Category: Business

Tragedy averted at Costco

As I strolled the aisles of the Expo Ave. Costco yesterday around lunchtime, I noticed an open gun safe over in the tools area. Had I tarried a while longer I would have witnessed what must have been a pretty scary scene as an 11-year-old boy walked inside and closed the door behind himself.

The safe’s locking mechanism is battery-operated, but when store personnel tried to get the safe open, the battery was either dead or missing, leaving the boy inside, Doucette said.

My first thought was, what is the problem over there at the Costco, are they running some sort of massive faceless warehouse where every man woman and child fends for himself with no human courtesy to save us from a million opportunities for certain death? And then I remembered that this is exactly what Costco is; that, plus free samples.

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Going high-tech to defeat the Grinch

Arden Fair
Creative Commons License photo credit: rezlab

This Sac Bee article about the annual increase in retail theft around the holidays includes some interesting details about the work that goes into pulling off a good retail thieving. Another way to describe it might be “detailed instructions for carrying out a retail theft,” including tidbits like lining a shopping bag with foil to block security devices. It also mentions the use of strollers to hide stolen merchandise. Which brings up a question: How long until Arden Fair bans strollers?

I absolutely kid Arden Fair security. People are horrible, and security folks everywhere are doing what they can to stay one step ahead of the horribleness. Things like video monitoring of every inch of the mall and monitoring the parking lot for cars that are reported as stolen. How easy is it to report somebody else’s car as stolen? Could be a fun way to “prank” your friend the next time he is planning to visit Arden Mall.**

**Do not do this.

Polar Express Tickets are SOLD OUT

While the Kings may be suffering from the lowest attendance in franchise history it sure was refreshing to learn that, for the third year in a row, the “Polar Express” train ride in Old Sacramento is sold out for the season.

From News10.net:

“We don’t advertise. We do promote ticket sales to our members, but it’s just a word of mouth event over the last three years,” said Mello.

Of course, people have to be people and some have scalped auctioned tickets on eBay (tickets are normally $24 for adults, $16 for children).

At any rate, this is good news for Sacramento and for our otherwise crappy economy.

(For the 2010 Polar Express train ride, members of the California State Railroad Museum will have the opportunity for advance ticket purchase before the general public. For more information on becoming a member, call the Membership Office at (916) 445-5995.)

Crooks don’t rob people, hoodies do

No women's health diagrams
Creative Commons License photo credit: Robyn Gallagher

Almost nothing is not funny about this Fox 40 story about Arden Fair Mall’s new dress code, which bans baggy pants and hooded sweatshirts.

“That’s retarded,” one shopper told FOX40’s Rowena Shaddox. “I should be able to wear anything I want. I’m a person.”

I’d only really quibble with part of that statement. Though I do agree that the policy has a cognitive disability — it is divorced from reality in a major way. Arden Fair is sticking to their hoodies on this one, though…

Continue reading “Crooks don’t rob people, hoodies do”

Take that Columbus!

Who doesn’t love a list? What about a list pertaining to Sacramento? Not you? Great, because here’s one that should have you scratching your head (especially if you’ve been to some of the cities that took us down. Riverside?).

Sacramento has the 32nd-largest economy in the nation, and the sixth-best in California, according to a new federal report … GMP measures the total output of goods and services within a given area in a given year.

Not bad for a “middle of the road community“, right?

Sacramento’s higher-than-average cost of living and modern-day record jobless rate, coupled with lower earning potential after graduation hurt the capital region on the top 20 list, according to the American Institute for Economic Research. But Sacramento fared much better than Columbus, Ohio; Oklahoma City and Las Vegas, which suffers from a dismal number of college graduates and staggering low research funding.

Columbus you say? Owned. Seriously though, is there a connection to be made here?

My favorite closed-up businesses

All of us who have lived here for any length of time (even 6 months) have had a favorite business close its doors, leaving a big hole in our routine. I’ve been a resident since 1982 so I’ve got my fair share. I’ve already mentioned Franke’s and Sidewalk Pizza, and I could probably list several dozen but the following 3 have been on my mind recently, so here goes my list of favorite businesses that are no longer among the living…

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Raise high the bargain beam, carpenters

East Sacramento shoppers, rejoice at the photo The Game Guy just snapped:

Target raise the roof

Not sure what it means — according to the Target @ 65th Website, which I just discovered 10 seconds ago, the project is going in further down 65th, on the other side of US50. Perhaps the contractors are setting up shop behind the Dollar Tree in order to start hiring laborers? Also, do my words have the power to get cranes in motion?

Becoming Detroit(s)

I found some time to catch up on the latest news regarding the California budget crisis. If ever there was a reason to tag a post in the “ugh.” files…

Both legislative houses were pondering 27 hastily drafted bills that cover state budgets for two fiscal years: the current one that ends June 30 and the next one that begins July 1.

Should the words “hastily” and “budget” ever be used the in the same sentence?

In the Senate, the debate included cliff-hanging metaphors and disparaging references to Detroit.

“California is on the edge of a financial cliff, and some would say we’re just about over the cliff, hanging on by our fingernails,” Steinberg said. “We are running out of cash, and the situation is getting worse.”

But state Sen. Tony Strickland, R-Moorpark, said that if the package were approved, Feb. 14, 2009, would be remembered as “the Valentine’s massacre on California taxpayers.”

“If we pass this budget,” he said, “Los Angeles and San Francisco will become the Detroit(s) of the West.”

You sports fans will recall the incident with the Kings and the Pistons from 2005. Damn you, Karma.

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Taking it to the Streets

Taking a page from RunnerGirl’s Guide to Job Hunting, Christopher Adams is letting everyone know that he needs a job. Everyone. I found him last night at Alhambra and K in the middle of rush hour traffic.

Chris lived in Sacramento before, but transferred back three months ago for love. One week, he and Michaela got engaged; the next week, he was laid off.

While I am inspired by his pluck, I am getting worried. I am also job hunting, as are 61,000 other residents of Sacramento County, which had an 8.7% unemployment rate in December. It looks like February will be a month of tough competition for a scarce commodity, so job hunters will need to go bust their asses before their asses go bust.

Chris does sales and marketing management, but is open to new opportunities. If you want to see Chris’ resume, contact him at thechristopheradams at gmail dooooot com. Good luck!

Coming soon to Sac – new Trader Joe’s?

While the private school market may be experiencing a downturn, the niche grocery market appears to be full steam ahead. Last night at the East Sac Trader Joe’s I was asked my Zip code at checkout, surely the first sign of a massive identity theft ring development plan in the works at TJ’s HQ for a new store in the area. For once I had small talk to make with my checkoutperson — he said Davis folks can be rabidly for and against a new store, and that he has heard talk of a new store in Auburn. Yeah, that’s actually all I got. Anybody else have anything to say?