Generally speaking, the days of a patient running a prescription down to the corner drug store and having it filled with a pharmacist who was on a first name basis with all his customers are gone. While the independent pharmacist hasn’t quite yet gone the way of the typewriter repairman, he is ... Views: 379
When it comes to marketing these days, those who operate furniture stores have their work cut out for them. Super stores such as Walmart and Target have cut into the business of furniture stores and made it possible for people to furnish a house the same place they pick up a quart of milk. In ... Views: 351
Collectible dealers are having a particularly tough time with advertising in the 21st century. What was once a word-of-mouth industry in which dealers could rely on customers to generate them new business in addition to such tried and true mediums such as newspapers and monthly magazines is now ... Views: 437
Car dealerships have the best and worst of both worlds in this lagging economy. As difficult as it is for people to part with money today, cars—both new and old—remain a necessity. But consumers are shopping harder than ever for that good deal, and are more willing than ever to walk away if the ... Views: 1176
In these tough economic times, inexpensive, old-fashioned family fun activities are becoming new again. And there aren’t many more traditional methods of entertainment than bowling. If you’re of a certain age, you recall keeping score by hand, or how, in the days before cell phones, emails, text ... Views: 429
It’s true: just like with the police, you never think you’ll need a chiropractor until you actually need one. And when you need one—oh boy, do you ever need one. As we get older, the odds of suffering painful back woes that won’t disappear with a simple combination of heat and ice increase. ... Views: 426
Independent musicians seem to have the best of both worlds: They are able to record the music they love without the pressures of dealing with a major record company operated by bottom-line minded corporate executives.
But the—pardon the album pun—flip side to being signed by a cutthroat ... Views: 340
The usual advertising medium for a lawyer is unfortunately not a very realistic one for the vast majority of legal professionals. Sure, everyone gets a kick out of watching television ads in which lawyers somberly promise to deliver the verdict you want or else their services are free. And ... Views: 425
In a media world in which fewer and fewer corporations control more and more of the mass media, local cable access stations have never been more important. Sure, when people hear the term “cable access,” they think of fictional low-budget slacker buddies Wayne and Garth producing “Wayne’s World” ... Views: 348
The 21st century hasn’t been an easy one for traditional radio. Those traveling by car used to have no choice but to listen to the radio while driving, but today’s 30-somethings have never known a car without a tape deck or compact disc player and drivers of all ages can now plug their iPod into ... Views: 364
There’s been something approaching a bicycle boom in the United States over the last few years. With the price of gas rising and falling with seemingly no rhyme nor reason nor any end in sight—and with even “cheap” gas prices at least two times as expensive as 10 years ago—more people than ever ... Views: 399
The old way of letting parents know what is going on at the elementary school is, well, old. Between the increasing costs of paper and the ever-growing awareness and concern for the environment, it is getting more expensive—in the short- as well as the long-term—and less productive to issue ... Views: 330
As the economic downturn lingers, people are looking for entertainment that is both local and more inexpensive than what they might have enjoyed even just last year. Into that void steps local theatre groups, which provide theatergoers the opportunity to get out of the house and enjoy a night ... Views: 398
There aren’t many more old-fashioned businesses than consignment shops. Whether the shop is actually housed in a storefront, or it’s a “roaming” one that takes up temporary residence every weekend at a flea market, consignment shops evoke decades-old images of bartering for the best possible ... Views: 378
The best part about starting a web-based business is the lack of overhead. You don’t have to worry about finding office space, or having to make the rent for that office space every month. You can take all the money you would otherwise earmark for rent and other costly office expenses and ... Views: 363
One of the few beneficiaries of the downturn in the economy is local musicians. With disposable incomes lower than ever—and tickets to the top acts in the music industry as expensive as ever—people who want to see live acts and hear live music are increasingly turning to local musicians. This is ... Views: 478
I am still surprised at the number of email marketers that think (or hope) people are reading their entire message. Very few people read marketing emails – they scan. And when they scan, they spend a couple of seconds looking for something of interest, and then they move on to the next message. ... Views: 391