type when setting premium rates. Just as with cars, increased security equates to lower premiums.

It is manifest that a properly designed and monitored closed circuit television system provides many cost saving values, from reduction in insurance premiums to savings realized from the deterrence of “shrinkage” due to dishonest customers and employees.

Anna Woodward
http://www.articlesbase.com/electronics-articles/retail-loss-prevention-explore-new-technologies-80132.html

I have a fully finished website with all the product pages done and everything. I need a shopping cart that will use Google Checkout and that can also process credit cards. So I can add a button to each page that says "Add to Cart" or something. Does anyone know any good, cheap ones? Thanks.

Google Checkout has a pretty good shopping cart.

Investment into UK shopping centres has decreased by almost 75% in 2008 according to Cushman and Wakefield’s latest report. Before the credit crunch took its toll UK retail commercial property was experiencing a boom growth cycle with 2004 being a record year for investment in UK shopping centres. However, the economic downturn has meant a record number of shops and retail commercial property have been left to collect dust in what once were busy high street shopping areas.

Welsh and West Midlands towns seem to be the worst affected by the decline. An increasing number of retailers are going into administration in areas such as Holyhead and Milford Haven in Wales and Chelmsley Wood in the West Midlands and there will be numerous shops and commercial properties left empty due to the downturn in consumer traffic and spending. Milford Haven already has a vacancy rate of 30% and Chelmsley Wood in the West Midlands has 28% of its shops left vacant. Despite these already large vacancy figures Experian predicts that both will see further declines throughout 2009. Similar effects to commercial property occupancy levels are expected to be seen at retail parks where due to the loss of MFI and Land of Leather, as well as other prominent high street brands occupancy levels are expected to drop to around 30%.

News for shopping centres and retail commercial property is not all doom and gloom for the UK however. Plans to carry out a major mixed-use development on Brighton’s seafront in Sussex have been restarted by Standard Life Investments after they were put on hold last year due to the adverse market conditions. Plans include significant expansion of the Churchill Square shopping centre as well as other leisure facilities developments. The huge investment and development will transform this particular area of Brighton and hopefully create a stunning new focal point on the seafront.

Towards the end of 2009 UK retail commercial property investment is likely to begin to increase once again especially amongst cash rich buyers. They will have a rich supply of commercial property bargains available to them due to the decreasing values and prices of many real estate properties.

Matt Grimes PC
http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/uk-retail-commercial-property-investment-continues-to-fall-740588.html

I am planning on coming to Dominican Rep in January with my girlfriend and she loves to shop, and i like to bag myself a good bargain on some nice clothes too. So i was just wondering if Santo Domingo has any really good shopping centres for clothes shopping especially?

Do you live in the USA? If you do, save your money and buy your clothes there. There are no bargins in Santo Domingo. Do not go to the Colonial Zone for clothes. It’s probably the only place in the city that caters to tourists, so you will pay tourist prices. Instead, go to Winston Churchill (its a street). On Churchill you will find the Acropolis, the cities nicest mall, and Blue Mall is walking distance right up the street. Blue Mall just opened and it’s bigger and better than Acropolis. But, you will find no bargins on clothes in the Dominican Republic. The opposite is actually true. You will pay more, and the quality is no good. Even if you buy designer clothes, the quality here is not. Just about everything they sell here are returns or rejects. Or for some reason or another did not pass quality control and they end up here. Even clothes that are made and originate here are no good. For instance, Blue Country (bluecountryjeans.com). They are assembled and made here in the DR. But all the good stuff gets shipped overseas. All the rejects stay here and are sold as the same quality as elsewhere.

I live in the DR and have lived in Santo Domingo for years. I no longer ever purchase clothes in the country because of the poor quality of everything. Even people who live here, order things online in the USA and have them shipped here. The prices and quality are better.

Save your money and time, and dont spend a dime on clothes in the DR

Nobody knows great kids’ concepts better than the kids themselves. And it only takes a mom’s intuitive eye and belief on their child to transform a great concept to a successful business venture.

In one of the Dees annual family trek, Belinda noticed how her kids would rave about a unique “create your own stuffed toys” shop in the United States. She would notice how kids and kids at heart would flock to the store and go home happy with an “adopted” animal or two that they themselves created.

It only took her some pencil pushing to realise how much potential the concept holds as a possible business venture. In no time, Belinda was talking to the top honchos of the brand and finding ways how to bring the concept to the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia.

It did not take long before she opened Animaland at the Rockwell Powerplant Mall before Christmas of 2005. The concept became a huge hit and soon more Animaland shops were set up in the top malls of the country.

Animaland is a rapidly growing chain of mall-based entertainment retail stores and kiosks located in countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Philippines and now in Singapore. Patronage of Animaland is an experience that allows guests to make and dress their own personalised stuffed toy animals.

The concept capitalises on the growing demand for experienced-based shopping, as well as the universal appeal of the stuffed toy animal. The products and services cater to all age groups and demographics, but the majority of the guests are children, parents, grandparents and teenagers.

The Animaland Business Franchise Opportunities

A typical Animaland shop is a stuffed animal friend theme designed with original fixtures and brightly coloured graphics. The shop size is anywhere between a 15 square meter kiosk to a 40 square meter small inline unit.

Animaland believes that its interactive experience is unmatched in today’s Singapore retail franchise environment. The act of putting together a new stuffed animal friend provides guests with the opportunity to participate in the retail experience, which is a unique and exceptional approach to the growing world of entertainment retail.

Why Invest in Animaland Business Franchise?

Animaland is a fun and interactive business that is easy to manage and monitor. “It has a unique and innovative concept with low investment package and comprehensive training provided,” said Ms Hsien Naidu, Founder and Director of business consulting firm for Animaland. The firm consists of franchise consultants, business consultants, branding consultants and marketing consultants who are experts in bringing growth to businesses. Animaland business franchise involves lower operating cost and fast ROI. There is continuous revision and update of the products and services through regular communication with all franchises through Operations Manager. Animaland provides the following support:

- Supply of authentic Animaland merchandise from the US

- Operational Oversight

- Marketing

- Site Selection

- Start-up inventory assistance

- Comprehensive training

Animaland is set to develop and share their franchise business concept with investors seeking Singapore franchise opportunities through Singapore retail franchise for their business investments.

Emily Yung
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/singapore-retail-franchise-that-creates-animal-land-678938.html

My mum and I are planning to go to Indonesia to catch up on some outlet shopping. I frequent to Jakarta outlets Millenia and Heritage, and all over Bandung, so was wondering is there other places in Indonesia that has good shopping!

Jakarta, mangga dua near ancol. but you have to be able to bargain.
well for outlet, bandung should be the place, dozens of shops there.