2.12.2012

Privacy Policy

Information we collect and how we use it

We may collect the following types of information:

  • Information you provide – When you sign up for a Google Account, we ask you for personal information. We may combine the information you submit under your account with information from other Google services or third parties in order to provide you with a better experience and to improve the quality of our services. For certain services, we may give you the opportunity to opt out of combining such information. You can use the Google Dashboard to learn more about the information associated with your Account. If you are using Google services in conjunction with your Google Apps Account, Google provides such services in conjunction with or on behalf of your domain administrator. Your administrator will have access to your account information including your email. Consult your domain administrator’s privacy policy for more information.
  • Cookies – When you visit Google, we send one or more cookies to your computer or other device. We use cookies to improve the quality of our service, including for storing user preferences, improving search results and ad selection, and tracking user trends, such as how people search. Google also uses cookies in its advertising services to help advertisers and publishers serve and manage ads across the web and on Google services.
  • Log information – When you access Google services via a browser, application or other client our servers automatically record certain information. These server logs may include information such as your web request, your interaction with a service, Internet Protocol address, browser type, browser language, the date and time of your request and one or more cookies that may uniquely identify your browser or your account.
  • User communications – When you send email or other communications to Google, we may retain those communications in order to process your inquiries, respond to your requests and improve our services. When you send and receive SMS messages to or from one of our services that provides SMS functionality, we may collect and maintain information associated with those messages, such as the phone number, the wireless carrier associated with the phone number, the content of the message, and the date and time of the transaction. We may use your email address to communicate with you about our services.
  • Affiliated Google Services on other sites – We offer some of our services on or through other web sites. Personal information that you provide to those sites may be sent to Google in order to deliver the service. We process such information under this Privacy Policy.
  • Third Party Applications – Google may make available third party applications, such as gadgets or extensions, through its services. The information collected by Google when you enable a third party application is processed under this Privacy Policy. Information collected by the third party application provider is governed by their privacy policies.
  • Location data – Google offers location-enabled services, such as Google Maps and Latitude. If you use those services, Google may receive information about your actual location (such as GPS signals sent by a mobile device) or information that can be used to approximate a location (such as a cell ID).
  • Unique application number – Certain services, such as Google Toolbar, include a unique application number that is not associated with your account or you. This number and information about your installation (e.g., operating system type, version number) may be sent to Google when you install or uninstall that service or when that service periodically contacts our servers (for example, to request automatic updates to the software).
  • Other sites – This Privacy Policy applies to Google services only. We do not exercise control over the sites displayed as search results, sites that include Google applications, products or services, or links from within our various services. These other sites may place their own cookies or other files on your computer, collect data or solicit personal information from you.

In addition to the above, we may use the information we collect to:

  • Provide, maintain, protect, and improve our services (including advertising services) and develop new services; and
  • Protect the rights or property of Google or our users.

If we use this information in a manner different than the purpose for which it was collected, then we will ask for your consent prior to such use.

Google processes personal information on our servers in the United States of America and in other countries. In some cases, we process personal information outside your own country.

Choices

You can use the Google Dashboard to review and control the information stored in your Google Account.

Most browsers are initially set up to accept cookies, but you can reset your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, some Google features and services may not function properly if your cookies are disabled.

Google uses the DoubleClick advertising cookie on AdSense partner sites and certain Google services to help advertisers and publishers serve and manage ads across the web. You can view and manage your ads preferences associated with this cookie by accessing the Ads Preferences Manager. In addition, you may choose to opt out of the DoubleClick cookie at any time by using DoubleClick’s opt-out cookie.

Information sharing

Google only shares personal information with other companies or individuals outside of Google in the following limited circumstances:

  • We have your consent. We require opt-in consent for the sharing of any sensitive personal information.
  • We provide such information to our subsidiaries, affiliated companies or other trusted businesses or persons for the purpose of processing personal information on our behalf. We require that these parties agree to process such information based on our instructions and in compliance with this Privacy Policy and any other appropriate confidentiality and security measures.
  • We have a good faith belief that access, use, preservation or disclosure of such information is reasonably necessary to (a) satisfy any applicable law, regulation, legal process or enforceable governmental request, (b) enforce applicable Terms of Service, including investigation of potential violations thereof, (c) detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues, or (d) protect against harm to the rights, property or safety of Google, its users or the public as required or permitted by law.

If Google becomes involved in a merger, acquisition, or any form of sale of some or all of its assets, we will ensure the confidentiality of any personal information involved in such transactions and provide notice before personal information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

Information security

We take appropriate security measures to protect against unauthorized access to or unauthorized alteration, disclosure or destruction of data. These include internal reviews of our data collection, storage and processing practices and security measures, including appropriate encryption and physical security measures to guard against unauthorized access to systems where we store personal data.

We restrict access to personal information to Google employees, contractors and agents who need to know that information in order to process it on our behalf. These individuals are bound by confidentiality obligations and may be subject to discipline, including termination and criminal prosecution, if they fail to meet these obligations.

Accessing and updating personal information

When you use Google services, we make good faith efforts to provide you with access to your personal information and either to correct this data if it is inaccurate or to delete such data at your request if it is not otherwise required to be retained by law or for legitimate business purposes. We ask individual users to identify themselves and the information requested to be accessed, corrected or removed before processing such requests, and we may decline to process requests that are unreasonably repetitive or systematic, require disproportionate technical effort, jeopardize the privacy of others, or would be extremely impractical (for instance, requests concerning information residing on backup tapes), or for which access is not otherwise required. In any case where we provide information access and correction, we perform this service free of charge, except if doing so would require a disproportionate effort. Because of the way we maintain certain services, after you delete your information, residual copies may take a period of time before they are deleted from our active servers and may remain in our backup systems. Please review the service Help Centers for more information.

Enforcement

Google complies with the U.S.-EU Safe Harbor Framework and the U.S.-Swiss Safe Harbor Framework as set forth by the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding the collection, use, and retention of personal information from European Union member countries and Switzerland. Google has certified that it adheres to the Safe Harbor Privacy Principles of notice, choice, onward transfer, security, data integrity, access, and enforcement. To learn more about the Safe Harbor program, and to view Google’s certification, please visit the Safe Harbor website.

Google regularly reviews its compliance with this Privacy Policy. When we receive formal written complaints, it is Google’s policy to contact the complaining user regarding his or her concerns. We will cooperate with the appropriate regulatory authorities, including local data protection authorities, to resolve any complaints regarding the transfer of personal data that cannot be resolved between Google and an individual.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

Please note that this Privacy Policy may change from time to time. We will not reduce your rights under this Privacy Policy without your explicit consent. We will post any Privacy Policy changes on this page and, if the changes are significant, we will provide a more prominent notice (including, for certain services, email notification of Privacy Policy changes). We will also keep prior versions of this Privacy Policy in an archive for your review.

1.03.2010

HOW TO MAKE IT BIG WITH A USED BOOK STORE (page #3)

Building and maintaining your inventory, while continuing to
rapidly turn that inventory over, can be handled in a number of
different ways. It's not a good idea for you to exchange two or
three of your customer's books for one of yours. There's always a
variance in price, plus you may not want the type of books your
customer is offering to trade.

The most feasible plan seems to be to give the customer a "credit
chit" for each book you buy from him. Simply
have a supply of business cards promoting your store, printed at
your local quick print shop. On the back of the card, have them
print something along these lines:

"The bearer of this card is entitled to _______________ cents
credit on 50% of the listed price of any book at Ye Olden Book
Store/s/ Your Signature."

Then when someone brings in a couple of books to sell, you pay
him in credit chits, marking in the amount and signing your name
on the card. An easier way might be to have your signature
printed on the cards when you order them you or your clerk would
simply fill in the credit amount, and emboss the card with a
notary-type embosser.

Usually, you allow 20 to 25 cents for mint condition paperbacks,
and about one quarter of your selling price for hardbacks. Always
make sure the customer understands that regardless of how many
'credit chits" he has, the credit chits can only pay for half the
purchase price. This of course, is to protect your cash-flow
problems, and your income of "hard money."

Many used book stores add to their income potential by adding
tape cassette lending libraries. These are a real money makers
with a kind of service tat lends out "books on tape" and special
learning programs where portions of the rental fee applies to the
purchase of the original tape cassette.

A great many used book stores add to their income by running mail
order book selling operations in addition to the retail business.
This is a natural, either for a retail operator wanting to expand
his market or a mail order operator wanting to increase his
income.

TYPICAL USED BOOK STORE START-UP COSTS....

1,000 TO 1,500 SQUARE FOOT STORE

RENT (1st and Last month's)..........$1,000 to $2,000

UTILITY & PHONE DEPOSITS.............$50 TO 300

INSURANCE (1st Quarter Payment).......$100 TO 200

LICENSES & PERMITS...................$50 to 250

INVENTORY............................$2,500 to 5,000

SHELVING & REMODELING................$2,000 TO 5,000

MISC (Decorating, checkout counter
cash register, supplies........$1,000 to 1,500

LEGAL & ACCOUNTING...................$600 TO 1,200

ADVERTISING & SIGNS...................$1,000 TO 3,500
__________________

TOTAL................................$8,250 TO 18,950


OPERATING CAPITAL....................$5,OOO TO 12,000

Entrepreneur should have enough operating capital in reserve to
not only keep the store operating for the first year, without
counting on anticipated profit, but also enough for unseen
emergencies without having to count upon income from the store to
see him through.

TYPICAL USED BOOK STORE MONTHLY OPERATING COSTS...

PAYROLL.............................$1,500 to $2,500

OWNER/OPERATOR SALARY...............$1,000 to $2,000

RENT/LEASE..........................$ 600 to $1,000

ADVERTISING........................$ 500 to $ 1,000

DEPRECIATION........................$ 100 to 150

UTILITIES & PHONE...................$ 150 to 300

PRINTING & STATIONERY................$ 100 to 200

SHIPPING COSTS......................$ 100 to 150

INSURANCE...........................$ 50 to 100

MAINTENANCE.........................$ 50 to 100

MISCELLANEOUS.......................& 100 to 150
____________________

TOTAL...............................$4,200 TO 7,650

OPERATING COSTS.....................$4,200 TO 7,650

ANTICIPATED SALES...................$5,000 TO 8,500

NET PROFIT BEFORE TAXES.............$ 800 TO 850

PRO FORMA ANNUAL INCOME (B/T).......$9,600 to 3,000


A word of caution: Though you must project an open, COMFORTABLE
invitation to browsers and would-be book buyers, you MUST also
inconspicuously guard against shoplifters and outright thieves.
The best is to place mirrors strategically throughout the store
so you can see your customers from the checkout desk at all
times. Your smaller and more expensive books should be kept up
front SO that you can see them and what your customers are doing
with them, without seeming to be guarding them. There are a
number of theft prevention gadgets and devices available, but
even more important is alert hired help that can keep an eye on
the customers without making them feel they're being watched.

The risks of starting a used book store are high for the dreamer
unaware that it's just another retail business and should be
handled as such. Well organized and intelligently-operated used
book stores are very stable, and they provide a very comfortable
income for the owner-operator willing to persist thru the
start-up period.

This can be the kind of business you've always dreamed of owning,
but you'll have to have the patience to let it grow and the
perseverance to see it thru to its ultimate success. With these
thoughts in mind, I say reach for the sky and may the angels of
paradise always be smiling upon you with endless good fortune!

article from Try Autoresponders

HOW TO MAKE IT BIG WITH A USED BOOK STORE (page #2)

The next thing is to build or buy half shelves, tables and
revolving racks for other or more books. The half shelves about
4 feet wide by 4 feet high and similar to book cases in your
home should be located at right angles to your wall shelves, and
in the rear of your store. The tables should be about 3 feet wide
by 4 feet long, and about 30 inches high. These also should be
located at right angles to your wall shelves, but closer to the
front of your store. A revolving wire rack, to hold currently
popular or specially featured books, and located at the front of
your store, will be a special extra merchandising effort that'll
really pay off in sales of your books.

In locating your half shelves and tables down the middle of your
store, stagger them one 3 feet from the wall shelves, the next
one 6 feet out, then 4 feet and so on. This will allow people to
be "seen" in your store; cut down on the appearance of a formal
or military layout, and project a more casual atmosphere for
browsing and this is precisely what you want. This kind of
arrangement will cost you some space, but it will be worth it
with increased traffic.

Another merchandising idea that works very well is a couple of
revolving wire racks on wheels...These you push outside and
position near the entrance to your store. You can feature popular
paperbacks, and a few oversize hard cover books with bright,
flashy colors in these racks.

Your store hours should match those of your neigbors...In fact,
you cold "jump off to a quick start," by opening a half hour
earlier than your neighbors. Use his opening half hour to take
care of paperwork, and get yourself organized for the day. When
the early shoppers see you're open early, they'll begin coming
into your store to "browse and kill time" while they wait for the
other stores to open.

If you cannot be there to "open the store," then hire part time
help. The best arrangement is house wives or college students in
4 hour shifts at the minimum wage.

First off, write out a list of duties you want each clerk to
perform while he's on shift. In addition to taking care of sales
transactions, you might want him to do some stocking, dusting,
cleaning, sorting and prcing..Regardless, you'll have fewer
problems and enjoy bigger profits if you formally write these
"shift duties" out, and post them as job requirements, and
explain them when you interview for hired help.

Look for, and try to hire only book lovers who are personable,
outgoing, and have some sort of business aptitude. You the train
these people in all phases of your operation, with the thought in
mind that they will run the store in your absence, and eventually
be your store manager. the best way to find such people is by
talking with your customers, observing which might be willing to
work for you, and which of them might best fulfill your needs.

You'll need a outside sign for your store- preferably one that
hangs right angles to the flow of traffic in front of your store.

Many successful used book stores utilize hand-carved wooden
signs, while others display painted signs with calligraphic
lettering. By all means, spend the extra hundred dollars or so to
have spotlights installed on your store front, focusing on your
store signs. Backlit plastic signs just don't create the
comfortable image necessary for the success of a good used book
store

Newspaper and/ or broadcast advertising will be much more
expensive than it's worth. Your best bet is to create a
comfortable feeling and open invitation for browsers, price your
stock fairly, concentrate on personal service, and let
word-of-mouth advertising and time do the rest.


Even so, you should run an ad in the yellow pages. perhaps and ad
in the college paper, and from time to time, special sales ads in
your local shopping papers. Inexpensive flyers inviting people in
to exchange books, or to just browse, can be printed at your
local quick print shop and handed out or placed under the
windshields of cars in the larger shopping center parking lots.
Advertising, and special sales during holiday periods such as
Christmas, Mother's Day and Father's Day are generally quite
effective in bringing new customers into your store.

Most used book store entrepreneurs use their own book collections
as start-up inventory base. In addition, talk to as many
neighbors, friends and relatives as possible for the donation of
books. Then start making the rounds of all the garage sales and
flea markets. You should have at least 10,000 books in stock when
you open for business- and that's a lot of books. Search for
books to sell-those you can buy for 25 cents or less in all
thrift shops, Goodwill stores and Salvation Army outlets. Church
bazaars and estate sales also sometimes provide you with almost
"complete" libraries.

You might place a small ad in your newspaper announcing that
you're looking for good used books to buy. Generally, you
evaluate a book according to the price you think you can get it
for in your store. Then you subtract two thirds of that total,
and offer that as your " buying" price. Always separate the books
you feel certain you can sell from those you aren't sure about.

It's going to take awhile for you to become proficient as a book
buyer, but with practice and some experience, you'll quickly
develop the "intuition" you need to realize a profit on every
book you buy. Always flip thru the pages of each individual book,
and be sure of its condition before you quote a price. In many
instances you'll also find that out of a box of 25 books, you're
only interested in buying 10...The seller will generally be
wanting to get rid of his books, now...And for a couple of
dollars more than your "bid price" on the 10 books you want,
he'll let you have all 25 of them..This is like a windfall to you
because you can always use the "unwanted" books as leader items
or extras to generate traffic during two-for-one sales; all books
on a certain table for just a nickel each; or your choice of free
books for everyone coming in to browse on certain days..


You should carry hardcover as well as paperback books. Pay no
more than 25% of new price for a mint condition hardcover book,
and buy only those you are certain can be sold in your store. pay
no more than 10% of the new price for a mint condition used
paperback, and steer clear of the hard-core sexually oriented
books.

Visit the libraries and book stores in your area. Observe what
people are interested in reading and what they're checking out or
buying. Stock your store with these kinds of books.
below is a listing of the kinds or types of books you should
consider stocking in your used books store:

BUSINESS BOOKS: These should include books on leadership, career
advancement, time management and people management.

HOW-TO BOOKS: These should include all the self-help and
self-improvement manuals you can find mail order, auto repair,
carpentry, metalwork, home building, gardening, and business
start-up.

COOK BOOKS: You'll probably be surprised at how many people buy
books relating to the culinary arts. A well stocked cookbook
section will mean definite profits for you. Forget about books on
dieting, home economics, and etiquette these just don't do well
in used book stores.

SPECIAL INTEREST BOOKS: Watch and listen to the people of your
area...Be on the lookout for people into World War, history,
aviation, sports perfection, movies and just plain old book
collectors...

PAPERBACKS: Women's romance, science fiction, mysteries, and
historical novels are all good movers currently enjoying an
upsurge in popularity and sales. These will be the "best movers"
in your inventory, so develop good sources of supply, and price
them for fast sales.

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