suggested to add

Andrew, love EDS, used it for years now, found some good deals.

Thanks for doing this.

I'd like to see you add TexasHuntersForum.com
It's the most active firearms classifieds after ARF.com

Why Buy Local?

You were doing real well, serving your customers, staying involved in the community. Yours isn’t the biggest market, but you’re OK with that, and you have made a good living for your family through your store and it’s customers.

Then that big national chain opened a location down the street—Wal-Mart, Zone, those Irish guys, maybe all three. You felt it that first month, and you are seeing vehicles in their parking lot that belong to YOUR long-time customers, your neighbors. That’s tough to deal with, but you have no choice. And you do have an advantage—you’re the hometown team.

Why should your customers buy from your locally-owned business? Recent studies have tried to quantify the benefit:

· A study in Austin, Texas found that $100 spent at a local bookstore produced $45 in local economic activity, vs $13 at the Borders store (3 to 1).

· Nationwide, 33.6% of the revenue from national chains is reinvested into the community, vs 64.8% return from local businesses. (2009)

· A new Wal-Mart costs your county an average 150 jobs lost.

· Local Non-profit organizations average 250% more support from small business owners than they do from large businesses.

· Local businesses are usually located in-town, rather than on the outskirts.

· Local business owners are invested in the community, national chains seek to extract dollars from the community.

· Local businesses almost always use existing infrastructure, national chains demand added infrastructure

· Local business stock products based on local needs, not national statistics. How often have you sold product in high demand—tire chains, generators—when the national chain was completely out?

· You spend money locally on supplies and services, national chains bring in their own from out of state. All of them seek to minimize local expenses.

· Big companies often locate their headquarters offshore to avoid taxes.

· Your stock orders come to you in a small truck that travelled at most a few hundred miles. That National chain probably sent an 18-wheeler from 2 states away and burned hundreds of gallons of fuel.

This list could be several pages long, but you get the idea.

At the current rate independent retailers might soon be a thing of the past, just as independent jobbers are gone from the big cities. But there is another trend: a growing number of communities are rejecting chain stores. Does your community have a “Buy Local First” program? All over the country, smaller cities are organizing to protect local business and discourage Big Box retailers.

The bottom line is there are a lot of very good reasons your neighbors should be buying from you, even if you aren’t always the rock-bottom price. Our job is to communicate that better, and continue to give them the best service possible.

Good information can be found at www.newrules.org

Notes from the Program manager's Meeting

Twice a year, ADN invites all the Parts Plus Program managers to get an update on what is going on within the Network and it's members. It's a 2-day series of presentations by ADN officers and vendors.
This Spring we met at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. We don't usually enjoy the level of luxury the Wynn offers, but the purpose was to allow us to experience the site of the upcoming 2012 Network Convention.
I can tell you that NO One will be disappointed with the accommodations!

Herewith are some quick notes about what was discussed:

4/18/11 - 4/20-11 ADN/Parts Plus Program managers Meeting
Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas NV

3 new Parts Plus warehouse members - Los Angeles, Massachusetts, North Carolina
Network Products Warehouse update - Stock MAP items kept on hand for no-freight shipment.
members requested to add T&E items and Evaporust

MAP - New aisle marker categories - what do we need added?

2011 Parts Plus collector model car - 1969 Z28 Camaro
Optional store information will be imprinted on the rear window

Network Magazine - new edition is out with Clay Millican on the cover.
Quarterly publication

Wayne Schaak introduced as new ADN HQ employee for pricing strategy

WHI update. New features, ebay product coming

Parts Plus has a Facebook page, currently no content
New radio spot coming in May. 2 grumpy old men discussing car repairs, 6 variations

PartsPlus.com has a new look.
Downloads available: Logos, TV & radio spots
MSDS only on PP-branded product
CCC website links
Member site links
current promos
Tool & Equipment flyer (PDF)
Place to win NHRA tickets

Car Care Center - new brochure available.
63 new CCCs 1st quarter 2011

Roadside Assistance program uses a new company.
New certificates add flat tire change, fuel delivery, lockout, $75 cap, same 35-cents price.
Old certificates good for 12 months from issue, do not include new services.

Rachel Ray Sponsorship renewed
Westwood One radio renewed, NFL strike could change that

Training - Injectronics tech training. Still the best in the business
Online traing now available

Mike Sires still looking for business

Repair America coming back July-August

Let's go To Hawaii - Oct-Nov
Jobber kit + CCC Kits
Order kits in July

Alpha & Omega Credit Card Processing - big savings reported by members who use them.

Mitchell 1 update. We need a refresher for our salespeople.
#1 shop Management system (#2 RO Writer, #3 NAPA)

Clay Millican NHRA Top Fuel sponsorship
Competitive team.
Clay will be an excellent spokesperson for Parts Plus. Very nice, personable guy. You can't help but like him.
Show car available for store appearances @ $2000/4hours. May be somewhat negotiable.
Possible event hospitality at ennis event in September.

Repair Shop Websites - Websites for CCC, total package, $99 - $149 - $199/quarter
Excellent program, no longterm commitment, up in 24 hours.
All our CCCs need to use this service.
Also Jobber stores and body shops.
www.repairshopwebsites.com

2012 Convention - Wynn Hotel, Las Vegas. Feb 26-29, 2012
This is possibly the nicest hotel I have stayed at - 5-star rated
Beautiful large rooms, great views
Friendly employees
Separate area for our convention activities
Buses for attendees from airport
No-touch Luggage handling airport to room
Private entrance to separate registration.
50K sq ft Expo vendor show
Cost for Ground Package same as last time - $849
excellent earnback program for 1st 400 registered starting May 1
Special room rate available 3 days before and after for extended stays.

What's this?

A great deal of information flows through my workplace, some important, some trivial, some just interesting. Much of it should be shared with our wider family - the people behind the counters in WM-serviced stores all over Texas and Oklahoma. It has always been a challenge to get that information to you in a variety of ways. This is one way we will pursue. While we do not expect this page to see the readership of our Notepad newsletter, we hope enough will find it useful. If nothing else, it will give me a place to park those useful tidbits as they come along, and expand on them at much more length than I can in the printed Notepad.
So bear with me as I figure out how best to use this tool as yet another method to share with you the things you need to know, our want to know, or might find interesting.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for being a WM Customer

Rex

HEY

CHECK OUT THIS SUPER AWESOME TEST POST

IT HAS THREE PARTS:

TEST
TEST
TEST

WOW!

THOSE PARTS WERE SO DISPARATE