SROSource
Treadway Graphics - Serving the law enforcement market since 1991.
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Tracking Labels: Good Idea?
By Jay Treadway
May 29th, 2009
There are some new regulations out there that will soon affect our industry. It is also something for you to be aware of as a consumer or customer. The aim of the new regulations is not in question; but how to comply with them has some in our industry scratching their heads.
You see, manufacturers will be required to mark children’s products with tracking labels starting in August. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) denied a petition seeking a one-year enforcement stay recently. The decision means companies must comply with the labeling guidelines set forth in Section 103 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA).
Section 103 of the CPSIA specifically requires that the tracking label provide “marks that will enable the ultimate purchaser to ascertain the manufacturer or private labeler, the location and date of production of the product and cohort information.” The CPSIA labeling requirements apply to all products primarily manufactured for children age 12 or younger that are made on or after August 14, 2009.
Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? Maybe not.
The whole idea behind tracking labels is to facilitate recalls. That is, to give consumers and CPSC a means to identify whether their product is safe or not safe in the event of a recall. Since it only applies to “children’s products” or “children’s toys,” it raises the old topic of “what is a children’s product?” and “what is a child’s toy?” Is a blank a children’s product or toy, or does it only become one when it is decorated for children’s use?
So now we need to be safe and label even questionable products. That’s fine. However, clearly it’s easier to label a bag than it is a pen or a stress reliever. How about a small round eraser? Or lapel pin? Or an awareness bracelet? How do you label those products?
So, there is still a lot that our suppliers need to do to prepare for this deadline. Here’s a recap of the key points according to one of our industry leaders, CEO Rick Brenner of Prime Line:
- There are a lot of details and technicalities to work out
- This isn’t going to be simple, no matter what is done
- There is going to be a marking on every children’s promotion item that will have to be somewhere.
- This has to be in place and operational by the middle of August.
We’ll be watching this story unfold this summer. But if you start seeing funny labels on the products you buy from us later this year, this is the reason why. Hard to argue with. Also hard to comply with!
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Your Name Here
By Jay Treadway
May 27th, 2009
When I was in the newspaper business we used to get “ad slicks” from advertisers. An ad slick was simply an ad that was already prepared by a national supplier or product. The newspaper then simply had to drop in the local advertiser’s name, address and so on before it was published.
There were a few times when an ad slick would run in the paper and we would neglect to add the advertiser’s information! So the ad ran and it said “Your Name Here” or something similar. This was an obvious mistake that we would correct the next day by re-running the ad again, this time with the advertiser’s information.
For my customers, adding your name (Your department, school or program name) to a product for GREAT or DARE is not a mistake. It makes sense whenever you can do it. We encourage our customers to do that. That way it not only promotes the GREAT or DARE program but it also says who the giver was: your department or school.
Does this cost more? Sometimes yes, but often no. Whenever we get an order from our customers we check it out for possible customization or personalization opportunites. If it makes sense, we call the customer back and discuss it. Why wouldn’t you consider it? Especially if it adds nothing to the cost?
So how do you start the process and find out what products are feasible to customize? Give us a call so we can quote your order. For some items it will not be practical. Those are usually items that we purchase in very large quantites, where smaller quantites cost a lot more. But it never hurts to ask. My direct number is 866-333-1305. Click here to visit our website.
For two pencils it would be cost-prohibitive to do this; but for 2,000 pencils it’s not. Since each item is a little different, it’s hard to publish custom pricing in our catalogs. So we ask that you simply contact us and we’ll do the math for you. We want you to be able to purchase as much product as possible for budget you have.
If you’re in a hurry and need it yesterday, it’s best to order directly from our stock on hand. However, if you have two to four weeks lead time, it might work out well to consider personalizing it. As long as you’re paying for it you might as well get credit for it!
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Baltimore Here We Come!
By Jay Treadway
May 21st, 2009
The National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) national conference is in Baltimore this summer. The conference is only a little over a month away. It’s being held June 28 to July 3 at the downtown Baltimore Hilton Hotel. Treadway Graphics/Geiger will be there as usual exhibiting.
We’re trying sometime new this year. We’re going to have two booths in the exhibition hall. That way we can “spread out” a little. We have many exciting things to show you this year. We’ll have our G.R.E.A.T. products, our SRO products and our Smart Choices products on display.
Smart Choices is our own collection of three original logo designs that support anti-drug and anti-violence programs like D.A.R.E.. Many departments have used our Smart Choices designs and customized them to support their local programs. You can see all of our products at our main website: http://SROsource.com.
We’ll have a new drug poster available at the conference as well. It’s our ”Self-Destructive Use of Drugs” poster. We’ve carried this poster in one form or another since our D.A.R.E. days. It has sold for as much as $17.95 in a heavy wall version. But now we have a folded lighter weight version that sells for only $1.95 each. Same great four-color graphics, but it folds from 19″ x 31″ down to 7.75″ x 9.5″.
The drug poster can also be customized with your program or department name in as few as 1,000 quantity. You can also use the whole backside for additional advertising or copy. It makes a great school fundraiser with plenty of room for sponsors to place their ads on the front or back.
If you haven’t registered to come yet, please consider doing so. NASRO always puts on a great conference. Baltimore will be fun! This year’s conference has an anti-bullying theme but there are lots of great sessions on other topics as well.
Stop by our booth Sunday, Monday or Tuesday and pick-up a sample of our new drug poster. I hope to see you there!
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Garage Sales
By Jay Treadway
May 19th, 2009
It that time of year again! At least it is here in Minnesota. It’s garage sale season. Every weekend our paper has dozens of garage sales ads. It used to be just Saturdays, but now people start them on Thursday or Friday. They pretty much all say “No early sales” but you know that’s not true!
A sale is a sale, right?
Fifty cents for that old doll is just as good at 6:00 a.m. on Friday as it is later in the day. In fact, my experience is that later in the day is when the prices go down. People start panicking and want to get rid of their junk so they don’t have to have another garage sale!
We have our garage sale all year long, 24/7. It’s what we refer to as our “Clearance” section and it’s located in our website stores. We have a clearance section on our G.R.E.A.T. store and on our SRO store. Check it out.
All the merchandise is first rate; no seconds or irregulars. Plus, it’s not pre-owned or used like you find at those other garage sales!
Why it that stuff there? Several reasons for that. One reason is that sometimes it just didn’t sell very well. Another is that it was discontinued by our supplier. Finally, sometimes it’s just that we got tired of it and wanted to carry something else!
So, just like the garage sales, our “junk” might be your treasure! Check it out. Come back often because it changes periodically. Maybe there is something there that will serve your program needs. Plus, you can’t beat the prices!
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Quality? Price? Both?
By Jay Treadway
May 13th, 2009
Sometimes you can have it all. But sometimes you can’t. With tight budgets we all want to stretch our dollars as much as possible. However, you do need to be careful and thoughtful about what you’re buying. None of us want tight budgets to result in promotional products that are not up to the quality of your efforts and image.
If you are buying a promotional product to promote and support your business or program you want it to be used over and over. Not put away in the closet, or worse, thrown away. If this happens, you’ve wasted your money. And, if the product you hand out is perceived as junk, it can actually harm your image. You don’t want that to happen.
How many times have you purchased something in the store that looked like a great bargain only to find out it was not what you expected? It’s happened to all of us. I kick myself every time I do that!
So, what do you do? You should buy your promotional products from somebody that will stand behind what they sell. Many times we will not carry or suggest a product that is junk or one that won’t wear well. Becuase of that, we are not always the cheapest guy on the block. But that’s okay, we don’t want you to have quality issues later.
You can occasionally have it all: quality and price. But be careful. Use a trusted advisor like Treadway Graphics/Geiger or somebody else who is reputable. That way you have the assurance of knowing that we care about you and your program or business. If it means we can’t sell you that 50 cents flying disk because it’s not quality we won’t. You are better off paying 75 cents and getting a better product.
You want your gift to be used and appreciated by your customer. After all, you paid good money for it!
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Click It or Ticket
By Jay Treadway
May 12th, 2009
Facebook is very popular right now. Teens and adults are using it daily. I know my wife is on it every day with her friends. It’s a great way to stay in contact with a lot of people. It’s not intrusive; you go there if you want or you stay away for a few days.
Here’s what I think is a very positive use for Facebook by teens. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety is asking School Resource Officers in the state to encourage kids to “donate their status for a day.” It’s part of the “Click It or Ticket” campaign May 18-31.
A Facebook “status” is a note on a person’s homepage that tells what they are doing. By adding a buckle-up message to their Facebook page one day, teens would be spreading the word encouraging other teens to buckle-up. The idea is that their friends will see the message and pass it along to others. I think it’s a great idea.
What better way is there for teens to be influenced to buckle-up than by other teens? Makes sense to me! There’s even a website that teens can go to and score free music downloads for “donating their status.” Here’s a link. I hope the campaign works.
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Referrals
By Jay Treadway
May 6th, 2009
Word-of-mouth advertising is the best there is. When one of your friends or colleagues tells you about a great restaurant, you’re much more inclined to try it. When somebody says that a certain bakery has the best donuts, you probably will stop by the next time you’re close (Maybe even go out of you way?).
The same works in the business world. Our company depends a lot on referrals from our customers to build our business. Sometimes we ask for these referrals from our customers. Other times people are just so pleased with our service and products that they recommend us unsolicited.
To be honest with you, we need referrals more than ever today. Most every business is struggling right now. Our customers are struggling and we are struggling. Since most of our customers are police departments and schools we are very aware of the tight funding issues. Public agencies can’t hide their struggles; they become public record very quickly.
There are, however, many programs within schools and police departments that are being funded and are buying products. If you know anyone in your police department or school that is buying promotional products for a program we’d appreciate a referral.
Sometimes we buy a certain thing from a company for years and never think about what else they also sell. When you think about what Treadway Graphics has provided you in the past, please don’t forget that we can also provide that same great service and products to your peers.
I guarantee we won’t let you down. Consider recommending us to others in your world. Thanks!
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CHOOSE TO BE G.R.E.A.T.
By Jay Treadway
May 4th, 2009
“Choose To Be G.RE.A.T.” is the new slogan for the Gang Resistance Education and Training Program (G.R.E.A.T.). It is now featured on the home page for the G.R.E.A.T. Program. You can see it by clicking here.
I think it will be a great slogan for the program (No pun intended!). The best slogans have “double” meanings and this one is no exception. It’s kind of like the slogan we’ve started using lately: “G.R.E.A.T. Guys Since 1993.”
Our new 2009 G.R.E.A.T. catalog is now at the printer and will be mailed out next week. The cover features our newest t-shirt design which uses the “Choose To Be G.R.E.A.T.” theme. We have also added this slogan to our popular rubber awareness bracelets. More products will certainly have this slogan in the near future.
Thanks to all of our great customers who have supported us during the past 20 years by buying G.R.E.A.T., Smart Choices and D.A.R.E. merchandise. We appreciate it. I hope you enjoy our newest addition; our 2009 G.R.E.A.T. catalog. If you don’t have one by mid-May give me a call at 866-333-1305.
