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Halloween Is Hot:
We'll Dress Up At Record
Levels
by Sarah
Mahoney, Thursday, September 23,
2010, 5:00
AM
 Looks like America is
longing for the Great Pumpkin this year: A new
study from the National Retail Federation
predicts that Halloween spending will jump to
$5.8 billion, with the typical adult plunking
down $66.28 -- up $10 from last year.
This year, it's not just
about the little ghouls. Four of 10 adults --
the most in the survey's history -- plan to
dress in costume, up from 33% last year. And
11.5% of those in the survey will get their pets
into the spirit of the holiday. (Petsmart
already has a photo contest going, and its
Howl-O-Ween Shop is featuring a Martha Stewart
Mummy Dog costume, tandem looks, so you and your
dog can dress alike, and canine lobster suits.)
In all, the survey predicts
that 148 million -- or 64% of us -- will
celebrate somehow, with 72% planning to pass out
candy to trick-or-treaters, 50% decorating their
home or yard, and 46% carving a pumpkin. They'll
spend the most on costumes ($23.37), followed by
candy ($20.29), decorations ($18.66) and
greeting cards ($3.95).
Marketers, naturally, are
lining up for their share of that spending.
Hostess, for example, is running a "Hand Out
Hostess On Halloween" promotion, offering a $1
million jackpot, as well as other prizes --
including the chance to be drawn in to the cover
of a DC Comics comic book cover.
Its Justice League-themed
snack cakes feature DC Comics' Super Heroes
Green Lantern, The Flash, Superman, and Batman.
The NRF, which conducted
the survey with BIGResearch and included 9,300
adults, attributes some of the increase to
timing. Since the holiday falls on a Sunday,
families have all weekend to celebrate.
Continue Reading:
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=136185
Source:
MediaPost News
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Retail Pro and Windows 7
Compatibility
Windows 7 compatibility
is defined as the ability to install/load and
operate the Retail Pro core product (Small
Business, Merchant, Global, Global Enterprise)
on a computer running the Windows 7 operating
system. The Retail Pro Version 8 suite of
products (version 8.6 and later), including
Shop, Small Business, and Merchant editions are
compatible with Windows 7 Professional 32 bit
Edition. Only Retail
Pro version 8.6 or later releases are considered
Windows 7 compatible. A Retail Pro release
prior to these versions will need to be updated
to support the Windows 7 operating
system. Windows 7 Professional 64
bit Edition is not supported for use with the
Retail Pro version 8 products. Compatibility
issues between Retail Pro version 8.6 and
Windows 7 Professional 32 bit Edition (as
validated by RPI) will be considered for remedy
by Retail Pro International. In some cases a fix
may not be possible within Retail Pro 8
platform, in which case Retail Pro 9 should be
considered for use as an
alternative.
The Retail Pro version
9 suite of products (version 9.2 R2 and later),
including Small Business, Global, Global
Enterprise, and DataStor editions are compatible
with Windows 7 Professional, both 32 bit and 64
bit editions.
It is important to
note that some ancillary tools based on legacy
development platforms may not have been tested
for compatibility with Windows 7. In these cases
the ancillary tools are provided on an as-is
basis.
Not all hardware drivers
are Windows 7 compatible, and in some cases
drivers which are Windows 7 compatible are not
64 bit compatible. It is the customer's
responsibility to verify that all software and
hardware devices being used with their Retail
Pro products are Windows 7 compatible or 64 bit
compatible when a 64 bit operating system is
being utilized.
Retail Pro
International does not recommend the use of, nor
support the use of Microsoft's Windows Home
Premium or Home Basic editions with either
Retail Pro version 8 or
9.
Upgrading your Retail Pro
software requires being current on your Software
Assurance. We highly recommend you consult
our Inside Sales Team today to determine the
best migration path to make your Retail Pro
software Windows 7 compatible. Please call
(800) 305-0461 and ask for
Stacey or Andrea or E-mail us at insidesales@armsys.com.
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There's some good news out there about
small
businesses
BY CAROL
LAWRENCE
Despite the
weak economy, shaky consumer confidence and
continued high unemployment, some small
businesses are growing sales, hiring and
expanding.
The owners possess many of the
traits associated with success-focused business
owners found in The Guardian Life Index, a
survey of 1,100 small businesses by The Guardian
Life Insurance Company of America.
Traits that ranked highest
included willingness to collaborate with
employees, vendors and customers; planning for
the long- and short term; being technologically
savvy; and reacting proactively toward adverse
conditions.
"These are the six essential
ingredients in any small-business owner's
playbook," said Mark Wolf, director of market
research for Guardian in Manhattan, and who
oversees the index. "And in order to continue to
be successful or be more successful today, you
need to use them all."
Revenue grew 39 percent between
January and August this year over the same time
last year for Leafstone Staffing Service's
Hackensack offices, said Sue Holub, senior vice
president of sales, marketing and client
services.
Holub attributed the growth to
a new applicant tracking system that benefited
clients by getting direct hire or temporary
staff applications to clients quicker, she said.
The firm also added new markets of hospitality
companies and those that need drivers to answer
the needs of local clients.
Continue
Reading: http://www.northjersey.com/news/103809734_
Proactive__responsive_companies_find_ways_to_grow.html
Source:
NorthJersey.com
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Equipment
Maintenance
Do not let a
lot of programs load up when you start your
computer. They use valuable memory and
Windows Resources (Windows internal workspace).
All programs in your Windows System Tray (in the
lower right of your screen) are running on your
computer. Close them if you don't need them or
run them and configure them not to load when you
boot
up. |
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Retail Management Systems on
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ARMS staff and our customers!
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Small Business And Social
Marketing
By
Chris Treadaway
The Internet
is forcing local businesses to sharpen their
marketing skills.
It used to be so simple
for local businesses.
Less than a generation
ago, all a local business needed to do to reach
a local audience was call a rep at the local
newspaper. Demand generation used to be easy.
Today we're living in a
world where the Internet has taken a
sledgehammer to the elegant simplicity of
yesteryear. Whether you are yourself a local
business owner, or if you work with or for one,
you recognize that the local marketing landscape
has become considerably more
complex.
That same local
newspaper that you used to rely on to reach your
audience now has a portfolio of websites and
probably at least one mobile application. On
those properties, a local business owner can
choose from banner ads or video, and sometimes
more. Most local media companies also offer
e-mail marketing opportunities that allow local
businesses to reach local audiences through
mailing lists.
Source:
Forbes.com
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