By Jeremy Fugleberg
Friday is here, and with it, your weekly chance to sound off on anything you want.
Have your say, put in your two cents, or ask that burning question.
I’ll approve comments over the weekend, with some Super Bowl downtime (Obviously, and … Go Cards!).
Step right up.
By Jeremy Fugleberg
A top Democrat in the state is getting snippy with the Office of Tourism. Apparently they didn’t include an adjustment for inflation in the visitor spending numbers for last year, as reported by yours truly last week.
The visitor spending numbers, while lower than previous year, were generally positive.
To be fair, they don’t typically do that (they say). But then again, this is the first year in a while where the amount of growth is negative if you adjust for inflation.
State tourism officials say:
They said including inflation-adjusted growth rates would be inconsistent, as they weren’t provided in prior-year releases and are typically not reported by other states’ releases.
Goodman added that inflation-adjusted numbers require more explanation than can be effectively communicated in a release.
The bigger question is — why doesn’t the state generally include the inflation factor in those reports? Isn’t that a bigger sin?
To not adjust for inflation is to pad those reports every year. Not just this time.
That’s what somebody should really be mad about.
By Jeremy Fugleberg
I’m hearing more news of layoffs at Sanmina-SCI, an electronics manufacturing firm with an operation in Rapid City.
Periodically I’ve gotten calls from workers (who want to remain anonymous) who have been furloughed, and then some get picked up later and get put back to work. But it sounds like the work force has continued to dwindle.
This time, it sounds like the layoffs involve more highly-paid/skilled positions, not people on the line.
I haven’t heard back from the company yet regarding the layoffs, but I’ll let you know when I do.
By Jeremy Fugleberg
It’s been a long time, but it appears the long-awaited Custer Pamida store will open in April.
Says the Custer County Chronicle:
Murley said the fixturing typically takes between six and eight weeks, and that Pamida usually doesn’t open a store until it has a set—such as spring, summer, back to school, etc. Stores also don’t open in the winter months because Pamida is concentrating on its existing stores and other end-of-year business, he said.
The store won’t have a pharmacy, however. Pamida generally tries to find a local pharmacist who would like to operate out of the store, but couldn’t find one in this case. Instead, the store will host a Black Hills Federal Credit Union.
By Jeremy Fugleberg
Funny.
A couple of days ago someone commenting on the post about the “Life Is Good in Rapid City” Campaign sarcastically commented that the Journal should stop giving the campaign negative press, or we might see layoffs.
I don’t think you can draw a direct line from the ad campaign comments to today’s news, but it’s real, nonetheless:
The Rapid City Journal announced Thursday that it is implementing a number of cost-saving measures in light of the economic downturn and sharp decline in advertising revenue.
Merit pay increases for employees have been suspended for 2009, as has the company’s contribution to employees’ 401(k) funds. The paper also announced that four employees have been laid off because of budget cuts, and the Journal will be implementing a furlough program from February through April, but details have yet to be finalized.
By Jeremy Fugleberg
It could be that obsession might make a job applicant successful. And how do you measure that?
Ask: What do you do in your spare time?
Says the Harvard Business Review:
Wouldn’t you rather hire someone well rounded? Someone who has interests beyond the particular? Someone who might be a better communicator?
But people are often successful not despite their dysfunctions but because of them. Obsessions are one of the greatest telltale signs of success. Understand a person’s obsessions and you will understand her natural motivation. The thing for which she would walk to the end of the earth.
By Jeremy Fugleberg
Boston’s Restaurant & Sports Bar in Rapid City is showing some love this Valentine’s Day.
From Feb. 12-15, Boston’s will sell heart-shaped pizzas. From now until Feb. 14, patrons can buy a paper heart for a buck, and write a message of love that will get hung up in the restaurant.
The money is donated to a non-profit researching a cure for Type 1 diabetes.
My favorite part of the promotion — Boston’s will even sell individual-sized heart shaped pizza. Apparently to give lonely hearts a chance to sit at Boston’s and look sad?
By Jeremy Fugleberg
Bully Blends, the downtown coffee shop, will likely soon serve more than lattes and cappucinos.
The shop is seeking a wine and beer license, and hopes to eventually open a brew pub in its small location downtown on Fifth Street, said co-owner Aida Compton:
We’re kind of known for lunch, but we kind of want to expand into the evening here.
She emphasized she and husband (and co-owner) Peter don’t want the shop to turn into a bar. They just want the chance to offer beer and wine along with an extended menu.
The City Council will consider the license application Feb. 2. If all goes well, Compton said the coffee shop will offer tap beer on March 1 and start work on installing the brew equipment.
She said they’re already experimenting with beer types and tastes at home.
By Jeremy Fugleberg
Here are the top 10 results for a survey of customers of chain restaurants. The eateries are rated in overall customer satisfaction:
1. In-N-Out Burger, Irvine, Calif., 60%
2. Raising Cane’s, Baton Rouge, La., 59%
3. Giordano’s Pizza, Chicago, 56%
4. Chick-fil-A, Atlanta, 55%
5. Panera Bread, St. Louis, 54%
6. Chipotle, Denver, 52%
7. Pei Wei, Scottsdale, Ariz., 51%
8. Firehouse Subs, Jacksonville, Fla., 51%
9. Taco Tote, El Paso, Texas, 50%
10. Qdoba, Wheat Ridge, Colo., 49%
It got me thinking, what local restaurant (chain or not) would win top honors for overall customer satisfaction?
Try not to get to deep into bashing one place or the other. I’m interested in the creme de la creme of the local restaurant scene, regardless of price.
By Jeremy Fugleberg
Starbucks is closing 200 locations in the US, it announced Wednesday.
Are any of the Rapid City locations on the list?
I’ve got calls in on this, so I’ll update you all when I hear back.
From the wire story about the closures:
SEATTLE — Starbucks is reporting that its profit dropped 69 percent in its fiscal first quarter and it plans to close more stores and cut more jobs.
The company says it will close 300 underperforming stores in addition to the 600 it already planned to close in the U.S.
The closures could result in the loss of 6,000 jobs. Starbucks will also lay off about 700 non-store employees.
The retailer said Wednesday that its net income fell to $64.3 million, or 9 cents per share, from $208.1 million, or 28 cents per share a year earlier.
UPDATE: Starbucks says:
The store closure list is being finalized and will be available after impacted partners have been notified.
and,
We do not at this time have specific details about numbers of partners or locations/numbers of stores that may be impacted by these announcements in the Rapid City market.
I guess we’ll wait and see.