Tag Archives: Management

3 Benefits of a Parcel Insurance Plan for Your Business

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With the massive closures of retail stores throughout the U.S. at an all-time high, it’s safe to say that if your business doesn’t ship its product, you may be out of business soon. People buy everything online these days, including their food and medications. You need to ship to appeal to today’s target demographic, and you need a parcel insurance plan for protection. Here are three reasons why.
1. Damage

One disadvantage of e-business is product is still your responsibility when it leaves your door. A brick and mortar store hands a good over to its customer and the transaction is complete. If the customer breaks the good on the way out to his or car, that’s his or her problem. When you ship your product, if it arrives to a customer damaged, it’s your problem, and that can be costly unless you have insurance.

2. Loss

Another disadvantage is loss. Again, when a customer leaves a store with product in hand, it is out of your hands should he or she lose it. If a customer’s package gets lost in the mail, it is your problem. Depending on your business policy, you will be responsible for replacing the lost item and possibly even paying to ship the replacement good yourself. A parcel insurance plan will help cover those costs.

3. Shortage

Finally, it’s easy to catch a shoplifter in a brick and mortar store; it isn’t easy to catch a shoplifter when you transport your product. Anyone could have opened the package and taken some of the goods out, or the warehouse personnel did not pack the correct number of goods. Either way, your insurance coverage will help cover the replacement costs of shorted parcel.

These are three reasons why you need a parcel insurance plan for your business. Gone are the days of the product becoming the customer’s responsibility right after purchase. Now, you must ensure the good makes it to your customer unscathed.

How Do Bed Bugs Get into the Office?

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Bed bugs are a serious problem across much of the country. While they’re most often associated with homes and apartments, they can be a nuisance for business owners as well. Even if a business doesn’t have beds for them to hide in, bed bugs tend to congregate in any building where there are a lot of people coming and going. Here’s how you can find them and use St. Louis commercial bed bug systems to get rid of an existing infestation.

Where Are Bed Bugs Most Common?
Bed bugs can live just about anywhere, but they’re more likely to be found in buildings with a lot of foot traffic. Businesses like hotels, restaurants, daycare centers, hospitals, and airports are some of the most common places to find these troublesome critters. Still, they can be found in any office, even if you take great pains to keep your building clean.

Top Bed Bug Cities
Some areas of the country are known for being hotspots for bed bugs. In general, large cities tend to have the worst infestations since bed bugs are drawn to areas where lots of people are present. Cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., New York City, and San Francisco are notorious for their bed bug populations and frequently top the lists of bed bug incidents each year.

How Bed Bugs Travel
Unlike many parasites, bed bugs won’t usually hitch a ride directly on you or your clothing. Instead, they’ll typically travel in your suitcase, briefcase, gym bag, or other containers. They don’t fly or jump, so usually elevating your bags up off the floor is enough to prevent them from hitching a ride with you. They are nocturnal and do most of their feeding and moving around during the night. They’ll hide in the carpet or in cracks in the walls during the day and are so small that they’re extremely difficult to spot until the infestation has really gotten underway.

How to Spot an Infestation
If your employees are complaining of getting itchy bites at home or in the workplace, it’s a good idea to check your building for bed bugs. Check around the bases of walls and any upholstered areas such as carpets, curtains, or furniture. You may find discarded shells left behind by the insects, or you may find tiny black spots of waste that the bed bugs excrete. You might even find some of the bugs themselves, especially if there is a large infestation. They are small, flat, and oval: about the size, color, and shape of an apple seed.

What to Do if You Find Bed Bugs
Immediate treatment with St. Louis commercial bed bug systems is necessary if you find bed bugs in your office. Bed bugs can lay hundreds of eggs over their lifetime, meaning your population can expand rapidly once it takes root. Vacate the infested area, and leave all your bags and other belongings behind for treatment as well. Advise your staff and customers that bed bugs have been spotted and that they should take precautions such as checking their clothing and bags for insects before they go home.