Shaw’s seizing opportunity to change impressions

Shaw's Supermarkets is getting an unexpected chance to showcase the progress of turnaround efforts initiated since new owners took over the West Bridgewater-based chain last year.

It's among the regional grocery chains benefiting from the turmoil at Market Basket that has left shelves bare at the Tewksbury company's 71 stores and boycotting customers shopping elsewhere.

A Cerberus Capital Management-led investor group acquired Shaw's — often criticized by customers in the past for its high prices — from Supervalu Inc. last year as part of a larger $3.3 billion deal.

"They've been running those stores better, including better pricing and promotions than when it was owned by Supervalu," said grocery analyst Andrew Wolf of BB&T Capital Markets in Boston. "Most shoppers don't know that because they haven't been to Shaw's in a long time. This action is going to force a certain amount of people to go to Shaw's, and they're going to discover, 'Hey, it's a little better than I remember.' "

Customers boycotting Market Basket — in solidarity with an employee push to pressure its board to reinstate fired CEO Arthur T. Demoulas — have been taping their grocery receipts from competing supermarkets on Market Basket doors.

"We've definitely seen an up-tick in the number of customers," Shaw's spokesman Jeff Gulko said. "It started initially the tail-end of last week, but the first real noticeable bump-up was Monday going into Tuesday, and it's remained since. (Our) 18,500 associates are working around the clock to make sure that we have the products on our shelves that folks come to get — whether they're our shoppers or folks that are coming to our stores for the first time."

The company's two distribution centers, in Methuen and Maine, have adjusted, adding shipments and trucks, he said.

Hannaford, Stop & Shop and Wegmans declined comment on any business boost that they're seeing as a result of Market Basket's employee uprising.

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Car Smart: New Kia Soul offers spirited ride, features

The 2014 Kia Soul 2.0 L is a five-seat wagon with an oddball shape and quirky angular front windows. It looks like anything but a luxury automobile. However, it's equipped like a car twice its cost, boasting some features seen only in high-end models.

This Soul is loaded to the core.

Heated and ventilated seats in this "urban hatchback" keep you the right temperature year-round. The ventilated seats work so well you can even go easy on the air conditioning on a hot day.

The Soul's navigation system has a substantial 8-inch display, but its two-dimensional display will not show a third dimension until a destination is entered.

Also driven by the big touch screen display is the Infinity sound system, which cranks deep rich bass to its eight speakers including a center dash speaker and sub-woofer. The speakers also glow with the music for some mood lighting.

Controls for the audio system are mounted on the leather-wrapped steering wheel as well as on the touch screen.

The Soul has a power panoramic roof with a power sunshade which helps give an open feel to this small car with big features.

Sleek 18" alloy wheels complement its textured front grille and smart- looking headlights.

Kia also equips this car with a backup camera that is among the best. It provides clear detail of the area behind your bumper as you back in and out of those tight parking spots the 13-foot-7-inch Soul can squeeze into.

Rounding out the Soul's nice features is a 6-speed automatic with manual overriding paddle shifters commanding a spirited 2.0-liter inline-4,
164 -horsepower engine.

The Soul sips gas, getting 23 mpg in the city. It is responsive and fun to drive around the city, but the city is where the luxury similarities are left.

While the Soul gets 31 mpg on the highway, I found the 10-way adjustable driver's seats uncomfortable for longer drives. I'd like to see the headrest re-engineered so it is more adjustable and not pushed as far forward as the testers.

Its rigid chassis and tight suspension keep a snug connection to the road, but at higher speeds this car gets bounced around by bumps in the road, possibly because it is so lightweight.

Kia equips this car with a horn that nobody can possibly respect. This is not to suggest that smaller cars should have foghorns, but when other drivers hear such a wimpy sound, it barely gets their attention.

The hands-free phone performance is a major shortcoming, especially these days given the need for full concentration on the road and laws in most other states requiring hands-free cellphone use.

Essentially, the Soul is a well-equipped inexpensive compact wagon that is better for city driving than cruising on the highway in spite of the great mileage it gets.

2014 Kia Soul 2.0 L

• MSRP: $17,695
• As tested: $21,295
• MPG: 23 city, 
31 highway

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Amazon’s big stock slide shows strategy’s shaky

Time for Amazon to hit the Mayday Button.

Investors are beginning to wake up and realize that maybe this whole thing about putting long-term profits over short-term profits isn't as enchanting and magical as CEO Jeff Bezos once made it seem.

Amazon's stock plummeted an astonishing 
10 percent in a day after the announcement of a $126 million quarterly loss on Thursday — the latest in a long string of losses for the e-commerce beast.

For consumers, Amazon's prices seem impossibly low. And that's because they are, in fact, impossible. You can't sell items that cheaply. No company could ever make a profit by selling goods at or below cost, and that's exactly what Amazon has done for as long as anyone can remember.

Bezos is a puzzling man. The delivery drones. The atomic clock. The Washington Post. Who can figure this dude out? Some commentators have wondered whether Amazon was set up to function as a de facto consumer charity. I've wondered that myself. I've come to quite the opposite conclusion.

Amazon won't raise its prices until it has achieved a majority of the market that brick-and-mortar retailers currently occupies. An entire generation of locally owned small businesses — and mid- to large-sized businesses — hang in the balance.

"The current investment cycle layers in increased technology and content costs as Amazon seeks to build itself into a complete consumption, payment and advertising platform for physical and digital goods," wrote analyst Colin Gillis of BGC Financial in a note to investors yesterday.

In other words, all this taking over the world ain't cheap!

Currently valued at 
$147 billion, Amazon is the 28th largest publicly traded company in the United States. And in the past 48 hours it lost $15 billion of its market value.

Investors are getting antsy.

I'm all about encouraging that sense of angst. Although Amazon's convenience and prices are hard to beat, I find myself spending a little more offline lately: shopping local, paying a little bit more here and there, and chalking it up to charity. You too can help keep Amazon stockholders worried and a little ticked off. You know what to do.

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Home Showcase: Cabot mansion unit receives updates

This unit is part of the former mansion of Godfrey Lowell Cabot, founder of the Cabot Corp., that has seen extensive updating over the past several years.

Unit 3 at 242 Beacon St. is one of nine units carved out of the grand mansion. And Unit 3's living/dining area was the home's original receiving parlor.

Recent renovations include two redone bathrooms, updated kitchen, walnut-stained red oak floors throughout, three new HVAC units, new living room windows and built-in shelving for bedroom closets.

The brick exterior of the building and the roof were recently repaired and the front landscaping was redone last year. The marble floor in the building's lobby was replaced in 2012, and a reconditioned elevator and stairways lead up to the condos.

Unit 3 opens into a foyer with a large storage closet. This space is approved for installation of an in-unit washer and dryer. Right now, there is washer/dryer for common use in the building's basement.

Straight ahead is the unit's updated kitchen with oak floors, recessed lighting, 16 white-painted cabinets and dark granite countertops with a tumbled marble backsplash. Stainless-steel appliances include Kitchen Aid and G.E. Profile.

The large living/dining space has a lot of original detailing such as crown molding and a blue tile-faced original wood fireplace. This recessed-lit room has high ceilings, three new front windows in a bay arrangement and cabinet and bookcase built-ins on either side of the fireplace.

The master bedroom suite has a large arched architectural window and a walk-in closet with newly built-in storage. It has a redone en-suite bathroom with black-and-white ceramic tile floors but does not have a tub or shower, although there's space in a corner of the living room to expand.

There's a also fully redone second full bathroom with black-and-white ceramic tile floors, and this bath does have a deep soaking tub/ shower lined with white subway tile.

The second bedroom does not have a window to the outside, but an interior lightwell with storage space. There's also a closet with built-in storage.

There are three new HVAC units, in the living room and in the two bedrooms with new electric thermostats. Heat and hot water is provided as part of the unit's condo fee.

There is a waiting list for parking behind the building for $300 a month. But the owner may be able to get a nearby transferable rental space for $325 a month.

Home Showcase

• Address: 242 Beacon St., Unit 3, Back Bay
• Bedrooms: Two
• Bathrooms: One full, one half
• List price: $899,000
• Square feet: 1,254
• Price per square foot: $717
• Annual taxes: $9,547
• Monthly condo fee: $407 (includes heat and hot water)
• Location: On Beacon Street near the corner of Dartmouth two blocks from retail and restaurants on Newbury Street, three blocks from offerings on Boylston Street.
• Built in: 1884; updated 2011-2014
• Broker: Robb Cohen of Boston Realty Advisors at 617-962-0142

Pros:

• Large, open living dining area with original details, new built-ins and new windows.
• New walnut-stained red oak floors throughout
• Redone bathrooms with black-and-white tile floors
• Three new HVAC units and electric thermostats

Cons:

• En-suite master bathroom doesn't have tub or shower
• Second bedroom doesn't have window to outside
• In-unit laundry has not been installed
• Waiting list for parking behind building

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Is Marty right to bunker down?

A day after the state Gaming Commission suggested Boston was "abandoning" Charlestown, neighborhood residents were split yesterday on whether Mayor Martin J. Walsh did the right thing by breaking off talks with Wynn Resorts about how much money the city should get to cope with the company's proposed Everett casino.

"The mayor is not abandoning Charlestown residents. He was a strong ally in arguing for Charlestown to be considered a host community. ... The commission rejected that," said James Matsoukas, who has lived in Charlestown for three years. "There's just so much the mayor can do to negotiate deals that give the city some compensation, when the party he is dealing with is not forthcoming, not approaching the situation in good faith and making a public offer far below what the project requires. What the mayor is saying implicitly is that a decision has already been made."

The offer Wynn made — but Walsh rejected — called for $6 million in one-time payments and $2.6 million annually, compared to the $30 million upfront and minimum annual $18 million pledged to Boston by Mohegan Sun — Wynn's rival for the sole-Boston-area casino license — for a casino on the Revere side of Suffolk Downs.

But Evelyn Addante said she is "incredulous" that Walsh has ceded all dealings with Wynn over to the commission without telling it what the city wants.

"I believe the traffic impacts and safety implications are so important that the mayor should not have missed an opportunity to provide an estimate of the cost of providing road improvements that would ameliorate these impacts," said Addante, 64.

In an email, Walsh spokeswoman Melina Schuler said: "Wynn failed to provide critical information to the city ... We're confident the commission will not have the same issue accessing information from Wynn and expect it will be able to properly assess the project impacts and award Charlestown an appropriate mitigation package."

On Thursday, the commission said it would have its staff continue to urge Boston to negotiate with Wynn and, if that fails, it may appoint someone to serve as the city's advocate.

Its license deliberations will begin Sept. 8, and the commission hopes to make a licensing decision on Sept. 12.

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Patrick OKs earlier Sunday liquor store openings

BOSTON — Liquor stores in Massachusetts will soon be able to open a little earlier on Sundays.

Gov. Deval Patrick has signed into law a bill that gives the stores permission to begin doing business at 10 a.m. instead of at noon. But it won't take effect for another three months.

The bill was the latest effort by lawmakers to chip away at Massachusetts so-called "blue laws" some of which dated back to the Puritan leaders of the original Massachusetts Bay Colony.

A total ban on Sunday sales of alcohol at liquor stores had remained in place for two centuries in Massachusetts until it was lifted in 2003.

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BuzzFeed reporter fired in wake of plagiarism allegations

BuzzFeed has dismissed a journalist after a social media outcry sparked a review of his work, and editors discovered at least 41 of his articles contained instances of plagiarism.

In a statement posted Friday, BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith said dozens of articles penned by reporter Benny Johnson contained "instances of sentences or phrases copied word for word other sites."

"We owe you, our readers, an apology. This plagiarism is a breach of our fundamental responsibility to be honest with you — in this case, about who wrote the words on our site," Smith wrote. "Plagiarism, much less copying unchecked facts from Wikipedia or other sources, is an act of disrespect to the reader. We are deeply embarrassed and sorry to have misled you."

The review started after a series of articles on the blog Our Bad Media uncovered more than a dozen instances in which Johnson appeared to have copied and pasted sentences from other news outlets.

BuzzFeed also published a list of articles by Johnson, who largely wrote about politics, that contained instances of uncredited content taken from other sources.

They included a story explaining the Egyptian Revolution by way of images from the film "Jurassic Park," and a story about famous manhunts, including the pursuit of former Los Angeles Police Department officer Christopher Dorner in 2013.

Information was copied directly from Wikipedia, The New York Times, Associated Press, The New Yorker and the autobiography of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, according to editors' notes accompanying the articles in question.

Johnson posted an apology on his Twitter account on Saturday.

"To the writers who were not properly attributed and anyone who ever read my byline, I am sincerely sorry," the tweet read.

A spokeswoman for BuzzFeed told the Los Angeles Times that Johnson began working for the web site in 2013, but declined to say if the plagiarism incident would alter the web site's editorial standards in any way.

Launched in 2006, BuzzFeed is best known for its popular "listicles," articles that often contain short bursts of tongue-in-cheek text accompanied by pictures, gifs, or memes that outline a particular topic. An article titled "28 Things That Are More Useful Than Mascara" ran near the top of the page Saturday afternoon.

But the web site began hiring more established journalists in recent years, including Smith, a longtime political columnist who previously wrote for Politico. Earlier this week, the web site published a deeply researched and lengthy feature about the culture of TMZ and its founder, Harvey Levin.

Smith acknowledged BuzzFeed's humble beginnings in the statement, but said as the web site transforms into a more serious news outlet, it must hold its staff's work to a higher threshold.

"Today, we are one of the largest news and entertainment sites on the web. On the journalistic side, we have scores of aggressive reporters around the United States and the world, holding the people we cover to high standards," Smith wrote. "We must — and we will — hold ourselves to the same high standards."

Donna Shaw, coordinator of the journalism program at The College of New Jersey and a former longtime reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, said she believes the fact that Johnson was caught highlights one of the positives of the era of online journalism.

"This is what comes of living in an age when not only everybody can be a journalist, but everybody can be an editor," Shaw said. "When I was a young journalist, it was very difficult to get caught."

———

©2014 Los Angeles Times

Visit the Los Angeles Times at www.latimes.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

_____

Topics: t000003086,t000012820,t000043897,t000002537,t000040350,t000002669,t000033770,g000362661,g000066164

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Helping veterans connect to companies

A coalition of Bay State companies, advocates and veterans is aiming to help vets translate skills they already have to the offices of tech companies.

"The goal is to help employers connect more effectively with a growing number of veterans who are reentering the workforce," said Chris Anderson, president of the Massachusetts High Technology Council and one of the leaders of New England Tech Vets. "No matter what a veteran did in the military, there is an equitable civilian skill."

The military has long been on the forefront of emerging technologies, so many vets have technical skills from flying drones, or operating sophisticated weapons.

And as the country's wars continue to wind down, roughly 1 million servicemen and women will leave active duty and enter the workforce, according to some estimates, but the unemployment rate for veterans remains high. Overall, the rate is 6.6 percent for vets of all wars — but 9 percent for veterans of the war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Major Bob Kinder, an Army Ranger who served on active duty for 20 years, including in Iraq and Afghanistan, said it took him a long time to find a job.

"It's not a piece of cake," Kinder said. "I have finally landed in a job just this week. It took me nine months."

He said the transition back to civilian life is hard for many vets, and a job can make a world of difference — far beyond a paycheck.

"They're leaving a very insular, cohesive society with a unique culture," he said. "One of the things to help form a community is a good job. It gives them a sense of purpose."

Kinder now works for G2 Capital Advisors.

One of the challenges many vets face is the struggle of describing the skills they have developed in the military, said Susan Fallon, who helps run the Tech Vets program for job site Monster.com.

"People out here in the business community, they speak a different language," Kinder agreed.

To address that, Tech Vets automatically converts a military job title to incorporate its standard requirements — which are often valuable in the civilian workforce. For example, an "infantryman" entry will automatically include skills such as advanced first aid and knowledge of blueprints and technical diagrams.

"An individual may not even know they have (certain) skills, but they've been doing that their whole career," said Ted Wadsworth, also of Monster.com.

Then there are the character attributes that employers may find even more valuable in a new employee: for many, a military background translates to a strong work ethic and discipline.

"Those intangibles," Kinder said, "are much more difficult to train."

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Startup’s videos find suitable employees

A few years ago, when Rob Hunter owned ice cream stores and one of his greatest challenges was finding good employees, he had an epiphany one day when a girl whose only experience was babysitting and playing soccer dropped off a resume replete with spelling and grammatical errors.

"I would not have hired her based on her resume, but she had a wonderful personality and turned out to be the best employee I ever had," Hunter said. "I've hired 300 people in all and interviewed 600 to 700. And each time, I know pretty much in the first 30 seconds whether they're going to be a good fit."

What if, he thought, employers in retail — where an engaging and professional demeanor is all-important — could have a preview of an applicant's personality without having to wade through reams of applications and spend hours interviewing the wrong people?

Last March, Hunter and Evan Lodge — both Babson College MBA students at the time — founded HigherMe, a website and mobile app, expected to launch this fall, that allows job applicants to answer a series of questions posed by an employer, such as which hours they'd be available to work, what pay they'd expect, and what they would do if a customer were dissatisfied. Afterward, applicants have the option to make a 30-second video on their cellphone or webcam, explaining why they'd be the best person for the job.

HigherMe, a finalist in the MassChallenge startup accelerator and competition, then sends the employer a list of applicants ranked according to whether their answers matched the ones the employer was seeking, and the employer decides which applicants to interview,

For access to the company's database of candidates and screening software, Hunter, Lodge and their co-founder, Josh Stevens, expect to charge employers a monthly subscription fee of between $40 and $200 per store, depending on the number of applicants they want to contact and hire.

Alex Lowe, owner of Artis Coffee in Berkeley, Calif., and a former classmate of Hunter's who recently agreed to test the service, asked questions like, "What superhero would you be, and why?" ("If the applicant has fun with it, they'll probably be better at customer service," Lowe said.) He also asked, "Where do you see yourself in three months? In three years?"

"We want people who have a vision for their life, whether they'll be with us as a steppingstone or as a career," Lowe said. "It's given me a whole lot more depth into whether the person would be a cultural fit, rather than just: Can they make a cup of coffee?"

Brianna D'Amerosio, 24, of Methuen was looking for a waitressing job on Craigslist last week when she came across one at an Andover restaurant that asked applicants to use HigherMe to send in a video.

"Before I had a chance to answer any of the questions, I got an email saying they'd received my video and asking me to come in for an interview," D'Amerosio said. "For years, I've missed out on opportunities because there was nothing about me that really stood out on paper. So even if I don't get this job, I love the idea of being able to send someone something that will give them a glimpse into my personality."

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Tire pressure sensors, aerosol inflators don’t mix

Last week I had a flat tire on my 2013 Buick Encore with only 4,500 miles on it. I got out my can of tire inflator and when I read the directions it said it could not be used on tires with pressure sensors in them. Is it because it would ruin the transmitter or because the sealant could not get into the tire? Could you use it in a real emergency? When I took the car to the dealer after putting on the spare, they said it was repairable and did so. I was told I was lucky because on all-wheel-drive vehicles you have to change all of the tires at the same time. I have never heard of this before — can you explain?

The primary ingredients in most emergency tire inflator/"fix-a-flat" aerosol products are a liquefied propellant like non-flammable HFC-134a — the refrigerant used in air conditioning systems — and a latex polymer to seal the inside of the tire. Some earlier products utilized flammable propellants, which created a danger for the service personnel repairing the tires.

The reason these products are not recommended for use in tires fitted with tire pressure sensors (TPS) is that the latex sealer may coat and interfere with the signal transmitted from the TPS, although this potential issue is still being hotly debated. What is absolutely true is that the latex sealer will have to be thoroughly cleaned from the inside of the tire, wheel and TPS. In addition, there is a potential issue with corrosion and delamination of chrome from the inside surfaces of a chrome alloy wheel.

Regardless, it is important to remember that these products are, at best, a very short-term, temporary "fix." The tire must be cleaned and repaired — if possible — at the earliest possible time.

Should you use an aerosol tire inflator in an "emergency" situation such as being stopped in a dangerous scenario or situation where taking the time to mount the spare tire would add to the risk? I would. If the fix-a-flat product will inflate and maintain enough tire pressure to allow me to drive to a safe location, I would certainly use it.

But I'd make absolutely sure to tell the service agency that you used a tire inflator and have the tire repaired or replaced as soon as possible.

The reason for suggesting that all four tires must be replaced at the same time is because four-wheel or all-wheel-drive vehicles must have all four tires with the same rolling circumference or potential damage to the drivetrain can occur. As long as the single replacement tire is virtually the same rolling circumference as the other three tires, no problem.

I have a '96 Chrysler Concorde with 94,000 miles. The needle on the gas gauge is not functioning right. At times it is normal, but at other times the warning light goes on and the needle fluctuates. Is this a big job to repair? I can keep track of the mileage with the odometer so I don't run out of gas.

The position of the needle on the gas gauge of your vehicle is controlled by the body control module (BCM). The BCM receives a signal from the variable resistor in the sending unit in the fuel tank, compares this with the fuel tank ground and moves the needle to the correct position on the gauge.

The intermittent issue with your gauge may well be the variable resistor/sending unit in the fuel tank, which is a significant repair, or maybe just a poor ground for the variable resistor which is located in the left kick panel. With the age of the vehicle, I'd make sure this ground connection wasn't the problem first.

Also, remember that the LED light in the gauge will also illuminate if engine temperatures reach the 240-260-degree range.

Paul Brand, author of "How to Repair Your Car," is an automotive troubleshooter, driving instructor and former race-car driver. Readers may write to him at: Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn., 55488 or via email at paul brand@startribune.com. Please explain the problem in detail and include a daytime phone number. Because of the volume of mail, we cannot provide personal replies.

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