Wintergreen Northern Wear Opens a New Store!

BHD customer, Wintergreen Northern Wear, up in Ely, Minnesota, shared some good news with us! They just opened their THIRD Retail Store in Minnesota.

The new store opened at: 743 East Lake Street Wayzata, MN

Wintergreen advertises in the BHD Newsletter, and is enjoying great success at all of their retail operations. Visit them online at: WWW.WINTERGREENNORTHERNWEAR.COM/

Congratulations to this successful business!!!

Read the latest Retail Pro Customer Newsletter, "Retail Beat"

Retail Pro has published another Customer Newsletter packed with lots of great information for retailers. If you did not receive a copy, please take a moment to read through this issue:

'Retail Beat'

Does 9 make you happy? Another satisfied v9 customer talks about his experience
Meet New Retail Pro Alliance Partners, and Discover What They Can Do For You
Retail Pro Welcomes New Team Member for Europe
Integrity Tests: Do They Work? HRVision Provides Solid Proof for its Solution
Retail Pro Brings A Regional Customer and Partner Conference to the Middle East
Concrete moves to Retail Pro 9

Give us a call if you have any questions! 800-377-7776

BHD Call Back Time in November, 2011

63 Minutes!

We continually strive to give you the best support and quickest response time in the industry!

Seven Year-End Business Tax Tips You Should Consider Now

Link to Article in Forbes Magazine
Thinking about taxes in October may be scary for some business owners, but accountants and financial advisors are already looking past seasonal holidays in the fourth quarter to the coming year.

Paul Etzler, a principal in the accounting and auditing dept Skoda Minotti, says that with a little planning NOW, business owners can ensure they take advantage of all of the appropriate deductions and credits for the 2011 tax year. There are thousands of dollars at stake, too, with several important rules expiring this year unless Congress acts to extend them.

Here are Etzler’s top seven tips for year-end business tax planning:

1. In this season of shopping, consider making some purchases for your business. Purchases of most capital equipment, including furniture, computers and most vehicles, may qualify for more generous expensing options than will probably be allowed in the future. For the 2011 tax year, tax code Section 179 allows a deduction of up to $500,000 for qualified purchases (either outright, financed or through a capital lease) of up to $2 million. That means many small and medium sized businesses that make purchases by year end might be able to deduct most, if not all, of their outlays for machinery and equipment. Without an extension by Congress, the $2 million limit drops to $560,000 next year, and the maximum deduction drops to $139,000. Similarly, the current ability to write off 100% of the purchases in the year bought (rather than an amount prorated for use during the purchase year) may go away next year, too.

2. Pull the trigger on late-year hires. Take advantage of expiring credits worth up to 40% of the first $6,000 in wages (or $2,400) if you hire qualifying workers (such as certain veterans or food-stamp recipients) by the end of 2011. Under current law, that credit won’t be available for workers hired after this year. Check for details and for more information on partial credits for late-in-the-year hires. A lot of states also offer these types of credits.

3. Explore your next growth vehicle. Certain credits for research and product development won’t be available for post-2011 expenditures unless Congress extends the credit. Startup companies and established businesses alike can claim tax benefits for consulting, legal and professional fees and other labor costs, as well as materials, if they are tied to research and development of a product or new market and have proper documentation.

4. Self-employed? Get set for retirement. Now’s the time to research and set up a smart plan for retirement. Changes in recent years provide a lot more flexibility for self-employed workers to use a combination of IRAs (Individual Retirement Accounts) and investments held in IRAs and still receive tax advantages. Doing the legwork now may allow you to start 2012 with a plan that takes full advantage of appropriate financial benefits.

5. Consider waiting until 2012 to cancel debt or dispose of loss-producing rental properties or other so-called passive activities. Depending on your situation, waiting to do these things might allow you to deduct suspended losses.

6. Boost your ownership stake in order to deduct a 2011 loss. If you own an interest in a partnership or S corporation, you can typically only deduct losses up to the value of what you’ve put into the entity. You may need to increase your commitment (by boosting capital, in the case of an S corp, or in the case of a partnership, by providing cash, by loaning, or by personally signing on the entity’s debt) in order to deduct maximum losses in 2011.

7. Consider bonuses. In some cases, companies can take a deduction for the current tax year for bonuses actually paid the following tax year. Bonuses can’t be for an employee owning more than 50 percent of the value of the corporation’s stock, and the bonus must be accrued on the books by the end of the current tax year. In addition, the bonus must be paid within the first 2.5 months of the following tax year. Employees don’t pick up personal income taxes on the bonus until the following year, too.

BHD Call Back Time

For the weeks of October 3 through October 28, the BHD Call-back time was 55 minutes. We are successfully keeping your wait under an hour and hope to improve it to an even shorter wait!

10 BHD Techs Now Certified in Retail Pro v9!!

BHD is proud to announce that we now have 10 techs and trainers CERTIFIED IN RETAIL PRO v9.

You know you are getting the very best in tech support when you call BHD for support.

Congratulations to our wonderful technicians and trainers!!

BHD Call-Back Time

Over the last four weeks, the tech call-back time for customers on the tech board is:

52 Minutes

We constantly strive to improve our customer service!
Call the BHD tech line at: 916-368-1070

BHD Call-Back Time

For the Month of August, BHD's average Tech call-back time has been 45 minutes. With all our Techs being Retail Pro v8 and v9 Certified, as well as additional Tech staff recently added, we are proud to have significantly reduced the call-back time to customers who have experienced technical issues.

We constantly strive to improve our service to customers, making Big Hairy Dog the #1 Retail Pro support company worldwide.

BHD Using New Backup Solution: NovaStor

After doing a review of backup options available we have made a decsion to switch to a new solution called NovaStor. This will replace the NTI Backup software that we have been suppling on all installations.

We will of course continue to support the NTI backup software for all existing installs.

NovaStor will also be used at BHD for our backups, so we would like to offer it to our customers as well.

If you have any questions regarding this, please contact a BHD Tech at 916-368-1070.

BHD Techs v8 and v9 Certified!

Big Hairy Dog is proud to announce that 8 of our techs have just completed Retail Pro's stringent certification programs!

• Retail Pro v9 Applications Expert



• Retail Pro 9 System Engineer

This is just another way BHD offeres you the BEST SUPPORT in the industry!
Congratulations BHD Techs!!!

C'EST LA VIE Wins 5 FREE Tech Hours!!

Every couple of months, BHD sends a "Courtest Tect Email Survey" out to all customers just to be sure everything is going okay with their Retail Pro system.

Most customers respond to this survey, and those who do, get their name entered into a drawing. A winner is drawn twice a year from all customers who responded to the survey, and the winner receives 5 FREE Tech Hours. This is a $625 value for those current on Software Assurance.

For the first half of 2011, a winner was drawn from all survey responders - and the winner was C'EST LA VIE, a great jewelry and accessories store up in Edmonds, Washington. Colleen and Michael Bowman, Owners, were happy to hear the good news, and said they will be calling to schedule some needed training!

Congratulations C'EST LA VIE!!

BHD Customer, USS HORNET, Celebrates The 4th of July!

The 2011 4th of July festivities were in full swing this year on the USS Hornet. Marti, our wonderful Retail Pro System Operator and the Gift Shop Manager, shared some pictures of the event with us.
There was entertainment for all ages; Children's 'Flight Zone', Flight-Deck Dancing, Music provided by several groups, including The Honey Bee Trio, Food and Beverages, and so much more offered to over 2000 visitors. This year saw the highest attendance ever, and Retail Pro processed the sales transactions flawlessly the entire day!
Congratulations to USS Hornet for another successful event!

DARRELL FRANKLIN wins free trip to Tahoe cabin!

A familiar phrase heard at Big Hairy Dog is " Great Job - Spin the Wheel!" The employees are rewarded for a job well done, a customer compliment, a team-member appreciation, or maybe just a consistently good attitude, by a spin of the company prize wheel. Winners may win a dinner for two, a gift card, massage, and many other fun and entertaining gifts, depending upon where the wheel stops. (Joe Malaney has been known to spin the best prizes - and is often the stand-in spinner!)

In addition to the prize won, each time the wheel is spun, the recipient is entered into a drawing for a weekend at the Malaney's timeshare vacation home at Lake Tahoe. On the last raffle drawing, Darrell Franklin won and is enjoying some vacation time with his family at the Lake Tahoe cabin!

Congratulations to all the winners and especially to Darrell! Keep up the good work!

California Statewide Sales and Use Tax Rate is 7.25 Percent

Many of you have called in with questions on the new tax rate change. The information below is from the CA State Board of Equalization website, and provides good information that retailers need to know regarding this tax rate change.

Additionally, there is information on the BHD website which will assist you in changing the tax rate within Retail Pro. "Feature of the Month - How to Change your Tax Rate". Please call the BHD Tech line if you have any questions on this issue: 916-368-1070.

FROM CA STATE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION:

On July 1, 2011, the statewide sales and use tax rate decreased from 8.25 percent to 7.25 percent. In areas where there are voter-approved district taxes, the total tax rate related to sales and purchases is the statewide base tax rate of 7.25 percent plus any applicable district tax.

How do I find my current rate?
For a current listing of California sales and use tax rates by city and county, please visit our website at www.boe.ca.gov/cgi-bin/rates.cgi. Our website also includes a link to a free sales and use tax rate locator (www.geotax.com) that allows you to determine a tax rate for any address in the state. However, we provide the GeoTax link only as a public service. We do not maintain the website and are not responsible for the content or accuracy of the information on that site.

What if I collected tax at the incorrect rate?
We are aware that some retailers may not have reprogrammed their cash registers in time for the tax rate change. If you charged sales tax reimbursement or collected use tax at the higher rate on or after July 1, 2011, you must return any excess tax collected to your customers or pay it to the State.

How do I handle returned merchandise?
If a customer purchases merchandise before July 1, 2011, but returns it after that date, you should refund tax based on the rate in effect at the time of the sale (that is, the amount you collected from the customer).

What if I have a fixed-price contract?
In general, fixed-price contracts and fixed-price lease agreements entered into prior to the effective date of a tax increase are not subject to the tax increase. The fixed-price contract exemption, however, is designed to protect the business expectations of the parties when they enter into the contract and protect them from an unplanned increase in tax rate. When the tax rate decreases after the terms of your contract have been established, any sales made after the date of the tax decrease would be taxed at the new, lower rate.

What is the date of sale?
A sale occurs when a customer takes title to or possession of an item. (Not when payment is received.) Consequently, sales are generally subject to the applicable tax rate in effect when the merchandise is delivered to the customer, unless a contract specifically identifies and passes title to the customer at a different time.

How is the rate of the partial state tax exemptions affected?
On July 1, 2011, the partial state tax exemption rate decreased from 6.25 % to 5.25 % for qualifying sales of the following:

• Teleproduction or other postproduction service equipment
  
• Farm equipment and machinery
  
• Diesel fuel used in farming activities or food processing
  
• Timber harvesting equipment and machinery
  
• Racehorse breeding stock

How do I obtain new tax rate charts?
The BOE-180, Sales Tax Reimbursement Schedules, for transactions up to $100, are available at www.boe.ca.gov/sutax/streimsched.htm.

How do I receive future notices via email?
By maintaining your account email address, we can send you periodic notices and updates which are specific to you or your business in a timely and cost efficient manner. You may add or update your account email address when you login as a registered eClient and select the Maintain Your Sales and Use Tax Account link. To register or to login as an eClient, begin by selecting the eServices tab at www.boe.ca.gov. You may also complete and send to us form BOE-345-WEB, Notice of Business Change.

How can I get more information?
Please visit our website at www.boe.ca.gov or call our Taxpayer Information Section at 800-400-7115 (TTY: 711). Customer service representatives are available weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Pacific time), except state holidays.

Welcome to Baby Bailey Louise!

Look at THIS beautiful baby! BHD Tech, Jeremy, is the proud father of a new baby girl - BAILEY LOUISE. Bailey was born on June 5, 2011, weighed in at 8 lbs, 12 oz. and was 19.5 inches long.

With mama and big brother at home to take care of Bailey while Dad answers your calls in the BHD Tech room, everyone is doing great!

BHD offers PCCharge Annual Support Renewal at ONE LOW PAYMENT!

If you are a BHD customer and are currently using PCCharge, you may now purchase PCCharge Support Renewal for only $139 for a full 12 months.

BHD Techs are available to take your calls any time you may experience a PCCharge credit card processing issue. There are times, however, when a customer calls in to BHD for PCCharge tech support, and our tech needs to escalate the issue to Verifone. In those instances, when an issue does need to be escalated, Verifone will only provide technical support to those customers who have a current PCCharge Support Program.

We understand the importance of getting your credit card issues resolved immediately, as this has a direct impact on your daily business, as well as your customer's level of satisfaction. You can now have 'Credit Card Processing Peace of Mind' for one low annual charge of $139. If you would like to renew your PCCharge support at this low price, please contact Big Hairy Dog today.

Call: 800-377-7776

Visit our Website at: www.bighairydog.com

Are you on PCI Compliant Versions of Retail Pro - AND - PCCharge?

As a reminder, only 8.6 and 9.2 R2 and higher are PCI Compliant versions of Retail Pro.

If you are on a non-PCI Compliant version of Retial Pro please call BHD to upgrade.

Additionally, if you are using PCCharge as your credit card software, you may need to upgrade it to a PCI Compliant version, 5.8.1 or higher. Your PCCharge Support must be current prior to this upgrade.

You may purchase PCC support from Big Hairy Dog. Please call your sales rep at 800-377-7776.

BHD Thermal Receipts and Labels are BPA-Free

BHD has had a few customers questioning if there is BPA contained in the thermal receipts and labels we sell. What is BPA? Bisphenol A, commonly abbreviated as BPA, is an organic compound used to make polycarbonate plastic and epoxy resins, along with other applications.

Known to be estrogenic since the mid 1930s, concerns about the use of bisphenol A in consumer products were regularly reported in the news media in 2008 after several governments issued reports questioning its safety, prompting some retailers to remove products containing it from their shelves.

A 2010 report from the United States Food and Drug Administration raised further concerns regarding exposure of fetuses, infants and young children.

The consumable products sold by Big Hairy Dog contain NO BPA. If you have any questions regarding this, please call Buddy at 800-377-7776.

Internet Explorer v9 Approved for use with Retail Pro

The browser Internet Explorer version 9 is fully approved for use with Retail Pro. If you have any questions, please contact a BHD Tech at 916-368-1070.

Sun 'N Fun Airshow Temporarily Closed due to Storm

The annual Sun 'N Fun Fly-In event in Lakeland, Florida, is usually a warm and sunny airshow visited by crowds of airplane enthusiasts and interested onlookers. This BHD customer hosts the annual Sun 'N Fun 'Fly-In' about this time every year and puts over 60 Retail Pro computers to use to handle the retail business.

This year, however, Mother Nature had a different plan for this popular event. With the airstrip, runways and fields lined with displays of all types of aircraft, a tornado ripped through the show toppling aircraft and damaging scores of planes. With heavy rain, wind and moderate flooding, the crew worked around the clock to repair damages and re-open the show.

See for yourself the damage as it happened, in videos posted on YouTube. Type 'Sun 'N Fun Tornado'. We wish the best to our friends at Sun 'N Fun and applaud them for not letting the storm keep them closed to the public.

Retail Pro EFT Link for v9 Released under General Availability

Big Hairy Dog is pleased to offer the “General Availability” release of the Retail Pro EFT Link for v9.

The Retail Pro v9 EFT link is another example of Retail Pro International’s commitment to providing the user community with choice for electronic funds payments with Retail Pro. The Retail Pro EFT Link for Retail Pro v9 allows a retailer within North America to take Debit, Credit, and Gift cards within Retail Pro, as well as signature capture for Credit card-based transactions and Check Verification with the following Gateways and Banks:

• WorldPay
  
• Mercury Payment Systems
  
• First Data Merchant Systems

If you have any questions or would like more information on the EFT Link for Retail Pro v9, please call your BHD Sales Representative today at 800-377-7776.

NEW RELEASES: Retail Pro v9.2 r4 and Business Intelligence r4

Retail Pro 9.20 r4
The Retail Pro v9.20 r4 GA release will be available in the form of a Retail Pro Maintenance Pack and Image files for supported 32-bit and 64-bit platforms. The Maintenance Pack is to update existing Retail Pro 9.20 r2 installations. Upgrading from Retail Pro 9.14 or 9.20 r1 to Retail Pro 9.20 r4 requires a database conversion.

Retail Pro Business Intelligence
The r4 release of Business Intelligence will only be available in the form of an installation image. The Image files are for new 9.20 r4 installations.

For more information or to receive an upgrade to one or both of these new release versions, please contact Big Hairy Dog Tech Department at 916-368-1070.

Windows 7 is 'Fully Approved' to work with Retail Pro!

This is actually not NEW news, but a reminder that with the three qualifiers listed below, Windows 7 Operating System is fully approved to work with Retail Pro.

QUALIFIERS:
+ For Retail Pro version 8.6 you must use the 32-bit version of W7.
+ For Retail Pro version 9.2 you can use either 32-bit or 64-bit versions.
+ BHD will only support Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate versions.

As long as you have all the current updates to Windows XP installed, it is approved to use. If you have any questions regarding the use of Windows 7 OS, please call a BHD Tech at 916-368-1070.

BHD Customer LITTLE PALM gets High Rating!

Big Hairy Dog customer, Noble House, is a luxury hotel chain with 6 locations in popular resort locations around the country. One of their properties, LITTLE PALM, has been ranked by 'The Age', an Australian publication since 1854 (www.theage.com) as #38 out of the 50 best hotels in the world.

Little Palm is located in Summerland Key on Little Palm Island, a tiny private island reached by speedboat from the Lower Florida Keys. Little Palm Island was once a favorite playground of presidents (Roosevelt and Truman) and still draws American celebrities.

The hotel offers 30 secluded bungalows. The beach is narrow, but the sense of peace and privacy is enormous, as there are no televisions or phones available to the guests. If you are fortunate enough to visit the hotel, you will be amazed - it is truly first-class. If you are unable to visit in person, visit them online and view the beauty it offers. www.littlepalmisland.com

BHD Tech and Training Lead Times

BHD Techs and Trainers are booked out weeks in advance. Please call as soon as you anticipate needing tech support to get a time reserved on the calendar.
BHD Tech Support Line: 916-368-1070

TRAINING:
Phone appts starting 4/5 (JEFF)
Phone appts starting 4/7 (TANYA)
Phone appt starting 4/11 (COLT)

Onsites starting 4/11 (COLT)
Onsites starting 4/11 (JEFF)
Onsites starting 4/28 (TANYA)

TECH:

Phone appts starting 3/22
Onsites starting 4/6

Supreme Court ruling on requesting zip codes during a credit card transaction

A couple of weeks ago the Supreme Court in California ruled that asking a customer for their Zip Code during a credit card transaction violates privacy laws and therefore cant be done anymore.

Any customers using Credit Pro, PPM or PC Charge are affected by this ruling because Retail Pro requires a Zip Code when doing a manual charge. A manual charge is one where the credit card won't swipe for some reason and you have to type in a credit card number.

Credit Pro and PPM are not PA-DSS compliant, and if you have not already, you should remove this software from your computer immediately and properly address the associated compliance issues.

All California customers currently using PCCharge should switch their credit card application to either Shift4 or the Retail Pro EFT link. These two credit card softwares can have the Zip Code requirement turned off.

Please call BHD Sales at 800-377-7776 for assistance with ensuring that you are using the correct credit card software and are not putting your business at risk.

BHD Welcomes Two New National Parks

We are proud to welcome our two newest US National Parks to Retail Pro and Big Hairy Dog - Yosemite Conversancy and Yellowstone Association!

Yosemite National Park and the Yosemite Fund merged in June of 2010, to form the Yosemite Conservancy. The mission of the Yosemite Conservancy is to inspire people to support projects and programs that preserve the protect Yosemite National Park's resources and enrich the visitor experience. YOU can become a Yosemite volunteer!! Learn how on their website at: www.yosemiteconservancy.org/about-us.

Like Yosemite, The Yellowstone Association, also has great passion for what they do. Their mission is the preservation and protection of Yellowstone National Park through educational products and programs including field classes, private tours and so much more they offer to the public and park visitors. Read more about Yellowstone Association on their website at: http://www.yellowstoneassociation.org/.

BHD Sales Representative, Karen Page, recently visited Yellowstone and took some incredible pictures of some of their beautiful inhabitants, such as the Snowy Bison and a group of elk near the Rosevelt Arch. Karen was amazed at the beauty and serenity of this beautiful National Park.

Again, we proudly welcome these two new customers who are finding out how Retail Pro can centralize and simplify their retail operations.

BW 2011 requires OS Windows XP or Higher

Business Works (BW) v2011 will not work with OS Windows v2000 or Windows Server v2000.

If you are a BW user and run 'Payroll' with your BW, you must update to BW 2011, due to the Social Security tax changes, and you must update your Windows OS to Windows XP or higher.

If you have any questions regarding this, please call the BHD Tech link at: 916-368-1070 and ask for Darrell.

BDH Tech and Training Lead Times

TRAINING:
Phone Appointments starting at:
2/1/11 for Tanya
2/8/11 for Jeff
2/15/11 for Colt

Onsites starting at:
2/9/11 for Tanya
2/22/11 for Colt
2/25/11 for Jeff

TECHS:
Phone appointments starting at 1/19/11
Onsites starting at 1/20/11