There is a fairly new grocery market near my neighborhood and I visited several times so far. I wasn’t aware of the market and according to wikipedia, Fresh & Easy Market “is a subsidiary of the UK-based retailer Tesco, the world’s fourth largest retailer, and is Tesco’s attempt to expand into the United States.”
I went to check out the market after receiving one of their flyers in the mail. The flyer contained a perforated coupon discounting five dollars if you spend more than $20. The building is a stand alone retail building with about 50 parking spaces or so. It is located on a high traffic street a block to another grocery market and few restaurants. The building is not adjacent to any other retail building. The one I went to was next to a Chevron gasoline station.
The first thing I notice upon entering the store is that all the checkout lanes were self service. Neat idea, saves the company money. I usually go in a market, grab only the things I need and head out but I did go through each lanes at Fresh and Easy. More than 50% of their product carry the Fresh and Easy label. The vegetables, fruits, dairies (milk, cheese, ice cream), microwaveable food, meat, condiments, etc. are Fresh and Easy labeled and are very fresh.
Fresh and Easy put great emphasis in freshness and green. Their labeled products prominently displays the expiration date and when the product is a day or two away from its expiration, a Fresh & Easy paste a 50% off sticker on its label. I picked up a few microwaveable food that evening.
An interesting marketing strategy that Fresh and Easy depends on is their $5 coupon. For the business to maintain its positive cashflow, it needs to bring in the new and repeat customers and the coupon would eventually convert these customers to become a loyal customer. But personally, I would not shop at Fresh & Easy unless I was near the market and am carrying in one of the coupon. I find their food a bit on the high price compared to the big guys but you can certainly find some items at a reasonable price. But I find myself heading there twice a month when I have those coupons with me, and the last visit there, one of the employee was passing out those coupons when customers were checking out their bags. I guess the business is a little slow especially in today’s economy.
September 2, 2008 at 4:30 pm
· Filed under General
Hi folks,
I finally hopped on the Facebook bandwagon this morning and I am amazed by the simplicity and the level of addiction Facebook gets in the beginning. Playing around with the site for three full hours, I could understand why Facebook is highly preferred over other online social networks. If you haven’t yet joined in one of the numerous social networks, I would recommend Facebook over Linkedin, Myspace, and Xanga (more of a blog website). Facebook is like all those combined plus Twitter.
When you start Facebook, you’re able to customize many of the options and features readily available for social networking. The concept is rather simple: connect with your friends online. The search function works flawlessly and you can narrow down the search results by inputting college info, work info, and even high school. You’ll be surprised who you’ll find on Facebook because everyone is on it. You can go on “Friend Finder” and type in the required info to find your friends. But what makes Facebook so unique and addicting to use is the reality that we are very much interconnected. Your friend is a friend of your other friend and those two can become friends through Facebook by creating a new friendship via Facebook, and who knows whether they will become close friends face to face outside of Facebook.
Another fun fact about Facebook is that it helps you get to know the other person and feel closer even although you may not be a very close friend. I tend to add people I know and talked to on Facebook even though we may not really hang out and such. You can get updates and update others of how you’re doing and the News Feed on your homepage is really convenient. If you do not wish to share too much info on Facebook, there are privacy options you can opt in to prevent non-friends from peeking.
Just visit www.facebook.com and read the About page to get further details. And add Kevin Kwak Facebook.
Vulnerability
As like all other vastly used computer programs and websites, Facebook is a popular target for online hackers. In one instance this morning, a friend sent a Mail to several of his other friends and within the mail was a suspicious link and a provocative title. It was apparently a porn-related website that indiscreetly installs virus, malware, and spywares.
I returned from the Overseas Korean Traders Association’s (OKTA) two-nights three-days trade workshop and the program was well planned and executed despite it being only in its fifth year. Former OKTAJR’s graduates, staffs, and the directors worked long hours six months ahead of the program for the trade shows’ preparation. The guest speakers, import/export trade workshops, business plan case studies, and activities were well incorporated into the program layout. I greatly appreciate the founders, directors, staffs, sponsors, and all the contributors that have made this program a success for the Korean-American entrepreneurs.
The trade workshop took place in the Wilshire Plaza Hotel (Koreatown’s central business district) as mentioned in the previous OKTASC entry. Each year, OKTAJR accepts a maximum of 50 participants to the program. OKTA could invite more participants but then there would be issues with overcrowding and lessening the effectiveness of networking and the workshops. Perhaps OKTA’s annual budget could not accommodate additional participants.
Speaking of budget, OKTA fortunately attracts successful businesses for the program’s sponsorship. Without their sponsorships and support, OKTA would face many challenges coming up with the funds necessary for the program’s expenses; hotel accommodations, meals, program materials, great speakers, field trips, and lot more. To show my appreciation for the numerous sponsors, here is the list of OKTAJR’s sponsors:
GOLD Sponsors
Royal Imex Inc., Everest (Bags), Wilshire State Bank, Dura Coat Products Inc., Group Win (Golf)
SILVER Sponsors
Center Bank, KNA Memorial Hall, ENS Tradings Inc., Hite Jinro, Wilshire Plaza Hotel Los Angeles, Lotte Hotel LA Office
BRONZE Sponsors
Hanmi Bank, Nara Bank, Flexfit LLC, Asiana Airline, KCC Transport Systems Inc., J 2 Group Inc., Commonwealth Bank, eWaste Center Inc., Sunrise Distribution USA Inc., Mantis Technologies, Contempo Inc., Ameriko Inc., Da Se In America Inc., UPS, Woo Ri Sool, Khan Soju, Boo Chang Do Tofu House, Best Western Palm Resort, DreamLife, SinJin America, Kyungmin Trading Corp., Damo Clothing Inc., DNH Management Co., Aries Trading, S&S Inc., Has Been Limited, Summit Wholesale, Leeway Global, WooJin Trading Inc., Elite Golf, Hannam Market, Nanowell, Uniti Bank, TaeYang Airline
OKTA 2007 Trade Workshop DVD Part 1/2
OKTA 2007 Trade Workshop DVD Part 2/2
Networking
OKTAJR emphasized heavily on networking, and after all this was a business workshop where communications between a buyer and a seller (importer/exporter, company/end-user, etc.) is the principle of trading. Since this was run by the Overseas Korean Traders Association of ‘Southern California’ (OKTASC), the majority of the participants worked and lived in the Los Angeles County and a very few were from a different county and state. Like all other networking events I attended, I was very impressed at the different backgrounds of the participants. Within my own team were outstanding people with interesting backgrounds from different walks of life. Through this trade workshop, I had the privilege to work with them for three days.
The age range was wider than I expected. The youngest member was 18 years old (sophomore in college) and the oldest member may have been in her/his late 30s. Overseas Korean Traders Association Junior (OKTAJR) of course do not discriminate against age; accepting applicants both young and mature, the age differences only encouraged a diverse networking opportunity combining fresh ideas from all participants.
The diversity was present not only in the age range but also in cultural views. The English language was not as prominent as I thought it would be. For instance, my group used Korean most of the times and though I am fluent in Korean conversations, my Korean vocabularies were limited compared to my team mates. One of the member lived and worked in South Korea most of his life but immigrated to the United States for his Masters of Business Administration studies at UCLA. He is in consulting and by listening in to his conversations, you knew he was an expert in his field. A young man learning about the Korean-American lifestyles and cultural point of views had many inputs and opinions on the cultural differences. I was fortunate enough to pick his brain and learn more about the Korean business culture. Did I mention that I really want to improve on my Korean?
Field Trips
Our class got a chance to see a full-scale apparel manufacturing company in Los Angeles (South Gate). Koos Manufacturing, Inc. is a successful jean manufacturer that employs around 700 employees as of year 2007. Koos not only manufactures high-end denim jeans, the company also has the entire business operation working under one roof: fashion designing, payroll, marketing and sales, and distributions. Excellent operation management if you ask me because not many apparel manufacturers have the entire operations working under one location. After the assembly line tour, we asked lot of questions on its success. For your information, competition is very fierce in Los Angeles and the profit margin is very thin in the textile industry but Koos Manufacturing, Inc. continues to thrive and do very well annually.
Koos Manufacturing, Inc.
2741 Seminole Ave.,South Gate, CA 90280
323-564-2100 www.koos.com
The next tour site was the Korean National Association Memorial Hall located near the University of Southern California (USC) campus. I encourage all Korean-Americans to visit the KNA Memorial Hall and spend a good hour or two reading the articles and exhibits beautifully displayed, and also check out their website to learn about the non-profit organization in details. Admission is free. Operating hours are Monday through Saturday 10AM to 4PM and Sunday is closed.
Korean National Association Memorial Hall
1368 W. Jefferson Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007
323-733-7350 www.knahall.org
I highly recommend this trade workshop. Visit OKTAJr’s website for more information.
For those that are residing in Southern California and desires to gain valuable experience learning international trading in the commerce industry, don’t miss out the 2008 Overseas Korean Traders Association (OKTA) Trade Workshop. It is a three day trade workshop that is being held in Koreatown Los Angeles and the fee is only $80 which includes hotel accommodation, meals, and many programs scheduled for the event.
There are certain criteria to be admitted to the workshop and I believe you must be a Korean-American with a permanent residence or a US citizen (no F1 student visa), proficient in English (maybe Korean too?), last but not least have a true desire to succeed and work diligently as a Korean trader.
The World Federation of Overseas Korean Traders Association was established on April 1981. OKTA’s initial goal was to promote mutual prosperity between Korean traders in the U.S. and Japan with Korea and its trading partners as well as to enhance Korea’s economic profile.
Since its establishment, OKTA has expanded exchanges from Korean traders within the US and Japan to Korean traders globally. In addition, OKTA has expanded its concentration on trade of commodities to the trade of information and services. OKTA has been working across the globe, obtaining trade orders and holding consultations among its participants. Through international commerce, OKTA has and continues to contribute to the economic development and prosperity of Korea, Japan, and the U.S., as well as countless other global economies. http ://www.oktajr.com/socal/home/
Date: 2008, July 24 (Thu) – July 26 (Sat)
Place: Wilshire Plaza Hotel (3515 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010)
Fees: $80/person
Tel: 323.939.6582
Fax: 323.939.6583
Application Deadline: July 4, 2008
More Information: www.OKTAjr.com & info@OKTAjr.com
When a person is in dire need of professional advice to get out of legal troubles, they would expect to receive quality services in return especially if they hire an attorney in law. A member of the State Bar of California went through a rigorous education, passed a difficult bar exam, and pledged to follow the Rules of Professional Conduct at all times. But like in any industries, there are professionals that could not overcome the temptation of easy money and thus crosses the line jeopardizing their entire career. In news, you read about these professionals that rely on their licenses and degrees to work in a competitive field but due to their greed, their reputation and the career goes down the drain because of a bad move in their part. An easy route to make quick money does not exists unless you factor in illegal and fraudulent activities unless you invest lot of your own capital and loan to start/operate a business that sells a hot commodity.
So going back to the blog title, the State Bar of California introduces proposals and amendments to the practices of law. One recent proposal that came to my interest is titled Online Publication of Notice of Disciplinary Charges (NDC). In the State Bar website, the public general has access to view the license status and disciplinary charges (if any) of a member of a State Bar but an important information is missing.
Unfortunately, although the records and hearings relating to the disciplinary proceeding pending against an attorney in the State Bar Court are public, members of the public currently have extremely limited access to them.
The issue or a lack of information with the Attorney Search feature is that the public general do not have updated information on whether the attorney has a disciplinary proceedings pending against them. Everyone will at least once seek an attorney for legal counsel and when the time comes, you would want to hire the best attorney that your money can buy. No one wants to seek an attorney that have violated the attorney-client relationship. Imagine your privacy and confidential information being misused for unlawful purposes. There was a recent news article in the Korea Times where a group of Korean-American attorneys that practices law in Los Angeles County took advantage of a senior woman by transferring her real property deeds/ownership (located in South Korea) to a newly formed limited liability company (LLC) formed by the attorneys. There will be justice!
The due date to voice your comment is June 30, 2008 and send your e-mail to: Itzel D. Berrio
The State Bar of California
Office of the Chief Trial Counsel
180 Howard St.
San Francisco, CA 94105
415-538-2541
415-538-2214 Fax
at all times. But like in any industries, there are professionals that could not overcome the temptation of easy money and thus crosses the line jeopardizing their entire career. In news, you read about these professionals that rely on their licenses and degrees to work in a competitive field but due to their greed, their reputation and the career goes down the drain because of a bad move in their part. An easy route to make quick money does not exists unless you factor in illegal and fraudulent activities unless you invest lot of your own capital and loan to start/operate a business that sells a hot commodity.