Jan Teague

President/CEO

360.943.9198, ext. 19

jteague@retailassociation.org

Mark Johnson

Vice President of Government Affairs

360.943.9198, ext. 15

mark.johnson@retailassociation.org

Tammie Hetrick

Vice President of Retail Services (RASI)

360.943.9198, ext. 13

 tammie@retailassociation.org

Jim Szymanski

Please post information to vote "no" on ballot item involving initiative signatures

By Jan Teague, President/CEO

Ballots will be mailed October 16^th and  I'm urging you all to post information for your employees and voters to vote no on Initiative 517.

It's important that concerned retailers inform their employees that I-517 would infringe on their rights of ensuring customers a comfortable and safe shopping experience.

It would turn Washington State into a land of year round signature gathering for initiatives and allow signature gatherers practically unfettered access not only to parking lots, but hallways and doorways to stores inside the malls or in front of any retail store. The initiative would also allow petitioners to operate in waiting rooms, in schools, libraries, hospitals and at sporting events.

Gov. Inslee and The Seattle Times already have made it known that they oppose I-517. Former Secretary of State Sam Reed and former state Auditor Brian Sonntag also authored a Seattle Times opinion piece in opposition. Reed and Sonntag labeled 517 as "deeply flawed." You also can visit WRA's website, www.retailassociation.org, where you'll find a video link to my recent appearance on TVW to stand in opposition to I-517,

Simply put, many retailers against 517 want to cooperate and allow signature gatherers to operate in designated areas, as they already do. But the provisions of I-517 would severely upset the balance between an enjoyable customer experiences and enabling a 12-month a year annoyance of petitioners constantly confronting shoppers to sign petitions.  For those retailers who don't provide any areas for solicitations of any kind, the initiative allows signature gatherers on their property taking away the store owner's rights to protect their customers.

The experience of retailers with signature gatherers has not always been pleasant. Some petitioners, many of whom are paid and from out-of-state, have been aggressive with shoppers and stubbornly refuse to accept "no thank you" from shoppers who would prefer not to involve themselves politically during a shopping trip. I-517 would spread this problem out to all retail properties and increase the odds that more shoppers would have to contend with mixing politics and shopping.

517 would establish a protective perimeter for petitioners in which it would be illegal for a retailer or shopper to ask an aggressive or offensive signature gatherer to back off or leave the premises.

Retailers can ill afford to lose their rights to protect harassed customers from signature gatherers. Some retailers have found a happy medium of allowing signature gatherers to work in designated locations.  With I-517, that would go away and signature gatherers could freely roam beyond management supervision.  This poses possible security compromises to say nothing of increasing the odds that shoppers' rights to privacy will be compromised.

I've been traveling around the state to speak about how troubling I-517 would be to retailers. To defeat the proposal will require retailers to become involved beyond voting. The coalition opposed to 517 has produced posters and Internet banners available for printing and downloading that can be displayed in stores and on websites summarizing why this initiative is a bad idea.

Please become involved now. Go to No on 517 to print out a poster for counter display or to download it for posting to a website. If you need more information, contact me at 360-943-9198, Ext. 19 or at jteague@retailassociation.org. 

Retail crime conference attracts 300 to Tacoma

About 300 law enforcement and store security personnel attended the third organized retail crime training conference last week in Tacoma.

Participating for WRA were Jan Teague, President/CEO; Mark Johnson, VP of Government Affairs and Jim Szymanski, Director of Public Affairs. The conference was arranged by the Washington State Organized Retail Crime Alliance (WSORCA), where Mark Johnson serves on the board of directors.

A series of speakers shared case studies and stressed the importance of retailers becoming active in their communications with elected officials and police departments to combat the spread of organized retail crime. The speakers discussed information gathering techniques and tendencies of criminals to make it easier to identify potential crime suspects.

Due to police department staff reductions in recent years, frequent communication with retailers who can share information about suspects has become increasingly important, said Pierce County Sheriff Paul Pastor. He acknowledged that some police officers need to learn more about retail crime techniques and suspects.

King County Councilman Reagan Dunn, a former federal prosecutor, urged stores in strip malls to form neighborhood watch groups to share information about suspects and crimes.

Some highlights of content from the seminars:

*Most retail thieves work with accomplices either inside or outside the store.

*Some of the crimes are international in scope with popular products that are shipped and sold overseas.

*Thieves can make up to $4,000 a month selling stolen merchandise to middlemen or "fences" who then resell items online.

*When possible, stores should attach photos of suspects to written reports of crimes shared with police.

*A high percentage of thieves are addicted to drugs and steal to support their habits.

*If a crime in progress turns violent, store personnel should protect people, not products, from harm.

WSORCA maintains a website where stores share crime information.  Click here to apply to join.

Visit KING 5 TV to view a recent report on the work Safeway stores have done to catch liquor thieves.

Newspapers urge defeat of GMO initiative

Major newspapers in Seattle, Tacoma and Portland have published editorials or columns urging defeat of Initiative 522, the November ballot item that would require special new labeling of genetically modified foods.

WRA opposes the measure because it would result in higher food prices and cause unwarranted and undue confusion for consumers.

The Seattle Times called the campaign "clumsy" and "emotion-based" in urging its defeat. The editorial can be reviewed by clicking here. 

An Oregonian columnist said I-522 would add unnecessary costs to farmers and consumers while providing them with incomplete information. Click here to read The Oregonian column. The Tacoma News Tribune refers to "multiple reasons" voters should reject the initiative. To read the editorial, click here (account required).

A Washington Research Council analysis has concluded that I-522 could add up to $520 a year in additional food costs for a family of four due to the costs of complying with its regulatory requirements. In addition, the Yakima Herald has warned of nuisance lawsuits and costly state government enforcement requirements that could result from the initiative.

Help elect Jan Angel to the state Senate

State Representative Jan Angel needs your help to get elected to the state Senate in the 26^th Legislative District that includes Port Orchard, Gig Harbor and parts of Bremerton. 

Jan is a strong supporter of retail issues.  She scored a perfect 100 percent for the 2013 WRA Voting Record. 

Jan Angel can't win this election alone.  She needs your help.  If you are able, please make a donation, offer to doorbell, put up a yard sign or sign in your business, make phone calls, host a reception, anything to help get her elected.  She will be an excellent addition to the state Senate.

WRA has already endorsed Jan Angel.  We encourage you to contact her and offer to help.  Thank you in advance.

Please call 360-204-0776 or visit www.janangel.com.

Retailers expect 3.9 percent holiday sales gain this year

Holiday sales gains in November and December are expected to be up slightly from last year, according to the National Retail Federation.

NRF this week projected a 3.9 percent gain in holiday sales, which would be up from the actual 3.5 percent gain last year. But NRF officials urged an end to the current government shutdown stemming from budget disagreements in Congress.

"Overall, retailers are optimistic for the 2013 holiday season, hoping political debates over government spending and the debt ceiling do not erase any economic progress we're already made," said Matthew Shaw, NRF's President and CEO. In a letter to congressional leaders, the National Retail Federation today called upon both Congress and the Administration to end the budget impasse and urged both political parties to immediately pass a funding bill so that federal employees and contractors can get back to work. 

Shay said the improving housing market and an increasing appetite from consumers to buy larger-ticket items gives retailers reason to be cautiously optimistic about this holiday season. Holidays sales can account for up to 40 percent of retailers' annual sales.

NRF's holiday sales forecast is based on an economic model using several indicators including consumer confidence, consumer credit, disposable personal income, and previous monthly retail sales releases. It includes the non-store category (direct-to-consumer, kiosks and online sales.) For historic sales information visit NRF's Holiday Headquarters and the Retail Insight Center.

Six from state honored for support of national sales tax reform

One hundred thirty six members of Congress including six from Washington State have been honored for their support of national sales tax reform.

Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray and Representatives Suzan DelBene, Derek Kilmer, Rick Larsen and Adam Smith received Heroes of Main Street awards for their support and sponsorship of the Marketplace Fairness Act. It has passed the Senate but awaits a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The bill would require online retailers to charge sales taxes, thereby creating a fairer competitive business environment for brick and mortar stores that do charge the sales tax. Many online companies have been forgoing the charge in their promotions even though it is legally approved for collection.

Source: NRF

L&I premiums due this month

WRA members who pay L&I workers' compensation insurance premiums are reminded that their payments are due by October 31.

Late payments can result in fines with interest, said Tammie Hetrick, WRA's VP of Retail Services.

The state recommends filing online. Using your computer, the state will calculate your rates, provide a printable confirmation page and allow payments by check or credit card.

Go to www.QuarterlyReports.Lni.wa.gov to file online.

L&I urges customers who file online to print a copy of their payment receipt in order to keep records up to date.

RASI website offers rate calculator for 2014 insurance rates

WRA invites companies to use a calculator on its website to figure out proposed workers' compensation insurance rates likely to go into effect in January.

To access the calculator, go to www.retailassociationservices.com (Retail Association Services, Inc.) and click inside the red box that comes up on the page. Once at the worksheet, simply type in the numeric code inside the "risk class" box for your type of business and the calculator will generate how much rates to employers and employees are proposed to increase or decrease next year.

L&I is conducting public hearings around the state this month to take input before making a final decision on next year's rates. Click here to learn about times and locations for L&I's public hearings and how to submit written comments.

Website visitors do not have to be WRA members to use the rate calculator.

Watch video overview of WRA's discount shipping partner

WRA's third-party shipping provider, PartnerShip, has released a short video overview of the discount services it offers customers.

As a WRA member, you could begin saving up to 27 percent on select FedEx shipping services by joining PartnerShip free of charge.

Four other possible advantages of joining PartnerShip include:

*Routing management. Based on an analysis of shipments, PartnerShip will recommend the best shippers for particular routes. The recommendation is based on a carrier's cost effectiveness and customer service.

*Bill auditing. Vendors such as PartnerShip say they often find invoices with rate errors of up to 10 percent in favor of the freight carrier. Corrections are made before the third-party vendor sends the bill to the customer.

*Improved inbound shipping. By relying on vendors to control your inbound shipping, it can be difficult to learn how and when your orders will be shipped and delivered. You can gain that knowledge by arranging shipping through a third party partner such as PartnerShip.

*Consolidated invoices. For frequent shippers, this can mean paying only one bill weekly or monthly as opposed to paying for each shipment.

Click here to watch the video overview of the company and obtain contact information. Also, visit PartnerShip's website and its improved, separate shipping website. 

Safety tip: (one in a series)

Don't forget the homefront in earthquake preparedness

In last week's article, we talked about next week's Shake Out exercise from the business side of things.  The synchronized earthquake drill is scheduled for next week Thursday morning.

In this week's article, we want to talk about personal preparedness.

If a severe disaster were to happen, as a business owner you would already be plenty busy worrying about how to get back up and running as soon as possible.  But don't forget that you need to also have a plan for your family and to be personally prepared the best that you can so that once family members are safe, you can address the challenges to your business and its survival. 

According to Rick Means, WRA's Safety and Claims Administrator, a preparedness plan for your home would resemble the plan for your business and include:

• Mitigation: What can you do to make your personal environment safer?
• Communication: How will you communicate with loved ones? Do you have an outside-the-area contact set up?
• Preparation: What are the supplies you need and where will you store them?
• Don't forget to arrange for those with special needs in your family; seniors, infants/children and pets. 

Remember that failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Click here to register your company for the drill. Click here for a step-by-step guide on how to prepare your company and employees for the earthquake drill. Click here to review recent seismic activity in the Northwest.

Rick recommends this link with information to help you plan your personal and family preparedness.

Rick is available to members to help draw up safety plans and suggest topics for safety meetings. Contact him at 360-200-6454, or rick.means@retailassociationservices.com.  

Petitioners force rethinking of Issaquah plastic shopping bag ban

King County elections officials have certified that Issaquah petitioners have gathered enough signatures to force reconsideration of the city's ban on plastic shopping bags.

The council has until Dec. 27 to repeal the ban or send it to a February, 2014 election to determine its fate.

WRA supports maintaining as much customer choice as possible when it comes to offering shopping bags. Rather than banning plastic, WRA favors additional promotion of plastic bag recycling or the use of paper or reusable bags.

The Issaquah city council adopted the ban in 2012. It took effect last March.

King County Elections reported that it had verified 2,597 signatures of registered Issaquah voters seeking a repeal. The petition drive needed 2,549 to qualify for a possible repeal or public vote.

When the city council decides what to do next, look for a follow up article in this newsletter. Visit save our choice for more information about the repeal campaign.

Sources: King County Elections, Seattle Times, saveourchoice.com 

Democrats seeking new party leader

Democrats are in search of a new statewide party leader after the announced retirement of Dwight Pelz.

Pelz' resignation is effective in February. It follows former KIRO TV anchor Susan Hutchison's election earlier this year to succeed former KVI radio talk show host Kirby Wilbur as chair of state Republicans.

Pelz held the party chairmanship since 2006. Visit the Seattle Times' political blog to learn more.

Source: Seattle Times