Burlington Coat Factory Enters Tough Market

Do you remember what is like when you first starting your family? Or can you imagine what it will be like trying to start one in this economy? Well, when Mrs. Don Dees and I were newlyweds, uhh, a few years back, we remember fondly shopping at Burlington Coat Factory. They had cheap, but good quality, crap at a good price. Just what the valued oriented shopper is looking for, which was the case for us back then; still is I guess.

So when we recently heard that Burlington Coat Factory was going to open a few stores in Puerto Rico, it brought back fond memories. Although I'm sure this has been in the making for years, I think they are entering a tough market at the worst time in the last 40 years. With stiff competition from WalMart, K-Mart, Marshalls, Sears, and recently JC Penneys, they will face an uphill battle.

Not only that, this will be the first locations outside of the U.S. mainland for the Burlington, New Jersey-based company which operates 383 stores in 44 states. Which means they need to understand the cultural translation of their marketing very quickly.

According to them, they are an “off-price” discount retailer, which offers a wide selection of current season, high quality, brand name and designer merchandise at prices up to 60% lower than those at other department stores. Hmm, that's a pretty bold claim when they are stacked up against WalMart, the king of cheap crap.

Together the local stores will feature apparel, shoes and accessories for the entire family, baby clothes, furniture, toys, home decor items, and gifts, as well as a selection of its signature coats. One of the first stores is scheduled to replace the old Pueblo Xtra in Plaza Centro Mall in Caguas. Right now, there is no word of when the first store is scheduled to open.

President Bush Boosts Porn Industry

Bet you didn't see that one coming, right. In what can only be seen as a cherry on top of, in my opinion, the most devastating presidency EVER, a recent study by an independent market-research firm, AIMRCo (Adult Internet Market Research Company), has discovered that many websites focused on adult or erotic material have experienced an upswing in sales in the recent weeks since checks have appeared in millions of Americans' mailboxes across the country. These sites are a surprising beneficiary (really, really?) of the Economic Stimulus Plan, a plan that George Bush contends will "boost our economy and encourage job creation." Yeah, in the adult entertainment industry.

According to Kirk Mishkin, Head Research Consultant for AIMRCo, "Many of the sites we surveyed have reported 20-30% growth in membership rates since mid-May when the checks were first sent out, and typically the summer is a slow period for this market."

Jillian Fox, spokeswoman for LSGmodels.com, one of the sites reporting figures to AIMRCo, added, "In a June 15, 2008 survey to our members, thirty two percent of respondents referenced the recent stimulus package as part of their decision to either become a new member, or renew an existing membership."

The economic stimulus plan, which includes a check for up to $600 for individuals and $1200 for married couples (among other benefits), is the product of an agreement between House leaders and the Bush Administration, focused on reviving a struggling economy in the wake of a flagging economy.

Fox also added, "Getting more people to buy porn was probably the last thing Bush had on his mind when he came up with his 'stimulus package,' but we'll take it."

Starbucks Coffee losing steam in Puerto Rico

Either our economy is much worse than anyone is actually saying or Starbucks Coffee is guilty of over-zealous expansion, because this week they announced that they would be closing three stores. According to a report from the Forbes web site, the stores will be closed in June, and all of the employees would be transferred to other stores.

Although the Chicken Little in me wants to say it's the former, I have to be honest and say that it's probably a little bit of both. As I've said before, Starbucks growth in Puerto Rico has been surprising for many people, but of course, if you've traveled to any major city in the Unites States it isn't that much of a surprise. In the heart of most cities like New York, Boston, or Portland, you'll commonly find what seems like a Starbucks on every other corner. Of course, much like when I predicted that Macy's wouldn't do well here in Puerto Rico, what people missed is that it was never about the coffee (just as I missed that Macy's was never about their merchandise). What Starbucks offered was a unique experience unmatched in the marketplace. It made you feel special when you finally figured out how to order what you wanted; you joined an exclusive group that made you feel superior to those that were clueless (just as some believe when they are walking around with a Macy's bag in their hand).

According to Starbucks spokesman in Puerto Rico, Adolfo Santana, the stores struggled financially because they were too close to other Starbucks locations. There's probably some truth to that, but I think when Outback, Ruby Tuesdays, and TGIFridays are also closing stores, the poor economy has to be equally responsible. The conclusion: for this market Starbucks may have reached its limit, especially in the San Juan metroplex.

What will be curious to see is if they continue with plans to open additional stores in other locations. If you check our map of Starbucks locations, there are at least three locations that I would open if I were Starbucks. The locations, in this order of priority, are: Mayagüez, Ponce, and Aguadilla or Arecibo.

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor: hlkljgk

Ohh the humanity. Trivia contest bombs.

Ahh, what a disaster. Well we didn't get any takers for the free Palco tickets. Pity. According to Tom Peters, one of a hundred such business gurus, those companies that learn to "Fail Faster," succeed. If the trivia contest was any signal, LOL, we're going to start succeeding VERY soon.

Anyway, we learned a few lessons:

1. Launching a short time limit contest on a Friday in the summer, uhh, maybe that wasn't such a good idea. But we had no choice, we didn't get the tickets till late Thursday night.
2. Once again, we are frustrated and stumped on our inability to generate any response from readers of the blog; as well, we still don't get many users to enter Events or Ratings over on DóndeEs.com.
3. In the end, this is a numbers game, just like everything else. Successful sales is a numbers game. For example, in order to make 5 sales a week, you need to visit 25 potential clients. In order to get 25 appointments, you need to talk to 125 business owners. In order to talk directly with decision makers (business owners, usually), you have to make 625 calls. All assuming a 20% success ratio.
   
   So it is with reaching and joining into a conversation (engaging in some sort of interaction) with Internet Users, in a very interesting article I found about "Nuggets from Social Media workshops as of late…", Sean O'Driscoll shared some powerful insights into the social sphere, the most pertinent to our trivia fiasco is:
   

   "Let’s assume we can generally agree that ~70% will lurk, 20% join, 9% will be regulars and 1% participate in the community in extreme ways."

   Looking at out traffic numbers for yesterday, we had approximately 107 visits to the blog, it could be more, but we don't have anything else to go on, but Google Analytics. So yesterday, the blog got 107 visits, if Sean's assumption is right, means that maybe only 9% are regulars, 9 visitors, and only 1% will participate in extreme ways, that's (holy crap) 1 visitor. So you see why point number one is so valid.
   

On the bright side, did get quite a few number of users to register over on DóndeEs.com, for the family ticket give-away. So thanks everyone for your support. For those who actually won tickets and attended the game, we hope that you enjoyed the courtesy tickets. And for everyone that is registered on DóndeEs.com or a fan of our DóndeEs.com Facebook Page, maybe soon we'll invite you all for a Palmolive bien firiiita. Very soon.

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor: s-t-r-a-n-g-e

Unprecedented Increase from AEE

The Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica has announced an unprecedented 22% increase in the cost of the always mysterious combustible component of your power bill. To edefend the raise, Executive Director Jorge Rodríguez cited the obvious reason of rising petroleum

Talk about timing. I probably wouldn't have mentioned anything, but I just thought I'd say "I told you!" I guess your old pal Don Dees isn't so crazy after all, with all his "the sky is falling" and soap-box "The end is near" ranting over the weekend.

While the ten suggestions I gave are going to be a good start, there has to be more we as citizens can do to combat this worrisome trend. I'll have to do some thinking and research, but I'll get back to you. However, if any of you have any suggestion, leave a comment and I'll compile them together and share them with everyone.

Liberty Cablevision Misses Their Mark

Crema, Cremita, Avena, or if you prefer Oatmeal, was never a big item for breakfast in the childhood home of Señor Don Dees. Nope, for me it was cold cereal. Which now that you think of it makes no sense at all. In the midwest of the United States were I grew up, it's cold over half of the year, but we eat cold cereal. In Puerto Rico, where it's bake your brains hot, well, pretty much all year long, mothers give children hot cereal. Go figure!

Anyway, some of my favorites were the obligatory Captain Crunch (with Crunchberries), Frosted Flakes (Zucaritas), and Fruit Loops. But probably my all time favorite was Lucky Charms. A delightful concoction of toasted oats and marshmallows. I mean come on, when you're a kid getting your Mom to let you eat marshmallows (read candy) for breakfast was pretty clever.

But in this classic post by Seth Godin, he uses a story about how a teenager he was talking to about Lucky Charms wasn't even aware that they were "Magically Delicious." Which is, of course, the slogan General Mills uses in all of their advertisements for the cereal. See here for an example: Don't you just love YouTube? The point here is that General Mills has spent millions drilling that slogan into everyone's head and yet, a typical teenager doesn't even associate "Magically Delicious." with Lucky Charms. Here's Seth's take (which is as sweet as marshmallows in the morning):

"Some marketers are still relying on the idea that they can drill a catch phrase or benefit or USP or differentiation into our heads through ceaseless ads. It sure worked on me.

Is this the core strategy behind the growth of your business?

Not sure it's going to work any more."

Liberty Cablevision's 100% Campaign

Recently I started seeing some intriguing advertisements (teasers actually) announcing something BIG and NEW. I was hmm, I like big news, I wonder what it is? In terms of marketing, I was right where the advertiser wanted me. However, when I finally got to see the big news, the only thing big about it was the amount of money they were spending. The ads were from Liberty announcing that "Con Liberty puedes disfrutar el mundo al 100%." I was like uh huh, and so what? Where's the marshmallows? Where is anything in this new ad that zaps me in the ass like a cattle prod to call Liberty immediately?

So let me get this right, I think? I only subscribe to Liberty's BitTorrent choking Internet service. They have 3 products VoIP, cable, and Internet. So I'm only enjoying 33% of my world? But you want to know the real killer? We were actually talking seriously about upgrading to there triple offer of all three products. If they had announced some inspiring offer, I'd have called immediately to upgrade. Instead they have started drilling into my head that with Liberty I enjoy 100% of my world. Here's news for you Iberty, I enjoy my world just fine without you.

Conclusion

At times marketers can really hit the mark, as an example the old ladies advertising SunCom or Mr. I-lim-i-tado. Both of these ads had people copying them when they come on the television, repeating them voluntarily, and even copying them. Unfortunately for Liberty, I'm afraid that your new campaign misses the mark by 100%.

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor: kaibara87

Dark Future for Puerto Rico

This morning as I was just about to start writing about the 10 things you can do to survive the energy crisis, when the lights went out at home. I then had a very bad premonition. A premonition so bad that it's been haunting me all morning. And because I'm such a giver, I thought I would share my premonition and bum out the rest of your day too.

Just imagine for a second that petroleum continues to rise in price. And if you didn't already hear, it hit another record high yesterday to $138,54. This was mostly based on continued instability in the Middle East and the subsequent prediction by Morgan Stanley that prices may reach $150 within a month.

Puerto Rico's Economy

The 2008 energy crisis is killing Puerto Rico's economy. A continuation of that trend will only accelerate that effect and place it on life-support. There are three basic legs to the Puerto Rican economy: Government, Tourism, and Manufacturing (specifically Pharmaceuticals); extremely high energy costs would take away two of those legs (tourism and manufacturing). And no one can stand on one leg for too long before falling down completely, well unless Puerto Rico's economy is a flamingo.

We are already starting to see the impact of rising petroleum on the airline industry, which counter to what you are hearing in the local news, will directly impact the tourism industry. If you look at any Caribbean islands tourism strategy, adding more flights is ALWAYS at the top of the list, maybe second only to adding more rooms. So it only goes to follow that less flights, means less tourists. Remember less IS ALWAYS less.

One of the main reasons so many manufacturing facilities are closing up shop, beside the disappearance of the last vestiges of 936, is the rising price of energy on the island. An important component of the newly signed incentives package that the Governor signed is a subsidy to pay for energy. If petroleum prices continue to rise it will nullify the impact of the incentive or it will bankrupt the government. Either way, rising energy cost will force more manufacturing off the island.

Way too little - Way too late

So a monkey could have predicted last week's' pronouncement by Acevedo Vila and Fortuño that they were "committed to seeking alternatives that would alleviate Puerto Rico's dependence on oil." But the time have made those pronouncements was probably about 8 to 12 year's ago. Of course it is hard to fault anyone when big oil continues have their way with the executive and legislative branches of the United States, as was just witnessed by the Senate successfully stopping a vote on the climate change bill.

According to the Governor, 74% of Puerto Rico's energy is produced by the burning of petroleum, where as the average use of petroleum in the United States is only 4%. Reasonably speaking, it will take decades before Puerto Rico is about to reduce the amount of petroleum it consumes to produce energy. And unfortunately, by then our economy may be completely unplugged from life support.

My Premonition

So as I sat there momentarily shocked by the blackened house, it hit me. Imagine what it would be like if black-outs in Puerto Rico became MORE frequent. Imagine what it would be like if gasoline was $3.00 a liter. Stop and consider for a moment having to drastically rearrange your life, just so that you could save energy, save gas, live closer to work, or move off Puerto Rico, just to make ends meet.

I'm now beginning to believe that it wasn't Rogelio Figueroa who was smoking something when I dogged his suggestion that making Puerto Rico independent from foreign oil was the key to Puerto Rico's long term economic security. And also my hat goes off to Gabriel Pagan over at "I can't spell" for nailing the same solution.

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: ArtNow314

Krispy Kreme Zombie Fever Grips Puerto Rico

Mi Gente, you are not going to believe what I'm going to share with you now. Let's see, the grand opening of the Krispy Kreme was on May 6th, We are now on May 22nd, that makes two weeks and counting. You'd think that the original excitement from that first day would have subsided by now. Well you'd be wrong, be prepared to wait a n insanely long time for doughnuts, wrong.

We all remember the insane donut zombie craziness that took place on the very first day, right. Well, I want you to all know that the demand for a taste of Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnuts is still very high. How high? Well at any given time you're likely to find a line of cars waiting to get into the drive through ranging from 20 to maybe 50 cars. We happened to drive by WalMart last night around 8:00 p.m., and the line for the Krispy Kreme drive through reached all the way around the block and out onto Rafael Cordero, I'd say easily 50 cars full of donut zombies.

Well, I've been jonesing for a few more of those sweet golden treats (OMG maybe I'm going zombie...), so I composed a plan. I'd go to the store very early in the morning, when they first open and I'd slip in and slip out. No fuss, mo muss. Well you know what they say about well laid plans. One of my daughters was curious to see what was so special about Krispy Kreme, so she asked to go. I woke her up early and we set out at 5:40 a.m., for a 6:00 a.m. opening. When we walked up to the front door, there were already 20 zombies in line. AT 6:00 IN THE FREAKING MORNING! There was also about 25 cars already queued up for the drive as well.

But I think I got it figured out now. If you want to get your hands on some of the most sought after doughnuts ever in Puerto Rico, get there around 6:30. By then the initial line has already been served and the drive through was already down to a more reasonable 5 or 6. However, if you wait much after that, well, take a book to read or some good zombie friends to chat with, because you'll be there for a while.

More Dondequiera SEO Power

Real quick I noticed when writing this that a Google search for "Krispy Kreme Puerto Rico" places Dondequiera in second position. Only their main corporate site out ranks us. And what of the local Krispy Kreme site? Well because it is Adobe Flash, it is invisible to the spiders and robots, so it is therefore invisible to search engines. To be fair though, this time our results in Yahoo and Microsoft are not nearly as good.

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: darkpatator

Embassy Suites Reinaugurates Casino

For those of you who like to partake of the gaming tables or the slot machines, then maybe you'll have to schedule a trip to Isla Verde to check out the newly reinaugurated facilities at the Embassy Suites Hotel. The renovations are estimated to have cost around $6 million.

So what can you expect from the changes? Well, first of all the casino now features the money-less system that have been implemented in many other casinos on the island. Of course, the new "Ticket In-Ticket-Out" system applies to the money swallowing machines, which had to be replaced to implement the new system. The casino now has 328 slot machines available for your money feeding pleasures. However, I don't know about you, but I'll miss the physicality of feeding the money into the machine.

With 7,000 square feet, the casino now features new carpet and decoration, and a little bit of Big Brother. The gaming tables now feature a video monitoring system which records the bets of the players. Of course, this is for the "benefit" of the players, as the system will grant points to players for the bets they place. These points will be redeemable for prizes, including nights in the hotel, food, and memorabilia from the casino. I can just hear some husband in the future explaining to his wife why there is an unexplained charge to the credit card: "Yes I know honey, I lost $1,000 at Black Jack, but I won this nice T-shirt. (He says grinning nervously)"

According to the general manager of the hotel, Luis Arellano, they plan on investing $2 million more in the hotel. The plans include improving the decoration of the hotel, replacing the sofa-beds in the suites, and installing new LCD plasma televisions in the rooms. The hotel also plans on opening two new restaurants in 2009.

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: Lady AnnDerground

Inflalandia - A Case Study

Recently when I was doing some research for the SME Puerto Rico Internet Forum, I discovered that if you searched for "Puerto Rico Internet Forum", Dondequiera was the number one result. Now this is nothing unusual, as it has happened with other blog posts in the past. In fact, most of the stuff we blog about ends up doing pretty well in Google searches. You're like so what, right? Well hang in there I'll tell you what!

Now this is something that we consistently tell people, but we mostly get a lot of shaking heads saying yes, yes, yes we get it. But for me, they don't really get it, otherwise more exciting things would be happening for not only us but for Internet innovation in Puerto Rico and more importantly more companies would be changing the way they use the Internet for marketing. That is, if they really go it. You get it?

Really, really, why is this important?

So let's be blunt here, to drive this point home. The SME just hosted an event which I'm sure they spent quite a lot of money to promote, but when searching for the title of the event in Google, Dondequiera is the number one result. We even place higher than the SME Internet Committee web site for the event, the official site for the event!

And it's not like there isn't information out there on the event. Here are a few I found from sites which supposedly have more traffic than us:

• "Sofisticado el cibernauta boricua" (Primera Hora)
• "Internet a velocidad ‘moderada’" (Vocero)
• SME presenta PR Internet Forum (Vocero)
• Más boricuas conectados a la Red (El Nuevo Dia)
• Imparable la ola de la transformación (El Nuevo Dia)
• SME to present Puerto Rico Internet Forum 2008 and 3rd annual report on local users’ behavior online (Caribbean Business)

My point is this, after seeing the web sites that were nominated for the Internet integration WebAd Awards (Best Internet Integration on a 360° campaign, Best integration of the Internet in a public relations or non-profit campaign, Best integration of the Internet in a promotional campaign), shouldn't more companies be talking to us? If we can consistently deliver top search results for their campaigns, I would think that they would want DóndeEs.com to be part of their next campaign involving Internet integration.

The Test

So this morning when I was researching the Inflalandia event, I decided that I would put this concept to the test. I've captured the results in the image below of a Google search for "Inflalandia", now I'll be monitoring the same search over the next couple of days to see if DóndeEs.com becomes the number one result. I like this test because the name of the event is already in Spanish (I was afraid that a translation of the Internet Forum would dilute results), so it won't be translated. On the other hand, I think it will be rather easy for us to be the first results because none of the larger web sites will provide any coverage of the event before hand. That is, not unless it is in the form of an advertisement.

Which makes me think, one down side to advertising in print mediums is that the ads are not usually posted on-line. While an article in the newspaper may find it's way onto the Internet, companies usually don't pay to have those ads posted online too. And if they did, they would be in the form of a Flash movie or image, which wouldn't be indexed by the search engines anyway.

Google Search Results for Inflalandia - Before (May 16,2008 at 8:00 a.m.)












So now all we have to do is wait for the robots and spiders to come...

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: scragz

BowlERA opens in Caguas

The municipality of Caguas added another reason to not drive into the San Juan metropolitan morass recently when they opened a bowling alley in the newly constructed Lincoln Center Plaza. BowlERA is the newest addition into the upscale bowling alley market, a la Galaxy Lanes. With 17 lanes available, BowlERA offers the latest in score keeping technology, as well as 4 super-grande large screen monitors of 92 inches, and free wireless Internet. In addition, the Lincoln Center Plaza has plenty of parking with over 400 parking spaces. And for a unique perspective, the bowling alley is located on the penthouse level of the Lincoln Center Plaza, so it offers a nice panoramic view of the center and heart of the new country Caguas.

The new bowling alley also features upscale dining with the new restaurant Moriviví. Featuring Puerto Rican cuisine from chefs educated in the culinary arts in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Europe. Morivivi also features an extensive wine selection from El Viñedo.

The BowlERA complex also offers meeting rooms, for those of you looking to combine a business meeting with either bowling or fine dining. You can learn more about their offerings at their Flash, errggh, web site.

The bowling alley hours of operation are:

• Monday to Thursday: 9:00 am - 10:00 pm
• Friday and Saturday: 8:00 am - 2:00 am
• Sundays: 9:00 am - 10:00 pm

Sick of Hearing about Caguas?

I guess, I'm just a little worried that if you don't live near Caguas, maybe your sick of reading about things happening there. A quick analysis tells me that, that first, since that's where Don Dees lives, it's only natural that I tend to see and hear about things going down there. But I also think that it's part of a larger trend of businesses either expanding out onto the island or, as in the case of Krispy Kreme, preferring to go with cities that are still growing and that are outside of the crushing mass of traffic that can sometimes affect the greater San Juan metroplex. So I apologize if it seems like Dondequiera prefers Caguas (we don't, we love all of Puerto Rico), but did you know that YOU can do something about it? YOU can help balance out the coverage of "Dónde Es Que Es." How? You ask. Well there are two ways YOU can help.

1. The first way YOU can help is to send us announcements, events, news, openings, closings, or anything else you think might interest fellow Dondequiera readers. Send the information to info at dondees dot com. And by the way, if the location where the news pertains isn't already in the DóndeEs.com Visual Directory, you can add it with the "Add your business" page.
   
   
2. Or YOU can join us a collaborator. We'd love to get correspondents from all over Puerto Rico to join us telling real people "Dónde Es". If YOU like to write, in English or Spanish, and you have access to Blogger, then we'd like to hear from YOU. Tell us what kind of topics YOU would like to write about it and we'll see if it fits into our editorial vision of Dondequiera. Send us an email at info at dondees dot com, operators are standing by to answer your message.
   

Puerto Rico Takes Another to the Chin

In a continuing string of bad economic news, Puerto Rico took another one right on the chin; right where it hurts us the most. Biovail, a specialty pharmaceutical company, has announced that they have a new strategic focus, and Puerto Rico isn't in that focus. The pharmaceutical company announced that they would be closing both of its plants in Puerto Rico over the next 8 to 24 months. They estimate that about 250 employees are affected.

Of course, this is right on the heels of T.G.I. Friday's recent announcement that they would be leaving the island, once again. It was a rude awakening for Friday's employees when they showed up for work recently and found the doors of the three locations chained shut. Claiming a loss of over $600,000 for the current year, the owners decided that closing was their nest option. Another 275 employees were affected.

And speaking of restaurant closings, two other well known establishments closed recently as well. Zabó, which is located in Condado, closed after 15 years. Apparently negotiations broke down when they were trying to reach an agreement with their landlords concerning a renovation of the establishment. In addition, Yuan, which was located in the Royal Bank Center en Hato Rey, also closed it's doors. Yuan closes after 24 years of operation.

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: .A.A.

2nd Best Buy Set to Open

Best Buy continues their expansion and their plans to become the dominant supplier of electronics on the island. On May 23rd, Best Buy will open their second location in Caguas. The new store is located on the Home Depot side of the Las Catalinas Mall. At this time, I haven't heard of any grand opening ceremonies, and maybe after the recent Krispy Kreme opening, maybe Caguas isn't ready for another blow-out grand opening, but I'll certainly pass on any special announcements.

It's a pity that they missed the window just slightly for Mother's Day, but they will open just in time for Father's Day. So honey, when you get this post through your trusty RSS-reader, you know where to shop. I'd leave it up to you what to get me, but technology isn't your strongest suit. Just always remember this: you can never have enough off-line hard disk space (you know those Bit Torrent season downloads start to add up...). I'd say that sounds pretty good. Just a suggestion.

And speaking of the electronics super center battle royale, I haven't seen anything released by either Best Buy or Circuit City claiming any advantage. Although I'm sure both were none too happy when CompUSA in San Patricio opened under new owners. In an eye-ball measurement of advertising, I'd say all three companies are being rather conservative, and maybe if anyone has the lead in advertising, maybe it is Best Buy, who seems to run a weekly shopper with more frequency than Circuit City. The City advertised pretty frequently when they initiallyopened, but quickly tapered off to trickle.

Grand Opening = Grand Success

Well I'm about down from the sugar high I got this morning after over-indulging on Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Yes, I was one of the crazy people who lined up this morning to be one of the first people to taste their delicious sweetness here in Puerto Rico. Before I go on, and before I share what the scene was like I just have one thing to say. Somebody owes me some doughnuts.

Believe it or not. The line to buy doughnuts started forming Monday afternoon around 1:00 p.m. and continued growing through the night. So even though the Krispy Kreme management extended the free doughnuts for a year give-away to the first 100 customers instead of the first 50. I was still way too late to get one of the precious free-doughnut cards. Ahh my precious.

I pulled out of the house a little later than I hoped for around 4:49, and was waiting in line by 5:00 a.m. Then after waiting for three hours and as I was nearing the front door they ran out of t-shirts too. So, I got bumkiss. Ahh, that's the breaks when you live in the big city, right. They did give everyone who came in the door a free doughnut, so I guess that's something.

All in all I'd have to say that it was a very successful grand opening for Krispy Kreme, and I bet the results exceeded their expectations. The whole thing went down, I'd say, without any problems. The crowd was well controlled and everything was very organized. They had a portable large screen television, which was showing Alvin and the Chipmunks as I showed up, and then was used to broadcast the event to everyone throughout the rest of the morning. They also had Reggaeton 94.7 broadcast live from the event. The Despelote crew, Rocky The Kid, Tony Banana and Billy Fourquet entertained the crowd throughout the morning and was even able to successful give-away $1,000 to a lucky member of the crowd. Plenealo was also in the house and kept the crowd bumping.

I'd say, in total about 1,000 people showed up for the grand opening. From the looks the majority were around 20, but there were some older folks, and some families with young babies. With each customer buying about 2 dozen donuts each, I'd say they sold a shitload of doughnuts. It was a really good time, despite having to be standing for a few hours. The weather was comfortable, and the crowd seemed to be in a really good mood. I think only here in Puerto Rico has the Krispy Kreme organization seen anything like what they witnessed this morning. I mean where else in the world would you get so many people lined up at 5:00 in morning, ready to spend their money, moving and shaking to loud music, and generally having a blast?

I hope that Rosana Vázquez Medina doesn't mind, but I snagged the photo above from the "LLega Krispy Kreme a Puerto Rico" Facebook group. And speaking of Facebook, apparently it continues to grow in strength and popularity here in Puerto Rico. That people who were at the event have already posted photographs from the event shows how, that the behavior that Facebook receives is drastically different, and more like the rest of the world, than the any other Web 2.0 application used by Puerto Ricans.

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: aerodesign.pl

Cumbre Social 2008

On Tuesday and continuing on through Wednesday, Cumbre Social, Inc, a not for profit organization dedicated to promote socially responsible behavior, will host the 4th Cumbre Social. The summit aims to stimulate a conversation amongst a multi-sectoral audience consisting of representatives of 125 organizations, all focused on generating proposals for the benefit of Puerto Rico.

While there's no official program available at this time, some of the themes on the agenda include:

• Security and development of the agricultural industry
• Availability of potable water
• The coasts: actual usage and their future in the face of global warming
• The Land Use Plan, in the context of socio-economic development
• Alternative energy: Puerto Rico's role
• Amongst others...

The event will take place on May 6th and 7th and will be held at the Puerto Rico Convention Center. For more information, call (787) 273-6784 or e-mail at cumbresocial@prw.net.

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: azrainman

Doughnuts: Where and When

Well after much soul searching and a few emails, I've decided to share the secret opening time. Promise me though, if you happen to be one of the lucky first 50 customers, be sure to share a few free donuts with your old pal Don Dees.

So I've been able to confirm that the Krispy Kreme Donut-fest will begin at 6:00 a.m. on May 6th. According to a recent news article the hours of operation for the new store will be from 6:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. However, management of the new donut-rama has said that they will consider changing the hours of operation to be open 24 hours a day, if the market requires it.

As far as where the new store is located. I've added them to our Visual Directory, so follow this link to see where the new store is located. They are located right next to the WalMart in Caguas, which is across the street from Plaza Centro Shopping Center.

A quick note about the locations I just shared. The maps that we use are provided by Google and TeleAtlas. While they are excellent for Puerto Rico, they are a little out of date. Some more than others. But for instance, in this case the new WalMart in Caguas, which isn't that new, is not in the satellite images and the access roads that lead to the WalMart, which you'll need to access to get to Krispy Kreme, are not in the maps. So while our maps are excellent, you might need to improvise once you get close. Bottom line, if you know how to get to Plaza Centro, you should be fine.

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: pochacco20

Doughnuts! Get your Doughnuts!

Oh yeah baby! You know what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the grand opening of the Krispy Kreme store in Caguas. Yessiree, on May 6th, the magical sweetness will be ours, and this intrepid reporter will be there to partake in all the goodness.

And as if just going into a sugar induced coma wasn't enough, they've organized a pretty cool grand opening celebration. To start with, the first 50 customers will receive a years supply of doughnuts!. Yes the first 50 customers will earn the righteous gift of a dozen Original Glazed doughnuts each week for a year. In addition they will be giving away presents for the first 300 customers as well. Prizes include doughnuts, T-shirts, and other surprises. There will also be music and balloons for those of us who have to drag our kids out in the morning to try and win those doughnuts.

I guess to make the quest for those doughnuts a little more difficult, they haven't announced at what time the store will open. I've even checked out the lame website they launched. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate Flash? And what's up with the redirect to the Futoroe web site? Pathetic. Anyway, I'll be snooping around to try and nail down a time. What I have to ask myself, is if I find out, should I share it and decrease my chances of winning those doughnuts. Hmm, what a moral dilemma...

Agrópolis 2008 has mooooved to Caguas

Agrópolis, which is billed as "La Feria del Pais" or perhaps "The Country Fair," if you will, has moved! While the fair has been previously held at different locations in San Juan, this year it really is in the country. The country of Caguas, to be exact. From April 25th through May 4th, the agricultural fair will be held on the grounds of the Jardín Botánico y Cultural Center.

Agrópolis provides an opportunity to learn about and buy agricultural products produced on our beautiful little island. It will open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, from 8:30 am a 9:00 pm, and Wednesday and Thursday from 8:30 am a 5:00 pm. The fair will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Admission to Agrópolis is the same as admission to the Jardín Botánico. Hey, it's like two for one, pay to get into the fair and you also get to see the Jardín Botánico. General admission is $6 (+ IVU), children over 3 years old and senior citizens are $3 (+IVU). Groups of more than 20 people or schools will be $5 (+ IVU). Tickets will be available at the entrance to the Jardín Botánico. For more information, call (787) 641-2164.

The activities planned for the Agrópolis include:

• la Plaza del Mercado;
• kioscos de plantas y árboles;
• artesanías;
• productos orgánicos,
• exhibiciones de la finca;
• restaurantes de comida típica;
• machinas
• y la tienda "Del País".

In addition, throughout the fair, as is typical, there will be a variety of musical attractions. Among the stars that will perform during this year's fair are: Fiel a la Vega, la PVC, la Sonora Ponceña, Andrés Jiménez y la Sexta Copa Agrópolis de Trovadores. At this time, there is no schedule of when these artists will perform. I would guess during the evenings on weekend.

Agriculture Sub-secretary Osvaldo Rivera, indicated that: "in Agrópolis we are going to celebrate a variety of activities, like Earth Week, including Tree Day, Youth Day, Farmer Day, Conservationists Day, and the Night of the Agroempresario."

Empleos Expo 2008

With the continued recession in Puerto Rico, bankruptcies are at an all time high. And with bankruptcies, can often come unemployment. So for those of you that might be in the market for a new job, or someone you know, then maybe the Empleos Expo 2008 might just be your rescue.

The job fair is brought to you by El Nuevo Dia and their struggling classified advertising section. With over 50 different companies participating, there's a good chance that you might be able to link up with the potential employer. The job fair will take place in the Puerto Rico Convention Center on the 2nd and 3rd of May. Entrance to the job fair is free, and will be open from 10:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.

If you're looking for an edge at the job fair, then the website Associated Content might be of assistance. The article "Seven Ways to Impress Job Fair Recruiters", might be able to help with these tips:

1. Create a One-Line Pitch
2. Dress for Success
3. Show Some Personality
4. Learn the Companies
5. Know Your Audience
6. Come Prepared
7. Follow Up

Flickr Creative Commons Contributor Today: Delwin

Puerto Rico Small Business Week

The Puerto Rico Small Business & Technology Development Center, part of the U.S. Small Business Administration, will sponsor two conferences in celebration of Puerto Rico Small Business Week. The two conferences will be help on Tuesday April 29th at the Condado Plaza Hotel and Thursday May 1st at the Mayagüez Resort.

If you register before April 25th, the conferences are $50 each, per person and include breakfast and a finger buffet. Payment can be made with credit cards or ATH. For more information and to register, call (787) 763-5108 for Condado Plaza and (787) 892-6760 for Mayagüez Resort.

The conferences are being offered on the subject of the "Economic Panorama for Small Businesses." As such, they've established an impressive group of speakers to paint that panorama:

April 29th, Condado Plaza

• 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. - Registration
• 9:00 a.m. to 9:10 a.m. - Welcome
• 9:10 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. - Economic Panorama for Small Businesses
• Joaquin Villamil, President Estudios Tecnicos
• Boris Jaskville, Executive Director, Fomento Industrial
• Hon. Bartolomé Gamundí, Seceretary Department of Economic Development
• José Julían Alvarez, President of the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce
• 11:00 a.m. - Break and Networking
• 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 a.m. Entrepreneur Testimonies
• 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. - Questions, Networking, Consultations

May 1st, Mayagüez Resort

• 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. - Registration
• 9:00 a.m. to 9:10 a.m. - Welcome
• 9:10 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. - Economic Panorama for Small Businesses
• José Alameda, Economist
  
• Representative of Mayagüez Committee 2010
  
• Nelson Perea, Executive Director PRTEC
  
• Nelson Albino, President, Chamber of Commerce of the West
  
• 11:00 a.m. - Break and Networking
• 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 a.m. Entrepreneur Testimonies
• 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. - Questions, Networking, Consultations