Should you take credit cards or not? It is a simple question without a simple answer. While virtually everyone in the retail world understands the importance of credit cards to their business, many merchants say that they are unsure whether the benefits of credit-card transactions outweigh the costs.On one hand, allowing purchases to be made by credit card will provide a convenience to your clients and usually add more to the total purchase. Numerous independent studies show that when consumers use a credit card, they purchase more products then when they pay with cash or by check.

Here we go again... It’s only been two short years since we last faced a global energy crisis and we are already on the precipice of another. The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is sure to have catastrophic repercussions on many levels. Of course, the first victims of the spill have been the inhabitants of the Gulf Coast ecosystem, as well as the local fishing and tourism industries. But make no mistake; this tragedy will extend well beyond the coastline and right up to your local gas station.

 "Keep your receipts!” That was the message I got at a wedding I attended nearly 20 years ago from an accountant after I told him I was in the midst of starting my own business. It seemed like a scene out of a movie, but it may have been the most sage advice I have ever received.  My accountant friend told me over a cocktail or two that a lot of things matter when starting a new business. A business plan is most important, of course, because it points the way as you build a foundation. A marketing plan is next on the list.

While it may not be obvious on the surface, there is a lot that grooming salon owners and operators can learn at their local Wal-Mart. This struck me when my wife recently recounted a shopping trip she made to the retail powerhouse during the holidays. That trip, which she  expected to be a quick in-and-out stop to pick up two or three items that she had seen in a weekly circular, turned into a three-hour odyssey and resulted in purchases far beyond what she expected to make that day.

Will 2010 be a banner year for regulators who have their sights set on the grooming industry? From what I gleaned in a conversation with PIJAC officials, it just might be.During a recent interview I conducted with the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council’s (PIJAC) CEO and general counsel Marshall Meyers and president Pamela Stegeman, one segment of the pet industry that was cited as a particular area of concern for PIJAC going into next year is grooming. This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to groomers.