You've probably heard the news of changes being made to the Canadian Census in 2011. If you're like me, you're not entirely sure what to take from it all. Does eliminating the mandatory long version on the Census impact you and your business?

And here are some resources to help flesh this out a bit...

Gordon Campbell Defers to Ottawa's view of Census Flap (Globe & Mail, July 27, 2010) 

The Beginning of the end of the Canadian Social Welfare State (National Post, July 26, 2010)

Crucial Information will be Lost with Census Change (Vancouver Sun, July 23, 2010)

Count on it: long-form census basic to decision-making in Canada (Postmedia News, July 17, 2010)

What do you think about all this - or do you think about it? Is it important to you? I'd like to hear from you!

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Have you ever wondered what customers are saying about your business?  Most owners think they know, but I promise you, most have no idea.  Why?  That is because they don’t look or listen.  Most owners I’ve met are truly afraid of social media, but it’s more a fear of the unknown, which is a completely normal reaction.  So, I wanted to put a challenge out to everyone on this no matter what your business is, and I’d like you to share your results with me.  By doing this experiment, I’m hoping that you’ll see what is happening outside your doors without having to start a Facebook Fan Page, Twitter account or join Foursquare.

This is an exercise that any business can do and it won’t take you long at all.  I also promise you that the results you’ll see will give you pause and will force you to think about your business.  When you Google your businesses name, how deep into the search do you go?  Are you just making sure your business name is listed at the top?  Go deeper into Google and find out where your business name or product name(s) are popping up.  Try the same with your own name.

More importantly, what is being said about your business on Yelp?  or Foursquare?  or Facebook?   How about the many other popular sites?  Or sites you had no idea existed?  What are they saying?  If you found some conversations or comments that’s great, because if there’s nothing that means that no one is talking about you which is worse! That’s part one of the challenge.

For the second part of the challenge I want you to try and participate in the conversations.  Is there a negative review or comment?  Try answering that person directly through e-mail (don’t do it publically).  If you resolved their complaint will they change their opinion?  Are people asking questions about your business?  Try answering them and helping them out.  Are there any conversations going on around a topic or issue your business is trying to solve?  Try participating in that conversation.

The point of this exercise is to show you that even if you aren’t part of the social media shift that is taking place, other people are and you don’t want to run the risk of alienating those customers or potential new ones.  Join the conversation that you may not even know is happening.  And if you can’t find it, ask yourself why and if there is anything you can do to start one!  Over the next couple of months, try devoting one hour per week to this exercise and see what the results are.  Also, I’d love to hear your opinion on this and if you do try it, what your results were!

Try Starting With These:

Google

Flickr

Youtube

Twitter

Yelp

Urban Spoon (Restaurants)

Facebook

Foursquare

Review Center

 

~Tyler Cumberford, Factor One Technology

tcumberford@factor1.com

Community Events: Opportunities to sell or a waste of time and resources?

On Sunday, I joined thousands of people for Greek Day on Broadway, in Vancouver. The food was amazing, as usual (I’m very lucky to live in this area and get to indulge myself at the BEST Greek bakery and deli around), as was the entertainment! I was a bit disappointed, however, for one reason that maybe not many people pay attention to, but me… I was disappointed by the number of retail businesses that chose to stay closed.

Now, I’m sure that many of them felt they couldn’t compete with the Greeks but to me, I’m not so sure. While many people were taking delight in the Greek food stalls, just as many people chose to eat in local restaurants and pubs along Broadway (the patios were packed, despite the periodic rain).

A number of local retailers did have merchandise tables and open doors, and while I can only guess, I bet they met a number of tourists and other people that didn’t living in the area. Living in Kitsilano, I am lucky to have these retailers in my own backyard but when I head to other festivals (like the recent Italian Days on Commercial Drive) I take a look at the stores and booths in that area; it’s fun and I never know what I’ll find – that’s the great thing about independents, after all!

That being said, I also recognize the costs associated with staying open, keeping the lights on and paying the employees.

So… are these local festivals, while an opportunity to build community, also an opportunity for revenue? Or… are they not worth the resources? I’d like to hear your thoughts/opinions here, at the MerchantHub.

~ Melissa@shelfspace.ca

Yesterday, Washington State announced that beginning July 1 residents of British Columbia and Ontario become eligible for a non-resident sales tax exemption on purchases of goods in Washington for use outside the state.

Using a 1965 policy developed to address Oregon’s no sales tax policy, it is Washington’s view that the HST is not a sales tax. State law allows a sales tax exemption to residents of provinces that impose a sales tax of three percent or less. Washington sellers are not required to make tax-exempt sales to qualifying nonresidents, but most do.  The exemption applies only to tangible personal property and does not apply to lodging, meals, or other retail services that are provided in the state.

In order to receive the exemption, qualifying residents must show proof of residency, such as a driver’s license, to the Washington seller. The seller must retain the information to support the exemption in the event of a tax audit. BC residents previously did not qualify for the exemption but both provinces are adopting a harmonized sales tax (HST) in tandem with the Canadian federal government beginning July 1. The HST technically is a value-added tax (VAT) and not a sales tax.Residents of other Canadian provinces that impose the harmonized VAT have been eligible for the exemption for years. Six states, including Alaska, Colorado, Oregon, Montana, Delaware and New Hampshire, eight Canadian provinces, and four U.S. possessions already qualify for this exemption.

Shelfspace  will provide more information as it comes in.
How will this impact your business?
Do you believe BC consumers will do more cross border shopping?
Will this have any affect on spending in BC?

For more information on this issue, click here

As a small business owner in Calgary I don't know where they're getting the growth numbers in the Calgary Herald article: http://www.calgaryherald.com/story_print.html?id=3036638&sponsor=.

 

Retail spaces available on 17th Ave have never been higher and most shops I talk to are still in a slump. Frustrating when people are talking about growth but who exactly is growing?

 

~ Frustrated biz owner

Finally, someone is stepping up to speak out in favour of the HST (in this week's BIV) with a business idea that’ll work. I love entrepreneurs! Always see the opportunity in the difficulty.

How come no one is talking about the items that will be taxed lower when HST is implemented? All I hear about is haircuts will be more, fast food restaurants will be more and on and on. Well today, I discovered wine will be lower taxed and not only that; the BC Liquor store intends to pocket the difference. I drink wine more often than I go to fast food places and get a haircut so the way I got it figured is that I’ll be ahead by buying wine from wineries like this.

Here is the link to the article of how one winery intends to sell on-site and on-line to build their direct to consumer business. To be clear, I’m not a $40.00 bottle of wine drinker, but I hope the independent wine stores around Metro Vancouver pick up on this; if they do, they will most definitely get more of my business.

Regards,

Gerry Spitzner
retailSOS

Consider your retail business plan – is one of the items in your plan to save money?

A good way to save money is to save energy and BC Hydro Power Smart can help.

It’s simple! With the BC Hydro Power Smart Product Incentive Program, you can improve both your bottom line and reduce your operational and maintenance costs. The program offers financial incentives to replace inefficient technologies with a variety of energy-saving products for small and medium businesses.

It’s also a great time to get started! We made the program even easier with increased incentives for a number of energy efficient technologies and an improved program application process. This means saving energy is twice as easy which means so is saving money!

How have you saved energy in your business?

Share your ideas/comments and inspire other retailers to save energy!

Need additional information on the Product Incentive Program and other energy efficient tips? Visit the Energy Conservation Library.

Two questions for the Shelfspace community:
 
1: Are any of you running The General Store as your POS system?
 
2: If you are, have you given any thought to the changeover from PST & GST to HST?

Bob Ianson of Heirloom Linens asks good questions regarding how the HST will affect small business, as opposed to big business (in his blog post HST Comments and Questions). Questions I feel the supporters of the HST have glossed over by lumping all business together.

As I see it, the things I will save the PST on - office supplies, computer equipment, and energy costs - represent a tiny fraction of my cost of doing business. The majority of my suppliers are not British Columbia manufacturers, so I will see no price reductions from them as a result of any savings from the HST on their part. So my ability to reduce retail prices as a result of the HST is zero.

My administrative costs will increase. The PST is easy to file. My POS system tells me how much I collected, and I submit it, less a commission, monthly. Currently, I file GST quarterly, like many small businesses. It's more hassle, as I have to ensure every last expense is accounted for by the payment date. With the HST, I've elected to move to monthly filing to avoid having to pay very large amounts each quarter, so I will have more work, with no compensation for collecting the tax on behalf of the government.

Finally, my customers will have less disposable income. No matter how you look at it, the HST is a tax shift from business to consumers. Supporters argue that this shift will be good for the economy in the long run. Maybe. I'll wait and see. Supporters also point out that there have been tax cuts in recent years, but these have primarily affected business. Average income earners - my customers - have not felt much reduction in their taxes - and due to the recession, many have not seen any increase in their incomes. When my customers pay more for haircuts, restaurant meals, auto and home maintenance, and many other services after July 1st, they will have less disposable income. I can't see how that helps my business. I will be waiting for a long time before I see any trickle down from supposed job creation by the main beneficiaries of this tax shift - forestry, mining, and other capital intensive businesses.

Economists argue that VAT-like taxes are fair and good for the economy. Perhaps in the big picture, they are. But that doesn't mean that there are winners and losers under this tax shift. Ontario has done a better job of acknowledging this and engaging businesses and consumers in a debate about how the negative impacts can be mitigated. I resent being told by our government that I don't know what's good for me and my business.

Elizabeth Cull
Dig This
Victoria