CBA Industry Blog

The Down Lo: Prince Caspian

My friends at Grace Hill Media gave tickets to a number of us here in Colorado Springs to a screening of Prince Caspian the other night. Now, I have to admit, I wasn’t as enthusiastic about seeing Caspian as all the giddy children around me were. I loved the first Narnia film and I knew eventually I’d see the second one in the theater, but I am ultra-conservative when it comes to buying into hype of any kind. And when it comes to sequels.

The lights in the theater had barely dimmed when the same excitement that overcame those children moments earlier crept up on me too. Before I knew it I was back in Narnia, along with all the other Pevensie children.

Here are my quick thoughts… hope you get to see it this weekend!

- Pretty sure Aslan didn’t get enough screen time. The few moments he had, particularly the ones with Lucy, were especially precious and powerful.

- As the quote goes in the previews, you may find Narnia a more savage place than you last left. It’s gorgeous, but definitely more intense (read: war-torn and suspenseful) than the first visit.
- Great post-viewing discussion opportunities abound. You might want to take notes.

- My hat is off to Andrew Adamson and his team. I cannot begin to imagine taking on the challenge of directing a film like this, but thank you for doing so. It was an enjoyable and often times breath-taking journey back. Well done.

First National Merchant Solutions is CBA’s service provider for credit card processing. If you haven't heard yet, FNMS is running a promotion from now until July 31 called the $500 Meet or Beat! If they can't save you money on your credit card processing, they will give you $500. Either way, you win. Give them a call today at (888) 474-8267 and be sure to identify yourself as a CBA member.

Below are a few tips from FNMS on how to avoid credit card fraud...

Check the last four digits of the card account number.

If they don’t match those on the receipt or on the terminal display, call your authorization center and ask for a code 10. Key-enter the account number of a card only if the card cannot be read by the mag-stripe reader. Always make an imprint of the card if a transaction is key entered.

Check the signature panel.
If the signature panel is not signed, ask the customer to sign the card. In addition, ask to see government-issued identification such as a driver’s license or passport. When the customer signs the card, compare the signature on the card to the signature on the receipt to make sure they match. If they don’t match, call for a code 10.

Faith Films vs. Family Films

Okay retailers, I need your help. I am writing an article for an upcoming issue of CBA Retailers+Resources on the subject of faith films versus family films, and I need to explore the idea of how retailers are now choosing what to stock in their stores.

So, what do you think? How do you decide what to carry? How much do your customers' demands influence your purchasing habits? Where do you draw the line what's appropriate? Is it okay for a Christian retail store to carry more mainstream products like Hannah Montana DVDs? What is actually selling your stores today? If we stripped away all family films, what would your core inventory really be? And perhaps more importantly, what do you want to see from the studios?

My deadline is Wednesday so hurry and either post your comments here or email me! Thanks much!

Great Opportunities Abound...

CBA member retailer Gunnar Simonsen from Christian Supply Center in Portland, Oregon, emailed our team recently with some great information on what’s been happening in his area and how Christian Supply has been reaching out to the churches and customers in its community. We hope his words will spur your thinking and encourage you in your work.

The main thing right now is with the Momentum Conference. This is and has been grass roots the entire way. I just received word that we are now nearing 400 students registered for this event that was not even on our minds 60 days ago.

The beauty in this is that the heart is this... "It's not about the numbers...it's about the hunger."

This year, the Luis Palau organization is returning to their own backyard and holding a massive waterfront event in Portland. The last time they were here, we saw 150,000 people show up in a town that many say is the moat unchurched in America. What is so exciting about this year is that they have added a twist to the experience by calling on the local church community to rise up and commit to various service projects around the city. At their kickoff meeting this past spring, we saw 750 churches represented. It was an amazing event that called for Thy Kingdom come and not that of our individual churches or businesses. Meaning, it is not about my kingdom or yours, but His.

Take Control! Take Advantage of Your Benefits!

When people call CBA wondering why they should be a member, one of the very first things we typically tell them is they have access to an incredible amount of savings through CBA’s Service Providers. These savings can greatly impact a company’s bottom line. Even if a store can save 10% of its expenses across the board, that difference might be all that’s need to get back on track in today’s economy.

So today we’d like to share with you how one retailer is using of her member benefits. We really do hope you’ll take advantage of your benefits, as they will save you time and money. If you have questions about CBA’s benefits or ideas for future benefits, contact Lauren.

A few years back, I challenged myself to quantify the actual savings that Siriani’s Fed Ex program was providing to our store in contrast to my CBA member dues, because I had observed other stores dropping their membership on the basis that it was not "cost efficient." Since then, I have tracked our savings under the Fed Ex program. In 2007, we saved in excess of $717 in freight savings under the Fed Ex program. Even after I "filtered" out the $120 of savings attributable to charge backs and billing corrections that I'd negotiated with Fed Ex Customer Service that resulted in a net savings of $596 in one year alone.  Put that in contrast to the $350 our CBA membership annual dues and it's a "no brainer" to stay a member.