Imagine that you are the human resources manager for a large firm. One of your most important duties is to find exemplary employees and to mold them into a stellar workforce for your company. One day, your general manager calls you into her office and asks you how you intend to build the very best employee group that your company has ever had. You reply; "I know, we'll offer them a bonus to quit!!!"

It may sound a bit strange, but that's exactly what one cutting edge Internet retail company does. An article by William C. Taylor, former associate editor of Harvard Business Review, explores the amazing success of Internet shoe retailer Zappos. In his writing, Bill Taylor reveals that part of the strategy utilized by this company to build its exceptional work force is; Zappos pays new employees to quit! Bill explains the strategy like this:

"After a week or so in this immersive (intense training) experience... it's time for what Zappos calls "The Offer." The fast-growing company, which works hard to recruit people to join, says to its newest employees: "If you quit today, we will pay you for the amount of time you've worked, plus we will offer you a $1,000 bonus."

Bill goes on to say; "Zappos actually bribes its new employees to quit! Why? Because if you're willing to take the company up on the offer, you obviously don't have the sense of commitment they are looking for."

I think this strategy is absolutely brilliant. In the short term it's a picayune expense when compared to the long term costs of having a person on payroll who dislikes or even resents being there. It's an endlessly compounding investment in employee morale, resulting in a group of employees who can look among themselves and say "we really do like working here."

It would be my guess that Zappos reaps more than 10 times its investment in this strategy by just reducing absenteeism and increasing productivity, among other ancillary benefits. This is just one more prime example of how setting aside conventional wisdom can quickly vault a company to unprecedented success in the marketplace.

Watch out! Major retailers believe they have found a "recession proof" group of shoppers -- your teenager.

In a bid to avoid the closing of stores at malls nationwide, retailers are looking to capitalize on the influence teens have over household purchases. They believe that middle class teens won't feel the affects of a recession. Research shows that teens influence 90% of grocery and apparel purchases. Many stores are changing displays and using big names to lure a trend conscious younger market in their doors. The hope is that parents will come along too and buy items as well, further boosting the stores sales in an otherwise difficult time.

I see several issues with this strategy, one, which USA Today points out, is that children typically do not shop in the same stores their parents do. Call it rebellion or a strange fashion sense, but the last place most teenagers want to go is the same store their mom just bought a pantsuit at.

The second issue is, even teenagers who can't drive don't like to go shopping with their parents. Growing up, my sister and I would beg to be dropped off at the local mall with cash or mom's credit card rather than be forced to try on a plethora of clothes with mom in tow. If teens don't want to be in the same building, let alone the same store with their parents retailers will have difficulty raking in the extra impulse buys from parents.

Finally, if your teenager is influencing 90% of the grocery and apparel purchases for your household, you better be raking in the cash, because from my personal experience, teens tend to have expensive taste in clothing and food. Next time you head to the grocery store leave Johnny at home and during your next trip to the mall, show Suzy where TJ Maxx is.

Some deals only come around once or twice a year, but offer savings that justify the wait. This post is part of our series on such 'don't miss' sales.

If words like "Leksvik", "Malm" and "Hemnes" don't sound like an exotic type of pickled herring to you, chances are you are an Ikea shopper.

You also are probably an Ikea shopper if you are in your first apartment or live in a neighborhood where it's important to be trendy on a budget. Maybe you like the store's merging of cool Scandinavian design with functionality and the yummy Swedish meatballs in the cafeteria.

Regardless, you probably like the chain's "impossibly low" prices. I know I did when I worked there during the chain's early days in the U.S. I was there in Plymouth Meeting, Pa. when the store opened its doors for the first time. Throngs of people came in to gawk at the ultra-hip home furnishings. I was in the plant department even though I didn't know anything about them. However, I think I correctly advised one customer that his plants probably kept dying because he kept them on the radiator.

The prices are pretty reasonable on most things. Anyone looking for a real bargain can occasionally find them in the room where returned goods are kept though they are sometimes damaged. Ikea does run occasional promotions such as a $150 gift card with the purchase of any mattress. But anyone looking for real bargains, though, has to wait for the once a year twice a year sales.

Stores knock off 20 to 60% off selected merchandise. The company also has done clever promotions where people can "rent" Christmas trees and return them to the store to get recycled. Sometimes customers get cash back and gift cards.

The deals, though, are almost as sweet as Swedish lingonberries most of the year.

If you're feeling blue because you don't think you can spend much green to make this a Valentine's Day with a lot of red in it (think: cards, candy, roses), you're not alone.

TNS Retail Forward, a Columbus, Ohio, retail-research group, released a survey late last week that predicts a rather anemic-looking Valentine's Day for shoppers and store owners alike.

Some of the findings:

*Although men plan to spend $95 for Valentine's Day versus $92 in 2007; women will spend less: $67, down from $74 last year.
* Sixty-one percent of men plan to buy a card, compared with 69% last year.
* Sales in perfume and flowers are expected to be flat this year. Fine jewelry, lingerie and clothing will rise a little.

Not that I'm looking, or anything, but experts say if you're in the market for a new HDTV, now is the time to buy it. Conventional wisdom has it that the best time to buy a new TV is in the weeks just after the Superbowl, when retailers are moving out the old to make room for the new.

Of course, actual HDTV sales weren't as spectacular as retailers had hoped...a taste of tapped-out consumers perhaps?

Hope springs eternal. According to some reports, analysts at Pacific Media Associates say we can expect a 15.6% drop on flat panel display prices this year. According to the research company, last year saw a 14.7% price drop on HDTVs, which increased sales by 41%. Sales will continue to skyrocket in the period leading up to the switch to Digital TV next year.

We all know that HDTV's are about the only thing going down in price these days. Will the recession we're in or about to enter (depending on who you're reading) have any affect on this symbol of American consumerism?

Pssst, Hey buddy, have I got a deal for you.

Every once in a great while you might get an approach similar to that at your friendly neighborhood resale shop. That can be especially true if it's a shop you're not very familiar with. When a thrift store employee or operator brings out something from under the counter which they have "saved for special customers,"... watch out! The chances are good that you'll be looking at an item from a questionable source.

Take for instance that mint condition collection of Buffalo Head nickels, or a complete set of sterling silver flatware in its own velvet lined case. The sales person may tell you that it came from an estate sale they were at that same morning. Take care about your purchase or you could become guilty of receiving stolen property. It's a dead giveaway when the store clerk suggests that you go outside to look at items they have in their car. Yeah, it's not on the shelves and it's not on the books. Ask them if you really look that much like an idiot.

I read an interesting article recently over at TheStreet.com which outlined five business ventures which can be undertaken with little or no cash investment. These are proven ideas which may work for just about anyone. I'd like to give you a brief synopsis of that article by Jeffrey Strain and I'd also like to interject a couple ideas of my own.

Jeffrey's opportunity list starts out by suggesting a venture which is near and dear to my heart (and wallet). That suggestion is blogging. Yes my friends, there is money to be made in blogging. In fact, I'm padding my own bottom line right now. Blogs are easy to start and if you're a natural writer, blogging is easy to do. Jeffrey gives you a couple directions you can go for getting started as an independent, or you could take your shot at blogging right here with us! There are two basic kinds of blogging you may wish to consider. You can blog as a strict independent or you can blog as a freelance / contract writer. I prefer the contract gigs for myself, because they offer a good measure of security and you often have seasoned writers zipping around who can help you out of an occasional tough spot. (Thanks team!)

Retail has developed some funny ideas over the years, including the notion that deepest winter is the perfect time to introduce the Spring line. Good luck finding sweaters and coats in the stores when it's actually cold outside. It's like trying to find a bathing suit on the racks in July. It's strangely impossible.

That's why I love the internets, where there are no seasons when it comes to sales. This is a case in point: It's cold now and I'm thinking I'd like a new coat. Why, and look! Wilsons Leather is having a big sale on coats!

Nothing says "end of holidays" like the cheery sound of 70% off. Check out some of these deals on warm, leather and Shearling coats: A Sean John hooded leather bomber jacket that was $495 is now on sale for $149. A Smith & Wesson leather cycle jacket was selling for $500 is now selling for $249.88.

On the lady's side: A Guess faux sherpa was $230, now $69. That's why not pricing. A Kenneth Cole three-button topper was selling for $480, now on sale for $144. There's lots more, and kids' stuff, too. Baby, it's cold outside, but all the more reason to check out his sale now.

Retailers are crying about lackluster sales in the days leading up to Christmas, but shoppers don't have to worry that this might hurt their post-holiday bargain hunting. If anything, it will help.

Price-slashing is an annual ritual, and this year it might be better than ever as retailers say they have too much inventory because of lower-than-expected sales.

The items that are expected to be discounted the most? Women's apparel and consumer electronics. Clothing sales have been down overall, so there is room there for bargains. Toys will still be discounted, but retailers ran some early sales to help boost lagging numbers, so the after-Christmas discounts won't seem so deep.

Stores used to dread January's low sales. With the dramatic rise in gift card sales, that's not true anymore. Retailers know shoppers will be out in January, so it's up to them to lure buyers back into the stores with great deals. Plus, shoppers usually spend more than their gift cards are worth, so retailers have an extra incentive to bring in the masses.

Forensic accountant Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations through her company, Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners honored Tracy as the 2007 winner of the prestigious Hubbard Award and her first book, Essentials of Corporate Fraud, will be on bookshelves in March 2008.

Ever held onto that gift card for a few months, waiting for the perfect time to use it, only to find at the check out counter that it had expired a week ago? Or that it had hidden fees attached? Or that you could only use it at certain branches?

That's a holiday surprise not as likely to happen this year, thanks to some key rulings by the Federal Trade Commission and several states that have decide to regulate their use, according to the Washington Post.

The National Retail Federation is predicting a jolly holiday season for the gift card industry, with sales reaching $26.3 billion, up from $24.8 billion last year. The average consumer will spend about $122.59 on gift cards this year, compared with $116.51 last year, the federation said.

Wal-Mart has been running television advertisements lately trumpeting the assertion that they save the average American family something like $2,200 per year. At first I just let the promotion blow right over my head but on a recent trip to our closest Wal-Mart (about 40 miles away) I took a few moments to think about their promotion because my wife and I found ourselves saying "we can get that cheaper at home."

First off, those Wal-Mart dudes have a lot of gall assuming that they know exactly what price every other retailer on the planet is charging for the same items they have stocked in their Wal-Mart stores. Secondly, it's more than a bit arrogant for Wal-Mart to assume that every item purchased in their stores is a must have item which a person will immediately find another retail source for if Wal-Mart doesn't sell it to them. That would be the only way they could have a valid claim about how much money their pricing saves for anyone.

I live in a region with a population small enough that once Wal-Mart stores become entrenched in an area, their level of retail competition drops to nearly zero and in light of that I have noticed a particularly interesting dynamic. It seems that where Wal-Mart has a captive audience such as is the case here in the northern most regions of Wisconsin, once the competition dies out, Wal-Mart's prices become conspicuously similar to or even higher than the prices of the retailers they drove under. I don't care what anybody says: that's a mode of operation similar to the way Al Capone and his boys did business in Chicago.

The deal goes like this: You come in low priced, undercut the competition until they starve out and then set your price points wherever you'd like to because you've become the only game in town.

Sam Walton must be rolling in his grave.