California Bans One Time Use Plastic Bags

October 2, 2014 by Sherry

Only 9 percent of the total plastic waste generated in 2012 was recovered for recycling.

It appears to be coming. In California it’s already here. With plastic bags clogging waste facilities and waterways in America, it seemed inevitable that governments would begin to take steps to reduce this form of pollution. Time to consider buying sturdier, reusable shopping bags for your purchases.

Recently, California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that prohibits large grocery stores and drugstores in that state from giving customers their purchases in single use bags. The bill becomes effective in July 2015. The following year, smaller grocery stores and convenience stores will be have to comply with the new law.

The legislation also offers a compensation to the stores by allowing them to charge a 10-cent fee for reusable or paper bags. The statewide legislation built on actions taken by more than 100 towns and cities in California, including Los Angeles and SanFrancisco that already had bans in place. Their regulations, if adopted before Sept. 1, 2014, will be protected by a grandfathering clause built into the state law. Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island are also considering banning the plastic bags.

“We’re the first to ban these bags and we won’t be the last,” Brown said in a statement. The companies that produce the single-use bags fought the legislation, saying it will result in job losses.

But Brown pointed to the enormous costs of trying to manage the litter produced by the bags. Millions of dollars are spent every year by recycling facilities and landfills that are threatened to be buried under the debris, he said.

With the handwriting on the wall, many consumers already are buying sturdier bags that can be reused for a long time.

Protect Your Trademark In China

September 24, 2014 by Sherry Tingley

Indian Horse Thieves Used To Expect Rewards For Finding Horses

Some native American Indians were expert at it. They would steal white men’s horses, then when they were caught, would claim to have “found and rescued” the animals, expecting a reward for their noble act.

In China, it works a little that way with trademarks. The country does not recognize trademarks registered in other countries. Unscrupulous Chinese then register a brand and sell it back to its legitimate owner.

That makes it tough for businessmen in the United States and Europe to do business with China. The European Chamber of Commerce did a survey in 2014 to solicit opinions regarding business confidence in China. One in four of the European member companies said intellectual property protection was one of the top three business challenges in dealing with China. The prospect of experiencing piracy and copycatting of their brand names, logos, etc., is a major problem, they said.

Catherine Zang, of the Deacons law firm in Hong Kong, offered suggestions about how businesses in other countries can protect their interests when dealing with China:

Don’t assume that since you have registered your trademark at home that your intellectual property will be honored abroad. China’s State Administration for Industry and Commerce, which regulates commerce in that country, does not recognize other countries’ trademarks and if you resort to legal action, it will follow its own laws, making you very vulnerable. Make sure you purchase a trademark in China.

China’s Trademark Office has a ”first to file” policy and generally awards registration to whomever files first, whether or not there is proof of ownership. That gives trademark hijackers near carte blanche in picking up trademarks and selling them back to hapless owners. If your company’s name or logo is hijacked, it may be impossible for you to do business, since you won’t be recognized as being the owner. You could face legal action for trying. Buy your own trademark from China to prevent this behavior.

China passed an amendment to its trademark law this year requiring that applications “follow principles of honesty and good faith,” but it isn’t clear that this will have much impact on the piracy.

If your company is having a product manufactured in China and your intellectual property is stolen, it may be impossible for you to export your goods out of that country.

Zheng suggests paying money up front to register your trademark in China, rather than fighting the expensive battles if it is compromised. Hire a lawyer and work through one of the many trademark agencies in China. Research your brand or logo to be certain it has not already been taken. Decide if you want to retain your English-speaking trademark or create a new one using Chinese characters. Having both offers more protection and flexibility. Furnish agents with ample corporate documentation they can use to prove who they are and their association with you. Agents should have power of attorney to represent you in China.

China follows the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Nice Classification, which identifies 45 classes of goods and services. They want you to be product-specific and required that you register your classification. The system is complicated by the fact that you must register in all the possible classifications. For instances, shoes also could be considered clothing. If you are not specific, your logo could be grabbed if you fail to register in all the relevant categories.

If everything seems to be in order, the CMTO will publish your mark and then allow three months for formal opposition. If there is none, you proceed to registration. In about four months, you will receive a registration certificate.

Bag The Plastic Bags. Go With Reusable Bags

September 3, 2014 by Sherry Tingley

"For California, the overall cost to protect our waters from litter is roughly $428 million each year--with between 8% to 25% attributable to plastic bags alone according to clean up data from San Jose and Los Angeles County." — “For California, the overall cost to protect our waters from litter is roughly $428 million each year–with between 8% to 25% attributable to plastic bags alone according to clean up data from San Jose and Los Angeles County.” From Californians Against Waste

It’s happening more and more. Governments are watching the plastic pile up in their waste facilities and looking for options. California legislators have backed a ban on plastic bags, pending a signing by Gov. Jerry Brown by Sept. 30. Other municipalities and states are considering similar steps.

The trend has already been picked up by hard-core environmentalists, who are aware of companies that produce reusable shopping bags. It isn’t uncommon to see shoppers pack up their goods in a durable cloth bag before heading home.

Hawaii’s Maui County has made it illegal for stores to package purchases in plastic. Despite opposition from those who make the bags, the movement is gathering strength. Reusable cloth shopping bags are being recommended as an eco-sensible option. Looking for suitable compromise, some are suggesting a ban on plastic bags coupled with financial incentives for the bag producers to retool to produce heavier bags that would save the landfills.

The problem is enormous. More than 10 billion plastic bags are used in California every year, advocates associated with Californians Against Waste estimate. The group supports the California legislation to bar the use of plastic bags in commerce. In the coast state, there is concern that the bags get into the ocean, with potential harm to aquatic life.

Cathy Browne, general manager of Crown Poly, sees the problem from a different perspective. A strict ban on plastic bags without a compensating solution would result in heavy layoffs in businesses such as hers.

The California legislation didn’t slide easily through the process. There was heavy lobbying on both sides of the issue. A first version sponsored by State Sen. Alex Padilla, failed by three votes. Padilla has stubbornly kept the issue alive. “Single-use plastic bags not only litter our beaches, but also our mountains, our deserts and our rivers, steams and lakes,” he declared.

After close defeats, Padilla was able to align some of California’s bag-makers by offering the re-tooling option. Out-of-state manufacturers continued to campaign against his measure.

But the anti-plastic contingent seems to be gathering strength in other locations as well. It appears inevitable that reusable bags of cloth or other durable materials will be on the shoppers’ horizon before long.

Growing Market In Handcrafted Items

August 7, 2014 by Sherry Tingley

There’s something about a handmade piece of jewelry, pottery, glassware or any item that is original to one artist or craftsman. It’s a piece of art that reflects something of the person who made it, and that can be very attractive to a buyer. Marketing such handmade items is a growing trend among savvy retailers, according to an article in Retail Minded, a trade magazine.

Buying from the maker and then retailing handcrafted items has given some retailers an opportunity to please discriminating customers who attach particular value to the idea of a unique piece. The notion feeds into the current strong trend for marketing made-in-the-USA and locally produced merchandise. It has the added benefit of supporting the arts and crafts experts in our midst. It is an ideal concept for the small businesses that are the backbone of the American economy.

Among the advantages of handcrafted goods are the uniqueness of individual pieces, above-average quality and support of crafts persons who use “repurposed” materials.

Wholesalecrafts.com makes buying easy. More than 1,300 juried artists feature their work through the online marketplace. Free registration is available to retailers. The products include price points from the best makers in the States and Canada. In addition American Craft Retail Expos are held three times each year – in Las Vegas in June, New Jersey in August and Philadelphia in February. Special emphasis is put on helping buyers choose merchandise that matches their demographic and price points.

Education is a large part of expanding into handcrafted goods and good information is available through the website and the shows. Building relationships, always a key component of marketing, is especially important in this niche and the associations built through these opportunities to meet and share are helpful.

When customers buy mass-produced items, they have little interest in who made them, but when they are buying the work of a particular artist, they want to know more about him or her as an individual. That becomes an important part of the sales strategy. In general, artists interest all of us and when you buy a handcrafted item, you are buying, in essence, a part of that artist. Knowing something about the particular person who made the piece you want to buy makes it a very personal transaction.

“Growing small businesses in our own backyards, living off our hard work and creativity,” is the perpetuation of a proud American tradition, said Roxann Chalfant of Bottle Benders, a line of glass chimes on Wholesalecrafts.com. As she watches her business grow (up by 30 percent this year over last year) she believes American buyers are becoming more tuned in to the value of buying locally produced goods, rather than concentrating on looking for “cheap.” Her company has been in business more than 40 years and she is convinced that “handcrafted” can be a unique and productive part of retail sales.

Looking For Goods, Services? Yelp Can Help

August 7, 2014 by Sherry Tingley

More and more people are turning to Yelp for help when they are looking for inside reviews on such things as restaurants, products and services. At the end of March this year, the website and mobile application reported an average of 132 million monthly visitors in 120 markets worldwide.

What does that mean to you as a business person? It means you might be passing up an opportunity to get your message before millions of people with potential interest in what you do. Nielsen statistics, for instance, say that 82 percent of those who went to the site for assistance in choosing a provider reported they intended to make a purchase. The same survey indicated that 89 percent of the Yelp users made a purchase within a week.

The misperception that Yelp is only a restaurant review tool is yielding to its true role in connecting local businesses with potential customers. Shopping reviews, with comments by those who have actually dealt with the relevant business, account for 23 percent of the Yelp business.

Say, for instance, that wrapping personal packages or the goods you sell is your objective. Yelp can provide all the pertinent data re: a local outlet that does wonders with the latest in decorative wraps, complete with ribbons, bows and assorted touch-ups. The same is true of a huge variety of businesses.

Does it make a difference? A recent study by Boston Consulting Group showed that businesses that used Yelp’s free services increased annual revenues by an average of $8,000. Those that added advertising to the package upped annual revenues by more than $23,000 on average.

You can create a free business owner’s account by visiting biz.yelp.com.

Yelp’s value is in enhancing that all-important first impression that snags customers and keeps them coming back. An attractive business page, particularly a page that catches the eye with colorful photos, can have a huge impact when it appears in a resource that has already proved it has high visibility. The data confirm that Yelp users spend 2.5 times more time perusing listings that have photos than those that do not.

Activity Feed is one of the useful tools Yelp offers. It creates graphs of user views and customer leads and lets you know when a customer has contacted your business, mapped out directions to your location or clicked through to your website. When a customer prompted by Yelp calls you, it will appear in the feed, including the exact time when the call was made.

Activity Feed also provides information regarding your business’ average revenue per customer. The average spend per customer also leads you toward more accurate financial readings.

In response to those who complain that most of the customer comments generated by Yelp are negative, the service notes that some 79 percent of the comments actually fall into the category of three stars or higher (on a five-star scale.) You also have the opportunity to respond to reviews to build customer goodwill. A thank-you to those who make positive comments may encourage them to keep coming back.

Who visits Yelp? Almost 80 percent are in the age groups 18-54, essentially the buying years. Some 56.6 percent are college graduates and another 15.3 percent hold advanced higher education degrees, according to figures compiled by reliable statistical agencies.

California Bans One Time Use Plastic Bags

Protect Your Trademark In China

Bag The Plastic Bags. Go With Reusable Bags

Growing Market In Handcrafted Items

Looking For Goods, Services? Yelp Can Help

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