Murder at the Outlet Mall

Once you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall, as the famous pun goes. In Murder at the Outlet Mall by Marilyn Baron and Sharon Goldman, the puns are flying, but this shopping-related suspense tale is much more than that. It's a rollercoaster ride which will have the reader on the edge of their seat until checkout.

It's a story of love, revenge, and big spenders and it is excellently written. The location is perfect. The St. Augustine Premium Outlet in Florida is a fashion retail center where the designer apparel is to die for. There are some well-researched geographical and historical details about Florida which were excellent. This tour-guiding episode in which (spoiler alert) the duo endevor to dispose of the 'body parts', reads like a comedy caper film script, and is wonderfully wrought.

Overall, this is a fun story. It's soft-boiled crime for the discerning reader. It captures perfectly the 'feeding frenzy' of shoppers, and the 'Buyer Straits' of a shopping mall. Madame Wang and Madame Li are lovingly created and read brilliantly. And a last word to the authors, who never lose their customary humor but at the same time, prove themselves masters of suspense.The ending is straight out of left-field and is completely satisfying for the reader. There'll be no returns where this story is concerned!

 

All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten

"Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do and how to be I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandpile at school.

These are the things I learned:

• Share everything
• Play fair
• Don't hit people
• Put things back where you found them
• Clean up you own mess
• Dont take things that aren't yours
• Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody
• Wash your hands before you eat
• Flush
• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you
• Live a balanced life
• Take a nap every afternoon
• When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands and stick together.
• Be aware of wonder"

Now I would love to tell you these words of wisdom are mine...but they are not.  "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten" is a book written by Robert Fulgham and this is from his book. I have read it several times over the years. Every once in a while when the world gets a little to crazy I read it again to remind me about what is important.

I recommend this book for everyone. It highlights and reminds us how universal insights can be found in ordinary events

Follow the link below to find it on Amazon.

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

Book signing at Myrtle Beach Tanger Outlet

Author Howard Jones will be at Book Warehouse in Tanger Outlet Mall from noon to 3 p.m. Friday for a book signing. Jones is a CPA and licensed real estate broker, and his book, "Making Money on Your Vacation Rental Home," is a guide for cash-strapped owners of vacation or second homes in the current real estate environment.

Jones is founder and creator of Vacation Home Advisors, a website and hosting company for rental homeowners. The book can be purchased at the signing or at lulu.com. Tanger is on U.S. 501 between Carolina Forest and Fantasy Harbor.

SOURCE: The Sun News by Caroline Evans

When the economy has the force of momentum, even the timid become brave; when it loses the force of momentum, even the brave become timid.

“It is easy to get people to act by means of the force of momentum, whereas it is hard to demand power in individual people." Sun Tzu, The Art of War

These words were written by Sun Tzu over 2000 years ago and they still apply today.

When the economy was flying, everyone was brave. Companies invested capital in their futures. People bought homes and cars.

Now that we are in a recession, where are all the leaders? It’s hard for one company or one person to stand up against the economic forces.

Sun Tzu speaks about strategy, leadership, execution and motivation, all important in today's competitive environment.

On Strategy - “When your strategy is deep and far-reaching, then what you gain by your calculations is much, so you can win before you even fight. When your strategic thinking is shallow and near-sighted, then what you gain by your calculations is little, so you loose before you do battle…

…Therefore it is said that victorious warriors win first then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first then seek to win.”

How many companies and individuals had near-sighted strategies? They were defeated as soon as the economy turned. They are loosing their homes/companies and entering bankruptcy. Those that didn’t leverage themselves into too much debt and those that had a sound long term business/financial plan are going to win during this difficult time and emerge even stronger.

On Leadership - “The difficulty in finding good leadership material is a perennial problem”

It was just as true centuries ago as it is today. You can not win without good people. Do you actively recruit even when you don’t have openings? Do you practice succession planning? Do you have a sound internal training program and career path?

On Execution - “When directives are consistently carried out to edify the populace, the populace accepts. When directives are not consistently carried out to edify the populace, the populace does not accept. When directives are consistently carried out, there is mutual satisfaction between the leadership and the group.”

How many times has senior management given one direction only to change or contradict it later? If you have determined a sound strategy then move forward with consistent directions. You will get better results and build a strong motivated team.

On Motivation - “Roll rocks down a ten thousand foot mountain, and they cannot be stopped – this is because of the mountain, not the rocks. Get people to fight with the courage to win every time, and the strong and weak unite – this is because momentum, not the individuals.”

If you get your team motivated, if you get them all moving in the same direction then momentum will take over. With momentum you can overcome obstacles and your competition.

This is one of my favorite books. I re-read it regularly and recommend it for any business professional no matter what industry they are in.

Click here to browse the Outlet Insider Book Store

Mark Libell

42 Rules for Success on LinkedIn

Do you know how to use LinkedIn to achieve your business goals? There are millions of registered users on LinkedIn. Relatively few of them seem to have any real understanding of how to effectively use LinkedIn. With registered users on LinkedIn projected to grow to 70 million by the end of 2009, business professionals are searching for ways to leverage this new communication medium. Although Social Networking is exploding, there are very few resources that teach what users are craving - solutions to increase their desired business success.

'42 Rules of 24-Hour Success on LinkedIn' is a user-friendly guidebook designed to help you leverage the power of LinkedIn to build visibility, make connections and support your brand. There is a theory that everyone in the world is connected by no more than 6 people. You know who you are, but who else in this socially-networked world knows you?

Click here to browse the Outlet Insider Book Store

Mark Libell

Mathematics for Retail

When I started as an executive trainee at Hornes department store things were different. We were all college graduates and the company provided an extensive training program. Of course that was the 80's when there were large budgets for HR and Training.

Today I find that those large training budgets are gone. I also see a lot more people being promoted from the store associate or supervisor level instead of being recruited from colleges. They may have little or no formal schooling past high school.

Do they understand how to read a P and L? Can they calculate a mark-up or a sell-thru? Do they understand the retail method of inventory? Can they run an open-to-buy?

I have found my answer to these questions about my employees many times to be NO! So what do you do?

I have used this book Mathematics for Retail to develop my own training program for both my field and corporate personnel. We have an obligation to ourselves, our companies and our employees to develop the future leaders.

This is a great book. I recommend that you get at least one copy to use as a component of your training program. If you have the funds get one for each of your trainees. It will pay for itself ten fold.

CLICK HERE TO BROWSE THE OUTLET INSIDERS BOOK STORE

Mark Libell

Patton on Leadership

"Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way." General George S. Patton

Are you tired of leadership books written by people who have never led anyone in their life? General George S. Patton was a brilliant tactician and a terrific motivator. We have to lead people in business; he had to lead men in war. This is by far my favorite book on leadership. I refer to it all the time.

This is not a war or history book. This book takes the leadership and wisdom of one of America's greatest and most colorful combat generals and applies it to contemporary civilian corporate organizations.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from General Patton. You can easily see how these principles can be applied to your organization.

"Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory."

"If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking."

"Better to fight for something than live for nothing."
 
"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week."

"Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results."

"Nobody ever defended anything successfully, there is only attack and attack and attack some more." 

"Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash."

If you only ever buy one book on leadership this is the one. 


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Mark Libell 

Hints and tips for visual merchandising

This book is a great introduction for new retailers on your team, it offers a user-friendly reference guide to all aspects of visual merchandising and covers both window dressing and in-store areas. Using examples from a range of stores, the book offers practical advice on the subject, supported by hints and tips from established visual merchandisers. It reveals the secrets of their tool kit, and information on the use of mannequins, the latest technology, how to construct and source props, and explains the psychology behind shopping and buyer behavior.

It is presented through color photographs, diagrams of floor layouts, store case studies, and including invaluable information such as a glossary of terms used in the industry.

This book is especially helpful for managers who came up through the ranks and didn't have advanced schooling. I have often copied the glossary of terms and given it to all my managers as a reference and refresher.

Visual Merchandising is an essential handbook for anyone working in and learning about this exciting area.

Another great source of information is Silent Selling: Best Practices And Effective Strategies In Visual Merchandising 

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Mark Libell

Retail Hell: How I Sold My Soul

Does this sound like you? I know I can relate.

For Hal, retail was destiny, for he came from a family of retail workers, including his great-grandfather, who owned a furniture-and-appliance store. But Hall, as he explains, had a different dream: he wanted to be a screenwriter. He didn't give up those aspirations, despite having retail jobs during his growing-up years. When he moved to California, he looked for a job that could help him pay the bills and look fabulous at the same time (you got to love that employee discount). He landed a job at a department store he calls The Big Fancy, an upscale emporium known for its customer service where he worked in the handbag department. Those who've worked on the front lines of the retail industry will relate to Hall's stories. Hall's memoir chronicles wacky training exercises, sleep-inducing staff meetings and, of course, the customers. Every nutty client becomes a character, from foul-mouthed Lorraine, aka Shoposaurus Carnivoarus, to more generic Serpents and Bloodsuckers. There are rants about bosses, co-workers and the customers' endless capacity for lying in the service of returning obviously used items and more. Hall's voice is sharp and sometimes funny, not unlike a retail-centric Perez Hilton

It's hilarious and great for anyone whether you have worked in retail or not. I've spent over 20 years in the retail industry. Trust me, all these stories are true.

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Mark Libell

500 Things to Eat Before Its Too Late

If you like my Crossroad Cuisine posts then you will love this book. I own it and whole heartily endorse it. I have used this book to find many great places to eat across the country. This is where I found out about Al's #1 Italian Beef and Mario's Italian Ice in Chicago. I discovered Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles in LA. Not just great Chicken and Waffles but also where they shot the restaurant scene in the movie Pulp Fiction (not the one where Uma Thurman dances but the one where there is a gun stand-off with Samuel Jackson.) Also, Randy's Donuts which is just a couple miles from LAX. I cant land in LA without getting my donut and coffee here. Its not just LA, Chicago and NY. Its Mississippi, Louisiana, Indiana, Texas, etc.

Seriously, If you travel and you are sick of eating room service, fast food or the standard TGIF/Applebees/etc food then you must have this book. Its small, it will fit in your carry on and is full of great food.


No I haven't eaten all 500.........but I'm working on it.


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Mark Libell

Silent Selling: Best Practices And Effective Strategies In Visual Merchandising

This book is a great resource for your visual merchandising team or your project managers. It also is a great reminder for those of us in the field of what usually works, and reminds us to share this knowledge with new staff members.

This edition of Silent Selling captures the direction in which today's retail industry is moving and leads you beyond the basics of visual merchandising. Readers will benefit from an understanding of experts recent discoveries and learn valuable new techniques. With these informational tools, you and your staff can learn to create and deliver professional presentations that will turn into sales.




For other great retailing books see:
The Complete Guide to Investing in REITS
Retailing in the 21st Century

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Mark Libell

The Complete Guide to Investing in REITS

Currently, there are nearly 200 publicly traded real estate investment trusts (more commonly referred to as REITs) in operation in the United States with a combined $500 billion in assets. An estimated two-thirds of REITS are traded on national stock exchanges. A REIT is a real estate company that offers its shares to the public. By doing so, a REIT stock becomes like any other stock that represents the holders ownership in a business. However, REITs have two distinct features: REITs manage groups of income-producing properties and must distribute 90 percent of profits as dividends. The Complete Guide to Investing in REITs will teach you everything you need to know about REITs and how you can earn high rates of return. In this book, you will learn about publicly and privately held REITs, Net Asset Value (NAV), Adjusted Funds From Operations (AFFO), Cash Available for Distribution (CAD), the benefits associated with REITS, dividend reinvestment programs (DRiPs), capitalization rate, equitization, leverage, positive spread investing, securitization, and straight-lining. You will also learn about equity, mortgage, and hybrid REITs and the more specific types, including residential, office, industrial, and retail. The Complete Guide to Investing in REITs will walk you through finding the appropriate REIT for you. This book will also teach you how to manage your REIT, how to limit your personal risk, how to understand REIT performance, and how to analyze REITs. By reading this book, you will know and understand the pitfalls of investing in REITs, you will know how REITs behave as an investment class and how to best integrate them into your portfolio, and you will know what economic issues affect real estate and the effects these have on REITs. This book is not merely for the novice investor who wants to learn everything possible about real estate investment trusts; professional investors, financial planners, and investment advisors will also find valuable information in this book. Ultimately, The Complete Guide to Investing in REITs will help you stabilize and grow your portfolio and earn high rates of return by providing you with vital information and practical guidance.

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Mark Libell

Retailing in the 21st Century

Today, the retailing industry is being buffeted by a number of forces simultaneously, e.g., increasing competition within and across retailing formats, the growth of online retailing, the advent of ‘radio frequency identification’ (RFID) technology, the explosion in customer-level data availability, the global expansion of major retail chains like Wal-Mart and METRO Group and so on. Making sense of it all is not easy but of vital importance to retailing practitioners, analysts and policymakers. With crisp and insightful contributions from some of the world’s leading experts, Retailing in the 21st Century is a compendium of state-of-the-art, cutting-edge knowledge for successful retailing today.

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