By Tony DeMasi, editor
he politicians are at it again; ready to hurt brick-and-mortar
retailers while protecting their elected positions. I’m talking
about raising sales taxes. Across the country, state and local
level elected officials are looking for ways to increase their budgets
- as opposed to cutting spending. As such, the vast majority is looking
at increasing sales taxes on anything and everything bought in a typical
retail shop. But, they are staying away from taxing all sales done via the
Internet. I urge you to confront your elected leaders now; even a “small’
increase could cost you a major loss.
Beware of a scheme to charge “usage fees” to consumers who pay with
credit or debit cards. It’s yet another trick to hurt both retailers and consumers.
It’s being supported by banks and financial institutions that
issue the cards - and who already get a percentage of each purchase made
on the cards. I suppose their logic is if consumers pay a fee to use an
ATM, they shouldn’t complain about paying for use of the cards.
An overwhelming majority of consumers believe imposing check out
fees on those who pay with plastic is an unfair practice and would not
purchase goods from merchants who penalize debit and credit card users,
according to the Americans for Consumer Education and Competition
(ACEC).
ACEC poll, a national survey of 1,000 American adults, indicated that
62% of American adults would abandon their purchase if charged a
check out fee for using a debit or credit card. Eighty-two percent of those
who reported being surcharged were charged check out fees in the past
year. And, 62% percent of those who have been surcharged said getting
hit with the fee gave them a negative impression of the retailer. Check out
fees, often unnoticed by consumers, is a method practiced by some merchants
to recoup fees they pay for the advantage of offering credit and
debit options to their customers.
States that ban surcharging or “check out fees” for consumers who pay
with plastic are: California, Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Connecticut,
Florida, Kansas, Maine, and New York. New Hampshire specifically bans
surcharging by travel companies and Kentucky bans surcharging by
restaurants for tips if they are included on a credit transaction. Wyoming,
Washington, Maryland and Massachusetts allow merchants to offer a
cash discount to the customer who pays with cash rather than credit, as
do many other states.
Surcharging is charging consumers for their own goods and the retailer’s
decision to provide the credit option. It’s another situation that
should be nipped in the bud.
Now’s a great time to catch up on things that you might have put aside
for a while. Designer Jayne Pelosi, Interior Divine, Walking You Through
the Transformation of Your Home, offers these tips that can help:
Get rid of baggage. Clean your office, store and home of items that
have negative connotations. Is there an item you bought a while ago that
you were positive it would sell but didn’t and now it’s staring at you each
morning making you feel dumb or guilty? Get rid
of it! Give it to a charity and get the tax deduction.
Clearing out such items is like removing a
splinter that constantly antagonizes you at some
low level.
Watch your back. When you can’t see what
comes up behind you, you’re at a disadvantage,
Pelosi says. The feng shui way to fix this is to hang
a mirror, even a very small one, so that you don’t
feel that you’re being snuck up on. “It’s more symbolic
than anything else. You may not really be
able to see everything behind you, but that mirror
will be reflecting good energy.” Get a book on
feng shui, or contact a local feng shui expert. The
solution to your problems might just be a rearranging
of your counters or furniture.
Change colors. An easy paint job can do wonders.
In her book, Pelosi identifies five elements
and their associated color that elicit specific energies
in your environment:
Black or blue, associated with water energy, support
inner work, helping us to concentrate, contemplate,
mediate and handle creative endeavors.
Blue can slow the heart and breathing rates and
lower blood pressure. It can be used to increase
coolness, to calm and to create privacy.
Green is associated with wood energy, that of
growth, decisiveness and action. It can motivate
internal change.
Red is associated with fire, which supports life
energy. It’s the color of blood, and can increase
heart rate, respiration and blood pressure. It also
can promote activity and alleviate depression. It’s
clearly the color of passion and love.
Yellow is associated with earth energy, representing
Mother Earth. It can cheer, infuse with
hope, clarify and elevate mental activity. It also
creates a sense of stability and nurturing. Yellow is
often used for children with dyslexia to help
improve focus.
White and metallic colors are associated with
metal energy. They can support carefulness and
focus, as well as purity.
Combination Colors
Mixing colors also mixes the feng shui energies
related to them.
Salmon, a combo of yellow/orange and
red/orange, is a unique balance of earth and fire
elements that’s quite harmonious. Use salmon to
call attention to the heart of a space, create a sense
of abundance and encourage conversation.
Turquoise, a blue-green combo, evokes the qualities
of wood and water. It has both the contemplative
qualities of blue and the life of green, making
it a great choice for spaces that allow movement
and growth.
Lavender, a mix of the qualities of blue and purple,
can evoke a sense of calm, spirituality, contemplation
and quiet. Use lavender to minimize high
activity, calm a stressful situation or create a special
spiritual space. Lavender is best not used in
spaces where conversation or high activity is
encouraged.
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