Articles Posted in Premises Liability

19614851476_d78361b531_bIn the world of grocery store chains, there are many choices available to consumers. Although grocery stores provide the same service by selling food, what causes consumers to choose one store over another? There are many reasons, such as convenience, location, pricing, but the products offered are what distinguishes one store from another. Modern day society has grown in its awareness of nutrition and what ingredients we are feeding our bodies. With the increase in awareness, came the diversity in nutritional diets.

People have many different needs in order to satisfy their diet essentials. This could range from a strictly organic diet of ingredients harvested without pesticides and growth hormones, or even a simpler diet that does not have specific requirements. Where the problem lies, is that not all stores may offer the specific needs of all diets. Traditional grocery stores offer all essential products, but this may not cater to all consumers. That is why they have begun to offer more availability of organic products. Depending on the store, there may be more or less options for healthier food. Fresh produce is the general area of a store that will have options for regular and organic products. Although this can satisfy many consumer needs, it still would not be enough for the individuals searching for all organic products. The main difference between general grocery products and healthier options, is the pricing.

There are several stores that offer all organic options, but this comes with a higher price tag. It has become a commonality that in order to eat healthier, you will need to have a higher budget. That being the case, it may not be suitable for all consumers. This leads to people purchasing select products that are healthier, while purchasing general products to complete the remainder of their shopping list. Since not all stores offer the same availability of healthier products, consumers sometimes need to shop at different stores in order to satisfy their shopping needs. These differentiation are what inspired Lucky’s Market to be the first grocery chain to break the norm.

floor-3When it comes to home improvement and contractor supplies, the first name that comes to mind is the Home Depot. This company has dominated the market of home improvement superstores for nearly 30 years now and currently has over 2,200 locations across North America. In order to stay at the top of the market for so long, a company must make many business decisions to keep up with the times and consumer needs.

Home Depot Financials

Home Depot was founded in 1978 with its first locations being in the metro Atlanta area of Georgia. The company went public in 1981 and shortly thereafter, they began their venture outside of Georgia by opening 2 more locations in South Florida. Over the course of the next 8 years, Home Depot would increase its foothold on the home improvement market by opening more locations through acquisitions and conversions of smaller named companies in different regions of the country. By 1989 Home Depot had beat out Lowes as the largest home improvement superstore chain.

photodune-2000018-accident-report-xs-300x300As our world advances technologically, all forms of business continue to evolve in order to keep up with the changing of times. Such as food delivery services, which have become a staple for convenience in our daily lives. There was a time when it seemed the only food options for quick convenience or delivery were either pizza, Chinese take-out or fast food. Then restaurants began offering take-out services, which grew to curbside pickup, and now most of your favorite restaurants are available for delivery via the many companies that offer food delivery services for a fee. With this type of convenience society has become accustomed to, other food industries needed to find a way to provide similar options for their customers. This gave way to major grocery store chains offering online ordering with curbside pickup, and now their latest venture in convenience is grocery delivery services.

Walmart currently offers grocery delivery services for a fee with a monthly or annual membership. Their website states this service is available in select cities across 50 states. This form of convenience will continue to grow, especially with Amazon’s plan to compete with Walmart by building their own grocery stores. Amazon already has in-home delivery services for their current products and hopes to utilize the same service for their grocery stores. Walmart is set to begin their own form of in-home delivery later this year in select cities.

Amazon plans to build grocery stores with the business model of prioritizing online ordering with pickup and in-home delivery, will lead to smaller stores with larger storage facilities to accommodate customer demand. Larger storage facilities, results in more products to manage for the employees. This results in heightened attention to detail in order to avoid the risks of accidents or slip and falls. According to reports, slip and falls are the number injury sustained by employees and customers in a grocery store. This inherent risk could be multiplied with more products to manage, which could result in a greater chance for negligence. The onset of the in-home delivery venture would then carry this same risk for employees entering a customer’s home.

fort_myers_storefront_car_crash_attorneyIf you slip and fall in a parking lot in Florida, chances are that it may not be your fault. But you will need to speak with the best Florida parking lot accident lawyer you can call to find out for sure. At Wolfson & Leon, our parking lot accident attorneys have defended the rights of injured victims since 1963 and they are ready to help you too. Call them right now at 305-285-1115 for your free consultation to find out if some person or corporation might be responsible for your parking lot accident in Florida.

Hazardous Parking Lot Issues

Chances are you use a parking lot at least once a day, but you may not have considered just how dangerous they can be. There are of course the obvious issues that you need to watch out for, such as potholes. But there are other, less obvious issues that you need to be aware of.

publix-slip-and-fall-300x169Living in the state of Florida, chances are you have heard of Publix. The chain of grocery stores, which is headquartered in Lakeland, Florida, is expanding an incredible rate of growth, adding stores across the country.

In 2018, Publix boasted an incredible $36.1 billion in revenue in its annual reports. This is a whopping 4.4% increase from the previous year.

Amazingly, this sales rate puts the Florida-based chain on par with national giants such as Nike. For a comparison, in its annual report for 2018, Nike reported revenues just over that of Publix’s revenues at $36.4 billion.

slip-and-fall-lawyersIn this day and age, robots are taking over more and more jobs. Some of the largest stores in the country are developing the technology to put robots in its stores. One of those stores is Walmart.

Walmart has recently been testing out using robots for tasks that people do not enjoy doing. It also has the added benefit of significantly cutting labor costs and being more efficient. The robots could be used to clean the floors, sort inventory, or stock items.

Currently, Walmart has been using robots as floor cleaners. The company expects to have these robots start out at 1,500 stores and then hopefully expand from there. Moreover, Walmart is expecting to add 600 conveyor belts to the stores. These conveyor belts will be able to automatically sort inventory. Walmart is also hoping to bring in 300 robots that will be able to check to see if shelves are running out of a particular item.

Miami-RooftopUnfortunately, slip and falls accidents are very common in Florida, and they can result in serious injuries and expenses. Slip and fall accidents can lead to a host of injuries, from simple sprains and bruises to broken bones and back injuries. These injuries can lead to permanent disability and costly medical bills.

If you have a slip and fall accident in Florida, you may be forced to file your claim with the property owner, instead of the business owner. This happens most often when stores lease space from a property owner. The property owner is then generally responsible for the upkeep of the common areas, such as the parking lot.

When you file your claim with a property owner, you will need to prove that the accident you had stemmed from the property owner’s negligence. This can often be difficult to prove. Many times negligent property owners are able to get away completely free due to a lack of proper evidence. This is because it can often be hard to determine exactly what caused the fall.

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In Florida, extensive statistics are kept by law enforcement. In theory, those statistics are used to measure performance, effectiveness and for the deployment of resources. In addition, crime statistics can be informative for political purposes. But it is always a good idea to look at any statistical analysis with a cautious eye. One must always consider what is being measured and, especially, what is not being measured. With that in mind, we look at Florida’s Crime Clock as promulgated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

In the most recent version of the Crime Clock, the year 2016 is examined. Again, with a grain of salt, the results are interesting and informative. Crime clearly remains a serious problem here in Florida. Here are some of the results:

  • There is an aggravated assault committed every 9 minutes in Florida

stairs2-300x219What would you do if you were injured at an Airbnb location in Florida? If the accident wasn’t your fault, do you know how to hold the responsible person or company accountable for your damages, medical expenses and loss of income? Our Florida Airbnb accident attorneys have investigated and studied the issues involved when people are injured due to the negligence of the Airbnb owner or operator. Unfortunately, the answers are not simple. However, there is a path to recover for your Airbnb injury.

The first thing that you need to understand is that you cannot sue Airbnb. The Terms of Service in your Airbnb agreement provide that in the event of a dispute, you agree to negotiate or arbitrate with Airbnb. Additionally, in that same agreement you agreed to waive your rights to request a jury trial for all issues that are capable of being submitted to arbitration. You might wonder if Airbnb can do this legally. The answer is yes. You’re not required to use Airbnb but when you do you must agree to Terms of Service.

In fact, it is common for companies and corporations to include such provisions in the terms of service or agreements. The most used provisions include waiver of jury trials and arbitration requirements. If you disagree then you simply don’t have to use the service or product that is being provided to you by the corporation. Another favorite is venue selection. Most obvious example is accidents that occur on cruise ships. Most cruise ship tickets provide that in the event of a lawsuit is filed then it must be filed in federal court in Miami. Again, if you don’t agree than simply don’t buy the ticket.

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