Follow the money !

As a small businessman, I am always looking for signs or clues as to what is going to happen with this
economy in the next few weeks and months.   As someone who has some retail trade and some trade in the transportation sector, I am among many in the small business world who is wondering if the end of
summer has any meaning as to the question of how is the economy going to be in the next few weeks,
quarters--especially with the general election coming in about 60 days.

While there is a lot said in these political times, the economic reports that are issueed monthly or weekly
are both up and down, take your pick.   But there is little to no question that for small businesses, who rely
on the consumer or other small businesses, everyone is either non commital or politically linked to whatever
answer they seem to give.

The truth is always in between those two points, but people are still not spending as they used to a few years ago.   The unemployment situation is still real bad and I blame the past and current administrations for that, even though they keep coming up with excuses and blame for everyone else but themselves.   They bet or guessed wrong, one would have to think, as so many qualified people cannot find work, it is sickening.

What is worse is that most people get scared about their own situation when they hear this news or the employment report, they redfine what is a necessity and what is not a necessity.   And I know this is true
as I am always thinking that what if times actually get worse.

A lot of people are warning that might happen if the tax cuts expire for all taxpayers, by the end of the year.
I am already extremely dismayed that the Social Security Tax rate is going up 1/1/13 and no one seems
to care, as for most Americans, this has helped pay the extra high fuel bills we are dealing with.  

Am I the only one in America to think that the oil firms and the banks are the only ones that are making money because they can charge whatever they want as there is not any real competition in these and many other markets today--almost a de facto price fixing situation, as how can a commodity go up 20% in one
week, when our use has only gone down steadily over the past three years?   Follow the money, it pays for them to manipulate the market and no one in government does anything about it.  And why doesn't this administration go after the oil industry as anyone can tell you that there is something wrong here, that when
Chevron is negligent and allows a fire to one of its refineries, and then all of us have to pay more for their
negligent act.   How come they do not have to pay, as they were the ones who were negligent, right?

What about the banks, who are all making money and still not loaning it, as they have learned how to make
money overcharging their customers and they do not have to lend to do it.  They are all the same, none of them today are giving any deals or paying any interest and which business do you know of, that has a cost
factor (for money) that is as low as it has ever been (i.e. 1-1.5%) and they charge you 8% if you are a good
commercial customer and 18% or more on credit cards.   Who makes 1500-1800% on their margins?

This was the industry the taxpayers had to bail out?   I do not get this yet, a couple of years later as they
never say thanks for the bailout, they just act like we are here for them to mess with and overcharge.

I do not see anything positive from the street either, as the only places that are newly opened are Chinese
masage parlors and dog grooming sites.   How is this economic activity meant to show positive change in the economy?

I hope I am wrong and that the economy gets better fast as this downward cycle has gone on long enough,
that my new byline might as well be hope and change--for the better and hopefully soon.

Stop The Illegal Operators And The Perpetrators Of Fraud

First the regulatory efforts.   Next.   Neither the industry itself, or the organizations that lead the
industry's efforts, have the dedication, commitment or desire to stop the thieves from taking the
innocent customers away from the legitimate operators in this field.

If they really wanted to stop the illegal operators and the perpetrators of fraud in this industry,
then set up stings with movers help to catch and prosecute them, seize their assets, and publicize
it, so that the word gets out.

I really do not understand why the industry does not see or feel the need to police itself so that
moving can be a true profession with standards and best industry practices for the mutual benefit
of its customers, its own employees and the moving business itself.   You would have to ask the
Board of Directors of the American Moving and Storage Association, as all the van line heads sit
on this board.

One possible explanation today, is that the van lines, have no capacity to even handle what they
have with the illegal and fraudulent operators taking share, as they do not seem to care what
happens to the customers they do not service.   I say this because all these "leaders" do is talk
and sit at their desks, and nothing changes.   Suffice to say, that if anyone wanted to find illegal
or fraudulent operators, all they have to do is work with the authorities (enforcement and prosecution
together) and go on the Internet and find them, book the moves and when they try to scam the customer,
arrest them and film it, publicize it, and do it in the biggest cities on the same day.   Put it on the nightly
national news.  If they want to eliminate the problem, they can.

As I alluded to earlier, the van lines this year have had capacity issues and I do not need to review the effects
this housing slump has had on mover, Realtors, escrow officers, lenders, brokers, etc.   The result has been
that van lines have embargoed their agents from booking more jobs, sending customers in all directions,
other than standard moving services.   I understand U haul is up this year, 5%.  I am sure the van lines
will do the same, but this year, there have been joint efforts to push more moving freight into the freight
or general trucking industry.

My firm, Box Brothers has been using general freight to move household goods shipments to customers
for over 25 years.   While we have become the moving industry's best kept secret, it has been fun to
watch how ridiculous this played out when movers simply thought they could put sofas, dressers, customer packed boxes, loose and inadequately packed, into the freight system.   All those decision makers who did not get out of their chairs to ever go see how the freight industry breaks bulk, or how the freight industry
loads and unload and segregates freight.   Who could not see this train wreck coming, can only be someone
who needs glasses or a brain transplant.

In doing freight, you have to protect what you ship and household goods are bulky, easily damaged.

Back To School The Vacation Is Over.

Its about time, now, for the college kids to return to school, and we have seen so many advertisements,
from the nationial players, like Target, Macy's, Home Depot, Staples, Officer Depot, UPS stores,
and of course, Fedex Office, to only name a few.

Some of these retailers only sell dorm room items, like the pillow chairs, small fridges, wall items,
and others sell new computers, combo tv's with dvd/blue ray players built in and of course, you have
the stores who are interested in selling you sheets for beds, that only are at dorms---who figured that one
out?

For firms like Box Brothers, we specialize in being able to package and ship toasters, computers,
tv's, books, clothes and any other item you can ever think of, that someone might want to take to college
with them.   And when Box Brothers does the packaging, it is all guaranteed, as the idea is that college
is hard enough of a transition for these young adults, and the less stress they have about getting their dorm
rooms set up and comfortable, so they can begin their studies and focus on their college studies.

Not that this is not a good time to digress, but this is a so called right of passage, as many of us tired
to make our parents think that it was all about studying and being focused; dorm life that is.   But no
matter how much these stories get embellished, it is clear that the parents want the kids to go away from
home and they, the parents, in my opinion, are not that naiive.    The kids are the ones who are naiive.  But that is another story......

If you need any help with standard shipping and packaging services, or even freight services, Box Brothers
is the answer to being able to get your kids to college with their belongings safely and without hassles
as we have multiple ways to doing these services, and the more options today, the better.   Slower service,
targeted delivery, guaranteed packaging for your high value breakable items and the peace of mind that
comes with a firm who performed these services for college bound students for almost 3 decades, so long
ago in fact, that everyone could afford college, not like today.

But like all knowing and intelligent parents, sending the kids to college is the best news any parent could wish for, but do not tell the students......it will be our secret.........

Its Moving Season....but hurry....

It is amazing to me that we are about to enter the last weekend of July.   For those of us who work in businesses related to moving and the moving season, the summer months are the ones where we encounter
a greater demand curve and a plethera of so called experts who speak about carriers, rules, customer service, over the road delays, damage claims and a number of confused people who are wondering, what the fuss is all about.    Me too!

I have been involved in the moving segment of the transportation business for most of my adult life
and every year it is the same, just like the Holiday shopping season.   Summer is the time that people with children generally move.   It is not a rule, but the logical time to resettle before school begins a new year.

In reality, all this is about is that there is more demand for moving this time of year, than there is adequate
supply.   So we get prognosticators, we get those who have better ideas, those who know better and at
the end of the day, it is the same thing as the year before.   Some highlight, some lowlights, some crazy
stories, but like a lot of things in life today, we try to make them more complicated than they really are.

For those in the industry who are committed to providing consistently good service and who take care of
their customers, this is nothing new, summer that is.   It is a time where demand outstrips supply and the good firms adapt to make it happen for their customers.   It is also the time that many consumers believe
that some company's can do the same service for half, and those are the ones who end up screaming and
yelling that all the movers are crooks, instead of simply saying they were stupid to believe one provider
could really do the work at half the price of all the others.

Unfortunately, it will always happen as a lot of customers can't resist a deal and two, they might actually think they are actually smarter than the rest of us who pay the regular rate.   People should be smarter, but human nature being what it is, there will always be people who look for the wrong deal at the wrong place.
What is most distrubing is that all of this does not need to happen if the regulatory agencies got off their
butts and did something as the bad operators function in the open and do not hide.   All they have to do
is pose as a customer to catch the bad guys, but instead, they talk and sit and talk and sit and another year
goes by.   It is our industry's lack of leadership and the regulatory bodies own ineptitude that allows this
situation to exist, all at the expense of the customer.

At our firm, Box Brothers, we are into our 26th summer season, and I love this time of year due to its
challenges and rewards, as we practice good service, we hold our heads high, and while not everything
goes right all the time, I am proud to say that every single customer of our firm gets not only our attention,
but our commitment to providing the best possible service we can give.

We hope summer never ends.....for the right reasons

Vote for Box Brothers Reader's Choice Award 2012

Welcome to the Los Angeles Daily News Reader's Choice Contest!

Some of the worlds best people, places and things are found right in our own community. That is why we are asking our readers to choose their favorites in a number of categories. Please take a moment to complete the survey below.

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Voting ends Tuesday, JULY 3, 2012

Here Is The Link : http://la-dev.com/ReadersChoice/LADN/index.php?action=displayLogin

Snowflakes And Moving, No Two Are The Same !!!!

I have been in the transportation (Moving) business for about three decades and what always impressed
me about Professional Moving Services was that they were always based on matching the needs of the customer with the capability of the mover and his equipment.

For example, in moving interstate, all professional movers or the legitimate ones, all charge by actual
weight.   So if a mover comes to your home and does a survey of what is actually moving from the old
location to the new location, he or she can offer a price based on the weight of what is actually moving.
Not for more or less, but based on the items that are moving.   The mover is to get a "light weight" or a weight of his van before he loads your shipment, then after the shipment is loaded, the mover returns to the public scale site to get a "heavy" weight afterwards.   The difference between the two is the actual weight
of your shipment.

Likewise, when the moving firm arranges for the actual mover to show up to do your move to another state, the carrier matches the space in the van with the load that is being picked up, as usually, a mover van or trailer accommodates multiple loads going to the same general area.  So, in essence, if the estimate is correct and the mover has the right amount of space, the system not only works well, but the overall service the customer receives is generally, very, very good.

Why, cause the interstate mover, is his/her own businessman, who owns the truck, employs the help and the mover receives the highest portion of the moving cost, as he is the one doing the move.   If he has a claim, it comes out of his pocket and his earnings, dollar for dollar, up to a certain amount.  What better incentive
could there be for the customer?

The problem with less than adequate service, or a poor move,  is usually, ask me, that a lot of customers tend to confuse purchasing a product vs a service.   Or put another way, a low price may have to do more
with getting a bargain, that does not always materialize into a good deal--sometimes you get what you pay for.

This entire discussion then, leads to the question of why are so many moving customers desiring to move
in a 20 foot container like those being rented to customers by both container firms and movers alike?  For the life of me, I simply do not understand why any person would want to take their own liability for moving
when they do not have to.   When you do it yourself, who else can you blame when something goes wrong?

I know, I know, movers are not that smart and if they can do it, so can I.....goes the mantra.  But this is not
even a fair or intelligent fight.   To move with a container and do it yourself, simply costs as much as having a mover do the whole thing for you.  Yes, it does. 

Just like moving today with a rented truck and you are going over 1000 miles away.   Anyone see the price
of fuel and how many miles per gallon trucks get, especially those in a rental fleet?   I still cannot figure out this "new new math" as I am old enough to have learned the "new math" but I cannot figure out why anyone
would want to move themselves, take full liability on themselves and the risk of injury to themselves, NOT TO OBTAIN ANY SAVINGS.   Besides, there is no one I know that can do a move better than some of the interstate owner operators I have seen in my life.

The older I get, the less things in life make sense to me.  For example, today, there are firms that want you
to rent plastic bins to move with, instead of using cardboard boxes.   Their proponents argue that this is a
"more green approach" to moving......cause you return the bins after you use them....so they are greener than
boxes made of 50% recycled cardboard and paper........and that you only need 20 bins, instead of 60 cardboard boxes.....(get this).....cause you can reuse the bins......lets just think this out.

Say you are moving 10 miles away to your new place and you have a economy car like a Chevy or a Ford
and you pack up 5 bins.   Then you have to carry those bins to your car, and load them into your car, drive
them over there (20 miles total) bring each bin up to the new place and then unpack them, and then load
them back into the car and do it again 5 or 6 times.   How long will this take to move this way and is this not harder on the customer to shlep these containers back and forth and do all the work, not to save any money?  

Please tell me so I can understand this logic as it makes no sense to me and I suggest that every person
who is moving should ask the right questions as none of these modern ways to move are less expensive
or are advantageous to the customer, ask me.

How Box Brothers Networks with Property Managers

One of the original marketing methods we utilized in growing our business, was to reach out to property management firms and to resident apartment managers, to help us ascertain just how much moving activity
there is within their properties and developments.

While our pursuit was originally for the sale of moving related cartons for those who are moving, we soon found out that many property management firms and resident managers have rules for how a firm loads
and unloads on their property.   Further, elevator management in some complexes are limited, and management as well as fellow tenants, do not appreciate not having access to their elevators, when delivery
firms and movers monopolize their use.

We have made tremendous relationships just by making sure that when we deliver moving boxes, that we
do not block entrances, restrict use of the elevators, and we are courteous and we notify the customer to
expect us prior to making the delivery.

Many firms understand extra needs when delivering to, or servicing clients out of commercial buildings
due to requirements for proof of insurance, and dock access, as well as freight elevator access, but those
same firms, do not always show the same degree of due diligence in residential settings, but I believe that
is both a mistake and a tactical error on the sales side of the equation.

While this blog is not the place to take about other firms mistakes or errors, it is not a secret that a good
firm will always give the very best service, to its smallest customers and to its largest customers.  I have
never understood how someone regulates heart, concern and commitment to do it right and how respect
are things you can dish out like condiments.  

Successful firms are full of quality people who care about their customers and about the people they service
as they tend to understand that their customers are not numbers on a balance sheet, but the people who put
food on their families table.   This is a very hard lesson to learn for a lot of workers and heads of firms, but
today, in a difficult if not impossibly competitive economy, what is the point of doing it half way, as I have one question for those who think effort and the best possible service is something to only talk about in the
class room or board room......"how is that working out for you....giving bad service....?"

There are those in sales who say that I am of base to speak about property managers in this way as they are
not our customers.   Their tenants, who are the ones who are buying the boxes, are our customers, focus on
them, not the people who collect the rent.   Maybe they are correct, but we have received so many referrals
from property managers to their tenants over the years--for moving boxes, that I would have to disagree with this opinion, no matter how successful they are.

You just have to expand your definition of what a customer is, as anyone in sales will agree, that you take care of your referral sources and they will take care of you.   Like I said, it is just a question of definition.