Lawrence Journal-World 01-14-13

Page 5

BUSINESS

LAWRENCE JOURNAL-WORLD LJWorld.com/local Monday, January 14, 2013 5A

Drive-thru Starbucks progressing; cost to attract retirees clearer

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6 ways to use unwanted gift cards By Joseph Pisani Associated Press

NEW YORK — Gift cards are easily forgotten. All too often they’re placed in drawers or stuffed into wallets, never to be seen again. Some $1.7 billion of the $110 billion gift cards bought in 2012 will go unused, according to estimates from research company CEB TowerGroup. If you’re not happy about the store your gift clawhorn@ljworld.com card is from, don’t let the money go to waste. You The company, led by have options, such as tradadvertising and marketing ing it in for cash or airline veteran Mark Kern, will miles. create a title/slogan for the But the first step to take effort, a logo, a website, when you get a gift is to a package of marketing register it on the commaterials to provide to inpany’s website, says Scott terested retirees, and conGamm, founder of Helpcepts for radio, television, SaveMyDollars.com. Regprint and Internet ads. istration creates a record The proposed contract of how much money is on calls for that work to cost the card and will protect $34,500, with the city you in case you lose the and the county splitting card. Many companies, inthe costs. But the more cluding coffee chain Starsubstantial commitment bucks, offer gift card regcomes in the form of an istration. Just check the annual advertising budget card provider’s website to that Kern estimates will see if it’s offered. need to be in the $60,000 Mobile apps can also to $80,000 range each year. help you keep track of At least a couple of years of your cards. The Gyft app, that type of spending, but will even alert you if you maybe four or five, may be are near a store that you in order, the proposal said. have a card for. It stores Kern has suggested a good both electronic and plastic amount of that money, gift cards. however, can come from private partners. Creating a list of partners who could benefit from more retirees in the community is part of the initial contract.

After 32 years of service This marketing contract with the Lawrence Police is just the latest budget Department, Detective Sean item to come up related to the retiree efforts. The Brown retired in December. Brown started his career as city and county earlier a police officer with the deagreed to restructure the partment in 1980. He spent Douglas County Senior 22 years as a patrol officer. Services Board and put In 2002, he was assigned it in charge of overseeto the Drug Enforcement ing the website and the Unit, where he was assigned retiree attraction efforts. many investigations on local, As a result, Lawrence state and federal levels. He and Douglas County also was promoted to detechave both expressed a willingness to provide ad- tive in 2007 and worked a variety of cases as a lead ditional funding to Douglas County Senior Services investigator.

Attracting retirees In addition, Officer Myas it seeks to hire a new dito live in Lawrence and rector that has the skill set rone Grady was promoted Douglas County is begin- to lead the retiree attracto the rank of sergeant. His ning to get a clearer price tion program. It previously new assignment is shift tag. supervisor in the patrol has been estimated that It looks like it will take could require the salary of division. Grady began his $60,000 to $80,000 worth the $55,000-a-year position career with the departof advertising a year to ment in 2003. He worked in to be boosted by $15,000 get the job done. to $25,000 a year to attract the patrol division until he Lawrence city commiswas assigned as a school the right candidate. City sioners at their Tuesday resource officer at South commissioners meet at meeting are being asked Middle School in 2008. He 6:35 p.m. Tuesday. to approve a contract with was awarded “School Re— City reporter Chad source Officer of the Year the Lawrence-based Kern Lawhorn can be reached at 832- for the State of Kansas� Group to develop a comprehensive marketing strat- 6362. Follow him at Twitter.com/ in 2011. During the 2012egy to convince higher-end clawhorn_ljw. Look for his entire 2013 school year, he was Town Talk blog on LJWorld.com assigned as one of the two retirees that Lawrence and daily, Monday through Friday. school resource officers at Douglas County are great places to settle. Lawrence High School. wwwhen is that ddddrive-thru Ssstarbbbucks going to open?� That’s the type of jittery emails and comments I’ve been getting regarding a new drive-thru Starbucks in west Lawrence. It has been more than a year since we first reported that a Starbucks was slated to be built on the northwest corner of Sixth Street and Champion Lane, yet there are still people having to go through the indignity of getting out of their vehicles to get their morning Starbucks fix. If you have driven along West Sixth Street lately, you may have noticed a new building has been constructed along the stretch of road in front of Free State High School. That’s the Starbucks site. I checked with Lawrence attorney Bill Fleming, who represents the development group on the project, and he confirmed the company turned the space over to Starbucks in mid-December. Fleming, though, didn’t have any word on when Starbucks may be completed with their interior work, which would allow the store to open. In talking with other folks, however, 60 days sounds like a reasonable number. Starbucks will not occupy the entire building. Fleming said Starbucks will lease about 1,900 square feet of the building, which will leave about 3,000 square feet of space that could be taken by one larger tenant or two smaller ones. Before you have a chance to ask, the Starbucks is in the special taxing district that helps pay for infrastructure in the Bauer Farms Development. Projects in the district charge an extra penny on every $1 in sales made in the district.

Town Talk

Chad Lawhorn

DILBERT

Here are six ways to put cards that are inserted into the machine. They must be a gift card to use: worth at least $20. The ki1. Turn it into cash osk will print out a receipt If you have an unwant- that you can exchange for ed gift card, websites like cash at the register. PlasticJungle.com, GiftCards.com and CardPool. 2. Think outside the card Even though a card has a com will pay you up to 92 percent of the card’s value, specific store name on the depending on how easy it front, you might be able to is to resell. For a $100 Tar- use it in the parent comget gift card, all three are pany’s other stores. For example, an Old paying $92. Navy gift card D e p e n d i n g Some $1.7 billion can be used at on the store Gap, Banana the gift card is of the $110 billion Republic, for, you may gift cards bought Athleta stores have to mail in 2012 will go and on Piperthe plastic lime, the comcard in, but in unused, according pany’s online many cases to estimates from store. Similarjust typing in research company ly, TJX Cos. the card num- CEB TowerGroup. Inc. gift cards ber works. can be used You’re then paid through PayPal or by at TJ Maxx, Marshalls or at check. You need to have at Home Goods stores. least a $25 balance on the card to sell it on PlasticJun- 3. Trade for miles A lingering gift card balgle.com and CardPool.com and $20 to sell it on Gift- ance can bring you closer to a dream vacation. UnitCards.com. Anyone living near ed Airlines customers enPhoenix, Chicago or Co- rolled in their MileagePlumbus, Ohio, can get hard lus program can exchange cash quickly by trying gift cards for award miles Alula, a new supermarket through the airline’s webkiosk that’s being tested by site. A $25 gift card is curCoinstar Inc., the company rently worth 1,000 award behind the RedBox DVD miles. United Airlines acrental machines. Alula cepts gift cards from more pays 65 percent to 85 per- than 100 stores. The gift cent of a card’s value, de- card must have at least $15 pending on demand. The on it for the airline to ackiosk only accepts plastic cept it.

BRIEFCASE

Charles Derby has been promoted to market president for First State Bank & Trust’s Lawrence locations, 609 Vermont St. and 3901 W. Sixth St. Derby He most recently served as the senior vice president and commercial loan officer. Derby has more than 20 years of banking experience and is on the boards for Junior Achievement, Lawrence Humane Society and Meals on Wheels.

Lisa Henry has been named president and chief executive officer at Capital Title Insurance Company in Topeka. Henry Henry formerly served as vice president and branch manager of the Lawrence office. — To submit an item, email Caroline Trowbridge, managing editor, at ctrowbridge@ljworld.com.

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4. Give to those in need Many charities, such as Goodwill, will take your gift card and distribute it to those who can put it to use. Call your favorite and charity and see if it has a gift card program. 5. Swap for another card Cards can also be flipped for another retailer. On PlasticJungle.com, you can quickly convert your card into an electronic gift card for Amazon.com. PlasticJungle.com also charges less if you want to make the switch. Even though the website will pay $92 for a $100 Target gift card, it will give you $94.50 if you choose to turn it into an Amazon card. 6. Regift it You can always regift a card to someone who would appreciate it more. You’ll get rid of the card and you won’t have to buy a gift. The Gyft app, which stores gift cards on smartphones, also enables you to regift the cards. The recipient doesn’t need to have the Gyft app downloaded. The gift card can be emailed as an electronic gift card or it can be posted on a Facebook account.

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