• Consumer Confidence Dip Is Bad Holiday Omen

The consumer confidence index fell to 53.1. Last month, it registered 54.5. Economists expected that the index would go up to 57.0.

The consumer confidence index is a monthly survey that economists use to forecast the future of the economy. As consumers get more confident about their future, they spend more money. Less confident consumers spend less money.

The majority of economists and experts believe that the economy is getting better. This downward trend indicates that consumers don't agree.

The bottom line is that a falling consumer confidence index indicates that retailers and restaurants will have a worse than expected holiday season.

Read the entire article at:

http://money.cnn.com/2009/09/29/news/economy/consumer_confidence/index.htm?postversion=2009092911

Read more about the Consumer Confidence Index at:

http://www.conference-board.org/economics/ConsumerConfidence.cfm

•  (Restaurant Startup & Growth)

The October issue of Restaurant Owners & Startup is now available. I've gotten many of you to subscribe. If you own a restaurant, you need it!!!

Go here to get a FREE issue and surf the website:

http://restaurantowner.com/

Sign up for your free weekly restaurant tips at the same site.

This week's tips shared information from a restaurant owner who was able to increase sales by more than 400% in one year during a recession. What did she do?

The owner trains her staff on a daily basis. "People don't have to go out to eat, so when they do, we make sure that we exceed their expectations in every way."

"At these meetings we focus on customer service in every possible form, from making sure there's no trash on the floor, to smiling, to looking the guest in the eye when we take orders, to outstanding acts of kindness...."

"I go over everything, and I think by doing this on a daily basis it gives the servers, runners, bus staff and hosts the confidence to know how to handle every situation."

"I constantly tell them to treat the guest the way you would want someone to treat their mom...no one ever wants someone to be mean to their mom...."

• Noncustomers Want To Use My Restrooms

Many restaurants and retail owners face the same question. What do you do with noncustomers who want to use your restroom.

Lots of restaurant and retail owners freak out at the prospect. They do not want noncustomers using their restroom. Many businesses post signs on their front window stating, "Restroom for Customers Only."

On the other hand, many retail stores take the opposite point of view. Lots of department stores pride themselves on having clean attractive restrooms. Lots of business owners  believe that they should do nothing to impede nonguests from availing themselves to the facilities.

It appears from my informal survey that most retailers and restaurants actually favor allowing noncustomers use of their restrooms.

I agree with those retailers and restaurants who have clean attractive restrooms s available to all. It's all part of a better customer experience. I just know that there are going to be lots of people out there sending me opposing view horror stories!

The restroom controversy is only one of the topics covered in the October issue of Restaurant Startup & Growth (see the above article).

• Windows 7 Available October 22, 2009

Microsoft is set to officially release Windows 7 on October 22, 2009.

We've had Windows, Windows 286, Windows 3, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows XP and Windows Vista.

Before you read on, pcAmerica has not yet officially endorsed the use of Windows 7 with Cash Register Express (CRE) and Restaurant Pro Express (RPE). Our tech department is successfully using it and it appears to work fine. We are not yet sure if Windows 7 will work with all peripherals that we offer. Before purchasing Windows 7 for use with CRE or RPE, please call your account representative for the latest compatibility information.

That aside, let's talk about Windows XP vs. Windows Vista vs. Windows 7.

All versions of Windows prior to Windows XP were pretty lame. Actually, they were great at the time. Using Windows was a real treat. Having icons and the graphical user interface was great. It made a computer much easier to use for the common person. It was a great idea but you needed to reboot your computer a few times or more each day. That was a real headache.

Along came Windows XP. The unique thing about Windows XP is that it actually worked well. You no longer needed to frequently reboot your computer. At pcAmerica, employees were amazed that you could go an entire day without having to restart your computer. Microsoft did an amazing job at promoting Windows XP. People lined up at stores 24 hours prior to the release of Windows XP. It was a life changing event.

Windows Vista was released on January 30, 2007. Unlike Windows XP, it didn't change the world. More than 60% of computer owners still use Windows XP. Windows Vista has only been able to get about 30% of the market. Lots of people don't like it. Many businesses have retained Windows XP and have refused to change.

Windows Vista got off to a bad start. Many hardware and software programs did not work with Windows Vista. Windows Vista requires lots of RAM. Many of computers were sold with insufficient RAM and people found Vista to be slow.

The truth is that Windows Vista is actually a great product. It has been fixed. All those initial problems are gone. Unfortunately, the bad reputation never went away. I've been using Windows Vista for a couple of years now. It is more stable than XP. Once you get to know the difference, you will never go back. As long as you get 3 GBs of RAM, you will not have any computer performance problems.

Along comes Windows 7. It will be available on October 22, 2009. I have no doubt that Windows 7 will be a big winner. Actually, a better name for Windows 7 may be Windows Vista - (Minus).

Microsoft eliminated the bad things about Windows Vista and added some more good things.

Here are the good things about Windows 7.

It boots really fast. Unlike Windows Vista, you don't have time to eat lunch while your computer is booting. You won't even have a chance for a snack.

Windows 7 uses less resources. Using Windows Vista with a 1 GB computer was very slow. Windows 7 works well with 1 GB. However, since the cost of memory has gone down dramatically, you should buy any new computer with 4 GBs of RAM.

Windows 7 is much smarter. Windows Vista constantly asked questions that only a computer expert would understand. Do you want to install this program? Do you give Windows permission to do this or do that? Most people just guessed. Windows 7 is much easier for the common person to use.

Windows 7 has a new taskmaster. The new taskbar replaces the old small icons. It's easier and more intuitive to use.

Windows 7 now let's you automatically encrypt your flash drive. You can use your Windows 7 encrypted flash drive with any version of Windows

One of the biggest and best new features is the new Windows touch interface. I have no doubt  that this touch interface is going to help sell lots of new touch screen compatible computers.

Is it worth it? I waited a year before I purchase a Windows Vista computer. I'm pretty excited about Windows 7. I think Microsoft has it right and I'm ready to buy a new computer with a touch.

I do advise that you wait about a month before buying a new Windows 7 computer. Let someone else get out the bugs.

If you are currently using a Windows XP computer, keep using it. There is probably no great reason to upgrade your present computer to Windows 7.

If you are buying a new computer for a small office or a student, I would get a Windows 7 computer.

I believe that small businesses and corporations are going to make the switch. It won't happen in a day, but I have absolutely no doubt that Windows 7 will rule.

Read more about Windows 7 in PC World at:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/172602/windows_7_review.html