Can You Afford Free?

Free. Is there a more misused, misleading and sometimes blatantly dishonest word in the English language? I think not. Its misuse became so prevalent that not long ago the government had to put an end to claims of “free financing”, etc. Logical thinking people would easily recognize that anything of value would obviously have a…

The Power of the Other

I caution my kids all the time that the friends they surround themselves with will likely determine their path in life. I am sure I say that because my parents and others instilled that “truth’ in me. But was it truth or just the verbiage of over protective adults trying to keep me on the…

Most OSHA Actions Against Retailers Originate with a Complaint from a Worker

According to a recent report, most workplace safety investigations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration against retailers are initiated by employee complaints rather than workplace accidents. The report also indicates that California and Pennsylvania are among the top states where inspections and citations occur. The November/December 2014 issue of Premier Flooring Retailer included an…

Independent Contractors—Another BUT Welcome Change

With the stroke of a pen in July 2015, former Secretary of Labor Tom Perez issued an “Interpretation” of the test to determine if an individual is an employee or an independent contractor under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The new interpretation determined that “most workers are employees.” Under this interpretation, independent flooring installers…

Mike’s Rules for Soccer

Life happens… I was recently shocked to hear of the passing of a dear friend from my High School Class. I moved my freshman year of high school – not the easiest time to transition. Peer groups were already established, and I was the new kid in town. Mike Rampy became one of my closest…

Retailer Liable for Background Checks on Potential Employee

Lowes recently paid $2.2 million to settled a class action lawsuit by job applicants who claimed the information contained in background checks run by the retailer violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act.  Similarly, a class action was recently filed in California federal court against Robert Half International Inc. by an Ohio man who accuses the…

Why Read?

I just finished a great book called The Sender by Kevin Elko and Bill Beausay. It is based on a real life scenario where a person was diagnosed with cancer and had to undergo multiple rounds of Chemo. During these 90 days of treatments, someone who identified themselves only as “The Sender”, wrote a letter…

Are Your Expectations Realistic?

Every dealer can offer stunning products on their sales floor. Beautiful products are never in short supply. But at day’s end, it’s what happens with those picture-perfect products when they are in the hands of the dealer’s installation team that matters most to the customer. Think about it. A dealer may have an incredibly talented…

Leadership is Like a MilkShake

I never liked whip cream on my shake. In my mind it simply made it harder to get to the stuff I wanted to get to. To me the whip cream kept me from seeing the “good stuff” and had the potential of being real messy. Before you tune out and decide that I have…

Are You Prepared for the Scheduled Increases In Many State Minimum Wage?

Many states have scheduled increases in their minimum wage.  Fourteen states have announced they will be raising their minimum wages the first of the year.  A number of other states will adjust their rate annually based on the cost of living.  In addition, some cities, counties, state governments, and companies have higher minimum wage rates…

Ignorance Is Bliss… Until It Directly Affects You!

I saw this headline while reading the editorial section in a morning newspaper recently. The subject of the article was local politics, but it struck me as defining exactly the position many independent flooring retailers are finding themselves in today. We at the WFCA are seeing far too many dealers who have been too busy…

Are You Handing It To Your Competition?

In the 1980’s the American Floor Covering Association (AFA), one of the components of today’s World Floor Covering Association (WFCA), offered a five-day traveling university that featured Walter Guinan, Frank Mayfield and Herb Wolk as the instructors. All three were fantastic talents, as is exhibited by their all being in our industry’s Hall of Fame,…