LIBERTY vs. DSSI DEPOSIT LIBERTY DSSI

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1 vs. Liberty Opportunities, Inc. is the oldest, most experienced and most reputable store opening service in the world. Period! At Liberty there are no telemarketers or pressure sales people. Just honest, knowledgeable folks who want to work hard for you. With 34 years in this industry, Liberty has encountered dozens of competitors who attempted to duplicate our company. Due to their business methods, these dozens of companies no longer exist. Newer companies find it difficult to compete with Liberty s blueprint for success and attempt to seek unethical ways to do so. The easiest way is to send out false and incomplete comparison lists, or provide inaccurate web pages to attempt an advantage. Liberty does not agree with this tactic but it is happening. Entrepreneurs seek a fair and honest comparison so they can make an important business decision. For your benefit we find it necessary to respond. DEPOSIT $100 deposit. Refundable if not financed to set up a Dollar Store with the services of Liberty Opportunities. $1,500 deposit. Refundable if a location cannot be found. Who determines the terms finding a location to uphold the contract? What good is the location if you are not financed?

2 CONTRACT You are NOT contractually bound until we have created the feasibility for you to open your store. Liberty requires only ONE contract. Once you are obligated to move forward, you may sign new paperwork that contradicts most people s thoughts from the first one. Never submit a deposit, or application fee, without a contract attached to it so that you know for sure what comes after. Sign only one contract that you initially agree with. The contract should state this clearly as does Liberty s contract. Do not allow additional contracts, paperwork, affidavits, etc. required to be signed after you signed the first one. If you go that route, be sure to have ALL the paperwork required to be signed before submitting any deposit up front. SITE LOCATION & LEASING We have an experienced team of site locators and leasing professionals to assist you with your location needs. We have access to demographic software, extensive database of contacts, along with long term relationships with brokers, agents, management companies and landlords. Being members of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) additionally provides more resources on top of the ones mentioned above to give us the best possible tools to help you with your Dollar Store location needs. Has site locators not only for their Dollar Stores, but also their Mail Box Stores, Party Stores, Teen Stores, $10 Clothing Stores and their new Fitness Center Shops. They operate all of these under the same roof and with the same people, but different business names to dilute their true focus on Dollar Stores.

3 FINANCE Liberty will work hard for you to create as many options for your financing that will best suit your needs and situation. Upon request, we will prepare your Business Plan to be submitted to lenders, landlords, etc. Our deposit is REFUNDABLE if you are not able to obtain the financing to open a Dollar Store with Liberty s services. Our deposit is not only REFUNDABLE, but also a lesser amount as we have a lot more faith in our company to get the job done to your satisfaction. The financing for your store is just as important to you as it is to us because our contract DEPENDS on it. In most of their comparisons you will notice they like to elaborate on what they offer and only use FRAGMENTS of our statements. By using the same tactics, it would be fair to just say they claim can assess your financial needs. Also states in their comparisons that you will complete a detailed business plan. Does their contract depend on the financing? MERCHANDISE Has a vast network of suppliers, both wholesalers and manufacturers, providing virtually every Dollar and Dollar Plus items available. We have had relationships with some of these premiere suppliers longer than has been in business. Our buyers, along with negotiated arrangements with our suppliers, both combine to provide daily hands-on communication between the buyers, suppliers and the store owners. We DO have negotiated pricing and it is negotiated for the store owner - NOT for a wholesale division that we own (that the merchandise is channeled through). Owns a wholesale division called JW Imports, named after the owner Jim Wichert. Another division for profit that someone has to pay for... that someone would be you. The purpose of hand selecting would be evident of this and possibly create biased products to benefit their wholesale division more so than the store owner.

4 NEW STORE ORDERS We are involved in analyzing the market you are addressing to determine the best possible opening order. Our buyer/supplier relationships are all involved in this process. You will have access to inner pack quantities and negotiated pricing that does not run through a wholesale division we own. Will the wholesale manager from their profiting wholesale division be working for you or for them? NEW PRODUCT Our buyers and suppliers are in communication every day. We attend multiple major and minor trade shows to evaluate, negotiate, maintain and communicate back to the store owners of not only what is new, but to also be updated for seasonal purchasing. Our staff is always a toll free call away for any needs, comments and/or questions. If we don t hear from you, you will still hear from us. Claims the same. FIXTURES We obtain the dimensions of your location and we work with you to create store layouts to best enhance sales and your wishes. The fixtures, displays, nor the recommended layout is finalized without YOUR approval. WE will do the ordering, WE pay for arrangements of your delivery, WE pay for the freight, WE complete the assembly, and WE will deal with any damages or shortages. They have been using the same fixture company we have used for over 10 years. Our customized layouts are produced from the same listing of different options. These are quality items and either of us downgrading the other s quality would be downgrading themselves as well.

5 TRAINING We do offer a remote option to the store owners to be able to reduce their package price even further. We do provide even lower prices if this option is elected. Because our store owners come to realize our knowledge and experience, most see this as a blessing after they see how effectively well it has worked for them, saving even more money off their initial investment. However, ALL of our contracts include specified amounts of IN-STORE training at YOUR location in accordance with the program you have selected. We maintain ongoing remote assistance thereafter with an unlimited specified amount of time. Trainer assigned to you, ALL remote for 6 weeks via telephone. Classroom training at their office (is that option paid for in their package price?). PRE-BUILDOUT COORDINATION We offer our services to not only provide the pre-opening guide and checklists, but to also work with you on the multiple items provided to complete the list(s). We work diligently with landlords to get your location prepared for you in the manner it was negotiated. Our leasing and buildout coordination is in constant communication with the buyers to make the process come together in a timely manner. Claim to perform the same starting on a Monday and open on Saturday of the scheduled buildout week. How soon, or when, is this buildout week scheduled? STORE SET-UP Provides fixture installation and stocking of the merchandise in your store. Claims the same.

6 AVERAGE COST OF PRODUCT We recommend an average cost of goods sold at 60% of sales including freight. We only suggest this margin if you are using the negotiated pricing and quality we have established with OUR buying network. Claims different numbers, but what are you getting for whatever number they claim? What do you get for the.52 Cost of Goods Sold they are claiming you are getting in their Financial Data portion of their website? Or, what are you getting for their.54 figure being used in their Merchandise portion of their website? Or, what are you getting for.58 to.62 that is posted on their comparison sheet? All of which is provided by JW Imports owned by. Furthermore, which of these mismatching figures are correct? INVENTORY Margins alone DO NOT determine profit. It is the combination of sales volume created by the quality of merchandise along with margins that determines the profitability of your store. For example, we have a store owner we opened in 2003 that is currently annualizing $1.2 million in only a 3,000 square foot store. We originally opened his store at barely 1,000 square feet. His average cost is a little above 60% as are the Dollar Trees, Dollar Generals and Family Dollars. His store is arguably the highest grossing and profiting 3,000 square foot Dollar Store in the country, which would include any Dollar Store has developed. Wonder how successful either of these Dollar Stores would be following the.52,.54,.58 to.62 or whichever it truly is with the JW Import concept? In summary, either of us could give a number and the other could say a cost lower all the way down to a 3 cent latex balloon. It is not the claimed average, but what you get for whatever average cost is claimed. We do not run YOUR inventory thru another profiting wholesale company we own as does. Our negotiated arrangements are transferred directly to you without interference of another profiting wholesale division. FREIGHT Negotiated freight caps, prepaid freight, or in some cases, free freight. Claims the same.

7 SUPPLIER NETWORK Has a network of Preferred Vendors. These vendors are preferred by our hundreds of store owners and experienced buyers due to the pricing, quality, shipping and customer service negotiated and established by Liberty for its clients. These vendors, along with potential want-to-be vendors, are visited continuously and are worked with EVERY DAY! We have an established network of vendors regionally throughout the country to best serve any store we open in any part of the country, or in other countries we have opened stores. Also makes their CLAIM of an established network, but also operates their own wholesale company. Which vendor will be favored? EXPERIENCE Been in business since 1979 and BBB Accredited since We did offer Apparel Stores, Bridal Stores, Shoe Stores, Fashion Accessory Stores and Home Accessory Stores. In 1996, around the same time claim to have opened for business and eight years before they were incorporated, we changed our name to Liberty Opportunities - to be more appropriate for what we are in all facets of opening retail stores, especially the ever popular and profitable Dollar Store concept. We have since then specialized in Dollar Stores, Dollar Plus Stores, Party Stores and Discount Jewelry & More Stores. Our newest associate at Liberty is going on her 9th year with our company. She was hired after having more than 6 years prior experience in related customer service. Prior to all that, she had 3 years experience in Merchandising for a major retail chain. That s more than 18 years experience for our newest associate. Claim they started in According to the Better Business Bureau, first filed in 1997, their business started locally in 2004, they were incorporated in 2004 and they were not BBB Accredited until 2008 (25 years after Liberty). In addition to Dollar Store Services, they also operate under other aliases by the names of $1.00 Store Services, Dollar Plus Stores International, Discount Retail Store Services and JW Imports. Why so many different names? They have a frequent rotation of employees as we often get calls from the people that are let go from knowing about Liberty and calling us seeking new employment.

8 TESTIMONIALS Will provide as many REAL store owners with REAL contact information as can provide. Provides manipulated testimonials with white-outs, no names and no way to get in touch with any of them. These forms are requested to be filled out by the buildout supervisor before the store is open. We are not aware of any testimonials, or videos of store owners that anyone is able to verify and speak with. Try randomly selecting any testimonial, especially video, and see if you can get their contact information. If lists testimonials without any contact information, especially purposely deleting, you should be suspicious. SIZE OF COMPANY Has a highly experienced and dedicated staff to exceed the expectations of its store owners, and at the same time develop a great relationship with our store owners on a personal level. All of our employees work EXCLUSIVELY for Liberty Opportunities. We have truly enjoyed our FAMILY of stores we have created over the past 30 plus years (since Jimmy Carter was President). Some of which continue to choose their annual vacation time to be spent visiting us in Arkansas. We welcome that and appreciate seeing them and their families on an annual basis outside of the work environment. Another store owner couple chose the owners of Liberty to be in their wedding in Maine and later were asked to be the God Parents of their first child. The owners, Dan & Reta Kostecky, proudly accepted both opportunities several years apart. We know how to be professional and get the job done, but also know how to make it fun and build personal relationships on top of business relationships. We never push to be number one, because we are never number one.you ARE! They claim a higher number of employees and should be challenged. Many of the employees they claim also work for other companies other than Dollar Store Services. Their employee count is likely less than Liberty s if they were only able to count the employees that work EXCLUSIVELY for Dollar Store Services and not any other company. Even still, experience, efficiency, and quality will prove more important than numbers.

9 SUMMARY Be sure to always discuss any comparisons, statements, contracts, etc. with a representative to discuss the reality behind any differences and claims made, or perceived. By doing this, you will be able to determine the better company for you to invest with. This may, or may not be your largest investment, however, Liberty will absolutely value your decision as though it is your most important. CONCLUSION WHO IS MORE MOTIVATED TO GET YOUR STORE OPENED?