Wal-Mart Revives Layaway

What was old is new again! This is a timeless statement and appears to be the new Wal-Mart motto. In a society where everything seems to be recyclable, Wal-Mart is reviving the “layaway” shopping experience. This new yet old promotion is an attempt by the giant retailer to regain a foothold in the low income markets. Just recently, it was reported that Walmart’s share of the U.S. consumer market had dropped for the first time in over a decade. The retailer had seen a steady increase in its share of the market annually for the last ten years. However, in recent years, its main customer base has been hit hard by high unemployment and rising costs. It has also faced fierce competition from other retailers targeting the same consumers. Wal-Mart had offered the layaway option in previous years, but during the boom economic years with easily available credit, it discontinued the service citing high costs and lack of consumer interest. However, when other competitors began offering/and or expanding the service, Wal-Mart was forced to start up again in order to stay competitive. The program is available with quite a number of restrictions and is limited to certain minimum purchase and product requirements. It may be expanded to include all non-perishable items such as clothing, etc. if the demand grows. It will be interesting to see if this return to a method of purchasing made popular in the Great Depression will enable Wal-Mart to regain its status as the “King” of the low-cost, high volume retailers. Wal-Mart is not accustomed to being in a “catch-up” position and had become used to being the leader of the pack.

Supermarkets

Hmart is a Korean supermarket that has really fresh vegetable and fruits also is has delicious Asian cuisine . It is always crowded. Not only Asians go to hmart, more and more Americans start going to Asian markets. More people are interested in the differences between cultures, and of course food is always the first thing we try to know! At hmart, we can find food thats wont be purchased at other grocery stores. The special food makes hmart fascinating , even though hmart is located far away from everywhere. Some time if we get hmart at the end of the day,all the fruit and vegetable would be gone. Because its scarcity, makes people wanting more.

Making a market successful, the owner needs to find things that can make his market different then others,like some other Asian supermarkets are not as crowded as hmart.

How to make a market work for everyone , who would be coming when the market is built, and what to make in this market, these are important questions to answer when a owner wants to do anything. Hmart's owner knew these answer,so hmart is doing great!!

Social Media VS. Productivity

Would you facebook, use your cell phone, or use company email for personal use? Apparently, that is what the current workforce is doing. All of the advancements in technology were to make workers more productive by speeding up communications, and, by default, getting faster results on the job. In effect, these tools are costing employers valuable work time. A recent study showed that almost 60% of work interruptions were due to employees using email, social media, etc. for personal reasons, while on the job. A recent survey estimates that this lost productivity is costing businesses millions of dollars. The question remains that while social media is a basic part of business today, should employees be monitored to restrict their personal use? One solution would be to have clear policies on what is and is not the acceptable use of the social media, and making sure that all employees are fully aware of what the guidelines are. Only then will employees and companies know where they stand on the issue of social media. Like it or not, social media, like facebook, are part of the current workplace and will be ongoing into the future.

Insomnia Is Greater Than Productivity

Insomnia or sleepless is mostly defined by an individual's report of sleeping difficulties. People have stresses, even students have stresses from high expectations of others. AS the result, we get insomnia, exhausted and depressed. People who suffer insomnia are less productive than people who have 8 hours sleep every night. Those employees drag themselves to work, although they are physically at work, their minds are still sleeping. A research shows that insomnia costs U.S. $63 billion annually in lost productivity. So insomnia is one of the important factor of why employees can not meet their max efficiency at work. Most people don't see insomnia as a kind of illness, but those people might need some medical help. Have a good night sleep, everything might seem different the next morning. Just like we can work harder, more efficiency , and more productive. Sleep is not only important to work but also important to ourselves.

Sugary Beverages and You! (the average person)

In this article, the amount of sugar based beverages consumed by people is brought to attention. Approximately 1 out of 20 people drink more than 4 cans of soda a day. Each can of soda contains 140 calories and the daily reccomendation of sugary beverages is 64 calories. When you do the math for every 1 out of 20 people, they have  consumed 560 calories. Most of the soda beverages puchased an consumed are by half the population, young teens(mainly males), and blacks. This study shows how harmful soda can be to childrens health. The effects of soda among childen include obesity and diabetes. Hospitals have stopped selling beverages loaded with the  sugary goodness because of the patients there with weight related issues. Because of the loss of their customers, soda manufacturers have seen a decline in profits. Some schools have also stopped selling soda due to new health trends.

As a personal study I stopped drinking soda to see the effects of my decision in my evereyday life snd the results really suprised me. When I stopped drinkink soda and substituted it with water I first noticed that I became more alert during classes and was more attentive. The second change that I noticed was my weight; I lost a couple pounds and my face also became more clearer. And the third and my most favorite of all is that I just became more lively! I dont know why but changing the drinks that I drank changed my life in a way and I think that cuttibg back on the soda and sugary beverages could be a good thing for everyone!