With a New Year under way and Lynn passing the baton (read her article here), we're posting an update on the "State of the Skurla's" and where the business is going with some perspectives by the new owners - the folks you already know: Jesse Dison and Thomas Greenman:
It’s an interesting time we live in right now. On the surface, things don’t seem like they’ve changed too much but dig a little deeper and you’ll see changes everywhere. I think that’s part of the problem businesses in Alaska are having – identifying change. As they say, the first step in fixing a problem is identifying the problem, and oh boy do we have problems. First and foremost: labor.
One of the highest compliments we can receive as a business is when one our customers refer us to another business. Laile Fairbairn from Locally Grown Restaurants (Snow City Cafe, Spenard Roadhouse, South Restaurant + Coffehouse, and Crush Bistro) is another one of our vocal customers who referred a new customer who signed up for our new NCA Referral program, and she scored $500 in cash!
If you're one of our amazing customers and refer another local business to sign up with our new EdgeServ POS with NCA (Non-Cash Adjustment) credit card processing, you’ll be doing two amazing things:
For Alaskans, being connected on the internet with each other and the lower 48, is a way of life. But life could be getting better for those with slow speeds as Starlink's new satellite-based internet service is now available for Alaskans. The service is expected to provide around the same speeds and cost to all of rural Alaska as you could expect in have in Anchorage. Starlink isn’t the only big change coming in the way of high-speed internet for Alaskans. Thanks to efforts from the federal government to fund more broadband to Alaska via an infrastructure act, Alaskans can expect to have multiple options for faster, more cost-effective internet access.
“Short Staffed Is Our New Pandemic” was the sign I saw on a door at a busy restaurant in Florida last month while I was on vacation. I thought to myself, wow what a great way to explain a bad situation to hungry patrons. The sign went on to say, “We’re grateful for the staff members that did show up and hope you are too. So please show it by being patient and understanding with all staff members. Thank you, Management.”
From Alaska to Florida, being short staffed is something everyone is dealing with, and not just in the hospitality industry but all manner of industries. One of my recent flights back to Alaska was delayed because they were waiting on a replacement cabin crew member. On another, travelers couldn’t check their bags because no staff were manning the counter (they did show up a little later and used mobile phones to line bust and check folks faster – thank you Alaska Airlines). So where have all the workers gone?
Some industries are hiring more than ever, like the health care industry, with little doubt because as all parts of the country are dealing with increased demand on their services. Not surprisingly, larger companies are also snapping up workers as well, with most being able to offer more pay and benefits to employees looking to make more or for a career change. The result being that small businesses are struggling to keep up, let alone compete with these large companies. Couple that with those same companies still offering remote work, you start to see that it looks more like a migration than a temporary change.
In addition, aging workers are retiring, with some retiring earlier than expected. We are also seeing less people moving to the state, and fewer foreign workers coming in for seasonal jobs. So, while many see the pandemic as being mostly over, for some the effects are still an everyday struggle.
Read more about the labor shortage in Alaska but across the nation:
At Skurla’s, we firmly believe that the right technology and payment solutions can enable Alaskans to go beyond just surviving but grow. Our game changing credit card processing programs can save you up to 99% of your credit card fees – can you see the value in reaching out to us? Visit us at www.skurlas.com or call 907-243-2683.
In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, we will be closed Thursday, November 24th and will be working remotely on Friday the 25th.
We understand the importance of customer service and issues that may arise during this busy retail season.
If you have an emergency or have run out of supplies, please call us at 907-243-2683. Follow the prompts to page us, and we will be happy to assist you.
Working with the right software and credit card partners is key in our business - key to the solutions we offer, the support we receive from our vendors - and the trust of our customers when they partner with us.
We recently returned from the industry conference at RetailNOW in Orlando, and we were excited to learn that many of our vendor partners took away top industry awards. An RSPA Vendor Award of Excellence is an honor given to a vendor by their resellers and is highly coveted in the retail technology industry.
Congratulations to Thomas Greenman, Vice President of Skurla's POS Solutions, for being elected to the Board of Directors for the Retail Solutions Providers Association. RSPA is the only Association
dedicated to the retail and hospitality technology industry, since 1948.
Touching the waters of Bristol Bay is the Native Village of Kwigillingok. Kwik Store Inc., in Kwigillingok is the sole grocer provider to all residents. Skurla's recently did a new install that was ten years in the making for Kwik Store. Our Service Manager, Jesse, flew to Kwigillingok to provide Auto-Star point of sale to Kwik Store. Fulfilling our promise to install and provide proper training for businesses to fully utilize their new system.
