As all of us Manhattanites know, we are always on the go. Work, dinners, events, family gatherings, seeing friends, there are endless options of things to do in the greatest city in the world. For people as fast paced as we are, it is always a good idea once a month, or even once a week, to slow down for a nice manicure, pedicure, massage or facial. With over 10,000 salon options in New York City though, it can be hard to navigate which ones are the best in many different facets. Wouldn’t it be great if there was an app for that? Problem solved- LookBooker has you covered and then some!
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BUSINESS
Bethenny Frankel Unveils Skinnygirl Candy at Dylan’s Candy Bar
As someone who is trying to grow their own brand, I am always amazed and quite humbled to be in the presence of a person who started with a simple idea and turned it into something that even they couldn’t imagine. That was exactly what happened yesterday when I went to a fabulous event for Bethenny Frankel and her Skinnygirl Candy Line, which was unveiled at Dylan’s Candy Bar in Union Square.
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Hospitable Gents: An Interview with Jim Burba and Bob Hayes
Jim Burba and Bob Hayes might not have the same name recognition as Ellen Degeneres, Elton John, Tom Ford, or Neil Patrick Harris, but they share a common thread: They have all been listed as one of 20 “Power Couples to Know” by Out Magazine’s print and online platforms. 2015 marks the third year that Burba and Hayes have made the list and while neither of them are hosting a daytime talk show, singing good-bye to the yellow brick road, designing handbags, or being referred to as “Doogie Howser”, the pair have earned the honor by making a profound and indelible mark in their industry and within their local community.
As co-founders of the Burba Hayes Network (BHN) in Orange County California, the business couple, who wed in 2014 after 24 years of courtship, develop and produce “must attend” global conferences for the hotel and tourism industry. Here, C-level hotel investment executives can gather to network and learn about the latest industry trends.
Since its inception 15 years ago, they have demonstrated their unwavering philosophy of giving back through their events with over $14,000,000 of contributions for scholarships, research, and program development for the hotel industry.
The indefatigable duo have broadened their scope past hotels, however, Currently, they are hard at work on their first publishing deal, producing another Hollywood film, and co-producing an Off-Broadway show that plans to splash onto Broadway early next year.
Manhattan Digest recently spoke with them to discuss their nearly finished book, the qualities of leadership, sexuality in the corporate world, and why time and participation can be more valuable to charity than money.
MD: Tell me a bit about the book you’re writing.
Bob: The book is called “Smart Partners” and it will talk about lessons we have learned in our long term business partnership as well as in our life partnership. We’ve discovered principles that guide us in both journeys. It also incorporates ideas and thoughts from colleagues of ours and other “celebrity couples” who have taken a similar journey. We’ve tried to weave their stories into ours.
Jim: It’s not a “how to” business book, but rather what we’ve done, how we did it, and what we’ve learned. The more we started talking to other business partners, the more we found out that they are the lessons nearly everyone in business has learned.
MD: Did either of you have positions of leadership before starting BHN?
Jim: I was a partner in an attorney firm and an executive in businesses along the way. I also ran my own consulting firm.
Bob: I was a random employee I guess you could say. I was a management analyst in city government. I sold real estate.I did design. Really I was just trying to find the place where I’d be the most productive and then Jim dragged me into his world– and it worked!(laughs). It’s been working for 15 years now.
MD: You really built the company from the ground up then, right?
Jim: Yes. It started with the two of us and we barely made payroll. The first year was tenuous, but we made it.
Bob: We began in 2000 and the first big event that we held was in January 2002, months after September 11th. That first program launched but it was put together at a difficult time because most people weren’t even thinking of traveling or investing.
MD: Well, you’ve obviously done very well since then. What are the key qualities you look for both in yourselves and in your employees?
Bob: The desire and willingness to “go all in” is very important-meaning that you commit to what you are doing. I think that is one of the reasons we’ve been so successful.
Jim: In our own way, we are perfectionists. The product we produce is better and I don’t say that lightly. We works really hard on the quality of our programs and we believe that we have a corporate social responsibility.
Bob: Integrity is also a big thing. We’re known as people who have integrity and we do everything we can to preserve that. We don’t place ourselves in situations where that integrity is compromised. We go about our business transparently so everyone knows what they’re going to get and everyone gets the same things. We like to say that we’re like Switzerland. We don’t take sides and we don’t prefer one over the other. It creates a level of trust that is very important. Once you give your integrity away, you de-value what you have and it’s hard to get that value back. When you start cutting corners, the value of your business model goes down.
Jim: We will walk away from money if it comes with strings attached and we can’t offer those strings to everybody. In that way, we’re very democratic.
MD: Your prevalent theme is “giving back.” How do you think small businesses or individuals who aren’t as financially equipped can give back in a philanthropic or charitable sense?
Bob: It’s not just about money. It’s about getting involved. They need participation and promotion and people who care about the mission and their community. That is even a better way
Jim: We support http://www.youthcareerinitiative.org/ which was started by Prince Charles. They go into impoverished neighborhoods and find kinds who have little luck of getting out of poverty. They take them to hotels that will take them in for a 6 month internship and teach them life skills. 90 plus percent end up with jobs after 6 months. We do more than give them money, though. We are “mouthy” and we talk about it, so it’s a matter of using our platform we to give these kids something that they never had. That is something that is greater than just writing checks.
MD: Have you ever faced discrimination in a workplace because of your sexuality?
Bob: We never made our sexual orientation an issue. We’re kind of “matter of fact” about it, but we don’t shove it in people’s faces. Maybe people respect that because we aren’t forcing anyone to make a moral decision based on their beliefs. We’re just here and we are who we are. We also have a sense of freedom in having our own business too.
MD: A big deal was made when Apple CEO Tim Cook came out because that was a great stride for the corporate world. There still are not alot of openly gay CEOs. Why do you think there is not more openness at that level?
Bob: We wrote a story about that. And yes, there are a lot of them. I think, perhaps, they don’t want that topic to become the topic for their companies. A lot of them work at public companies and they don’t want that distraction. Or it could just be that, like us, they don’t want to make a big deal about it. It just is. We’re not out there saying, “Hey everybody! Look at us! We’re gay!”, but if someone asks us, of course we don’t hide it.
Jim: I think as time goes on, you’ll see more CEOs step up and step out.
MD: Do you consider yourselves LGBT advocates, activists, spokespeople, all or none of the above?
Bob: I don’t think we’re spokespeople, but we are advocates. We won’t stand on the cormer and wave flags and banners. But people have come up to us and thanked us, though, for talking about it and for being visible. They thank us for speaking out just by example.
MD: Let’s switch gears to Seth Rudestky and Jack Plotnick’s Disaster! The Musical. That was a huge hit Off Broadway and as co-producers, you’re bringing it to Broadway. What is the status of that project?
Bob: We’re still on track. Talks are going well and we’re looking at early 2016. We just need to determine the theater. We have to find one that fits the show, the timing, and the talent schedule, so it’s a bit of a puzzle piece.
MD: You’ve mentioned in the past that you both have a full plate but always leave room for a few bites. What “bites” are you working on now?
Bob: Well, we have another film project coming up and have just signed a pretty well known actor to the deal. (At the time of writing, the actor couldn’t be revealed). That will start shooting this October. Just two days ago, we met with a production company for a TV show based on a concept we developed a few years ago, so that is in the works.
MD: Do you ever feel as though you bite off more than you can chew?
Bob: (Laughs) Yes! Sometimes we look at one another and shake our heads asking, “What did we just do!” But, we’re having the time of our lives and we’re not ready to slow down. If we think a project is valuable, we do it. It seems like the more we have to do, the more we can do. And we have a great team here at the office. We couldn’t do what we do without them.
To keep up with Jim and Bob’s latest endeavors and events, visit their website: http://www.burbahayes.com/
The Best New Barber Shop has Arrived in Hell’s Kitchen
Some people take the Myers- Briggs test and read What Color Is Your Parachute to determine their life’s occupation. Others seek the advice of a guidance counselor or spend hundreds of dollars on career counseling in search of the perfect job. For an unfortunate few, they toil unhappily in a mundane desk job for years on end, until their dream diminishes like Jon Secada from the Top 40 list.
Boswell Scot took an easier and much more practical approach. At the age of 23, after being laid off from his office job, he sat down with a piece of paper and made a list of all the people he knew and their vocation. “I decided that my barber had the most fun job,” he said. “Think about it. You get to stand around, talking to people all day, and get paid for it!” Shortly thereafter, he enrolled in barber school in his home state of Florida.
In 2007, with 5 years of hair-cutting under his belt, the savvy St. Petersburg native packed his shears and barbicide and moved to New York City, where he worked at upscale salons downtown. “It was always a dream to open my own shop,” the ebullient thirty-something remarked. Eight years later, his dream is fully realized. At the beginning of February 2015, Scot opened Best Barber, an upscale, yet approachable and unpretentious full service grooming shop in Manhattan’s trendy Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. The space, located between 48th and 49th street on 10th avenue, offers a clean straightforward approach and look. Beautiful wood floors and bare white walls envelop the space with a simple neon light near the front announcing its’ name.
While the neighborhood’s demographic is predominantly gay, Scott eschews the title of “gay barber shop” and instead promotes himself as the “every-man” of barbering. “My clientele ranges. I have both gay and straight men who stop by. My female clients also make appointments. Basically, anyone who wants to be treated well and receive a great cut is welcome here.” His hospitable attitude speaks for itself. Nearly all of his former downtown clients have followed Scot to the new midtown spot . The difference is in the customer service. “Most shops in this area aren’t as personable,” he observed. “They just point to a waiting chair when you go in, and have very little interaction once you’re seated in the barber chair. You’re really more like a number than a person.” At Best Barber, his welcoming staff offers you coffee or water while you wait, and make an effort to get to know you. Plus, they use square software to create appointments, which is seamless for both his staff and his clients.
In his thirteen years of hair trimming, Scot has become a default therapist. “I’ve heard an earful from some clients,” he smiles. “People tend to reveal very personal information with me. I once had a lady, on her first visit, admit to having an affair.” Clearly, Scot’s natural charisma and cheery charm lend themselves to confessionals.
In preparing for his own business-and even now, the entrepreneur actually visits other shops to get his own haircut and encourages his staff to do the same. “I think it’s important to gain an understanding of how it feels to be a client.” Since opening his doors in February, Scot’s staff continues to grow and he has recently added a fourth barber to his roster.
The Williamsburg resident travels each day to his midtown shop, where, in addition to barber services, he carries a complete line of Malin and Goetz products. “I have always been a huge fan of their line,” he said. “Not only do they make fine quality products, but the look of their packaging fits in nicely with the aesthetic of my shop.”
On a personal note, this journalist was treated to the full “Best Barber” experience. My hair is thinning and there seems to be little hope. Scot put my fears at rest, assuring me that it is “confidence that makes the man and not a receding hairline.” Consequently, I have rarely received so many compliments on a haircut in the days following. In bold, white letters on the shop’s front window is a quote (printed in all capital letters): “HANDSOME MADE SIMPLE.” With a master like Boswell Scot at the helm, who am I to argue?
Best Barber is located at 694 Tenth Avenue between 48th and 49th streets.
Phone: 646.791.0560 http://www.bestbarber.nyc twitter: @bestbarbernyc
Hours of Operation: Tuesday through Saturday, 11-8pm and Sunday 11-6
What is the cost of building a mobile app?
This post originally appeared on the VenturePact website.
The Idea: “Hey, I am trying to build an app. It’s going to be a social network for dog owners. I have $10K. You know someone?”
Source: http://bit.ly/1B49vBV
2 Weeks Later
“Yo, I got a steal – I found these people who told me they’ll build the app and give me unlimited maintenance for $10K. What a deal!”
6 Months Later
“Still building the product but not paying extra even though its going way over, I’m lucky I got a deal. $10k for 6 months of work is less than $20 per hour!”
8 Months Later
“I will never outsource anything again, the doesn’t work its been 8 months.”
What went wrong?
An outsourcing decision made solely on price can result in an array of problems.
When choosing a firm to build your application, price is a component in the decision making process, but time, experience, and quality also come into the equation. Quality is hard to quantify and its hard to know whether a company is high quality based on their website.
Sometimes you’ll find a low quality company that charges $250 per hour. Sometimes you’ll find a great company that charges $40 per hour. Of course this is not the norm, but price alone does not mean that a company is amazing or terrible. Also, a service provider that is amazing for one company might not be for another.
To guide companies through the development pricing maze, we have created The VenturePact Budget Grid with three zones and three tiers representing the world’s development firms and respective pricing.
Zones vary based on each region’s cost of living, and tiers vary based on clientele, years of experience and specialty of firm.
The chart shows the minimum project size that each zone and tier would require and their approximate hourly charges. This VenturePact Budget Grid should help guide companies when deciding how much they should pay and where they should select a service provider.
Do you have questions about outsourcing or finding a development firm for your next project? Feel free to reach out to [email protected].
Randy Rayess is the co-founder of VenturePact, a service that helps companies find and engage with vetted software development teams. He is passionate about remote work, outsourcing and software development. He previously worked in private equity at SilverLake Partners, in machine learning and in payments.
Goldstar: Making Events More “App”ealing
Do you have friends and acquaintances who sit in their apartments, complain that they are always broke, and announce that there is nothing to do? Now you can resist the urge to smack them in the head and send them back to their native mid-America state by informing them about Goldstar’s brand new Android App. Wait! What is Goldstar? Thank you for asking! Goldstar is both a free website and app which provides listings of shows, concerts, events, dinner cruises, theater and tons of other fun stuff to do in the city–at a fraction of what you’d pay for the full price ticket. Since 2002 this California based company has connected with over 5,000 venues in cities across the United States. Recently, they’ve rolled out in Pittsburgh, PA, Detroit, MI, and are making plans to engage in more medium sized markets.
Goldstar CEO Jim McCarthy recognized the demand from customers to make usage more mobile. As of September 2014, 63% of its’ users were accessing the services on either smartphones or tablets. With the launch of this Android App, McCarthy and his team are making access even more effortless. “Now, Goldstar is there when people think about what they want to do,” he said. It should be noted, however, that the app is not strictly limited to Android. It can work across all other devices as well. Sorry, Gramps…this does not mean your rotary phone!
The new app features include an even wider array of events, reviews from other members who have already attended the event, and a new “sit with friends” option. This means that your friends can buy tickets individually, but you can still sit together. This way, you won’t get stiffed by cheapskate companions who either don’t show up or won’t pay you back. As always, deals are available almost up to the last minute and entry tickets will be sent immediately to your device. Unless the deal is sold out, in which case, you probably should’ve planned better.
Download the app now, sign up for deals and emails, and enjoy a city which is abundant with non-stop activity–at discounted prices. If your buddies continue to mope around like Eeyore, find new friends!
To download the Android app, click https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.goldstar. On other devices, simply locate “Goldstar” and download.
For more information about Goldstar, visit http://www.goldstar.com
For more information about sitting at home doing nothing, I can’t help you.
SmartMetric’s Bitcoin Biometric Card Brings Bitcoin Mainstream
By Ray Dirks
With $11 billion worth of bitcoin in circulation today, the digital currency offers promise as the new global currency of the digital age. However, bitcoin faces many challenges including security, before more people start to use it. A company called SmartMetric (OTCQB:SMME) just announced it is set to launch its SmartMetric Biometric Bitcoin Card. It’s the patented nano-computing and fingerprint technology invented by SmartMetric that makes their smartcard the kind of solution that is sorely needed for bitcoin to become more widely adopted.
SmartMetric has created the smallest fingerprint reader in the world, which fits on a standard sized credit or debit card. It reads a fingerprint in less than one second and the card only works if the fingerprint matches the owner’s. Couple this with the company’s nano-sized motherboard and processors to create a tiny computer all on a card. The company describes this as a “quantum leap in card authentication in the payments industry”.
The nano-computer on the card enables storage and transfer of bitcoins. The cards are fully compatible with any ATM. You can visit the bitcoin-friendly coffee shop down the street and use your bitcoins on a card to purchase a cup of coffee. Or you can stop by the ATM and withdraw dollars at the equivalent of that day’s bitcoin-to-dollar exchange rate. This is bitcoin on a smartcard with more security than any payment card has ever offered.
Despite its cryptography, security has been a big problem for bitcoin. Bitcoins stored on online wallets have been stolen or destroyed through a number of cyber-attacks. A major impediment for broader adoption is that people are concerned bitcoins cannot be stored securely.
A very thorough and detailed list of Bitcoin heists is presented on a forum called bitcoitalk.org. Digital thieves have been quite busy. The Verge recently ran an article titled, “How to steal Bitcoin in 3 easy steps,” Basically, bicoins are just like cash. Unlike conventional money in a bank account or on a debit card, which may be insured and come with certain levels of guarantees and security from a bank, once bitcoins are stolen or lost, they are gone.
What bitcoin needs in order to become widely accepted and used as a global currency in addition to security is ease of transfer between currency holders, broader acceptance among businesses and retailers both online and more perhaps more importantly offline, and stability. The last factor, stability, will only come after we see significant advancement in the first three factors.
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke recently took a position on bitcoin stating in a letter to the U.S. Senate noting that bitcoin may “hold long-term promise… if the innovations promote a faster, more secure and more efficient payment system.” SmartMetric’s card may be the first key innovation to really move the currency forward and outward into the mainstream.
More investors are taking a position in SmartMetric. The company announced on Friday that it plans to launch the card in the first quarter of 2014. Although a number of privately held start-ups have recently garnered attention for getting big venture capital bucks, for retail investors looking to participate in the potential upside of the bitcoin phenomenon, there seems to be a dearth of investment opportunities. SmartMetric may be the only public company going after the bitcoin opportunity.
SmartMetric’s breakthrough nano-computing and biometric security technologies, converging with the where bitcoin is in emergence, is serendipitous timing for the currency and the card provider.
A growing number of online retailers are now accepting the currency. Amazon is certainly not there yet. However, some mainstream retailers are coming on board. U.S. online retailer, Overstock.com (NASDAQ:OSTK) just announced on Thursday it will begin to accept bitcoins. Overstock reported that in its first 22 hours of accepting the digital currency, it accepted 800 orders in bitcoin, worth a total of about $126,000.
On Friday Singapore became one of the first countries to issue guidance on bitcoin taxation for businesses. A global map representing the regulatory stance of countries towards bitcoin, unsurprisingly, shows that free market economies have been permissive of the virtual currency. Fortunately these economies also happen account for most of the world’s wealth.
According to a Bloomberg poll published last month, 42% of Americans knew that bitcoin is a virtual currency. As a generous guestimate, if 1% of Americans currently have bitcoins, a 42% awareness in the general public is pretty impressive.
A recent New York Times article quoted Chris Dixon, a partner at Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. Dixon said of bitcoin, “It’s one of the five best computer science ideas of the last 40 years.” Bitcoin may just be here to stay. SmartMetric may be the company with the nano-computing biometric technology that make it mainstream accessible on a payment card.
Cyber Monday Sales Top 2 Billion
And so, as the bruised and battered shoppers from across the fifty holiday-engorged states made their way back to their homes and questionable leftovers, a new beast lay in waiting behind their inauspicious computer monitors and tablets. The Monday after the turkey and gravy fest, and after the menacing crowds and monsters of Black Friday, is the latest great opportunity to present consumers with yet more ridiculous sales and deals – all now available conveniently within the safety of their own homes. It was Cyber Monday. Shopping online was madness. At nightfall the internet sat in the corner of the shower and wept. One phrase surely graced more computer monitors than on any other given day throughout the year: This Site is Temporarily Down.
Cyber Monday is a fairly recent cultural phenomenon. It began in 2005. A press release was conducted by the company Shop.org, publicly stating that the Monday following Thanksgiving was quickly becoming one of the busiest online shopping days of the year. This was based on the numbers of the previous year: The monday following Thanksgiving had been in the top 12 busiest online shopping days of 2004. Shop.org decided to attempt throwing the e-commerce community on the Black Friday bandwagon. It worked. That Cyber Monday saw record numbers: numbers which have increased annually since.
This year broke a new record, pushing online sales over the 2 billion dollar mark in a single day. $2.29 billion dollars to be exact.
Cyber Monday Profits
2006 – $610,000,000
2007 – $730,000,000
2008 – $846,000,000
2009 – $887,000,000
2010 – $1,028,000,000
2011 – $1,251,000,000
2012 – $1,465,000,000
2013 – $2,290,000,000
In contrast, sales for the 2013 Black Friday weekend went down for the first time in seven years. Falling 2.9% from last year’s sales, this year saw 57.4 billion dollars in profits for the weekend. That is a significant pullback considering the numbers had been on the rise every year since 2006. Last year saw 59.1 billion dollars in sales.
The most evident thought-process to be reached by these numbers is right in front of us: everything is moving into the digital age. Cyber Monday was not only successful – it was phenomenal. It wasn’t just the computers either. A whopping 18.3% of online sales were found and processed using tablets and smart phones. Cyber Monday is becoming easier to do, so naturally the numbers are rising. Black Friday is a time-honored and kind of scary tradition, sure, but why chance being flattened to the ground by high-tops and pumps in front of a Walmart when you can sit in your pajamas and work those index-finger muscles?
It’s not perfect yet. There were, as there always are, some technical problems while dealing with the massive number of visitors on e-commerce sites. Several sites did crash due to an overload of volume, including Motorola, Toys’R’Us, Urban Outfitters, Brookstone, Nordstrom, and Barnes & Noble. While most of these companies were back online within a few minutes, they potentially lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in their absence.
If there is a moral to the story that was Black Cyber Weekend, it must be that, well, we’re all a bunch of greedy and impatient barbarians, and the machines will soon be taking over.
Sources: Wikipedia.org, Business Insider, Bloomberg News
Black Friday: What it says about Humanity today
When looked at from a business perspective, Black Friday is anything but negative. The fourth friday of November, specifically the day after the American Holiday of Thanksgiving, is easily and consistently the busiest and most profitable shopping day of the year. Where many retailers might be “in the red” (pertaining to sales, in-the-red refers to a business not turning a profit, but instead losing money), Black Friday serves as a jump-start to the season where these businesses can move their sales “into the black” (turning a profit) – and then some. It’s true – the deals and the steals are an attractive and magnetic aspect of bulb-flashing and glitzy persuasion, if not coercion. Yet at some point in the rise of the blackness of that single day we seem to have lost sight of what it’s all for. Sure, you can cry recession: We’re all trying to save as much money as we can nowadays, and Black Friday serves as the opportunity to do just that while expertly amassing the perfect collection of gifts for our loved ones. And yet, is it all worth it? The camping overnight, clamoring, clawing and bickering? The arguing, belligerence, and warmongering mobbing? Does the gift of giving hold its purpose when we lose ourselves to achieve it?
The Origin
The origin of Black Friday is not completely known. It has been referenced on several different occasions throughout recent history. The earliest known coining of the term occurred in the late nineteenth century during the Financial Crisis of 1869. During the Grant Presidency, the event was named, quite aptly, “Black Friday” – imputing the somber darkness of the term with the desolation of such a crisis. The term was not used specifically as a description for the post-Thanksgiving shopping frenzy until the year 1961, in which it can be argued that the current use of the phrase originated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The police departments in Philadelphia began to call the day after Thanksgiving “Black Friday” in regards to the terrifically obnoxious volume of overcrowding, traffic jams, chaos and crimes which did occur on that day every year. The Friday known as black held its title, and a gradual spread of the adjective quickly erupted. Soon it was a household date. Soon the department stores began to use it to their advantage.
It did not take long for major retailers to realize the full potential of what Black Friday could mean for business. There had been sales and deals on that friday long before the color graced its presence, but now there was power behind those two words. Instead of simply printing “50% off” on billboards and newspapers, retailers started to put “BLACK FRIDAY SALE” as their headline. People started paying attention. The words held a sort of ominous and dark-side implication. This drew in the crowds. Human nature took over. This wasn’t generosity-friday; this was Black Friday. This was no longer bargain shopping – this was war.
The Numbers
Black Friday is profitable. That much is certain. The numbers jump for consumers, small businesses, and big businesses alike. Yes, it is good for the economy. What is an economy, however, distributed among a commune of tyrants? Some may say it’s inhumane. Some may say that’s America. Both assumptions are quite correct.
Jumping back seven years, the profits from the Black Friday weekend have nearly doubled. The numbers are, in a word, astounding. Two-thousand six saw roughly 140 million shoppers grace the malls and department stores on Black Friday, each consumer spending an average of $360.00 dollars. Last year’s 2012 Black Friday saw about 247 million shoppers, each spending a much improved average of $423.00 dollars. Below are the total gross profits in billions, yes billions, each Black Friday weekend since 2006:
Black Friday weekend profits
2006 – $34.4 billion
2007 – $34.6 billion
2008 (U.S. Recession) – $41 billion
2009 – $41.2 billion
2010 – $45 billion
2011 – $52.5 billion
2012 – $59.1 billion
Clearly, the number rises significantly each year. It can be called astonishing that in the midst of a global recession period during 2008, the country as a whole still traveled in droves to spend money on the biggest friday of the year. Some may call this positive and patriotic; others might call it irresponsible and greedy.
The numbers for 2013’s Black Friday have not yet been accurately reviewed, but given the trend of the chart, it can be assumed that this year topped over 60 Billion dollars in sales.
Update: In fact, for 2013 the sales went down. Total in-store sales topped-off at 57.4 billion dollars, while cyber monday sales rose significantly.
The Violence
Where there is Black Friday, there is violence. That has become the norm; that has come to be expected. Each year there seem to be more reports of growing violence and tragic accidents as a result of the mobbing crowds of the holiday weekend. Where there is an expectation of joy and giving, there is bloodshed.
Unruly shoppers charge into stores as soon as they are opened. They trample. People are injured. Stores present gimmicks, like dropping coupons from the ceiling once their doors open. And in moments like those, people seem to lose a piece of the humanity they claim to be shopping for. They charge at the idea of a discount without a second glance at what or who stands in their way.
In 2008, a Wal-Mart in Valley Stream, New York opened its doors for business sharply at 5:00am. The crowd of over 2,000 people charged the doors like a stampede, killing a 34 year-old employee in the process. Two others were needlessly shot to death over a product altercation in California that same friday.
In 2010 there were multiple stabbings, arrests, and another trampling of a man in Buffalo, New York.
In 2011 there was a violent pepper spray incident pertaining to an altercation over the new Xbox 360. A man in California was shot.
In 2012 several people were shot, some over a parking space.
And this year was no exception to the curse of the friday known as black. On Thanksgiving evening, as it has become the beginning of the shopping frenzy recently, an alleged shoplifter dragged a police officer from his car while trying to escape in Illinois. The assailant was shot. In Las Vegas, a thief took a TV from a man who had just purchased it. While trying to retrieve the television, the victim was shot in the leg. There were multiple scuffles at stores across the country (especially Walmarts) involving several stabbings, fights and small crowd riots.
In Minnesota a man named Serge Vorobyov, who wanted to give cheer during Black Friday, dropped 1,000 one-dollar bills down to a crowd on the Rotunda of the Mall of America. It quite literally was snowing money. The crowd, in a disorderly fashion of course, went crazy for the money. Vorobyov was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct.
And in Philadelphia, where the entire Black Friday culture is thought to have originated, two women were caught on cell phone video fighting violently after an argument escalated. It seemed to be like any other Black Friday scuffle – one of many emerging amateur videos catching the instigators in the act – until one woman suddenly pulled out and began to use a taser gun. A security guard quickly broke up the fight – a potentially deadly fight which took place mere feet from a baby in a stroller.
The Humanity
So where do we stand? Where does society go from here? It can be said that the overall goal and purpose of Black Friday is to create a win-win circumstance for both the consumer and the nation’s economic well-being. And yet each year, as profits grow, so does the bloodshed. Are those who are injured or even killed simply “casualties of war” in the skirmishes that we create? No. That’s absurd. This isn’t a war. No bargain, whether it be a 20% or 100% discount, is worth the price of blood on our hands.
It is important to note that with each year, overcrowding and needless arguments are not the only problem on Black Friday. Robbery is an escalating trend. It’s not enough for some people to have the advantage of mega-deals and bargains for the items they seek. They want everything for nothing. Black Friday, with its growing reputation for irresponsibility and lack of morality, is becoming an open-door of opportunity to thieves and criminals. And rest assured – those things they do steal are not going under anybody’s tree as gifts.
It’s very simple. The only thing we still lack on Black Friday is patience. Nothing is worth violence or hatred toward another human. Nothing that comes in a box is worth letting yourself become a monster for a single day. You may not get that last big-screen TV for your husband, but you will be there on Christmas Day. And that still must be the most important gift we can give. And the good news – it’s completely free.
Hunger’s New Normal: Food Stamps Slashed For Nearly 2M New Yorkers
Days before nearly two million New Yorkers will see their food stamp benefits slashed under a $5 billion cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps), a major new study from Food Bank For New York City reveals that current benefit levels are already inadequate when it comes to meeting basic food needs. Food Bank’s report, which is published every four years and is the only comprehensive study on emergency food participants in the five boroughs, makes clear the effectiveness of adequate benefit levels and the danger of continuing to cut vital anti-hunger resources.
The report, titled “Hunger’s New Normal: Redefining Emergency in Post-Recession New York City,” finds that more than 40% of SNAP recipients in the five boroughs are also turning to food pantries and soup kitchens to keep food on the table. Despite a 2009 SNAP benefit increase, 75% of people accessing food pantries and soup kitchens who are on SNAP report that their benefits last only three weeks into the month. This finding has major implications as the 2009 increase, enacted as part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA), is scheduled to be clawed back this Friday, November 1 – a $5 billion cut that will result in nearly two million New Yorkers having less money for food each month.
With current benefit levels already failing to last the month, these cuts will create a hunger crisis for many families right in time for the holidays. Beginning on Friday, a household of three will lose, on average, $29 per month in SNAP benefits – an estimated loss of 76 million meals for New York City residents, more food than Food Bank For New York City, the country’s largest food bank, distributes in a year.
“New Yorkers receiving food stamps at current benefit levels are already forced onto the lines of food pantries and soup kitchens when their dollars simply can’t last the month. What happens when their food budgets are slashed this Friday? What happens if Congress passes an additional $40 billion in cuts to this program? New York City is on the edge of a hunger cliff, and nearly two million of our city’s neediest citizens are about to be pushed over the edge,” said Margarette Purvis, President and CEO of Food Bank For New York City.
Hunger’s New Normal also finds evidence that food poverty has been on the rise since the Great Recession and the country’s weak economic recovery. Since Food Bank’s last report in 2007:
- More New Yorkers are experiencing hunger while there are fewer food pantries and soup kitchens to serve them: the number of New Yorkers accessing emergency food rose from 1.3 to 1.4 million, at the same time as the emergency food provider system shrunk by 25% a loss of 250 soup kitchens and food pantries in a five year period. So as the need has increased, the resources have diminished;
- In 2012, more than 40% of SNAP participants were accessing emergency food;
- More seniors are accessing emergency food: there has been a 32% increase in the number of seniors accessing food pantries and soup kitchens;
- More people with college educations are accessing emergency food: the percentage of those accessing emergency food with some higher education or a college degree increased by 25%;
- More Caucasian/White people are accessing emergency food: the percentage of participants on food pantry and soup kitchen lines who identified as Caucasian/White increased by 55%;
- Emergency food is increasingly used as a long-term means of fighting hunger: 60% of respondents had been coming to a soup kitchen or food pantry for a year or more. For many, accessing emergency food has become a long-term means of keeping hunger at bay. This is the “new normal.”
- Almost 60% of emergency food participants reported that most of the produce they ate came from emergency food programs and approximately 40% said emergency food was their main source of protein;
- More people accessing emergency food are long-term unemployed: In 2007, about one-half of respondents said they had been unemployed for one year or less; in 2012, more than one-half of unemployed participants reported being unemployment three years or more.
“It is unacceptable to cut funding to food stamps at a time when need is outpacing resources. Our policymakers must work to protect programs like SNAP that, when adequately funded, are proven to be incredibly effective tools in fighting hunger,” concluded Purvis.
The report is based on data collected between November 2011 and July 2012 from more than 1,200 emergency food program participants at 141 food pantries and soup kitchens throughout the five boroughs. Data was collected on a variety of topics, including patterns of participation, satisfaction with food service, demographics, household composition, income and employment, participation in income support programs, participation in food assistance programs (like SNAP), housing, and health.
ABOUT THE CUTS:
On November 1, 2013, 76 million meals lost: This November, sweeping cuts to SNAP benefits will take effect, resulting in the estimated loss of 76 million meals for New York City residents. A household of three will lose, on average, $29 per month in SNAP benefits – or nearly $19 million per month in New York City alone. These cuts are the result of a deal struck in December 2010 in order to pay for a $0.06 per meal increase in federal school lunch reimbursements as part of the “Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.” While the White House promised to work with Congress to restore the funds before the cuts could take effect, the promise has yet to be fulfilled.
New York City alone will lose approximately $225 million a year in food purchases, which is money that supports jobs in our retail food sector and throughout the economy. The loss of 76 million meals over a year is more food than Food Bank For New York City – the largest food bank in the country with a robust and experienced network of 1,000 charities – distributes annually.