Month: May 2016

Local community groups expect local retailers to support them but, too often, their members to not support the local businesses.

One newsagent I spoke with recently told the story of the local community group president who was aggressive in seeking financial support for their group but when asked about stationery and other suppliers for the group they said they bought from Officeworks because it was cheaper.

A price comparison showed Officeworks is not cheaper.

The newsagent declined to support the group as the years of support of the group has resulted in ignorant disrespect of the newsagency.

This is not an uncommon story – local groups expecting newsagents to support them without any commercial support for the support of the group.

these community groups need to understand we are businesses. We are asked daily to support this or that group or event or fundraiser. We can only support is we are supported. This is what being part of a local economy is all about. It is frustrating when fundraisers and local groups do not get this, when they ignorantly expect your help with no surety that they will help you fund them.

My opinion we newsagents should not support local community groups unless the support is reciprocated.

If you run a Windows computer no doubt you have been confronted with the Windows 10 update. This is an update that will not go away.

Microsoft has diverted from usual practice and made it difficult for everyday computer users to avoid installing this update. This is what I say it is malware. The approach by Microsoft is malicious in my opinion. Indeed, I think the Microsoft approach has been unethical and socially irresponsible.

Windows 10, while a reasonable update in itself, sucks up disk space and has a track record of breaking things like printer connections and other peripheral connections. These breakages take time and expertise to be fixed.

Newsagents have been particularly vulnerable as the use of computers in newsagency businesses is mandatory if you want to connect with suppliers in a compliant way. Computer penetration in newsagency businesses is above average compared to other small business retail channels.

I say Windows 10 has cost the channel more than $100,000 based on the number of calls my own newsagency software company has taken and a reasonable projection for the channel as a whole and allowing the time spent by newsagents who have not called for support.

Once you add in additional computer hardware purchased as a result of the Windows 10 installation, because it pushes capacity of old, greater than five years old, hardware to the limit, you reach a figure in excess of $500,000.

The approach by Microsoft all but took away the ability of small business newsagents to decide when they want to incur the business costs or the software companies that have worn at least 75% of the total cost of Windows 10 in our channel. No, Microsoft selfishly forced this on us, forced us to spend our money without the courtesy of a question.

My $500,000 estimate is real. My own software company has foregone more than $250,000 in revenue to provide advice, assistance and other services directly related to Windows 10, all work that is not part of supporting the newsagency software.

If this update is so good, Microsoft ought to have paid for the support required. But it did not. People could not get through so they turned to those who do answer their phones.

What Microsoft has done is another example of the danger of the arrogant forced software update. There is no place for this approach for small business retailers. beware software companies that do it.