GoodBuyGuys Blog » good business ideas

Whatever Happened To “Seen But Not Heard”?

Jeff — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:40:41 +0000

Over the last several weeks I have had the opportunity to visit a number of presentation spaces with installed sound systems-auditorium, lecture halls, churches, etc.

It is good to see that line array speaker cabinet technology is now widely embraced by system installers (both new and upgrades) and the overall improvement in sound quality is quickly evident.

What is also evident, unfortunately, is how ugly many of these installations are, especially those that are retrofitted into existing spaces.

I can understand how an installer (i used to do sound system installations myself) might think that a half dozen black speaker cabinets hung against a white or light colored background might look “beautiful”. After all, he probably risked life and limb in a personnel lift to get the system in place and knows that the sound in the room has been dramatically improved.

How difficult would it have been to paint the new cabinets in a matching or complementary color? Apparently, pretty difficult, since nobody does it.

I realize that I’m not just talking about a can of Krylon spray paint here, but the results of a good quality paint job can pay off for years. A smart installer knows that he can gain a competitive advantage at bid opening time if his proposal is the only one that takes how the new speaker hang will look when the install is finished.

Metal speaker grills instead of fabric and recessed rigging hardware and connector plates both make doing a quality paint job easier and there is inexpensive spary equipment on the market that is easy to use.

Next time you are listening to one of these “in your face” sound system installations, close your eyes for a minute and see how much better it would sound if you could just hear it instead of seeing it.

Google Personalized Search-My 2 Cents Worth

Jeff — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:29:41 +0000

Our company has done well over the last ten years by building web sites and pages that adhered closely to Google’s guidelines for creating quality content. We have worked hard to generate content that prospective users and purchasers of our products would find valuable and many other sites have linked to ours because they found our content worthwhile.

Now, it appears that Google is ready to put their ability to serve up truly relevant search content on the shelf in favor of providing search results that are tempered by what our friends may have searched for or what we may have looked for in the past.

This is Google’s latest attempt to take on Facebook in an arena that Facebook owns, and lots of Google users are unhappy about it.

Instead of seeing information that the internet as a whole values because of the quality of the content (what is on the page and who links to it) you are more likely to see results based on your friends and colleagues have searched for.

I like my friends, but they are not who I normally choose to turn to when I want the kind of search results I used to get on Google. They are good people, but I don’t think of them as primary resources for the kind of information I am usually seeking.

What might be even more important is that Google has been quiet about what they are doing. Most people don’t realize that their search results might be very different than someone across the office or in the next dorm room.

The result of this change in Google’s search code, something that might well be called “Facebook envy” has reminded me that there are lots of other useful search engines available that now better meet my needs.

Google needs to get back to what made them so successful in the first place.

This Will Heat Your House, But Only Once

Jeff — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:55:39 +0000

The arrival of cold weather also means the arrival of regular front page news stories about people burning down their houses through improper extension cord use.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

The use of electric space heaters with inadequate size extension cords or cables in poor condition creates a situation ripe for disaster.

Use of a cable too small for the amount of power that the heater draws means that much of the electricity consumed goes to heat generated in the extension cord, not in the heater. Tucking the “too small” cord under a rug or behind a piece of furniture creates all the elements needed to start a house fire.

Extension cords in poor condition-frayed jackets, broken connectors, kinked cable-double the risk, as they can create both overheating and electric shock hazards.

If you use electric heaters, click here for a guide to choosing the correct size cable.

Click here for some tips on keeping your extension cords in good condition.

Question: Who’s Your Daddy? Answer: Not GoDaddy

Jeff — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 15:05:04 +0000

Online host and domain registrar Godaddy.com is staring down the barrel of a gun, held collectively by its customers who are unhappy with the internet giant’s waffling response to the pending “Stop Online Piracy Act” now moving through Congress. Godaddy has changed its position several times, apparently due to customer unhappiness with its support of this legislation, but still faces a customer boycott over the companies unwillingness to stand up and fight for an unrestricted internet.

Today, Dec. 29, has been proposed as boycott Godaddy day, and thousands of customers are threatening to leave Godaddy in the dust and move their hosting and registrar accounts to someone else.

H.R. 3261, the Congressional bill, is bad legislation and threatens to remake the internet at its core. It would allow a major transfer of internet control to a few major players and allow those who claim control of digital intellectual property to shut down small time web sites without due process.

We currently have in excess of three hundred domains registered with Godaddy and use them to host many of our sites. We’re ready to see them in our rear view mirror if they don’t step up and get this right, and do it quickly. If you are a Godaddy customer and want to put pressure on them to stand up and fight for their customers, give them a call at 480-505-8877.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. We are proud to feature extension cords from Hosatech. We believe that a free and open internet is the key to job growth, economic development and more opportunity for everyone.

Tis The Season To Be Careful

Jeff — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:13:34 +0000

Every holiday season seems to bring a tragic story of a young child who choked on the battery contained in a new Christmas toy. A few simple precautions can make this story a tale from the past.

Particularly dangerous are the small “button” type batteries that power many toys and electronic devices. They are small enough for a child to easily put into their mouth and they look just enough like something edible to make this scenario a likelihood.

Look for toys that have a screw cover for the battery compartment that can only be opened with a small screw driver and make sure that the door is securely latched before giving the toy to the child.

Check to see if the batteries are already installed in the device. Toys that have loose batteries in the packaging are particularly dangerous, since they can be overlooked when the package is opened and then found later by the child.

Finally, double check to make sure that there are no spare batteries included with the device. What might seem like a generous act by the manufacturer demands extra diligence on the part of the parent in order to make sure spares go into a safe storage location.

Wishing you and yours a joyous season from The Good Buy Guys. You can see your holiday greeting by clicking here.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. We are prod to feature extension cords from Hosatech. Our Duracell Procell batteries are the real thing and we sell them “Satisfaction Guaranteed”.

Battery Recycling Finally Lands In The Right Laps

Jeff — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 18:54:23 +0000

The Wall Street Journal’s online publication, Market Watch, reports that the presidents of the five major alkaline battery manufacturers in the United States met last week in an attempt to move forward a major initiative on consumer battery recycling.

This is not news in itself, but the willingness of these CEO’s to make a commitment to have a program in place in 2013 is a very positive development.

The presidents of Duracell, Energizer, Kodak, Rayovac and Panasonic began discussions in 2010 regarding getting a nationwide recycling program in place and now finally seem willing to commit to a date for a program roll out.

Certainly, the logistics and science in getting a program into place are complicated, but it is hard to see how plans and discussions could be going into their fourth year.

We would love to be able to point our customers towards a reliable recycling option in their community, regardless of where they live.

Check back here and also at Recyclebattery.org to track their progress.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. We are prod to feature extension cords from Hosatech. Our Duracell Procell batteries are the real thing and we sell them “Satisfaction Guaranteed”.

‘Tis The Season To Be Wary

Jeff — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:52:12 +0000

I’m listening to a Wall Street Journal podcast about counterfeit merchandise, and am reminded that Christmas is high season for the sale of counterfeit batteries.

Importers and unscrupulous retailers can dramatically boost their bottom line by taking a low quality battery and rebranding/repainting it with the graphics from a more expensive brand.

It can be difficult to spot a counterfeit, but here are a few clues.

All major battery manufcaturers (Duracell, Procell, Everready, etc.) always include an expiration date printed directly on the battery. Counterfeits often don’t include this info so that the product will have a longer perceived shelf life

Quality painting on a round surface is an expensive process. Batteries that have a brand name but low resolution graphics are probably bogus.

Major manufacturers control their distribution chain carefully. It is highly unlikely that someone selling batteries on a street corner in a large city is part of this chain. Batteries sold this way are usually counterfeits.

Counterfeit batteries will not only have a shorter life than the real thing, but are more prone to leak acid which can quickly destroy expensive electronics and can be a serious health hazard if it gets on your skin or in your eyes.

Legitimate branded batteries are more expensive for a good reason.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. We are prod to feature extension cords from Hosatech. Our Duracell Procell batteries are the real thing and we sell them “Satisfaction Guaranteed”.

Cold Wind Blowing? Here’s The Best $6.19 Investment You Can Make!

Jeff — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:03:17 +0000

Thanksgiving around here usually ushers in the first period of really cold weather. Winter may not be here yet, but you get some hints about what is around the corner.

There is no single better winter-proofing product than a roll of duct tape. Duct tape is both sticky and malleable, so it is ideal for patching small, hard to reach air leaks. Whether around a window, along a foundation, or in your attic, a strip or two of duct tape can quickly pay for the whole roll in heating savings.

Modern duct tape is available in lots of colors which make it much easier to match interior paint and exterior siding.

While it won’t last forever, the coating and adhesive of good quality duct tape will last the winter and the vinyl backing creates a seal that both stops air flow and repels water.

Hey Google, How Hard Can This Be?

Jeff — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:55:16 +0000

I’m a big fan of email (as opposed to phone calls or online chat) and have been a loyal user since 1985. I understand that lots of online communications is moving to platforms like facebook, but i like the ability to edit what I have written and consider it for a minute or two before I hit the “send” button. Maybe, I’m just showing my age.

I have spent the last hour trying to come up with a usable set up for the latest version of Google’s G Mail, and I’m getting nowhere. How can a company as progressive and powerful as Google completely fail to understand what users want in an email platform?

Now, I realize that Google is an advertising company and I am willing to accept some ads on the G Mail screen, so a little clutter is inevitable, but I have learned to tune it out.

However, not having the ability to control how the information on the screen is organized or having a logical way to index saved emails is incredibly frustrating.

Email was never intended to be a “conversation” and Google can’t change that, no matter how hard they try. It is the lack of immediacy that makes it so much more powerful than a chat client or a message sent from a social networking platform.

Use of valuable Google tools like Google+ and Google Adwords requires having and using a G Mail account, so simply ignoring G Mail is not a realistic option.

How about giving us the option of a straight forward and simple interface that doesn’t look different every time I log on to my account.

It’s just a suggestion.

‘Tis the Season…to be Scammed!

Jeff — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 19:08:53 +0000

Even though our national economic woes continue to depress holiday retail sales, online sales are expected to grow this year. That’s great news if you, like we, count on internet sales to sustain and grow your business.

Still, there is a big bump in the road before online sales can really take off. That problem is consumer concerns about security.

We get orders every day from customers who find us on the web, but then insist on calling us to place the order because they are uncomfortable with using their credit card at our web sites.

We’re happy to hear from them, of course, but they never seem to realize that placing an order at a secure web site is much safer than giving your credit card info to a stranger over the phone.

We host and manage our own e-commerce web sites and can always assure you that you want be presented by any pop ups or phishing scams that originate from our server.

Unfortunately, if you don’t know what to look for, it is difficult to know when you are at a web site where you can make a secure purchase.

When you move from the catalog portion of one of the goodbuyguys web sites to begin an actual checkout, you will see that the “http:” part of the web address at the top of the page, changes to “https:” That “s” means “secure“. The “s” is an indicator that the details of your purchase will be encrypted before they are submitted over the web.

You’ll also see a tiny image of a padlock at the end of the address line. Click on that padlock image if you want to know the details regarding who is certifying that the site is secure.

Here are some more tips to insure the security of your online purchase.

-Never provide your credit number in an email or instant message

-Use long, complicated passwords that use numbers, letters, upper case and lower case

-Purchase only from sites that have an “s” in the address line or show the padlock image

-If you have security concerns but still want to consider making a purchase, look for a phone number

-Check your credit card bill carefully every month.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords andOnStage Stand mic stands. Your security is our top concern.

Our (and your) security is certified by Usertrust. You can read more about it here.

It’s Just Like Slamming The Door In Your Customer’s Face

Jeff — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:44:16 +0000

I have been trying to order some toner cartridges online for about twenty minutes. I am ordering from a company I like, one with good prices and service. If I had not already had a positive experience with them, I would have moved on to another supplier long ago. There are lots of choices.

Why is it taking twenty minutes? Because I am a “Returning Customer”. That’s why.

I’m sure you have had this experience. Because I have ordered from this company before, there is an account in their customer data base associated with my email address, so they won’t let me complete the order process without logging in to the account that I did not want to create in the first place. So far, I have requested at least six times that they email me my password, but I still haven’t received one. If I was a new customer my order would have already been completed, but because I am showing some loyalty by placing a second order, I am stuck at the entrance and the door has been slammed in my face.

We’ve found a way around this at our own web sites which will allow you to place orders as a “guest”, no matter how many times you want to order, so we know it can be done. Our web developer has nicknamed this “no hoops”, as in “you don’t have to jump through any hoops to place an order“. You can use the same email address every time and never be turned away because your email address is already associated with an account.

I started this blog post when I requested my password and I have now completed it and have still not received it. \

Time to find another toner cartridge supplier.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

A Tip Of The Hat To Duracell

Jeff — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:08:33 +0000

Duracell, in cooperation with the Firehouse Subs restaurant chain have a national Fire Safety month promotion that will reward customers who buy a $5 medallion at the restaurant with a free Duracell 9 volt battery.

October is national fire safety month, a time when everyone is reminded to change the batteries in their smoke detectors.

Purchasing a Firehouse Subs medallion funds a program called the Firehouse Public Safety Foundation which has donated over $3 million in life saving equipment to public safety agencies.

Duracell is providing 27, 180 9 volts in support of the program.

Don’t forget to change your smoke detector battery this month.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

Really Friendly Robots

Jeff — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:05:29 +0000

We manage content for lots of blogs, primarily sites that are product specific. They are all built on the Word Press platform.

By default, settings for Word Press allow readers to post comments. You can moderate the comments and decide whether you want to allow readers to see them or just delete.

There is a strategy among people who optimize sites for search whereby they post comments to blog sites and if the site allows the posting to be displayed, then it creates what is called a “backlink” (a link back to the poster’s own site) which, at least in theory, improves that’s sites performance with major search engines.

Most of the comments we get appear to be automated, posted by robots, and probably from programmers whose native language is not english.

Here are a few recent comments:

When he recovers he doesnt give up and his next confrontation goes somewhat improved.

Good post. I be taught something more difficult on totally different blogs everyday.

We can’t give your site earlier than telling you that many of us seriously loved the coffee quality information you are offering on your visitors?

I experience fairly fortunate to have encounter your internet webpage

Digged google 30 mins, findally i get it, thanks!

Perhaps my favorite of all time:

These are impressive articles. Keep up the sunny handiwork.

Here’s where you can view our other blogs:

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.

An Education In Your Mailbox

Jeff — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:48:23 +0000

I spend several hours a day reading, and the bulk of my time is spent with technical journals. I never cease to be amazed at how willing publishers of magazines oriented towards the entertainment production and audio visual industries are to underwrite the publication of dozens of really valuable journals. How can they do this? Advertisers like Duracell and Pro Tapes pay, not you!

Maybe this model is used in other industries, but this is the only one I am familiar with. These magazines are filled with dozens of really useful articles, and, many times, the advertising is filled with good info as well.

I use these journals regularly to find new products for our catalog. Its also really great to come across articles about our customers. I even saw one of our products in a photo accompanying a story about the NFL Playoffs.

Any student or hobbyist in sound, lighting or theater tech can easily begin receiving these journals by simply making up a business name. The magazines base their ad rates on the number of subscribers, so they are happy to add you to their subscriber list. They rarely do much to insure that you are a legitimate business with a large purchasing budget.

Journals like Pro Sound News, Sound & Video Contractor , Live Sound International, Church Sound Magazine, and FOH Magazine are yours for the asking. They have great columns, handy “how to” articles, and honest equipment reviews. The photo quality is first good and the editorial content, while advertiser driven, is still useful. Most of the writing is first rate.

Interested? You can sign up for regular subscriptions at any of the publication web sites in this article.

Goodbuyguys.com is a collection of web sites (including buytape.com, buybattery.com, buymicstand.com, buyextensioncord.com, buyaflashlight.com and buywireties.com) designed to deliver a great selection of production supplies.

The Extension Cord As An Art Object

Jeff — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:32:30 +0000

I am on the mailing list for a web site called Bestmade.com and enjoy getting their weekly updates. It is run by an artist and product designer named Peter Buchanan-Smith, who has taken practical, but interesting objects, and turned them into works of art.

He started with axes with elaborately painted handles and has moved on to other objects, each with some sort of embellishment.

Paying a premium price for one of his axes with a hand painted handle made some sense, because it combined a useful item with hand work done by a well known artist.

Bestmade.com’s latest offering, however, mystifies me. It is a line of extension cords designed to look like extension cords looked 50 years ago. They are covered in cloth rather than rubber insulation and appear to be almost impossible to properly coil. They are restricted to indoor use and the offering says they are intended for “small” appliances, but the specs do not list a wire size. If they are UL approved, I can’t find that info anywhere on the web site.

Retro for art’s sake is fine, and there is plenty about mid 20th century design that is worth preserving. However this particular item looks like a good way to burn your house down. Cloth covered extension cords were known to be subject to easy abrasion of the outer covering and were subject to being gnawed through by mice and squirrels. Their cotton outer covering is flammable and they don’t have the ability to “grip” the connectors like a rubber-jacketed cable does.

We will continue to enjoy looking at Bestmade.com’s product offerings, but really think they should reconsider selling this product.

Oh, by the way. The cost for their 10 foot extension cord? $34.00!

_______________

Click here for extension cord safety tips.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. Extension cords are one of our specialties.

Is The Customer Always Right?

Jeff — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:11:36 +0000

I try to spend a few minutes each day reading up on ideas related to sound business practices. There is an unending source of good (and sometimes not so good) ideas for business management available.

One of the ideas that comes up over and over is the timeless concept that “the customer is always right”. After many years of selling specialty products online and through catalog sales, I can tell you that nothing could be further from the truth.

I field at least a couple of phone calls every day from a prospective customer who needs to be talked out of making a purchase from us. This is sometimes harder to do than one might think, but I would always prefer to lose a sale than to sell you the wrong item.

Over and over, a customer will try to talk me out of recommending that they not use a tape product for an outdoor application because it does not have UV protection and is not intended to stand up to exposure to sunlight.

Time after time, I have to convince a customer that using an extension cord of too small a gauge will create a fire hazard.

I wish I had a nickel for all the times I have tried (unsuccessfully) to convince a caller that the performance of a ProCell battery is identical to that of a Duracell CopperTop.

It has always been our hope that by creating web sites that were deep with information that we could lead customers to make the right choice-a purchasing choice that would provide a product that met their needs. The same theory is at work when we provide information that should help a prospective customer realize that they product they are considering is not the right item to meet their needs.

Sometimes we lose a sale by insisting that the customer is not always right, but, in the end, this is a lot more satisfying than trying to always make the sale.

Are you someone who believes that conventional business wisdom is not always the way to go? Share your thoughts with us!

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Shurtape gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Enterainment 1 extension cords , OnStage Stand mic stands and quality speaker cables.

It’s Getting Tougher to Find the Deals

Jeff — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 18:12:02 +0000

A troubling new pricing trend is developing in online pricing and it’s making things more difficult if you are looking for a deal.

Pressure from manufacturers to control the price that online merchants charge for certain items mean that more and more web sites are no longer posting pricing with their items.

What may first look like an unwillingness of the seller to show you the price may actually be an effort on their part to keep the manufacturer from forcing them to charge a price dictated to them.

When you look at an item on a web site but can’t see the price until you “put it in your shopping cart”, it may be an effort on the merchant’s part to keep the manufacturer from easily seeing what price is being charged. Because the price doesn’t appear with the item, it won’t be indexed at popular shopping “bots” like Shopzilla and Pricegrabber, making it a lot harder for the manufacturer to control.

New interpretations of anti-trust law have given the manufacturers a lot more power in dictating prices to sellers. Posting “lower than approved” pricing at a web site may violate advertising agreements. This is likely why you can’t see the price until you add the item to a shopping cart.

This makes comparison shopping a whole lot tougher.

Periodically we are approached by manufacturers who would like us to sell their products, but negotiations always quickly end if they attempt to dictate the price we will charge our customers. So called “MAP” pricing (minimum advertised pricing)does not come into play when we determine how to price what we sell to you.

We will always strive to give you the best price without regard to what the manufacturer thinks we should charge. If we can take advantage of lower overhead and other efficiencies to offer you a better price than the competition, we are happy to share the savings.

North Carolina Production Companies-Take A Bow!

Jeff — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:46:15 +0000

I have written from time to time about the great free magazines available to the concert and special events production industries. They are advertiser supported (thus, they are free) but they have lots of high quality articles and educational material.

I subscribe to a lot of them, and no matter how hard I try, I get behind in my reading.

I picked up the July edition of Front of House to read over lunch and was pleased to see two prominent North Carolina companies featured.

Special Events Services, from Winston-Salem, provided their new Martin Audio MLA sound system to support Oprah’s final television shows-Oprah’s Surprise Spectacular-at Chicago’s United Center Arena. This was one of the most highly anticipated television broadcasts of the year, and SES and Martin Audio made sure that the audience heard every word. Click here for the details.

SE Systems, headquartered in Greensboro, was featured in celebration of their 24th year as the exclusive technical support vendor for Merelfest, a major bluegrass and traditional music festival. Click here to read the article.

We’re proud to call these two great companies customers and tip our hat to Front of House for their recognition.

Goodbuyguys.com is a collection of web sites (including buytape.com, buybattery.com,buymicstand.com, buyextensioncord.com, buyaflashlight.com and buywireties.com) designed to deliver a great selection of production supplies.

If You’re An Engineer, Where Is Your Train?

Jeff — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 19:19:23 +0000

The dramatic failure of several outdoor stage roofs this summer has the live production community buzzing. Last weekend’s catastrophic collapse of the stage at the Indiana State fair really changed the dynamic of the discussion, and the multiple deaths and crippling injuries related to this disaster require that our industry re-examine its practices and standards from top to bottom.

I have always been amused at how the live events industry has allowed such practices as referring to sound persons as “engineers“, and this is a good example of how the special events production industry has evolved outside of the mainstream. Real engineers have college degrees, face rigorous testing and must be licensed before they ply their trade. All a sound “engineer” needs is a Sharpie and a Maglite! You need an architect, a licensed contractor and a building permit to add a bathroom to your house, but you can build a six story tall temporary structure in the midst of 10,000 people by just being lucky enough to win the bid.

I was in the outdoor staging business for many years, and must disclose, upfront, that I was guilty of more than one questionable decision, because we are all so deeply committed to the concept that “the show must go on“. I am now amazed that over a period of more than 20 years no one ever asked me who designed this roof, who built this stage, and what are their qualifications?

Somewhere along the way, our commitment to hard work and quick thinking have managed to allow us to escape the scrutiny (government and otherwise) that similar industries must submit to every day. Those days are likely nearing an end.

We used to joke that building stages was like having a construction job without a lunch break. The joke should have also included “and without a permit“. The building of temporary structures puts performers and audience members at the same sort of risk they would be exposed to when shows are in permanent buildings, but the fly-by-night nature (I don’t mean this in a derogatory manner, since we literally do “fly-by-night) of what we do has allowed it to escape the inspection and permitting process.

The evolution of stage roofs from being a tent over a flat bed truck to massive structures like that one in Indiana has happened in rapid fashion, and the notion that an unlicensed contractor can hang thousands of pounds over the heads of audience members and performers without being subjected to formal training, licensing and inspection now must come to an end.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Electratrac and Coast Wire extension cords, OnStage Stand mic stands, and lots of other useful production supplies.

Your Local High School Needs You

Jeff — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:13:58 +0000

We enjoy working with our local schools and are particularly proud to be involved with the arts curriculum at Northwood High School, the school my daughter attends. They are finishing up a series of special events this week and we applaud them for their hard work.

Periodically, I have pointed out the phenomenon I call the “graying” of the concert production industry. Lots of hands-on techs who got their start in sound and lighting began their careers in the 1970′s and ’80′s and are now looking at retirement or career changes. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of kids ready to take their places.

If you read the trade journals that cover the concert production industry, you know that a very high percentage of the articles feature technicians in their 50′s or even 60′s.

My work at Northwood High confirms this trend. Northwood has a newly renovated auditorium with state of the art sound and lighting systems. Twenty years ago, there would have been students crawling all over each other to get a chance to learn to operate this equipment.

Not today. Northwood has hundreds of kids involved in band, dance and drama but almost no students who want to work backstage or in the production booth. They simply don’t see it as a college or career track.

We have recently developed a series of “how to” animations related to teaching technical theatre skills, along with a set of printed guides.

It is our hope little things like this, along with our involvement in training students and teaching tech skills, will open the eyes of some of these high school students to the possibilities of an exciting career path that will soon have lots of employment opportunities.

If you have technical skills and are making a career change, give some thought to sharing all you’ve learned with your local high school arts program.

What I Learned In 30 Years Of Concert Production

Jeff — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:55:11 +0000

Until recently, my chosen career was in concert and special event production. I spent more than 30 years doing sound, lighting, staging and event management. It was a great run-I got to see the country and make dozens of great friends. I saw more than my share of great shows along the way.

So, what did I learn that I consider really valuable today? I can coil cables, level stages, mix sound for live TV and focus lights from the top of a 20 foot ladder. Those were all hard-won skills that served me well, but they don’t have a lot of value today.

The most valuable skill, by far, was being able to make decisions. As a producer of large events and concerts, every day was a string rapid-fire decisions, all focused on the starting time of the show. There was never a chance to kick around a lot of options or “sleep on it”. There just wasn’t enough time.

Fortunately, these were not decisions of the life-or-death variety, and if I was able to get two out of every three right, I was usually a hero. There was never the option of putting off the decision until later. The show would be today whether I made a decision or not. Choosing “not to decide” was the same as “choosing to fail“.

I reality, the more decisions I made in a day the more likely I was to get really good results. Making a couple of decisions before my first cup of coffee always gave me new options that got me closer to an on time show. That was the goal.

Actually providing good entertainment was the job of the performers and their hands on technicians. My job was to make enough correct decisions to insure that they got to do their job.

Making lots of decisions can be risky, even painful. Rarely will it do the sort of damage that is almost guaranteed by making no decision at all.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. I enjoy sharing good business ideas with our readers and customers. Let me know what you think.

Small Town TV Stations Join The White Space Debate

Jeff — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:38:49 +0000

The ongoing battle for available broadcast spectrum for new consumer devices has opened on another front.

Dell has joined giants like Google and Microsoft in the fight to control wireless spectrum, but it appears that they are trying to come in the back door.

Forbes reports that Dell founder Michael Dell is quietly buying up bankrupt local television stations. It seems unlikely that Dell will be hiring weather girls and operating traffic cams, so the speculation is that they are attempting to acquire the broadcast spectrum that the FCC licences to these local broadcasters. As the value of allocated frequencies continues to rise, Dell may be trying to position itself as a “player” by acquiring rights to spectrum not through FCC auctions like the other major players, but rather by buying into local markets one at a time.

It is difficult to see how this may work in Dell’s favor in the long run, as their attempts to move into consumer broadcast businesses like television and cell phones has not met with much success.

Even less obvious, but perhaps more important, Dell may become a major player (or at least a thorn in the side) as the FCC continues work on a database that can be used by wireless microphone users to locate available spectrum in the locales where they are operating.

You can read more about this discussion here.

A Box of Shakespeare

Jeff — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:15:11 +0000

We‘ve been involved in the New York theatre market for many years, supplying tape products to some of the most successful productions on Broadway. Getting the show up and running is one thing. Getting the whole theatre up and running is quite another.

For their summer residency in New York City, the Royal Shakespeare Company is building a reproduction of their stage at Stratford On Avon inside the Park Avenue Armory in Manhattan. The Shakespeare company has sent 46 shipping containers by boat to the Upper East Side of Manhattan to build the stage they will need for a six week residency beginning this week and running into August. Rather than have to locate storage facilities for the shipping containers, this innovative stage actually incorporates the containers into the stage construction.

Building a replica of their stage in England means that performers will feel right at home on their temporary stage.

This presentation of six of Shakespeare’s works runs through August 14.

You can see a slide show of the construction process here.

They Don’t Call Them “Swipe” Fees For Nothing

Jeff — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 14:21:57 +0000

The current congressional debate over the banking regulations that determine the fees that banks can charge merchants for debit card transactions will have an impact on everything you buy, whether you use a debit card or not.

Many consumers are not aware that when a merchant lets you use a debit or credit card to make a payment that the merchant is charged both a “per transaction” fee and another fee that is based on a percentage of the overall cost of the purchase. One way or the other, those fees have to be reflected in the price of the items you are purchasing.

Banks are currently allowed to charge merchants as much as $.44 per debit card transaction. This fee, called a “swipe” fee because of the physical act of “swiping” the card through a card reader, is higher in the United States than it is anywhere else in the world. It means that on a purchase of about $5.00, the merchant might have to pay almost 10% of the total value of the purchase in fees to the bank.

We accept both credit and debit cards through our internet sales and don’t have any way of differentiating what kind of card is used until we get our monthly statement from the bank which shows the fees that we have been charged in order to accept debit and credit card payments. Those fees have to be reflected in the amount we charge for our products and it is part of the final amount you pay.

In yesterday’s congressional debate, the Senate stood up to powerful banking lobbyists and empowered the Federal Reserve to limit the fees banks can charge on the use of debit cards.

Unfortunately, there is too much money at stake to hope that a single vote in the Senate is going to settle this matter. The next round of “big banks vs. big merchants” is scheduled for next week in the House.

Can There Be An Upside To Oil Price Increases

Jeff — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 17:57:48 +0000

It seems that there is a hint of good news to the continuing increase and instability in the cost of oil.

Specifically, it is causing retailers to reconsider the use of plastic clamshell packaging. This packaging material is petroleum based and has seen the same run up in pricing as gasoline and other petro chemical products.

Major players like Target, Home Depot and Wal Mart are now offering products that use less expensive paper-based materials that are easier to open, less expensive to ship and are more eco friendly.

In addition to eliminating as much plastic as possible, retailers are also making packages smaller, which lowers shipping costs.

Perhaps most important, they are also more customer friendly. You won’t need a razor blade to open a package of razor blades.

Welcome To Your New Home-Just Don’t Try To Turn On The Water

Jeff — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 18:41:08 +0000

As a distributor of extension cords, we follow the copper market closely and as the price of copper increases, so do the incidences of copper theft.

It seems that the theft of copper from brand new homes is increasing dramatically because it is so easy to access and a thief is unlikely to be confronted when stealing from an almost finished, unoccupied home.

A new home has about 100 pounds of copper pipe and wire which gives it a scrap value of about $500.00. Replacing that copper can cost a home owner more than $10,000.00.

Some states like South Carolina require a permit in order to transport more than 25 lbs. of copper and others require that scrap metal vendors keep detailed records of all copper sellers.

Both good ideas!

This Post Isn’t About Gaffers Tape But It Is

Jeff — Fri, 27 May 2011 18:08:34 +0000

On another blog I edit, I commented on news stories about a clothing manufacturer called General Pants who was taking flack about using sex to sell clothes in the mall. Unbelieveable, right?

Anyway, responding to complaints about mall window advertising that featured a partially clothed model with gaffers tape covering her breasts, General Pants agreed to “censor” the campaign.

Well, it’s a month later and the General Pants campaign is still making the news. A story in yesterday’s Sydney Morning Herald (General Pants is an Australian brand) gives the story even longer legs.

At this point, it is difficult to believe that General Pants wasn’t hoping for and planning for “negative” publicity from the beginning.

I Don’t Care When You’re “Closed”. I Only Care When You Are Open

Jeff — Wed, 25 May 2011 19:28:52 +0000

I wonder who was the person who came up with that ubiquitous sign you see on almost every business’s door, the one with the orange block letters on the black background that says

I know you’re closed. I can tell because the door is locked and the lights are out.

What the sign really says is “we don’t want your business“. No information about when they will reopen. Nothing in the way of getting in touch. No enticement to get me to come back. Just a message that says ” we don’t know that you are here and we don’t care.”

I’m glad that your business is so good that you don’t need mine. Maybe I’ll try the store across the the street whose sign says “Welcome“.

Use Less Tape? That’s Alright With Us!

Jeff — Tue, 24 May 2011 17:29:04 +0000

In the face of ongoing price increases from every tape manufacturer and converter we deal with, we’ve decided that it’s time to pass on some tips on getting your job done with less tape.

Tape is a great tool and we’d never get the show open without it, but prices for products like gaffers tape have reached the point where some new strategies are in order.

In doing some research for my writing on this subject, I came across a great idea for a velcro-backed cable cover that replaces the task of taping a cable down across carpet with a reusable cover that will last for years.

We are looking for a manufacturer who could help us add something like this to our product line, but, in the meantime, you can make your own.

Here’s a link to an excellent YouTube video that will show you exactly how to do it.

Solving The Speakon Mystery

Jeff — Fri, 20 May 2011 13:15:53 +0000

One of the most common questions we get is about using our Speakon connector equipped speaker cables. It’s a good question and it is very easy to understand why a customer might be confused.

There are three versions of the NL series connector, and you can find out more about those here. The confusion comes from many manufacturers choosing to use the NL4 style connector (4 poles) in applications where only two conductors are needed. This has led to a sort of “de facto” standardization based on the fact that the Speakon standard has been slowly accepted as the way to go by most speaker cabinet and amplifier manufacturers.

By using the NL4 standard, speaker manufacturers have been able to create a product that can be either “mono-amped”(single signal for all components in the speaker cabinet) or “bi-amped” (separate amp signal for the two different components in the cabinet). The ability to choose whether a speaker is mono-amped or bi-amped based on internal wiring in the cabinet creates lots of flexibility and this makes the confusion worth while.

Speaker cables from buyspeakercable.com are all two conductor but use the NL4 connector standard.

Best of all (even with yet a little more confusion), the NL4 male connector will fit into the same female connector as the NL2. They are completely interchangeable.