Hong Kong is known among many of its visitors as a high end shopping destination packed with trendy clothes, cutting edge electronics equipment and expensive luxury items. But beneath the surface is a vibrant collection of eclectic street markets that are dotted all around Hong Kong. Shopping in Hong Kong is not just limited to air conditioned malls and department stores. Perhaps some of the best bargains and the most interesting items can be found in these street markets.

Many street markets in Hong Kong either ply a certain variety of goods or goods that represent a certain ethnic group. Be warned however, despite the fact that these street markets are seldom publicized they are packed to capacity with locals and wandering tourists. One of the best places to buy something special for your relatives or friends back is the Stanley Market. It is a traditional open air street market that has become a major tourist attraction in Hong Kong. The market sells everything from clothes to souvenirs and is known as a bargain hunter’s paradise. The silk clothes and traditional Chinese toys and garments are of special interest here.

Many residential areas in Hong Kong are filled with the melodious song of caged birds, where do they all come from? Most probably from the bird market in Yuen Po Street, many song birds are bought and sold in this market which also a place of congregation for bird enthusiasts and song bird owners. This dark and rather derelict alleyway is usually frequented by old men who proudly show off their birds to their peers, not necessarily with intention of selling but mostly for show. Intricately crafted bird cages, bird feed and a variety of song birds of various species from all over the world can be found at this market.

The Hong Kong Flower market is the perfect place to buy a bunch of sweet smelling flowers for that special someone back home, a variety of flowers from local Chinese varieties to expensive imported flowers can be found here. Bonsai plants, rare houseplant and certain varieties of plants that bring good fortune to your family can be found here as well. The novelty of visiting a brightly colored and delightfully fragrant market is the major draw for tourists however many locals purchase flowers for weddings, funerals and traditional festivals here.

There are many street markets in Hong Kong and chances are that any hotel in Hong Kong will have one close by; a visit is worthwhile and gives you a chance to experience a distinctly different way of shopping. A Hong Kong island hotel that is located in the middle of the busy shopping and business districts is Hotel Jen, where guests can easily access some the best night markets and open air street markets in HK.

Question about business shopping

Online shopping is the procedure through which one can go through the various products and services on the Internet. An online shop evokes the physical analogy of buying products or services in a shopping mall. We can say that online shopping is a type of electronic business.

Shopping online is quite an excitement for many people. With people becoming more and more high tech this kind of shopping saves time and energy. From a safety pin to immovable house everything can be bought and sold. So, why should music gear lag behind?

In the sites we can find a wide variety of well known products displayed with necessary details like brands, models, prices, features, and versions. Some online sites also auction various music gear and instruments and sell them to the highest bidder.

Buyers can browse for second hand music gear when their budget is low. We can find many sites where advertisements are placed for this kind of gear. The buyers always make sure that they buy the best quality that one can afford at the cheapest rate.

The buyers first choose one item of music gear and then they accumulate multiple items through shopping cart software as in a conventional store. Some websites allow their customers or consumers to sign up for a free account so that the details would not have to be repeated over and over again. While shopping for music gear online we should keep a few points in our minds for our own benefit. Before buying any product it is very important to check the warranty period.

One must check the brands or the manufactures and it is advisable to do some little bit of research and homework because it will help the buyer to judge whether the product is worth buying because a superior gear can remain in good condition for a lifetime. There are various product delivery systems like downloading, used for digital media products like music, movies, images, software, etc. Through shipping process the product is shipped directly to the address of the customer. In store pickup the customer can order online, choose a local store from where the customer can pick up their ordered products.

As everything has its advantages and disadvantages, online shopping also has some hazards like cases of frauds where they would take money and vanish never to return. This kind of thing happens only when the payment is done in cash and not in credit cards, through which things become easier to trace. While shopping online there is no option to check out the gear personally. One can only read the details that are displayed on the site, but there is a severe lack of opportunity to check whether it is true or not.

So, in this technology-driven world we can see that online shopping is gaining huge popularity. With more and more innovations, online shopping is going to affect the lives of all the people. So it is important to know how one can get a really good bargain.

Question about business shopping

A business credit card is essential for any business. If you have started a business of your own, you should look to establish credit in the name of the business. One way to do that is to apply for a credit card in the name of the business. This will not only enable your business to establish credit, but it will also help when it comes to separating business expenses from personal expenses. 

When you are looking for a business credit card, you will see that you have many choices. They include getting a rewards credit card for your business.  Many business owners feel that the rewards credit card is right for their business, especially those that offer frequent flyer miles or other perks that are related to business. If you use the business credit card for all of your purchases, you can then get some rewards that can be used for both, business or personal reasons. 

Another thing that you should look at when you are shopping for a business credit card is the annual fee. Many business credit cards charge an annual fee to keep the card. In some cases, the annual fee is well worth the low interest rate for the credit card and other perks it may offer. In other cases, the annual fee is not worth the money as you can get a better business credit card that offers you a lower rate and no annual fee. This is why it pays to shop around whenever you are looking for credit cards – both personal and business. 

Shopping for a business credit card can be a bit overwhelming, but does not have to be. You can use a site online that will tell you everything that you need to know about credit cards and offer you selections on business credit cards right on the site. The more you learn about the business credit card, the better your choice will be. By using an online site, you can go into the world of the different credit card choices and choose one based upon information that you glean on this site. This can make it easy for you to make such an important choice as to what business credit card you should use. 

Be sure to keep your finances separated when you are using credit cards for business and personal reasons and save all of your receipts as well as any business credit card statements. This will help you when it comes time to file your income taxes. Co-mingling of funds is a big no-no when you are in business, so having a business credit card is not only a way for your business to establish credit, but it can also help you avoid any problems with the IRS. 

Take a look online at the different credit cards offered by various companies and choose the perfect credit card that is right for your business. Be sure to use your business credit card for business purposes only and save receipts and statements.

Question about business shopping

So you have decided on starting a coffee shop! Congratulations! In my coffee shop business plan package, I go into more detail regarding equipment but due to space here, I am only going to give you some basic ideas of what to consider when looking at your equipment needs.

First of all, do yourself a favor and DO NOT buy any used equipment unless you know the exact age, where it came from, who used it, and that maintenance records are verifiable. I am only referring to anything with a motor or compressor. Used sinks, tables, counters, etc are fine as long as they are in decent shape. All other equipment, be VERY careful!

Even if you get it from a friend, you might be assured by them that the equipment was maintained properly and often, however did they get it used and can they get that guarantee from whom they bought it from? And how old really is it?

As you may have guessed, I fell into this trap and had things breaking down when I did not expect it shortly after I opened my coffee shop. Yes even my espresso machine. I was in a bad spot then! Luckily I had access to a one group machine for backup and a local guy was able to fix the other fast but you may not be as lucky.

I eventually upgraded to mostly new equipment when, but this can be avoided by getting new equipment at the start. You will be glad you did it, trust me!

Equipment Needs

Cash register or POS computer? – A computer POS (point of sale) system is good there is no doubt about it. These are the ones that have the touch screen monitors and such. However, they are probably (and arguably) best for analyzing your sales and inventory only, and not much more. They do not speed up your customer line.

If you want one of these guys, be prepared to pay about $5000 for a base system. The price goes up for multiple terminals and printers, monitors, a kitchen printer, etc.

In my opinion though, a POS fast food register that has price look ups (PLU) and department categories is sufficient for most coffee shops. Try to get one that allows you to download the information to your computer. Most have this feature today. It may, however increase your manual inventory and sales tracking if you have to put this info into your accounting software and spreadsheets manually but it can be a big money saver. If you get in the habit of entering the figures daily, you will not have a huge amount of data entry to do at month’s end. You can usually get these types of registers for about $800 or so.

If you end up opening other stores, I think the touch screen computer POS may be the way to go then because it will make your management and inventory control much easier, and you can link all of your stores together and control them from one place.

Espresso Machine

This is the Mack daddy of the whole business, your life blood. DO NOT SKIMP ON IT! However, having said that there is the line of overkill you do not need to cross either. I say, two group maximum, if you need more power or want a backup, get a one group as well.

The feasibility of a three or four group is great but it’s difficult to get more than one person working on them due to spacing of the group heads, etc. Ordinarily, you do not need more than one person pulling shots and making the espresso beverages anyway. It is almost impossible for one barista to use all four groups at one time so you be the judge! However that may be up to debate if you get REALLY busy. However, a two group is always my choice.

There are three basic types of espresso machines: Semi-Automatic, Automatic or Super Automatic. Well My choice is always the automatic because you can program them to cut off a shot at 23 seconds, or whatever you choose but still do it manually. The semi-automatic requires manual shut off by the operator.

The super automatic machine will grind the beans, tamp, pull the shot, shut it off and even discard the used grounds. Yes, I am serious. I believe you lose a lot of ‘art’ when you use one of these. You’d be surprised at the amount of people that love to see a barista set up and then pull a great shot. These super autos are also big bucks. But if all you want to do is move your cattle call through the line, this is the machine for you!

The boiler capacity should be large enough for a big rush, 9-14 liters should be sufficient. You do not want to run out of steam or hot water in a rush and with a smaller boiler that will happen! Trust me on this from experience!

Buy a machine based on the availability to get parts and service locally. Do not buy based on price alone, or ‘coolness’ or ‘features’ of a machine. They are all good these days. Features will not mean anything if you cannot get local service on your machine.

As far as water softeners, the choice to get a whole water system softener is going to depend on where you are located. In central Texas, the water is VERY hard but I chose to not soften my whole water system, just for the espresso machine. If you are not familiar with hard water, this is what causes lime build-up. It’s a white, crusty looking build up that will kill your $5000 or 10,000 espresso machine. It clogs up the piping that in time, builds up to the point of the water not being able to get through. Then your machine needs to be completely taken apart and de-limed. Not pretty and not cheap!

You will most likely have to have a complete de-liming performed several times over the life of your machine, however if your water is very hard and you do not soften it for your espresso machine, you will most likely have to have it de-limed at a minimum of once per year. This will get time-consuming and expensive, even if you learn to do it yourself. I had my one group de-limed for about $900 so do the math. Avoid lime scale build-up by getting a water softener.

Espresso Grinders

You will need one for decaf and one for regular espresso. There are several manufacturers and models. I will tell you though to be sure it’s automatic and has a doser/coffee hopper. They make a doserless model that grinds right into the portafilter and though this is freshly ground espresso, it does not work well in a rush! The units with a hopper allow the hopper to fill with ground espresso and have a lid to keep out the air. The bigger units have a bigger hopper and vice versa. Also, these have a bean hopper that you can get about 2 lbs of espresso beans in.

Bulk Coffee Grinder

These are the types you see in the food store bulk coffee aisle. Be sure to get the full scale version, not the shorter one. The only difference I can see is the taller one is easier to get a bag under to grind beans for customers. The shorter one is not! Try to have one grinder for regular and decaf, and another for flavored coffee if you will serve it. Using the same for all three will make the regular and decaf coffee taste like the flavored coffee. This grinder will need proper maintenance and burr replacement after so many hours as well. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on this.

Coffee Maker (drip)

Be sure to buy for your volume. Automatics are best as they are plumbed to a water line. Pour over units will you need to fill manually! The air pot brewers are the better fits because they brew the coffee directly into the air pots. There are single unit models and double unit models. You will save a lot of time especially in a rush, with a double brew unit.

Pastry Case (refrigerated and non)

There are several different sizes. Take your floor space into consideration but also buy for capacity and visual display. A nice, attractive unit that holds and displays a nice array of pastries is key for merchandising. Dual zone cases are a good idea because they let you have part cold, and part room temperature (dry case) pastries that do not need to be refrigerated.

Blender

There are several models to choose from but some have features you just won’t need. Be sure to get a commercial blender. Consumer units do not have the heavy duty types of motors that commercial units have. That means they will break down a lot faster than a commercial one! I would suggest you give Vitamix a look here.

Sandwich Prep Unit

These come in single, double and triple door units. Of course, plan for your overall room but your needs as well. The larger units have more capacity inside the unit, but the bigger plus is the prep top area that has more compartments to put meats, vegetables, etc in. If you are planning on a regular deli and Panini service, I would say the double door unit would be good. You may even get away with the smaller one!

Under Counter Refrigerator

Do yourself a favor and get a double door unit. These are basically like the sandwich prep units but without the top compartments. The inside capacity should be big enough to hold a good portion of your dairy, as well as opened soy cartons, smoothie mix, bottled water and soda (if you do not have a larger unit or merchandiser for water and soda. Plan accordingly.

Storage Refrigerator

This is for the back of your shop. This will be your commercial refrigerator in the back area to house your back stock of refrigerated items such as milk, as well as your baking ingredients, food items, etc. There are double and single door units.

Ice Maker

Getting an ice maker that can make an average of 600-1000 lbs per day is good. It will give you enough and still be able to make more within 24 hours. In a busy shop, you’d be surprised how much ice you can go through: sodas, fruit smoothies, frappes, frozen chai.

Freezer

You will need one of these to keep your ice cream, and other food ingredients that can and need to be frozen.

Oven

Get this based on your baking level. A ¼ size may be too small and a full size may be too big. The median unit is a ½ size and has 3 racks.

Convection oven? Most pastries, pies and other baking can be done well in a convection oven. That is an oven that has a blower wheel that disperses the heat evenly and faster throughout the oven. Therefore your baking time is usually cut in half.

Panini Grill

Cast iron (non-ceramic) with ribbed plates are the better units. With the ribbed, rather than flat plates you will get the ‘grill marks’ on the bread and that always looks impressive. I recommend a double plate unit so you can effectively grill up to four Panini at once if you have a large order

Three Compartment Sink

This will be essential per most health departments for wash, rinse and sanitize. If you have a commercial dishwasher, it usually overrides the 3 bay sink. However, most restaurants have both. You don’t need a big one, just one big enough to get your biggest ‘washable’ piece of baking or cooking hardware into.

Hand Sink(s)

Check your health department requirements because you may need a hand sink every so many feet or based on how many employees you have, or based on your floor plan. These are sinks only big enough to wash your hands in and that is it. That is why they are so small.

Furniture

Pick and choose what is in between comfortable and not. This will help you avoid squatters that love to stay all day. Ordinarily, people in your store is a good thing but not if they are taking up space and just being comfy! This will include your tables and chairs, as well as couch, wing hairs, etc. If you are an eclectic coffee house, good finds can be had at Goodwill and other resale shops.

Phone

Just get one that you can hear when it rings! A cordless phone is a great idea.

Radio System

If u can, get extra speakers and have one in at least all four corners for best sound quality.

Credit Card Machine

This is the swiper w/pin pad – If you accept credit and debit cards, this is essential. Usually they are purchased from your credit card processor. Leasing one of these is usually a rip-off. Try to buy it outright.

Prep Tables

These are stainless steel or aluminum and great to make a kitchen prep area. They clean easily too. They come in various heights and widths, with or without a backsplash and usually have a shelf underneath.

So there you have some information to get you started on planning your equipment needs for staring a coffee shop. Be sure you take your floor space into account when figuring the sizes of your equipment. Also be sure you account for your anticipated customer volume. Early planning is key to having the right equipment to begin with.

Tony DiCorpo is a coffee shop owner, operator, barista and entrepreneur. He is also a coffee shop business consultant. He has authored many articles on the specialty coffee business and a business plan package that can be found http://www.tonys-coffee-shop-business-plan.com

Question about business shopping

I'd like to start a franchise business, but before I contact the franchise regarding opportunities, I want to know if its even possible to get a store front. Is this even the right procedure?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Are you planning to open a store, a restaurant or a pub? Did you think of protection? Do you know that you are prone to greater risk? Why? Let me explain. Your plan of businesses naturally will have a lot of public contact. It is needless to say that having members of the public regularly on a local opening poses much greater risk of lawsuits and claims.

This is why buying shop insurance before you initiate any transaction will be a good step for you to secure the interest of your business. Shop insurance was once viewed as an incidental expense. But today it is of different story. Every owner of the business knows his need of insurance. Some vital information are essential for all the business owners. The following ideas will serve greatly to take proper decision.
Following are some ideas to help you make decisions about buying a policy.

<b>Employee Tools Insurance</b>

If you have a policy which covers your employees’ tools then you are in a better position than your competitor, who does not provide such a valuable service. So, having a policy that covers employee tools will give protection not only to your employees, but also to your business.

<b>Employee Benefits Insurance</b>

Every shop owner should think of employee benefits. The owners have to be rational about the benefits of the employees. As a shop owner you should consider the life insurance of your employees, who deserve it.

<b>Business Interruption or Continuation Insurance</b>
Owing to an accident, natural disaster or a loss, your business may be partially or totally shut down. But still you will need money to keep key employees, pay family members involved in the business and pay ongoing expenses.T hink of Business Interruption or Continuation Insurance and ensure the continuation of your business.

<b>Pollution Liability Insurance</b>

As a generator of hazardous waste, you have always significant pollution liability exposures. You must buy a policy that will give you coverage to handle the catastrophic exposure that you face on a daily basis.

So, make the right decision at the right moment. Think of buying a suitable policy before you start a new shop.

Question about business shopping

Can you guess how many potential customers abandon your business shopping cart on a daily basis? Chances are that out of 10 potential client relationships that enter your shopping cart, three easily exit without buying anything whatsoever from you! If you’re not testing like you should – and, chances are you aren’t testing correctly – it would be easy to assume you’re only getting ghosts!

Whether you’ve a wholesale video games shopping mall, be it locally or online, the same marketing 101 rules apply. Tracking where the ghosts are going is a complete priority. In simple layman terms, you should track every single visitor that arrives to your websites and very importantly for these article suggestion, you should track your shopping cart abandonment.

The “what to do” is always the easy part, the how to do is where most people fall short on explaining. Here’s how to easily track every visitor that arrives to your shopping cart today, in order to analyze and conclude whether you need to modify or change your online shopping cart. Better yet, you can be a complete small business amateur or starting online business person and still do this right if you choose to do so.

Outsource the technicality to one of the best three outsourcing places on the internet. What kind of technicality? The installation and the modifications from your shopping cart! This is the one you should outsourcing effective immediately. Chances are that if you didn’t went to college to become a programmer, modifying or re-installing a new shopping cart is just a thing you just can’t do. By the way, I proudly identify myself as one of those persons.

Your time would be better spent marketing and improving your company or business, outsource such task. But then, what type of shopping cart should I select if I want to test a different option or if you definitely need a newer alternative based on prior testing? Well, there is a big boy in town if your customers are not familiar with your product, industry or you if you want to gain some additional trust once your potential customer enters your shopping cart, try Google Checkout. Would brand association help your chances of converting more and helping your customer feel comfortable on the way thru checkout?

There are many more shopping carts available that could definitely assist your business or businesses convert more thanks to all the 3rd party affiliated assistance on the way your customer enter your information. Brand name shopping carts are usually excellent options since you can customize the order form without much work on your part.

However, you must be sure to know what to exactly outsource, provide accurate instructions on what exactly you should tell your programmer and add related products to immediately up-sell on related items. Whether you are selling wholesale video games accessories or any other tangible product, you can up-sell and even recommend additional products to your warm customer in easy ways. Just keep looking for recommendations with those in the know-how; chances are, you’ll find what you’re looking if you keep diligent.

Question about business shopping

I'd like to start a franchise business, but before I contact the franchise regarding opportunities, I want to know if its even possible to get a store front. Is this even the right procedure?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

So you want to have a one stop online business shop to host your online business?

I understand this is what every internet marketer want to have, a one stop online business shop with reliable hosting- in fact many successful internet marketers have been shut down at least once by one hosting company for using too much of their bandwidth and resources.

But I have a secret for you… And it is this:

I discovered a hosting company to be my one stop online business shop and so can you!

And Get this-almost any successful internet marketers have a strong hosting company to be their one stop business shop

So this is good new for you and I- especially if we want to know how to have a hosting company to be our one stop online business shop. We can turn this fact to our advantage.

I want you to think about this- when you first start your online business, you never think you will be shut down by your hosting company, am I correct?

Typically when that happen, we beg and plead the hosting company to resume our online business. And I understand It’s natural. But it just doesn’t work.

So, instead, let’s use this amazing hosting company to be your one stop online business shop secret!

What is this secret? It is this…

GVO

GVO, also known as Global Virtual Opportunities is a 12 years old record proven hosting company set up to be your one stop online business shop.

1. GVO host some of the largest online successful marketers of the world such as Mike Filsaime, stephen Pierce, Ewen chia.. etc

2.GVO offers first class Unlimited Webhosting,Unlimited Auto Responder,Virtual Conference Room,Video Production Software… and all the tools you need to be successful in internet marketing.

Warning: Do not ignore the importance of GVO if you want to have a hosting comapny set up to be your one stop online business shop.

http://philipchua.com/GVO

Question about business shopping

I'd like to start a franchise business, but before I contact the franchise regarding opportunities, I want to know if its even possible to get a store front. Is this even the right procedure?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!