NEWS RELEASE
Contact Information:
Don Helbig
Public Relations Area Manager
(513) 754-5797
don.helbig@visitkingsisland.com

April 16, 2009 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KINGS ISLAND OPENING DAY WILL BE APRIL 18
More Than $95,000 Raised For Rides On New Coaster

CINCINNATI, OHIO – Local amusement park, Kings Island, will open its gates to the public on April 18. This summer season for the park will include many new attractions, the most popular being a new rollercoaster – Diamondback. More than $95, 000 has been raised for charity through an auction for the first rides on Diamondback.

Kings Island joined forces with A Kid Again (formerly known as Adventures for Wish Kids) to hold an auction for the first rides on the new Diamondback roller coaster. The park auctioned off seats on the first five trains to the highest bidders. The highest bidder will get to select his or her seat on the first train. The auction ended April 15, with the top bidder bidding $5,000.

One hundred percent of the proceeds from the auction will go towards supporting A Kid Again. A Kid Again is an organization that enriches the lives of over 550 children through the tri-state region. These children have life-threatening illnesses and the organization provides fun-filled activities to foster joy and normalcy.

The auction was able to raise this large sum of money due to the appeal to coaster-enthusiasts who wanted a first ride on this one-of-a kind coaster.

The Diamondback boasts of being the tallest, fastest and meanest roller coaster at Kings Island. The coaster has 5,200 feet of steel track, is 230 feet tall and twists through 10 acres of land. The roller coaster ends with a splashdown. The trains on Diamondback feature open-air, stadium-style seating to allow riders to experience an excellent view of the thrills. Kings Island is the first amusement park to have a roller coaster with trains like this.


Also new at the park this year are three new entertainment shows. The new shows include Down Home Country, Don’t Stop The Music and Marty’s Party. Returning favorites include Endless Summer on Ice and Flashback: Totally 80’s. The Vortex (Kings Islands steel coaster with six inversions) has a new, bright orange paint job. The Beast (the longest wooden roller coaster in the world and Kings Island’s claim to fame) will turn 30 years old this year.

Kings Island is located in Mason, Ohio. The 364-acre amusement and water park features more than 80 world-class rides, shows and attractions. Kings Island was recently purchased by Cedar Fair, owners of world-renowned Cedar Point amusement park. Kings Island is open weekends only through Memorial day, then daily the rest of the seasons (hours vary).

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Twilight - Just Another Teen Flick?

Twilight opened in theatres to lines of screaming teenage fans across the country. Twilight was released to DVD as people held release parties in retail stores across the globe. The book series by Stephenie Meyer has caused an uproar of fans and has left everyone familiar with Edward and Bella’s love story with a twist. So what’s all the fuss about?

Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart from Panic Room and Into The Wild) is an average teenage girl who moves from sunny Arizona to the wettest, dreariest place in the United States – Forks, Wash. Bella feels unamused to be living with her father and going to a new school, setting up the plot for the all too overdone teenage flick. However, this story has a dangerous twist.

As Bella struggles with her new life, she becomes intrigued with the pale-faced, introverted Cullen family as one of them becomes even more intrigued with her. Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) steals the stage through stunningly good looks and a mysterious presence. As Bella begins to uncover the Cullen’s mysteries, she discovers they are a family of vampires who have spent their lives becoming affluent while drinking animal blood (deer, bear, etc.) instead of human.      

Good thing for Bella, since Edward thirsts for her blood and is in a constant battle of self-control.

Bella falls madly in love with Edward, but who wouldn’t? Apart from the mere fact that he is a vampire, he’s amazingly intelligent, caring, and strong, the most protective lover anyone could ever have, and he loves Bella too. He’s perfect, minus the hunger for blood.

Catherine Hardwicke was the director who sought to bring this story to life on the big screen. Since directing teenage films such as Thirteen (2003) and Lords of Dogtown (2005), Hardwicke knew a lot about the audience of Twilight. Hardwicke stays close to the book although some fans may be upset that everything they love in the book is not in the movie. Hardwicke had never worked on a project as big as Twilight or anything like Twilight, so with that being said she directed a decent flick. Not a great flick because the film seemed to lack the flow of events and scenes that the book had.

Hardwicke is fantastic at creating the mood and atmosphere of the setting and story. Shot in moody, washed-out tones by Hardwicke’s regular lenses, the audience is able to sense foreboding and understand the dreariness of Forks. Visual effects, used to convey the vampires’ superhuman strength, agility and resistance to gravity, are excellent and exciting. Scenes in the deep forest as Edward seems to fly from tree to tree with Bella on his back are exactly how they are depicted in the book. These aspects of the film are flawless and breathtaking.

Casting for the movie was on spot. Kristen Stewart gives a stunning performance, bringing Bella’s earthy and withdrawn character to life. Robert Pattinson fits the role of Edward with his charming good looks and seems to find ease with diminishing his British accent. However, many of the scenes involving the two seemed forced and interactions seem awkward. This is due to the script giving the actors nearly nothing to work with. The dialogue and interactions do not express the extreme love for each other as the book did.

Other actors include Billy Burke as Charlie Swan and Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black who both do well in their small roles. The rest of the vampire family ( Ashley Greene, Peter Facinelli, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz, Jackson Rathbone and Elizabeth Reiser) do an excellent job giving off an aura of mystery while remaining stunningly beautiful.

Is Twilight is love-fest for teenage girls to swoon over? Yes. But Twilight can be enjoyed by other people as well. The movie is able to give a deeper look at lust and love. Those that do not particularly enjoy the book series may find that the movie added to the mood and feel of the story – and yes, Edward does dazzle. 

“Would You Like Some Cheese With That Burger?”

Hold the cheese, please.

Imagine the scene: You step into your favorite fast food restaurant and as you begin glancing over the menus items your mouth begins watering in anticipation and your stomach growls so loudly you expect it to attack. Then you hear the lady in front of you place her order:

“I’ll have a large soda, medium order of fries, and a double bacon cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, pickle…and hold the cheese.”

You stop. The sweet smell of grease and sound of the drive-through buzzer fade into the background. Did she really just ask for no cheese on her cheeseburger?

This scene may seem absurd, but at one time cheese on a burger was not even an option because the cheeseburger failed to exist. All of that would change thanks to a local restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky.

 The cheeseburger is born.

The fast-food world was forever changed in 1934 with help from a chicken coop.

Mr. and Mrs. Carl Kaelin decided to open up their own restaurant in Louisville, Ky. when they came across an advertisement in a newspaper they were using on the floor of their chicken coop to catch feathers. The ad described a restaurant that was for sale. They took advantage of the situation and appropriately named the restaurant Kaelin’s.

Carl Kaelin was always looking for ways to spice up his food to increase his business. According to the restaurant’s website, Kaelin created his first cheeseburger on October 12, 1934.

At this time, the hamburger was already a staple on most menus across America. On this day, Carl Kaelin was making hamburgers as usual when a new thought arose above the steam of the kitchen. His idea involved the slice of American cheese he held in his hand.

It occurred to him that perhaps if he added a slice of cheese to the patty just before it was done, the cheese would melt down into the patty. He tried it and loved the new tang he added to the once dull burger.

The customers loved the new invention as well. From that day forward, the invention named the cheeseburger would satisfy the taste buds of people worldwide.

Kaelin’s is also credited with two other firsts. The restaurant was one of the first to offer curbside service. This is a service provided for customers that allows for them to call in their order and pick it up outside.

Kaelin’s was also one of the first places to sell Kentucky Fried Chicken. Harland Sanders (Colonel Sanders) himself met with Carl Kaelin and asked him to try his new chicken. Many artifacts presented in the Harland Sanders Museum in Corbin, Ky. came from Kaelin’s.   

        

 Kaelin’s Today

Carl Kaelin’s cheeseburger has evolved into the most-bought item on fast food menus across America. The actual restaurant is still in business today but is under new management.

Howard Creech, Louisville resident and critic of local businesses, describes how the restaurant is today. Creech said, “Today Kaelin's is much like it was in 1934, the restaurant is still in the original old Highlands house on Newburg Road, the original sign still sits out front, and asks, “if you can't stop, wave.”

Regarding the actual food, Creech said, “The cheeseburgers are still cooked in cast iron skillets and never on a grill, old fashioned milkshakes and sundaes are still served, the pies on the menu are baked fresh, and the buns are still baked by Ehrmann's Bakery (one of Louisville's oldest bakeries) just as they were in the thirties. The Top Cheese Lounge and curb service are gone, but the great original cheeseburgers are here to stay.” The Top Cheese Lounge was once a jazz bar located in the upstairs dining room at Kaelin’s.

 Others claim the fame.

Although Kaelin’s is regarded as the birthplace of the cheeseburger, another restaurant tries to take credit for the invention the Americans love so much.

According to cheese-burger.net, a man named Lionel Sternberger claims to have invented the first cheeseburger in Pasadena, Calif. at the age of 16. Some food critics believe that Sternberger made the first cheeseburger while working at his father’s sandwich shop. The restaurant name and date of the supposed invention is unknown.

Lindsay Higdon, a University of the Cumberlands student and Louisville native, enjoys eating at Kaelin’s when she goes home on the weekends. Higdon said, “I grew up eating those cheeseburgers. They are delicious and better than any McDonald’s style cheeseburger. The restaurant also has many other items; their menu is huge. A lot of people order the Hot Brown.”

When asked what a Hot Brown was, Higdon described it as layers of turkey breast, swiss cheese, bacon and tomatoes over two pieces of toast.

 Higdon was amazed at the fact that someone else tried to claim that they invented the cheeseburger. Higdon said, “This guy’s last name may be ‘berger’, but we [Louisville residents] have the bragging rights for the cheeseburger.”

Louisville designates every October 12 as “Kaelin’s Cheeseburger Day”.

 Good cheeseburger, bad cheeseburger.

The cheeseburger is the most-bought fast food menu item by Americans today. Americans today are also suffering from obesity. Cheeseburgers contain an average of 500 calories. This total does not include calories and fat added from condiments (ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, etc.), double patties, or bacon. Add in an order of fries and a soda and the caloric intake increases even more. 

The World’s Most Fattening Burger contains 4,800 calories and is being sold at the Fifth Third baseball park in Michigan. The burger has five beef patties, five cheese slices, fries, chilli, sour cream, salsa and a pound of dough that goes into the bun. Anyone that can finish the cheeseburger gets a free t-shirt.

The tantalizing taste of the cheeseburger (and other fast food items) is too hard to pass up.Tim Mason, a physical trainer from Corbin, Kentucky, was not surprised to hear that the first cheeseburger was invented in Kentucky. Mason said this was not surprising because of the obesity rate.

Mason said, “63 percent of Kentucky adults are obsess or overweight. This is a big problem in our state because we have one of the highest obesity rates nationwide. Fast food is the devil.”

 Cheeseburger in paradise

Regardless of how unhealthy cheeseburgers may be, they are still really popular among Americans. Due to the fact that cheeseburgers can be fixed a variety or ways, appear on the menu of almost every restaurant and are a staple in tourist attractions, the cheeseburger is here to stay.

Thanks to Carl Kaelin and his innovative restaurant, the summer air will always be filled with the scent of charcoaled cheeseburgers.

4 Things You Never Knew About Cheeseburgers

The Sears - Kmart Merger: Sears Holdings

Many people are under the false impression that Sears owns Kmart, when in fact Kmart bought-out Sears. The merging of these two companies formed what is known today as Sears Holdings. A brief history of this merger is important to understand this failing company today.

Sears began as a mail-order catalogue in the 1800's and became one of the most profitable retail companies in the 1900's. The fatal flaw of Sears is when they began expanding, trying to compete in department store retail with Walmart and Target. Around the time of the new millennium, both Sears and Kmart were failing companies. Eddie Lampert acquired Kmart in 2002 when the company had filed bankruptcy, then bought Sears in 2005, hoping that a merger of the companies would make a huge impact. Sears Holdings was born. According to Eddie Lampert:

"We don't want two separate cultures but to blend it into one great culture. The idea is to make the stores more competitive while staying focused on the customer."

Lampert's plans did not work. In 2003, Kmart closed over 300 stores and laid-off 34,000 workers. Fast-forward to today, and the Sears Holdings Corporation is still failing. America's failing economy is not helping the company, either. On February 26, 2009, Sears Holdings announced the closing of 24 stores, which is much better than everyone expected. 

Lampert thought that size, strength and stock price would make a company powerful, but he was wrong. 

The Corbin Kmart is not in extreme danger of being closed down. Many employees realize that as the company continues to fail, they lose job security. As many people keep come in to evaluate the store, it is clear that Sears Holdings may not be in existence much longer.

Spring at Kmart

With the beginning of Spring fast approaching, Kmart has been preparing their stores nationwide with new additions. These new additions are something that customers see every year as the weather begins to change and people break out of their winter blues.

The lawn and garden shop is now open at Kmart for the season. During off season, this area of the store is used for seasonal items such as Halloween costumes and Christmas decorations. Over the past few weeks, this department has been transformed into the home of plants, grills and patio furniture, along with tons and tons of bird seed. 

The lawn and garden department is every gardener's dream. We carry everything you need to make your home landscaping look it's best. We also have a wide variety of lawn furniture that sell rapidly. Our associates have been working hard to put together all of the displays of furniture. Kmart usually carries only the Martha Stewart line of lawn essentials, but this year they have picked up Jacklyn Smith's new line as well. The most popular new item we have is the Martha Stewart Pacific Palisades Set which boasts a table with a lazy susan.

Our grills for outdoor cooking are mostly Kenmore brand, and we have both gas grills and charcoal ones. Items for Easter can also be seen throughout the store including hundreds of Easter baskets and Cadbury eggs (which are smaller than they use to be).

Other items that come along with the beginning of the Spring season can be found in the toy department; large bouncy balls. Kmart associates are not very excited to see the addition of large bouncy balls to the store. These bright, multi-colored balls are $2.99 and are a favorite of children. Due to this, the balls can be seen spread throughout the stores in various wrong places and bounced up and down the aisles, knocking over other merchandise. We hate the bouncy balls.

Dustin (Kmart Associate) is upset about the bouncy ball in the toilet paper aisle.

A Simple Policy Made Difficult

As with all retail stores, Kmart has a specific return and exchange policy for customers who are dissatisfied with their merchandise. The points of this policy may seem simple to understand, but at Kmart they cause a whirl of trouble for everyone. 

These are some highlights of our return and exchange policy:

• With a receipt, the customer has 90 days to return their merchandise to receive their money back. 
• With a receipt, the customer has 90 days to exchange their merchandise. A direct exchange may be done if the new item is the same as the old item, just different size or different color. However, if the customer is not exchanging for the same item, a difference in price may have to be paid. 
• With a receipt, the customer may bring back damaged items within 90 days. 
• The above three rules apply to all merchandise except jewelry and electronics.
• Jewelry items can only be exchanged or returned within 30 days after purchase, with a receipt.
• Electronic items have special rules. Customers can only return an electronic item within 30 days after purchase, with a receipt. Any type of video game, CD or DVD can not be returned if has been open. If a video game, CD or DVD is damaged but has been open, the customer can only exchange for the exact same thing and must have a receipt. 

These rules are stated on the receipt of every purchase and are also displayed above the service desk. Most items in the store give the customer the option of purchasing a replacement plan. These plans range from $4.99 to $49.99 depending upon price of the item being purchased. Replacement plans guarantee that if the item becomes damaged or parts are lost, the manufacturing company (not Kmart) will replace the item or fix it. 

The rules are simple. So why do they cause such commotion? One if the problems resides in management. We as associates are told to follow the policy, bottom line. However, a majority of the time, if a customer complains, management adjusts the policy to fit the customers' needs. We are told to give gift cards for the merchandise if they do not have a receipt. We are told to let them exchange an item that is electronics. We are told to do all kinds of things that DO NOT FOLLOW POLICY. In my opinion, this leads to Kmart management looking like push-overs and the associate looks as though they do not know how to do their job. 

However, sometimes the policy is followed and the commotion then comes from the customers. Customers do not seem to care what the policy is. They often get very angry when we simply explain that we can not take back their merchandise. Some customers understand, but others are very irrational. An example of an irrational customer is one that tries to bring back a Playstation 3 and expects to get a new one without a receipt and after having it for several months. When told that this is not allowed, the customer threatens to call corporate, the same people who implemented the policy.

Customers do not understand that some of these policies are not just for Kmart but are a result of laws put into place to protect people from theft of serial numbers and rules put into place by electronic companies to diminish piracy of their material.

Because of the customers' lack of abiding by the  policy, I often find myself saying, "No, Curtis Customer, we can not take back the boots you have had for 3 years and give you a new pair", when I really want to say much more. The customer is not always right.

No Twilight at Kmart

In the retail world, new release movies are typically placed on the shelves in electronic departments on Tuesdays. Occasionally, a production company will choose to release a film on a different day for a variety of reasons. A recent blockbuster hit, Twilight, was released on March 21, which happened to be a Saturday.

The movie is based on the book series written by Stephenie Meyer. The series highlights the love story of Bella, an ordinary teenage girl, who falls in love with Edward, a modern day vampire. Avid readers of the series were ecstatic about the making of the movie. Twilight the movie made $70.5 million in it's opening weekend. 

I was really excited about the DVD release of the movie. I knew that Twilight lovers around the country would be standing in line to get their copy. Retail stores would be able to bank on America's love for the Cullens and sale a lot of copies...with the exception of Kmart. 

The day after the release, I went into work and rushed back to the electronics department. New releases are usually played over the television system there. Knowing how much the associate working in this department loves the Twilight series, I expected it to be playing. I was disappointed when I found out that not only was the movie not playing, but Kmart had no intentions of selling the movie. Twilight was nowhere to be seen in the upcoming weekly advertisement, and there were no copies in the stock room.

The lack of the major release was weird. Upon research, I have found that the studio, Summit Entertainment, has exclusive release rights with Target, Walmart and Best Buy. Summit told the Sears/Kmart corporation that they could only sell the two-disc version of the movie, not the single disc. Since the single disc version is the top seller, Sears/Kmart decided to not do business with Summit for this release.

It's a sad week at Kmart. 

Josh (electronics worker) is upset about not having Twilight.

The March of Dimes

The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

Kmart is the longest standing coperate partner for the March of Dimes. Kmart has been supporting the March of Dimes for 26 years, having raised over $71 million during this time. In 2008, Kmart raised $8 million for the March of Dimes. This accomplishment was possible with the work of employees as well as customers.

Donating is easy; when a customer purchases merchandise through any register in the store, the Kmart associate asks is they would like to donate $1, $5 or $10 to the March of Dimes. This amount is scanned and added into the customer's total for their merchandise. The customer is given a card that states they donated to the March of Dimes; they can put their name on the card and the associates hang them around the store. I have noticed that children love to have their own name put on the donation card and see it hanging in the store. 

 

At the Corbin Kmart we have been working very hard to develop creative ways to promote donating. We have had a pie throwing contest in which pies are purchased by donating to the March of Dimes and are thrown at managers. If associates donate to the March of Dimes, they are allowed to wear jeans to work. The newest idea we have had is a raffle. If anyone donates $2 to the March of Dimes, they are entered in a raffle to win a Martha Stewart mosaic bird bath and bench.

Donating to the March of Dimes ends May 12. 

<---Jen - #1 March of Dimes Employee in the store















Martha Stewart Mosaic Bench

Retail : Paying for my Higher Education

Hello fellow bloggers! I am new to the blogging world and created my site for a class assignment. As a requirement of this assignment, my posts will have a theme present throughout them. When I became a college student at University of the Cumberlands, I found out how stressful the life of a college student can be. When I picked up a job in retail to help pay for my education, I realized I wanted to quit school and join a circus as a lion tamer. Due to lack of lion-taming experience and fear of my parents, this was not an option.

Two years later, here I am. I am ready to graduate in May and begin student teaching in the Fall...and I am still working at Kmart. Through my experiences in retail, I have learned a lot about people and business in general. I will use this blog to share these adventures with you. I hope you enjoy the world of retail a little better than I have!