From time to time, our customers ask us about products that we don’t carry and they can’t find anywhere else. Anytime we get such requests, we seriously look at the requests and figure out if any of our other products match their needs. If not, we take it one step further and find out if we can get it manufactured for them. Recently, one such request that we had manufactured for a specific customer was a plain magnetic writing surface. It seemed like a simple enough request and yet no store carried it and no manufacturer had it. Here are some details about the customer’s need and the product itself:
Need:
Customer wants a plain white writing surface that sticks on a refrigerator to make notes.
Problem:
The magnetic products that we carried that could stick to the refrigerator were all preprinted with things such as grocery list, things to do form etc. This did not serve the customer’s specific need.
Magna Visual, the leading manufacturer of magnetic and non-magnetic dry erase whiteboards, custom dry erase boards, dry erase board kits and magnetic accessories, has announced that there will be a slight and almost insignificant price increase beginning 2010, to account for rising raw material costs.
Here is a summary of their price increase announcement:
Price increase range:
0.6% to 39%
Product with highest price increase:
Magnetic Strips with adhesive backing (P-230-5) (Size: 1/16″ x 3/4″ x 5′) It has changed from $4.60 to $6.40
Although most products have a slight percentage increase in their price, some of their magnetic boards will be costing as much as $45-60 more per board beginning 2010. Therefore, if you are planning on any magnetic board purchases, it would be prudent to purchase them right now or at least before the beginning of the coming year.
For those of you who may be interested in buying some index cards (DC-50-200W), Magna Visual has actually announced a price decrease beginning 2010. Retail price of this item has gone down from $11.95 to $7. As a bonus to our customers, we have slashed the prices of this product effective immediately.
Magna Visual, the leading manufacturer of magnetic and non-magnetic dry erase whiteboards, custom dry erase boards, dry erase board kits and magnetic accessories, has announced that they will be discontinuing the following products effective immediately:
MagnaLite Plain Porcelain Board
Model numbers: MLP-1824, MLP-2436, MLP-3648 and MLP-4872
MagnaLite Custom Planner Kit
Model numbers: MLCP-2436, MLCP-3648, MLCP-4872
MagnaLite Work plan Kit
Model numbers: MWP-2436, MWP-3648, MWP-4872
Two Month Calendar Board Kit
Model numbers: AC-3648-2M, 4872-2M
Executive Locator Kit
Model numbers: XL-1824, 3624
If you find these products in any online store, please make sure that the products are in stock before you purchase.
Obtain the following:
(You can find all the items below at www.MegaZega.com)
1. Magnetic Calendar Board
2. “Starts” Magnetic Board Heading
3. Magnetic Card Holders (pick the size that suits you)
4. Pre-cut data Card Inserts (pick the size that matches the magnetic card holders)
Step 2
Hang board on wall. Use hanging hardware that come with board and a power drill. Level the board using a spirit level for greater accuracy.
Step 3
Place the “Starts” magnetic board heading on top of the board above the calendar.
Step 4
Place the dates and days of week headings that come with the board to make up the current month calendar.
Step 5
Obtain your basic projected start report from your computer system, that shows the following:
Job number or job name
Job projected start date
Job supervisor (if you have one)
Job location (if you have different job locations for different jobs)
Step 6
Determine how you want to color code your jobs (either by job supervisor or job location or any other format that makes sense to you)
Step 7
Based on the color coding chosen, write the name of each job or job number on the appropriate color pre-cut data card (one per data card).
Pre-cut data cards
Step 8
Insert the data cards into magnetic card holders. Your magnetic tags (job tags) are now ready to be placed on the job start board.
Magnetic card holders
Step 9
Using your projected start report, determine when each job is going to start and place each magnetic job tag on the projected start date.
We can learn a lot from game coaches and from military strategists. Strategies used in games as well as in the military are highly effective. Sure, there are high end technologies adopted in both of these fields, but what makes them really effective is not technology. It is the simplicity with which information obtained from these technologies are conveyed to the players or troops. For example, we may amass a vast amount of player’s statistics such as batting averages, bowling records etc., but based on this data, the strategy that you lay out should be clear, concise and visually easy to understand. A board visually displaying a player’s batting order, substitute players, player’s locations etc. is far more effective than a report stating the same. A board indicating all enemy locations in combat zone is far more effective while formulating a strategy than a 100 page document. A weatherman giving you a table showing the temperature ranges of many cities in the country can put us to sleep whereas a map displaying the temperatures at each location can make us look forward to it every day.
You may be leading a team of journalists, factory workers, soldiers, players, hospital staff, school children etc. It doesn’t matter what group of people or processes you are leading. Magnetic boards customized to your needs can help you come up with an easy way to convey information to your entire team so each member of their team can do an effective job.
For example, a building company that has several homes under construction uses magnetic boards for managing their pre-production, production and closings. For pre-production management, they use a magnetic calendar board. On this magnetic calendar board, they display all jobs that are supposed to start using magnetic tags (data card inserts in magnetic card holders.) They simply write the homeowner name on the magnetic tag and place it on the date that the job is projected to start. The same principle is followed for the production and closings board. During their meetings, these magnetic job tags are deliberated upon and status is updated (with notes on each tag) with the consensus of every team member present in the room. If needed, the projections are altered by simply moving the tag to a new date. The whole team acts in unison and things get done with a lot more efficiency both during and after the meeting.
You may have electronic systems that track all kinds of data. Unless this data is transformed into meaningful information and communicated effectively to your team, it is of not much use. Magnetic boards used as visual communication systems have proven to be far more effective than electronic systems in countless number of companies across the world. Think about your processes today and see what you can accomplish just by converting your data into visual information.
We use PayPal for processing all our transactions. Through PayPal, you can pay securely online (preventing credit card fraud) as well as pay using most of the major credit cards. To answer your question, you do not need a PayPal account to pay on our website even though we accept your form of payment through PayPal.
Here is how the payment process on our website works:
You shop on our website and in our checkout page, click “Confirm”
Confirm button
In the next page, click “Continue” under the section “Don’t have a PayPal account?” to pay through a credit card. Alternatively, if you have a PayPal account, you can login and pay through your PayPal account.
PayPal payment screen
You will then review your information (such as billing address), enter your credit card details and continue to pay.
PayPal screen 2
You may be again asked to pay through PayPal if you have an account (I know it is lame!), but just ignore it and click “Continue without logging in.”
Paypal screen 3
Your payment will then be processed in the next screen and you will receive your order receipt via email.
At MegaZega.com we strive to uphold the principles of honesty, transparency and code of ethics. We believe that we owe it to customers to be honest with them just as we would expect others to be with us. It is the most respectful way to deal with another person. Recently, we decided to formalize this commitment and applied for Better Business Bureau (BBB) accreditation. We are pleased to announce that we have now been approved for the same. BBB credentials (logo and other info) will soon appear on our website. As part of this accreditation, we have taken an oath to uphold the following principles:
1. Build Trust
Establish and maintain a positive track record in the marketplace.
2. Advertise Honestly
Adhere to established standards of advertising and selling.
3. Tell the Truth
Honestly represent products and services, including clear and adequate disclosures of all material terms.
4. Be Transparent
Openly identify the nature, location, and ownership of the business, and clearly disclose all policies, guarantees and procedures that bear on a customer’s decision to buy.
5. Honor Promises
Abide by all written agreements and verbal representations.
6. Be Responsive
Address marketplace disputes quickly, professionally, and in
good faith.
7. Safeguard Privacy
Protect any data collected against mishandling and fraud, collect personal information only as needed, and respect the preferences of customers regarding the use of their
information.
8. Embody Integrity
Approach all business dealings, marketplace transactions and
commitments with integrity.
Our product Magnetic Receptive Sheeting with Adhesive Backing is a great product to convert any surface into a magnetic surface. To use this product you peel the paper off the adhesive side, stick the adhesive side to any surface you choose (paper, cardboard, wood, plastic or metal), then you have a magnetic surface. It is placed on the front of any surface. The adhesive side is strictly to adhere it to the surface of your choosing, the opposite side is the magnetic side.
We are very excited to unveil our latest enhancement to our website. Our product display page has changed enormously in its user interface based on a lot of the feedback received from our dear customers. We conducted a survey before we finalized the redesign of our page.
Product Page New Design
Major new features on our product display page are as follows:
1. Clear user interface that gives you access to the product description, image and price at a glance.
2. Dynamic price based on all options chosen, such as size, color, quantity etc. displayed on the page before you add to cart.
Therefore, you can now look at for example, a magnetic board which comes in various sizes. The starting at price will be displayed on the page which shows the price of the smallest board we may offer in that product. If you choose a different size and enter a quantity you want, your selected price will be displayed instantly. This removes all confusion about what you are paying before you add the product to your cart.
We believe that these features will now make our website more user friendly for our shoppers. As always, we are dedicated to providing the best possible service to our customers. If there is anything more you would like to see on our site, please do not hesitate to contact us either by posting a comment here or by writing to us through our contact us page.
Recently, one of our customers asked what is the size of the magnetic strips that come with the Magnalite Monthly Planner Kit. This board comes in two sizes and here are the sizes of the strips that come with them:
