I say, "Follow your passion!"

A co-worker visited my store and handed me an envelope with a copy of my recent book,'Who's Minding the Store?' He said he visited a store he handles in Lake Forest, CA where Melinda works. Turns out Melinda bought a copy of my book and asked him to bring it to me in San Diego for me to autograph.

Any author will tell you we love personally…

I often hear from customers, “What’s the best price you can give me?”

I usually refer to the sales price seeing as how we already offer the lowest price. I verify this by doing competitor shops.

Then the customer usually asks, “So what’s the best price you can give me?”

Like anyone else, I too need to save a buck, but at what cost?

When I ask questions about the type of project the customer is working on…

When he got to the store, Derrick took his time walking the sales floor, doing his best to remain unnoticed. He wanted to see how the associates behaved in the absence of the store manager.

The first group of associates he saw were less than impressive.

Florence and Tiffany were cashiers, standing at their registers texting on their cell phones, instead of focusing on the customers waiting to make a purchase.

There was a company SOP, forbidding the use of personal cell…

Miguel Martinez was a practical man, or so he said several times, as he repeated his story to Derrick. His only flaw was failing to play by the rules.

“We value your business, Mr. Martinez,” said Derrick. But the law doesn’t give us any leeway on this. Any cash purchase over ten thousand dollars must be report to the IRS.”

Derrick was certain that Miguel had heard all of…

Now this is a way to start your day!

I'm helping a couple who say they've been shopping for a new range. After visiting three competitors they were still on the fence over which brand to purchase.

"The reviews I've read online are very negative about many brands I thought would be good for our kitchen remodel," the husband said.

I explained how I didn't take to heart online reviews because I'm familiar with the fact that competitors will create phony reviews to trash the…

On an evening like this (raining and cold), what better way than to kick back at home and reading a book?

In my latest book 'Who's Minding the Store,'  Derrick Payton, newly-promoted store manager can't find his employees on the sales floor where customers await assistance. Walking from department to department, he hears a familiar sound of passion coming from a work room closet. Find out how he handles this with you own…

There was no time for celebration. Derrick had to catch his breath. His heart raced. He was perspiring, and his deodorant wasn’t holding up to the claims made by its advertising campaign.

I can’t go to the store looking like I s*** my pants.

A Starbucks was nearby. He practically ran to it, and headed straight for the bathroom. He locked the door, splashed water over his face at the sink, and then stared in the mirror. His breathing returned to normal, but he was red in…

“Why not ask me to give you the product for free?”

In my latest novel, ‘Who’s Minding the Store?’ Derrick Payton faces customers who want him to match online retailer prices. The scenario you read in my book is all too real in every business across the country. Now why do you suppose businesses can’t match online prices?

Derrick handles the situation fine in my book. I’ve found myself explaining to customers how brick-and-mortar businesses can’t afford to match…

Time to face the Music

Time to own up to why I wrote ‘Who’s Minding the Store?’

My latest novel is a comedy about retail. The main character is an operations assistant manager who suddenly finds himself promoted to store manager on his first day after being transferred to a new store. But he has no time to celebrate when his district manager declares, “You’ve got one week…

I know I’m not the only one surprised at the piss-poor behavior we see from co-workers. It’s always the same people consistently late to work, or absent when things need to be done or when a customer needs help, all of the above. To our utter amazement it’s these same people who complain about their job, but do nothing in the way of looking for another job that would please them. At some point they even have the gall to ask for a raise, and then gripe to you when management denies them one.…

I announced on Monday the release of 'Who's Minding the Store?' It's my 2nd published book and I'm particularly proud of this work because it's something many of us live. Here's a review by Jeff Edwards, author of The Seventh Angel'.

"Imagine the sexy hilarity of Richard Hooker's M*A*S*H, the complex political intrigue of a classic Russian novel, and the sheer wackiness of the British sitcom ARE YOU BEING SERVED? Now, imagine that all of this high-octane…

Navigator Books in San Diego, CA has published my latest book, 'Who's Minding the Store?'  Visit this link for a look at what I believe all of us will relate to.

 …

As you read ‘Who’s Minding the Store?’ you see a customer named PJ Nabors, a.k.a. Burly Man, slamming his hand on the front counter demanding satisfaction. He’s your typical do-it-yourselfer, which is to say a Jack-of-all-trades and master of     you get the rest. This happens on Derrick’s last day at The Design, Your Choice for Home Improvement’s Kearny Mesa branch store. He’s being transferred to the Encinitas branch location in north San Diego as the operations…

Firstly, you’re opening yourself and the company you work for to get a nasty lawsuit!

Secondly, no one is worth losing the respect of your team.

I’ve seen managers play favorites time and again, and always for the wrong reasons. I remember a person who was consistently number 1 in sales. But that was the only thing he was good at. The person treated everyone around him poorly. He never said hi to anyone, or thanked them when they helped him with his sales (and he got plenty of…

Why Managers Should Not Play Favorites

Firstly, you’re opening yourself and the company you work for to get a nasty lawsuit!

Secondly, no one is worth losing the respect of your team.

I’ve seen managers play favorites time and again, and always for the wrong reasons. I remember a person who was consistently number 1 in sales. But that was the only thing he was good…

One would think for a manager to answer the phone is a basic task. In truth it’s as difficult as getting people to come to work on time. Being a manager myself I know why managers don’t want to perform this task.

They’re LAZY!!!

We’ve all seen managers check caller ID when their phone rings and if it’s the cashiers, return desk, or an outside customer call they let the call go right to voicemail, knowing full well they have no intention of checking the voicemail…

A husband and wife visit my store stating, “We hated the service across the street!” (I’ll refrain from mentioning the name of the big-box retailer they referred to out of respect). “The people there didn’t know anything about the products we want and behaved as though they weren’t interested in helping us.”

I introduced myself and asked if this was their first visit to my store. They said, “Yes.” After introducing myself I explained how we provided everything…

About ‘Who’s Minding the Store?’

Derrick Payton thinks he’s going to be the new operations manager at The Design, Your Choice for Home Improvement. Upon arrival his first day the district manager, Judy, tells him, “Derrick, I’ve fired the manager and decided to give you the store. You’ve got 1 week to improve sales or else….”

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Derrick must learn how to motivate people who can’t come to work on time and watch his…

 I hear a lot of writers say to be a good writer you have to write, read, write some more, and read some more, and then write a lot more, and read a lot more. This keeps the juices flowing, so to speak. Yes, I agree (in theory) with this, but in my lifelong ambition of becoming a published author I’ve learned a thing a two I want to share.

Writing is a writer’s joy. It’s our obsession (I know, I say this a lot!). It’s that other lover in our life we…

How to Make a Return on a Non-Refundable Product

Buyer’s Remorse is a retail store’s nightmare. In fact, we downright hate it. But you really can’t blame us since we’re in the business of selling product, not loaning it for an unspecified amount of time. Still, customers returning product is something we have to deal with.

We try and make it easy by posting our Return Policy all over the store at work stations and the front counter, but nobody…