Mindful Shopping
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Steve Cahalan: Bicycle shop opens in Holmen Square | Business

Kristen S. Sykes



Steve Cahalan mug

Steve Cahalan


A year after he retired from Cisco Systems, John McHenry has opened On Your Left! Cycles bicycle shop in Holmen.

It opened in early November in Suite 524 in the Holmen Square shopping center at 500 N. Holmen Drive. And it’s the only bicycle shop in Holmen.

McHenry said his shop sells new and used bicycles, as well as bicycle apparel and accessories. It also repairs bicycles.

The new business is an authorized dealer for Cannondale, Serotta, Lynskey, Schwinn and GT bicycles. “I sell bicycles that range from the very affordable to the exotic,” said McHenry, who plans to hold a grand opening celebration in early 2022.

His shop has a fitting room, he said, adding that “I’m here to help people enjoy cycling and get the proper fit and bike type.

“I figured Holmen needed a bike shop,” and his store is close to bicycle trails and

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Online Shopping
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Better Business Bureau reports online shopping scams reported in Iowa

Kristen S. Sykes

A new report warns online scams are surging with more people shopping online during the pandemic.“At the Better Business Bureau, I’d say about 40% of the online complaints are in regards to online shopping,” Bobby Hansen with the Better Business Bureau told KCRG.Hansen says Iowa is no exception to the rise in online shopping scams. Their Scam Tracker shows online purchase complaints nearly doubled last year, and 2021 is set to see even more. “Our advice is if it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” added Hansen.He says scammers are taking advantage of the supply chain issues. Fake websites will entice shoppers with hard-to-find items, or deals on things that have seen prices rise in recent months. The Federal Trade Commission says online shopping scams are also one of the more successful types of fraud. More than 69% of cases involved someone losing money.To avoid being one … Read More

Online Shopping
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Better Business Bureau warns consumers of online shopping scams

Kristen S. Sykes

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ/Press Release) – A shift toward online shopping during COVID-19, global supply chain crisis, and a resurging economy have all created a recipe for a breakneck holiday shopping season – one where online shopping fraud poses a tremendous risk to consumers. Online purchase scams have skyrocketed during the pandemic, and social media ads play a key role in the mushrooming problem, a new Better Business Bureau® (BBB ®) study finds.

The in-depth investigative study – Theft on a massive scale: Online shopping fraud and the role of social media – finds the pandemic, along with lax social commerce shopping platforms, has opened the door for scammers in China to steal from desperate online shoppers. Read the full study here.

Online shopping fraud has been growing for several years, but according to BBB research, it dramatically increased during the pandemic as more people shopped online. A

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Online Shopping
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How to Accept Credit Card Payments as a Small Business

Kristen S. Sykes

The reign of cash as king is coming to an end. Today’s consumers use non-cash payment methods for 74 percent of transactions, according to a 2020 Federal Reserve study.

Thanks to their enhanced security features, generous spending limits and rewards—plus the rise of online shopping—credit cards are more popular than ever. In fact, credit card transactions account for 29 percent of all transactions, according to the study.

We’ve created this guide to help small-business owners and side hustle entrepreneurs weigh their credit card processing options. Here’s what you need to know:

How to accept credit card payments

1. Find a credit card processing provider for your small business

There are many payment processing providers that offer similar services.

Consider what portion of credit card transactions you will process in person, online and over the phone. Also, think about what type of credit cards you’ll accept: Visa, Mastercard

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