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Show 2 THE GREEN SHEET Thursday, August 27, 1987 TV Pardon Us Corp. . O agree with Murray Chamber Ex- ecutive Director Angie Gregg who says she hopes it exceeds her expectations, but thinks it may be the same old pt oblem with a new name. While it s true to some extent that what's good or the downtown Salt Lake business climate and the state at large has some posit e impact on the communities here, we'v. too long been regarded only as "bedroom communities." Unfortunately, the demands for services from local governments cannot be fed merely by property taxes generated from residential development. A strong, healthy local economy is also required and it is just as important to West Jordan, Murray, Sandy and all of the other incorporated communities as it is to downtown Sa t Lake. The taxes and other benefits generated from business interests e essential if residents of those communities are to have their quality of life expectations met. All cities must be actively involved in attracting strong new business interests. The failure of the Salt Lake Chamber's -- Business Failure Editorial Economic Development Alliance, which was supposed to be a united effort of all entities, weighs heavily on the minds of those who view the new Economic Development Corp. Local Chambers in the past have had to battle against the Salt Lake Chamber's out and out recruitment of membership from their areas. Their protests were laughed off by the much bigger and wealthier group. Is it any wonder there's some distrust of anything that is funded by the Salt Lake Chamber? Whatever the new corporation can or cannot do to help our communities is yet to be proven. We cannot afford, however, to wait a year to see if it works in their favor. Each city must aggressively seek whatever business it can attract. Redevelopment and Economic Development efforts must continue, even if it costs the cities some dollars in terms of preparation of materials that will attract businesses within their borders. While good planning is essential we must careful that ordinances, sign requirements, etc. are not so restrictive as to retard development because if they are, the citizens will pay the price either in terms of higher taxes or poorer services. be Is A Tragedy; Perhaps A Needless One failure of a business iaryc'. small tragedy some cases a senseless t sgedy that could have oeen av'jfd witr ,.t fer planna p ;a ing or better execution When businesses fail Gvps arc Gjrned upre com side down. Jobs are 'ust convea ser or e lose vailed munity may nience; someone faces finanuo ruin. We asked a number ot exerts in the business field why businesses tc Their answers are interesting .nd varied: the economy, failure - aaequat ly market, poor pi .nning, insutf icer- capdal to invest, ov saturation, misma agpir ' s ironic that none of the experts mention ,d the reason most often cited by the the conaverage person on the street sumer. Almost o a person, consumers will tell you that many businesses today have lost sight ot the old concept, "The Customer is Editorial The - is a In r -- - -- I - King." Letters attitude that can't find what they want unless they feel like you at least are concerned and willing to help. It really doesn't take much effort to suggest where he might look or at least be genuinely sorry that you can't meet his need. A small investment of time on the telephone go back if they to a fellow businessman could bring him back to you as a valued customer. Employers should better train their employees to treat all customers and potential customers kindly. Many consumers will pay a higher price for items if they feel good about the shopping experience. We develop intense loyalty to a business that serves us. Telephone shopping is a reality of this era. Good telephone manners are almost as skills that so essential as the many of today's clerks are lacking. Whether it's a clerk at the grocery store, a waitress or the man behind the counter at the center, the consumer must feel important. If not, the waitress, the clerk, the owner may all be out of a job. Putting that mythical crown back on the customer's head just might serve to save many a local business. When it comes to this point, almost all businesses talk a good story but many don't seem to follow through. Service is the catalyst for sales, but for a variety of reasons it is one of the most neglected aspects of business. Consumers won't return to a place where they have been mistreated, or even where they perceive an attitude of indifference. An e umbs Up, Thumbs Down three local school districts and their education associations for reaching contract agreements in a THUMBS UP - to all very tough y ear. - to the backers of a $400 million Super-tunnthe Salt Lake Valley with Snowbird, Alta, connecting Brighton and Park City. Tell us its a bad joke. THUMBS DOWN We eloyeF ireoft IbsMrikkainis. With Physician Finder, it's now easy to get information on hundreds of doctors from Alta Vi v, O'tonwood. and LDS hospitals with one quick phone call. Our free computeiized network groups doctors by specialty, location, availability and own bv he types of in' vi ranee epted o no mullet v hat kind ot d ictor you're looting tor. - call us today. 2 1 m PHYSICIAN FINDER G4-111- tiuer mountain Health Care A True Elvis Fan Proposes New Word Dear Editor I can understand why homosexuals would want to call themselves gays. It sounds much better than homo or queer, or a few other names that are not too flattering. It reminds me of when I was growing up in one of the southern states. With no refrigeration, it was very hard to keep meat. They would hang it in the smokehouse, and cut off pieces as they needed it. But it was difficult to keep the flies from getting to it and laying their eggs. And you know what the fly larva is called. That part would have to be trimmed off and discarded. It didnt sound very good to say they were trimming oif the maggots, so they would say they were trimming off the skippers. Skippers sounded much better and at least no one vomited. Getting back to the gays. Some people are claiming that they are corrupting a good word. I think I have a solution that would satisfy veryone. Unfortunately, since the homosexuals are prime candidates for the AIDS virus, why not call themselves GAIDS. It has about the same ring to it and that would satisfy their critics. And besides, they would get credit for creating a new word. W. H. Sadler Magna, Utah P.S. Michele Bartmess is to be congratulated on her articles on Elvis and Hotel Utah. My sentiments exactly- Keep up the good work Michele. Appreciates Her Carrier Dear Green Sheet, We dont know the name of our paper boy, but we wanted to take a minute to tell you what a great job he does. He always takes the time to put our paper by our door. We sure do appreciate it. Tell him thank you. Gerald D. Price & CoralieN. Price West Jordan My dear Ms. Bartmess; I must say you do have your nerve writing an article issue of the Green Sheet. such as the one in the outnumbered by the many devoted You are greatly Elvis Presley fans. I am afraid that you dont know a great legend when you see one. which you proved by mentioning your Pat Boone. devotion to the famous If Elvis Presleys popularity is that big of a nuisance to you, then I suggest you take one of those barfbags it over your your friend was going to invent and put money-preachi- n own head. A Sincerely, true Elvis fan West Valley P.S It looks to me like you should body instead of your mouth. start exercising your Editors Note: At least Michele has the courage to sign her opinions each week. The Green Sheet welcomes contributions to both Letters to the Editor and As I See It." Letters " should be confined to a length of 250 words or less and not contain libelous comments. They must be signed, but the writer's name will be withheld for adequate cause. He welcome lengthier correspondence for possible use as As I See It" commentaries. Primary consideration will be given to those submitted by people with expertise in the topic about which they write. A brief description of that expertise should accompany the submission. All submissions are subject to editing for space and clarity. They may be addressed to: The Green Sheet, P.O. Box 7187, Murray, Utah 84107. Beware Of Those Prize Offerings This is a tale of two letters. is all too common. They won't face-to-fac- Physinan Referral Serv - n- We're Skeptical If Pardon us if we're a mite skeptical too. There are good reasons for the concerns expressed by Chambe-- ' of Commerce officials and some Econ me Development directors of Green Shee' oea communities over the new Utah Economic Development We HO I guess theres some irony in the fact that they arrived the same day. One at home, the other here at the newspaper office. The first informed me that I was the winner of either a new automobile, valued at $16,004, a five-inc-h portable television, which retails for $129.95 or a microwave oven priced at $549.85. Nice prizes all. The letter was from the National Certification Center, which certified that the offer is true and correct. Whatever that means. Utah enacted timeshare regulations in 1983 and recently created a new law known as the Timeshare and Camp Resort Act. It also said that timesharing is a legitimate way to provide recreation and vacation opportunities and many are very successful The Alert did warn that often those who refuse to purchase are made to feel like a freeloader. No purchase was necessary. All I had to do was drag Mr. Bartmess to a health and wellness resort at Park City for a courteous, informal tour sometime before Sept. 8. There was a map on the back and a e number to call for an appointtoll-fre- ment. I dislike pressure too much and I hate playing games. I would prefer to shop for a car in the same way I shop for a dress. Try it out, pay the marked price if I want to and go home happy. But thats not the way it works. Youre supposed to feel like youre getting a good deal. For some reason it has to take several hours to get to that point. , When you refuse the timeshare sale at one of these sessions, you automatically rget the worst of the prize lots. Since Ive never bit, I dont know if you get something better if you buy. The final words on the Consumer Alert were to get all claims in writing and determine whether the initial and annual costs are in line with your projected use of the faciliAbove all. if a salesman ty pressures you to sign and youre not sure, tell him, If the answer has to be now, the answer has to be no. Then take your little prize and go home. I guess Ill pass on this latest offer. I have a five-inc- h television, a microwave and a car. I dont need membership at a wellness resort. . The major problem will be finding someone to pose as .Mr. Bartmess. Now, Im no dummy. Ive had these things before. I used to run up there and claim my prize. I never much worried about being hoodwinked into buying a timeshare, because I quite simply couldnt afford it. And neither could those guys who posed as Mr. Bartmess. But even I must admi.t the pressure to buy was intense. Evidently, though, some people are not quite so lucky. They bought and later regretted it. There is sufficient concern over these prize schemes that the State Dept, of Business Regulations saw fit to issue a Consumer Alert. That was the letter that arrived at the office. The Alert warns that because of high pressure, misrepresentation and abuses of consumers by a segment of the timeshare industry, It noted that the consumer is subto high pressure sales techniques and many give in and sign con- jected tracts. Because of the new law the sales pitch is also supposed to disclose items important to consumers such as who owns the property, use restrictions, fees and the right of recision within five days of the sale. Personally, Ive never had any trouble saying no. But theres some truth to the warning that you are made to feel like a freeloader. I could never be a salesmen. |