Round Up Your Change program and/or purchase a .... justice, technology, management and marketing. ... complete an under
Multiple Networking Opportunities New Local & National Exhibitors 8 Important Information Sessions New Tradeshow Format & 5 events
Advance registration includes chances to win FREE TICKETS to Thursday Night Events! See full itinerary on next page
8:30 - 5:00 PM ServSafe® Certification Class & Exam SOLD OUT Starting at 6:00 PM Laughs at Vermont Comedy Club Sponsored by Farrell Distributing 7:00 - 10:00 PM Switchback Brewery, Queen City Brewery, Zero Gravity Brewery, Citizen Cider & Foam Brewers Sponsored by Acadia Insurance & Noyle W. Johnson Starting at 9:00 PM Late Night at Nectar’s Sponsored by Baker Distributing
The Future of Healthcare in Vermont Understanding the drivers of health costs & how it impacts you. How to Tackle Waste Regulations to be Compliant What the Universal Recycling & Composting Law means for your business. Invest in Your Hiring Strategy Learn how to recruit, hire and retain engaged and dedicated talent. Improving the Customer Experience Creating unique experiences to increase customer growth and loyalty.
Organized Retail Crime: Facts and Realities What is the driving force of ORC & what tools and stories can help you prevent it from happening in your business. Smarter Energy Investing Creative ways to save you money now while being an investment in your future. Maximizing Your Customer Base and Revenue in an Online World Digital business strategies to attract customers to your website and your store Social Media Strategies for Success Quick tips for success at all experience levels.
Featuring new and familiar local and national exhibitors to answer your questions and provide quality solutions. Enjoy multiple raffle prize giveaways throughout the day and a GRAND PRIZE, product demonstrations, networking and so much more! Information Sessions & the Tradeshow are for members
Members only event. Limited to 24 tickets. Presented by Farrell Distributing Cicerone Certified Beer Servers. This also includes your ticket to Vermonte Carlo afterwards.
Network the night away with unlimited samples of local beer, cider, wine and a bar, plus a buffet dinner with carving stations and $250 of casino chips for casino games & fantastic raffle prizes from our wonderful partners!
THE SALES SLIP A Member Service of Vermont Retail & Grocers Association (802) 839—1928 |
[email protected] | vtrga.org | @vtrga MARCH 2017 Accepting 2017 Person of the Year Nominations online Do you know someone that has made a significant contribution to the retail and/or grocery industry in Vermont? Submit your nominations! The award will be presented at the VRGA Convention & Expo on April 28th at the Hilton Burlington. Person of the Year Criteria Candidates must: Model excellences in everything they do.
Have made significant contributions to the retail and grocery community in Vermont by contributing time, money or energy to the entire industry. Demonstrated leadership, vision, or mentorship or made personal sacrifices for the betterment of the entire industry. Promote the mission of the Vermont Retail & Grocers Association: To advocate for policies that strengthen our state’s economy and support economic growth, are committed to the success of Vermont’s grocers and retailers and the thousands of Vermonters they employ.
Submit your nomination at: bit.ly/2017PersonOfTheYear Deadline: Wednesday, March 15th 2017
Vermont’s Best Bagger goes to Las Vegas The VRGA 2016 Best Bagger, Spencer Balderas of Shaws in Colchester went to Las Vegas and brought home fourth place and $1,000 while fans cheered him on. The National Grocers Association (NGA) Best Bagger Champion is designed to promote supermarket employees and demonstrate a superior core customer service skill, the competition has been held by NGA since 1987. Contestants are judged by speed of bagging, proper bagbuilding technique, weight distribution in the bag, as well as style, attitude and appearance, and are chosen through statewide competitions over the course of a year. This year’s competition was sponsored by PepsiCo and emceed for the third consecutive year by Food Network star Duff Goldman.
NRF Says Consumers Plan to Save Their Tax Refunds for Later A record low number of Americans will spend their tax returns this year while the second-highest number on record will put the money into savings, according to the annual tax return survey released today by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics.
Apply for a VRGA Scholarship today! A VRGA Scholarship application is available to all VRGA Retail & Grocers Association members who have student employees or employees with children attending college for the first time. VRGA will award Ten Scholarships in 2017 totaling $15,000: 3 Scholarships based on merit at $1,500 7 Scholarships based on financial need & merit at $1,500 APPLY ONLINE: BIT.LY/
VRGA2017SCHOLARSHIPAPPLICATION
The Vermont Foodbank receives large support from Price Chopper The Vermont Foodbank recently received proceeds from Price Chopper and Market 32’s 2016 Check Out Hunger campaign, which included a donation of $8,100 and 4,058 pounds of food. Check Out Hunger raised more than $43,000 and more than 28 tons of food for 15 regional food banks and pantries in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont. “We are fortunate to have great businesses like Price Chopper in our community helping ensure that all of our neighbors are fed,” said John Sayles, CEO of the Vermont Foodbank. “One in four Vermonters seeks help from the Vermont Foodbank network each year”. From mid-November to mid-December, Check Out Hunger gave shoppers the opportunity to add a small monetary donation to their bill (bringing the total to the next whole dollar amount) through the Round Up Your Change program and/or purchase a set-price Food Package, a $5, $10 or $15 selection of pantry essentials. Price Chopper/Market 32 matched donations up to $5,000.
“Financial security continues to be top-ofmind for all Americans, and consumers are hanging on to their tax refunds tighter than ever,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Consumers are leveraging their tax returns to build up their savings, but that’s good news in the long run because money saved today is money that can be spent down the road, particularly during the back-to-school and holiday seasons later this year.” Of the 66 percent who are expecting a refund this season, only 20.9 percent of consumers will spend their refunds on everyday expenses, 8.7 percent will use them for major purchases such as a television, furniture or a car, and 7.6 percent will splurge on special treats like dining out, apparel or spa visits. The numbers are down from 22.4 percent, 9.2 percent and 8.3 percent last year, respectively, and are record lows in the history of the survey. The number planning to spend the money on vacations dropped to 10.7 percent from last year’s 11.4 percent, the lowest since 10.3 percent in 2013. In addition, 8.8 percent plan to use their refund on home improvements. Rather than spending their refunds, 48 percent of consumers plan to put the money into savings, second only to last year’s record high 49.2 percent. In addition, 35.5 percent will use the money to pay down debt, up from 34.9 percent last year but far below the peak of 48 percent seen in 2009. “Millennials are mindful of how they spend their hard-earned money these days, especially when it comes to any refund they expect from their taxes,” Prosper Consumer Insights Director Pam Goodfellow said. “Although Millennials and Gen X are focused on allocating their refunds to savings or reducing their debt, young adults are also apt to seize the opportunity to treat themselves to a little discretionary spending.”
Customer experience top priority in supply chain operations More than half of retailers, 67 percent, view customer experience as top importance when it comes to supply chain performance and decision making. That’s the finding of a joint study by Convety and eft Supply Chain & Logistic Business Intelligence, according to a press release. The study notes that despite the high number of retailers understanding the importance of a positive customer experience a good number are struggling to address the CX issue. The study notes just three percent of retailers view current systems as able to fully support efforts to improve the customer experience while more than 66 percent report existing systems are doing nothing to boost customer experience. *Learn how to improve your customers experience at Convention & Expo! What retailers can learn from the Grateful Dead Rumors of the May 1977 box began percolating in online fan circles earlier this month, followed by an official email on-sale announcement from Dead.net, the band’s own e-commerce site. With only 15,000 physical copies available, diehard Deadheads swarmed the site… and like it has during other on-sale events, Dead.net melted down, unable to process the spike in traffic. Customer service representatives were virtually unreachable by phone as well. Deadheads lost their minds. Comments recorded on one audiophile forum during the site outage include: “I think I'd have less stress trying to defuse a bomb than ordering this Cornell set on Dead.net." “Buy some server capacity, you doped-up bunch of hippies!!” Dead.net finally ended up passing the online sales baton to Warner Bros.owned partner Rhino Records, sending out multiple emails linking to the Rhino site and apologizing “for the technical issues that have plagued Dead.net since we announced the products. In short, it was a colossal bummer for all involved. But here’s the kicker: Despite the glitches, despite the message board angst and despite the $139.98 price tag,
all 15,000 copies of the May 1977 box sold out in under a week… and to top it off, the Dead is now selling an unlimited, “all-music” edition of the set sans packaging bonuses and flourishes — all for the exact same price. It’s impossible to calculate the level of damage this kind of bad trip might inflict on any other e-commerce site, large or small. But the Grateful Dead have never adhered to narrative convention, So the way to think about the Dead.net May 1977 fiasco isn’t “How did these guys screw up a web sale so badly?” It’s “How have these guys built up customer loyalty and demand so fierce that something like this is a blip on the radar... and how can my retail business do the same?” The answer: Focus on whether shoppers are going to keep coming back if and when all goes wrong; develop a product assortment so compelling and so unique that customer defections become all but unthinkable.
What’s Up with Food Prices? Webinar, March 24th @ 1:00 PM Retail food prices declined for the first time in 48 years during 2016 Supermarket sales are showing only minimal increases from a year earlier, as reported by the Food Institute.
Will the trend continue? Brian Todd, CEO of The Food Institute will look at price projections for various supermarket departments including meats, dairy, and produce.
You’re invited to participate in the discussion on Friday, March 24th @ 1:00 PM Register for the Food Pricing Webinar at: attendee.gotowebinar.com/ register/2466705239341147906
1 In 3 Shoppers Forecasted To Order Groceries Online This Year “E-grocery” is growing fast. Thirty-one percent of U.S. shoppers are expected to order groceries online in 2017, up from 19 percent in 2016. That’s according to Unata’s 2017 Grocery eCommerce Forecast. The report from Unata, which provides digital solutions for grocers, was completed in partnership with Brick Meets Click. It surveyed more than 500 U.S. shoppers about online grocery shopping habits, intent and barriers in order to help retailers understand where to focus their efforts in 2017. Additional findings revealed in the report include: 80 percent of shoppers who bought groceries online in 2016 plan to do so again in 2017; 23 percent of those who ordered groceries online in 2016 reported that
MONTHLY TIP BY:
Cyber Tips for Small Businesses Per a recent internet security threat report, small businesses have increasingly become targets for cyber criminals. With over 40 percent of cyberattacks targeting small businesses, it’s important to lower the risk of an attack and be prepared if one occurs. The following simple, economical steps can help reduce your risk of falling victim to a costly cyber-attack: Equip each of your business’s computers with anti-virus software and anti-spyware, and update it regularly. Use a firewall and encrypting information to safeguard your internet connection. Password-protect access to your router. Establish policies outlining how employees should handle and protect personally identifiable information and other sensitive data.
their current grocer does not offer ecommerce, revealing they spent elsewhere on those online purchases; and 68 percent of shoppers who shopped online last year said that they are “somewhat” or “very likely” to switch grocers to one with a better online shopping experience (quick, easy, convenient, enjoyable). The report also reveals what U.S. shoppers value most for a digital grocery experience, including an easy and convenient user experience; easyto-find products and sales; personalized offers, sales and product suggestions; savings online via the digital weekly ad and digital coupons; and fast delivery. *Learn how to maximize your customer base and revenue in an online world at Convention & Expo!
Educate employees about cyber threats and hold them accountable to the business’s internet security policies and procedures. Require employees to choose strong passwords and to change them often. Make sure your banks and card processors utilize trusted anti-fraud services. Isolate payment systems from other, less secure programs. Regularly back up data on all company computers, and store copies either offsite or on the cloud. Control physical access to computers and network components. Require individual user accounts for each employee. Create a mobile device action plan for lost or stolen equipment. Protect every page of public-facing websites, not just the login page. Contact The Richards Group for tools to ensure you have the proper coverage to protect your company against losses from cyber-attacks.
Upcoming DLC Training Classes for Second Class Licensees To register for any of the DLC seminars, visit: secure.vermont.gov/DLC/eventreg or call 802-828-2339
Retail Scholarships Available University of Phoenix and the NRF Foundation have announced the opportunity for twenty (20) full-tuition scholarships will be offered to current retail/restaurant employees who have big dreams in continuing their retail career in any number of disciplines including, but not limited to, business, finance, criminal justice, technology, management and marketing. Each scholarship will allow a prospective student the opportunity to complete an undergraduate or master’s degree program at University of Phoenix. Deadline: A complete application, and supporting documentation, must be received on, or before, March 31, 2017. Applications not submitted or submitted after the designated deadline will not be considered. No exceptions. Award Date: The scholarship committee will determine the recipients of the scholarship by the award date, August 22, 2017.
All applicants with a submitted application will be notified via email, regardless if selected as a recipient or not, by award date regarding the status of the scholarship. To read the eligibility criteria and apply, visit: nrf.com/career-center/ scholarships Gratitude; The Simple Way To Motivate And Inspire Your Employees Many traits are associated with strong leaders. They’re confident, they’re passionate and they’re decisive. But one critical leadership characteristic that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves is “gratitude” – letting employees know that their hard work is appreciated. In other words, the best leaders know how to say, “Thank you.” They also realize that, to truly show gratitude to others, they need to take time to be grateful for themselves and for where they are today. From there, the gratitude emanates out to the others around them, making the entire organization stronger in the process. “The power of any organization is the collective energy of the people,” says Brad Deutser, president of Deutser LLC, a culture consultancy that advises leaders and organizations facing transition, growth or crisis.
The VRGA Legislative Fund is used to ensure decision makers in Montpelier hear your voice consistently throughout the legislative session
The option to support our legislative efforts is included on your annual membership renewal invoice. However, you are welcome to make a donation anytime throughout the year by calling 802-839-1928 or sending a check with the memo simply stating: Legislative Fund Contribution.
A special thank you goes out to the 31 MEMBERS who contributed to VRGA’s legislative efforts in 2016
Associated Grocers of NE - Cambridge Village Market - Cartier's Meats - Clark's Quality Foods - Coburns' General Store - Coca-Cola Bottling Co of NNE - Craftsbury General Store - Crossroads Discount Beverage & Deli - Crossroads Travel Center Davis Family Deli Provisions - Derby Village Store - Dorset Union Store - Hannaford General Office - Harborside Harvest Market - Jiffy Mart - Jimmy Kwik Store - Kamuda's Supermarket - Lipton Energy - Marty's 1st Stop - Mehuron's Market - North Bennington Variety - Pearl Street Beverage - Pump & Pantry - River Road Beverage - Rivers Edge Quik Stop - Small City Market - Stowe Mercantile - The Morgan Country Store - The Village Butcher - Village Peddler - Wayside Country Store - Will's Store.
“Strong leaders recognize that it’s their people who form the soul of the company and who are directly responsible for the success of the organization, and often the leader.” A few things to consider: Authenticity is essential. People aren’t easily fooled by insincerity. Gratitude is something leaders need to really feel, not just be feigning because they’ve been told it’s important. “If your gratitude doesn’t come across as real or if it’s not founded in something you truly are grateful for, then the inauthenticity shows through,” Deutser says. Gratitude is a big perspective shifter. When the boss routinely expresses gratitude, employees are inspired to take challenging situations and reframe them in a way that reminds them something positive and good comes from them. “It’s about creating positive energy,” Deutser says. “It’s about creating a positive workforce. And, it’s about understanding the direct correlation between positivity and performance.
Your willingness to show gratitude can rub off on others. “Gratitude is very contagious,” Deutser says. “When people in an organization see their leader doing it, then you’ll find that they will follow along and that makes your organization’s culture even more positive. We live in a world where we’re bombarded with negativity. And when you inject gratitude, being grateful for what is good, for what is pure, for what is true, for what is real, for what is right, you’re able to change the environment.”
Green Mountain Alarm’s duo Cody and Jessica Carpenter, located in Essex Junction, have over 30 years invested into the security alarm business. Coming from the bustling west coast they decided to make the move to Vermont, for a better life for their family of five.
Our success has come from seeing the people and businesses we have served, thank us for our good customer service, clean work, and having a “can do” attitude no matter what challenges we face.
The most rewarding aspect of working in Vermont, has been the helpful nature of its people and in turn, feeling a sense of pride that we are helping protect their hard-earned life investments. The most challenging part has been coming from a very busy area and large company, to a very small, rural state with a saturation of companies that are in the same industry and getting people to realize we can offer something better; more cost effective, and innovative. Having been a VRGA member and in business for only a short while (May of 2016), we haven’t yet had much time to take advantage of its offerings, but are looking forward to immersing more in 2017.
“At the end of the day, the more appreciated people feel the more willing they are to do a great job the next time,” Deutser says. “I don’t care who you are, you like being told you’ve done well and that you’re appreciated. That goes for the leader, too.” *Learn how to recruit, hire and retain engaged and dedicated talent at Convention & Expo!
MEMBER
Our advice to new business owners is to plan ahead for slow times, down times, and keep that steady train moving ahead and always have a positive outlook. Most importantly- love what you do and it will sell itself! Learn more about Jessica & Cody: greenmountainalarm.com
The numbers don’t lie – debit reform has saved consumers billions Swipe Reform: The Big Picture Even with the Durbin Amendment in place, retailers and customers still fork out over $50 billion a year in swipe fees to the big banks. For some businesses, swipe fees are their highest paid employee. A 2016 NRF survey found that 89 percent of consumers say the Federal Reserve’s swipe fee limits should not be undone. Further, 84 percent say swipe fees should be set on a competitive basis. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, plans to introduce legislation to repeal the Durbin Amendment.
the Producer Price Index (what retailers pay for the goods they sell) rose 9.4 percent in the first five years after debit fee reform ended anti-competitive price fixing in October 2011. But the Consumer Price Index (what retailers charge their customers) rose only 6.6 percent over the same period.
TELL CONGRESS TO KEEP
In the case of discounters, whose customers focus on price, the savings is most often passed along in the form of reduced prices and the avoidance of price increases. For luxury retailers, whose customers worry less about price but do care about service, the savings is more likely used to ramp up the extra services their customers desire, such as expedited special orders. At either end of the spectrum — and proportionately in between — the savings are shared in ways that each retailer’s customers find most valuable.
DEBIT SWIPE FREE REFORMS! With Congress poised to take up legislation that could repeal landmark debit card swipe fee reforms that took effect half a decade ago, banks and the card industry have been busy spreading claims that retailers have failed to share the savings with consumers. But a simple look at the numbers shows that those claims are simply not true. To start, the definitive study on the issue was conducted by respected economist Robert Shapiro, who found that merchants saved $8.5 billion during the first year of debit reform alone and passed along $5.9 billion of that savings to their customers. Given increasing volume, that’s more than $30 billion saved by consumers over the past five years. But the Shapiro study does not stand alone in proving the banks wrong. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says
That means retailers absorbed a third of the increases in wholesale costs they saw during the period. And a big part of why they could do that was the savings seen under debit reform. Retailers pass the value on to their customers in many ways:
Speaking of food, the BLS numbers show that the Producer Price Index for supermarkets went up 20.3 percent in the first five years of debit reform while prices charged to customers went up only a fraction of that at 7.2 percent. Banks claim that gasoline prices have gone up. In fact, they were down from an average $3.51 a gallon when debit reform took effect to $2.36 five years later, according to the Energy Department.
And gas stations are one of the most clearcut cases of debit reform benefiting customers, with many station owners giving customers who pay by debit the same discount as those who pay by cash. Banks might be crying poor, but net profits averaged 24.5 percent as of January, according to New York University. That’s nearly 10 times the 2.6 percent average for general retail.
Clearly, the banks miss the days when they could price-fix debit card swipe fees as high as they liked, and want to bring them back. If debit reform is repealed, the savings that have benefited consumers would quickly be reversed. Worse yet, the banks would likely move quickly to make up for the five years of swipe fee increases that have been avoided. Our nation’s economy cannot afford to allow that to happen.
NEW VRGA MEMBER! Welcome to the following business that recently joined the Vermont Retail & Grocers Association
NEW VSFA MEMBERS! Welcome to the following businesses that recently joined the Vermont Specialty Food Association
Halyard Brewing (Associate) Kenneth Richards halyardbrewing.us South Burlington, VT
Two Wooden Spoons Mary Roux 2woodenspoonsvt.com Northfield, VT goodMix SUPERFOODS Andrew Mcclymont goodmixfoods.com Waitsfield VT
Upcoming Events VRGA Convention & Expo April 27 & April 28 Burlington, VT
27th Annual Scholarship Golf Outing at Green Mountain National June 7th Killington, VT
Fall Golf Classic at Vermont National Country Club September 25th South Burlington, VT
Connect with us:
148 State Street Montpelier, Vermont 05602 and at vtrga.org RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Since 1934
Our next legislative update call will be on Monday March, 20th at 11:30 am. Keep an eye out for the email reminder!
Check your email inbox weekly for legislative updates & information on the bi-weekly call.
VRGA IS YOUR RESOURCE FOR LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
PRSRT STD. U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #57 MONTPELIER, VT 05602
