Finance VP Mark Swetland called an emergency meeting – during which a number of options were debated, including lying – and just when everyone was about to give up, a cost accountant came up with the “penny tray” strategy

The idea was simple:  Collect enough from the plastic “Take a Penny, Give a Penny” trays at local convenience stores to meet the budget, then return the pennies in February when funds are available.

Upon checking into the legalities of penny trays, the company determined that if one “takes” a penny, there’s no set timetable for “giving” it back. So 267 Silver & Post employees fanned out across the city, collecting 55,600 pennies from 2,304 stores. The funds were deposited in time to meet the budget reporting deadline.

“It was a close call,” says the manager, who notes that careful records were maintained and that employees returned to the same stores the next month and put the pennies back.

While Silver & Post has not had to utilize the strategy since, hundreds of US companies have implemented it when needed.  Amounts taken and given back ranging from as low as $15, to over $10,000 – which required a mobilized force of over 1500.

The post Utilizing the “Penny Tray” Strategy to Meet Budget Goals first appeared on Cubicle F.

SSSSssss founder and CEO Jennifer Spitzlin says her group had originally sought $75 million, but will make due with what they’re getting.

“It may limit the number of cities we can launch in,” she says, “but we have to acknowledge that there are more service apps than ever competing for available VC dollars.”

Though SSSSssss has not earned any revenue to date, Spitzlin expects it will begin netting at least $18,000 annually as soon as 2027.

“Our research shows that the number of people per 250,000 who want to have someone’s tires flattened will increase between 13 to 18 percent over the next ten years,” she says. “And the number of people willing to flatten them will increase at a rate that’s slightly higher.”

Ted Markowits, CEO of the Millsap’s, says he has great faith in Spitzlin and her team:  “They saw a growing need, developed a solution, and thanks to them nobody should ever again have to personally flatten someone else’s tire unless they truly want to.”

The post Phone App SSSSssss Closes on $55 Million in VC Funding first appeared on Cubicle F.

“Our first three months in business we averaged 12 customers a night,” says eatery owner Tammy Brents. “Today that number is over 14.”  She believes the increase is because more and more diners are becoming wary of ingredients.

“When people gain weight or feel nauseous after eating, it’s almost always attributable to the ingredients in their food,” she says. “By preparing our meals entirely without ingredients we eliminate these risks and keep our customers healthy.”

Says one customer, Lena Dillman of Ann Arbor:  “At last I’ve found a guilt-free dining experience.”  The 37 year-old habitat analyst has eaten at Montie’s six times since it opened, and says she’s lost nearly two pounds.   “I also have an easier time remembering song lyrics,” she says, “especially ones by the Beach Boys.”

Other Detroit restaurants have been offering limited ingredients-free fare since the early 2010s, but Montie’s is the first to devote its entire menu to the format – including house specialties like ingredients-free pasta primavera and ingredients-free double Dutch chocolate cake.

“We believe that today’s diner is looking for atmosphere, presentation and healthfulness,” Brent says. “Whether or not their food has ingredients is really secondary.”

The post Ingredients-Free Menu Makes for Healthier Dining Experience first appeared on Cubicle F.

While memorizing mission statements and stepping outside of comfort zones were popular in the early 2010s, more US workers are turning to the “yank the tablecloth off the table” trick. That’s where you suddenly stand up during a fancy business function and surprise everyone by pulling off the cloth – and leaving the china, silverware and glasses in place.

Nora Wilkerson, a marketing executive in Nashville who credits her last two promotions to her mastery of the trick, says she’s gotten it down to a science.

“I’ll call everyone to attention and propose a toast to our host,” she says. “When everyone has raised their glass I simply grab and yank.” Obviously, she says, the objective is to do the trick without breaking anything. Wilkerson claims to have accomplished this 171 times, with only one failure.

“That got me sent to the Ashtabula office for a couple years,” she says, “but overall the strategy has worked very well for me.”

According to business behaviorist Dr. Noel Parmentier of the Balicom Institute, 65 percent of US workers promoted in 2024 had employed the trick at least once.  “It’s all about innovation and risk taking,” he says. “And of course, not breaking anything.”

Wilkerson stresses that one should complete five successful practice yanks in a row before attempting the trick at a business function.

“If you fail more than twice at an actual event,” she says, “then it’s probably a good idea to re-think your strategy.”

The post Yanking off the Tablecloth: A Sure-Fire Way to Impress the Boss first appeared on Cubicle F.

• Copying Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin on emails that contain confidential information  No matter what the information is, there is no reason that Mr. Putin needs to have it. Even if one of his people tells you he should be copied – even if he does so himself – don’t copy him.
• Attaching a photo of your mother to business correspondence While this practice is becoming more and more common among practitioners of Scientology, it is not yet acceptable in the corporate world. Ask yourself: “Does a photo of my mother have anything to do with this business matter?” If it doesn’t, the best bet is not to attach it.
• Signing off with the sunglasses-wearing smiley face 😎 .  This emoticon has been officially banned by the Emoticon Acceptability Association, owing to its misuse by a group of North Dakota stock traders. However, the mandate has not been well-publicized, so many up and comers have found themselves wondering why they’re suddenly out of a job. Best to use one of the 1,455,445 other approved emoticons.
• Including the weights of attendees in meeting invitations  Most people do not want their weight publicized, and even if someone did this isn’t the proper platform.  Wrong:  Also attending will be Jim Perkins (223 pounds), Janice Means (118 pounds) and Theresa Putnick (136 pounds).  Right: Also attending will be Jim Perkins, Janice Means, and Theresa Putnick.
• Expecting a response in less than 30 seconds – and, when not getting it, showing up in the office of the recipient with eyes glaring and fists clenched, demanding that he or she read your message immediately or there will be “consequences.”  This is a very serious action, and should not be taken unless it has been at least ten minutes since the email was sent.

The post CC’ing Putin and Other E-Mail Mistakes That Can Ruin Careers first appeared on Cubicle F.

Parks attributes this to the restaurant’s “focused conversation.”  Each day a list of three topics is posted at the host stand. Patrons are required to limit their discussion to one of the three, or to any combination.

“Disjointed, disorganized chatter can quickly kill a new establishment,” says Parks. “When high-end diners hear people at another table blathering on about their first grader’s art project or their teacup poodles, they walk out and never come back.”

The conversation is curated by Helen Wortman, who performed a similar role at the six-star Astonish in Manhattan.  Topics are changed daily, and last Wednesday included:

• Are you really the you you want to be?
• The crabcake revolution and what it means to the end-user
• Why does Bernie Sanders so rarely close his eyes?

And what if people don’t stick to the approved topics?

“We don’t allow that to happen,” says Parks, noting that the waitstaff is continually monitoring table talk. Diners not in compliance are given two warnings. “The third time,” he says, “we politely ask them to finish their meal in silence.”

It’s best to call ahead for reservations – and also a schedule of topics, since advance preparation is highly recommended.

The post Diners at New Eatery Must Stick to Approved Conversation Topics first appeared on Cubicle F.

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“We knew people wanted a place where all they could get was water,” says owner Jan Natinsky-Kickenen, who also runs Strong, the all-spinach restaurant a few blocks away.   “Other places claimed to be all water, but they hedged their bets with candy corn, apple slices, pimentos…”

At H2Only the only thing available is tap water – served 42 different ways, with each different cocktail named after a Detroit street. 

Water cocktails have grown in popularity the past five years, and many culinary schools – including Sorbonnic in Newport, RI – are offering minor degrees in the art.  One of the first to earn one is Pete, who hired into H2Only right after graduation.

A non-tall man with small round glasses who won’t give his last name, Pete stands behind the glass serving counter slowly pouring water from a small glass beaker into a larger one, his furrowed brow making it clear he’s doing important work.  So important that he can’t be bothered to talk.

“He’s making a 34th Street,” says Natinski Kickenen on his behalf.  “The water in the big beaker is 112 degrees, the smaller one is 58.”   She says it can take up to 30 minutes to make one of the water cocktails.  “If you’re in a hurry this isn’t the place for you,” she says.

Looking around the 64-seat room – walls painted pink and adorned with pictures of swimming fish that look annoyed – there are over 30 singles and couples enjoying various combinations of water

Courtesy of Natinski Kickenen, here’s the recipe for the 34th Street

Ingredients:  1 cup of water; 1 one-ounce glass of water; 1 seven-inch beaker of water; 1 empty drinking glass; eye-dropper.

Instructions:  Heat cup of water over single flame to 103 degrees; Pour half of cup into drinking glass; Allow other half to heat to 115 degrees, then fall to 98 degrees; Using eye dropper, place six drops from second half cup into drinking glass; Stir clockwise 10 seconds; Stir counter clockwise 18 seconds; Shake 3-inch beaker for 60 seconds, pour into drinking glass; Using eye dropper, place 11 drops from second half cup into drinking glass; DISPOSE IMMEDIATELY of unused half cup of water; Allow drinking glass to sit for 2 minutes, 20 seconds; Serve.

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