==“™ " " Performers Few In Numbers?
Small Businesses Black Soapers In Sorry State
News & Views
Danger Signals
What type of danger signals
should a small business owner look
for in managing a small retail or
service store? Can you hear and
see these danger signals? Well,
yes! You can hear your customers
complaining about the lack of
service! You can hear your em
ployees giving customers misin
formation about your products and
service! You can touch dusty
counters and displays! You can see
customers walk out without buy
ing! You can see the loss when
your -cash register continuously
checks up short each week.
Fortunately you don’t need super
.senses to hear, touch and see some
of these danger signals happening
in your business. These signals pop
up like red flags on the expired
parking meters in front of your
store.
Some of the danger signals con
cerning your customers may show
i4> in the following manner. Many
of your customers walk out without
buying your goods or services.
Many old customers no longer visit
your store. The traffic in front of
your store has fallen off. Your
employees do not urge your cus
tomers to buy additional or more
expensive items in your store.
Your customers are returning
more merchandise than they did in
the past. Your sales are iJowirtlrts
month over the same month last
year.
A small store invites customers
to stay away in a number of
different ways. Your display win
dow may not be trimmed with new
and exciting merchandise. Your
display racks, shelves and count
ers are dusty, and merchandise is
poorly displayed. Perhaps some of
your stock looks shopworn. Your
store may have a rundown look
and the crowded aisles may make
it hard for customers to reach the
stock.
Your store’s profits may be
slipping and if so you should think
about the following items. Your
prices may not be in line with your
competition. You may have accu
mulated too many sizes and colors
that simply will not sell. Your
stocks may not be flagged to
remind you to reorder at the
proper time. Your markdowns on
style items are not made quickly
as your customers begin to discard
one style for another. Your store
may not take advantage of cash
discounts on store purchases.
Then there are warning flags
that are hoisted by your em
ployees. Your employees may be
slow in greeting customers and
may appear indifferent and make
customers wait unnecessarily. The
personal appearance of your em
ployees may not be good. Your
sales employees may lack know
ledge of your store’s merchandise
and services. Your employees are
making too many mistakes in
handling sales transactions. Some
of your best and most qualified
employees may be leaving your
store to go with your competi
tion.
Early storm warnings can also
be sounded by money problems. A
small store may be in financial
—trouble if the owner-manager bare
ly makes ends meet from month to
month. The owner-manager may
have trouble meeting payments on
bank and other commercial debts.
Your store may be penalized for
paying its bills too late. The owner
manager may pay himself or
herself more than is justified by
the store’s total sales
For additional information con
tact the Economic Development
Division, Center for Improving
Mountain Living. Western Caro
lina University, Cullowhee, NC
28723.
By Sherry Johnson
Special To The Post
“I have been on One Life to
Live’ for 12 consecutive years,
making me the most durable black
performer in daytime," said Ellen
Holly in a “Soap Opera Digest”
interview before she left her long
standing role of Carla Scott last
fall. “I wish I could feel I’ve
pioneered something, but instead I
felt a tremendous sense of frustra
tion.”
A sentiment shared, no doubt, by
those loyal, sympathetic friends
like Frank and Nancy Grant on
"All My Children"; those faithful
^sidekicks like Calvin Barnes on
"The Doctors"; the ones who
portray television’s socially ac
ceptable "good Negroes" - her
fellow black actors on soap operas
Herb Davis, remembered as
Carla's former "One Life” boy
friend and most recently as Lt
Luke Chandler on "The Edge of
Night,” could have_been describ
ing Bryan Phillips ("General Hos
pital” ) or Sadie Gray ("One Life to
Live”) or Calvin Stone ("Edge of
Night") or any black daytimer
when he said of his role, “After all,
my function on “Edge of Night”
has been to validate white people's
decisions-. When I am shown out on
a date, such as at dinner - in a
white people’s restaurant - my
lady friend and I discuss what
white people are doing. I am a sort
of neuter good guy.’'
These black good guys - and gals
- are few in number. Last year, the
Concerned Black Artists for Action
estimated that a meager 4 percent
orcTaytime drama’s 350 continuing
roles were black ones. Add that to
the fact that “Ryan’s Hope.” “The
Young and The Restless,’’
“Texas,” “Search for Tomorrow,”
"The Guiding Light" and “Days of
Our Lives” feature no regular
black characters and you have a
dismal picture of the status of
blacks on soap operas.
Ironically, soap opera has fought
its way from stepchild of the
entertainment industry to national
COLOR TV'S
19" XI. 100 SOLID STATE 225.00
25” QUASAR ,2?5 ^
25” ADMIRAL U0 W)
25" MOTOROLA . .0'
25" MOTOROLA I65 (M)
22” SII.VERTONE CONSOLET $140.00
25” RCA CONSOLE 165.00
25” CURTIS MATHIS 165.00
19” SILVERTONE PORTABLE 175.00
25” ZENITH CONSOLE
. .Remote Control
25" MAGNAVOX
Table Model — >25.00
19” ZENITH PORTABLE 150.00
19” ZENITH PORTABLE 50.00
22" ZENITH PORTABLE 165.00
19” RCA PORTABLE 150.00
25" RCA CONSOLE 165.00
25” ZENITH CONSOLE 165.00
15" RCA PORTABLE 150.00
90% Of The Above TV's Have New Rebuilt Picture Tubes
That Carry A Full Year's Warranty.
All TV's subject to prior sole.
TEL - COLOR
"Your Color TV Super Market" Over 50 Sets to sell!!
; 2210 W. Morehead St. . 372-4203 Mon‘Fri ^ ^ 10-2
fad to subject matter of university
courses by being “innovative.” No
longer just the thematic province
of amnesia victims, wayward hus
bands and unwed mothers, day
time drama's long-form structure
allows it to delve deeply into the
most intimate of human relation
ships and has also made it perfect
forum to examine both ticklish and
timely topics. Recent serial story
lines have explored the emotional
perimeters of surrogate mothering
and the emotional ambiguities of
WFAE Returns
To The Air
WFAE-FM. Stereo 91, returns to
the air June 29 at 6 p.m. The station
will operate 18 hours per day,
seven days per week of public
radio.
WFAE will be an affiliate of the
National Public Radio iNPRi, the
award-winning radio network.
June 29 will be proclaimed
"WFAE Day" by Mayor Eddie
Knox in honor of the station’s
return to the air For program
mine information, please call
'597-2555 __
acquaintance rape Steady day
time viewers have been fed a
steady diet-of visual spectable:
"Ryan's Hope's” Siobhan being
pursued by a shark; "General
Hospital's” Luke and Laura swirl
ing romantically through a depart
ment store; Nina Courtland's
masqued ball on “All My Child
ren". And what could run the risk
of stepping on more sensitive toes
than a nun falling in love and
leaving her order as Sister Marie
Justin did on “Days of Our Lives?"
IMPORTANT NEWS FOR
BACKACHE SUFFERERS!
MOMENTUM" Tablets are
50°o stronger than Doan's.
Before you lake Doans Pills lor
muscular backache remember this
MOMENTUM Tablets are 50% stronqer
than Doans That means MOMENTUM
gives you 50% more pain reliever pe'
dose 10 relieve backache
To reduce pain soothe inflammation
so muscles locsen-you can move more
Ireely m minutes' Theres no stronqer
backache medication you can buy with
out a prescription than MOMENTUM
Tablets Take only as directed
1981
Presented By HAMPTON INSTITUTE
THE CITY OF HAMPTON and GEORGE WEIN
June 26, 27 & 2K
June 26, 27 & 28
Hampton Coliseum - Hampton. Virginia
Friday, June 26, 7:30 p.m.
SMOKEY ROBINSON
THE CRUSADERS
SPYROGYRA
HANK CRAWFORD
Saturday. June 27,7:30 p.m.
NANCY WILSON •
HERBIE HANCOCK QUARTET
Featuring
Ron Carter
Tony Williams
with Wynton Marsalis
McCOY TYNER
SPECIAL GUEST ATTRACTIONS
MELTORME'
GERRY MULLIGAN
Sunday. June 28, 3:00 p.m.
ARETHA FRANKLIN
B.B. KING
JERRY BUTLER
Price per person, per show -112.00. $11.00. $10.00
ALLSKATS RKSKRVKD
Tickets available at the Hampton Coliseum Boa Office and all Ticketron locations
All snows subject to charge Group purchase information available upon request