November 24, 2014

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Sales Tax Fairness
E-Fairness: Turn Down The Minnesota Nice, Turn Up The Pressure

It's time to turn down the Minnesota nice and turn up the e-fairness pressure on the U.S. House of Representatives!

Recently U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said he will likely block e-fairness, keeping the bill from a critical vote.  Retailers across Minnesota and around the country should be disappointed in Speaker Boehner's statement along with the lack of willingness to put all retailers on equal footing when it comes to sales tax collection.

You can help today! Reach out to your Republican U.S. House member and tell him/her:

1. Speaker Boehner is simply wrong to intentionally hold up e-fairness at the federal level. Minnesota has done its job at the state level, now Congress needs to act.

2. Minnesotans and retailers expect Congress to solve this sales tax fairness issue now, not in six months, not in a year. If a straightforward e-fairness bill that passed the U.S. Senate on a bi-partisan basis can't even be heard in the House, what message does that send to business on next year's Congress?

3. Retailers in Minnesota won't rest until brick-and-mortar stores share an equal and competitive playing field with e-commerce retailers.  Minnesota's Republican U.S. House members need to demand that Speaker Boehner allow the House to vote on e-fairness.

>> Click here to find your U.S. House member and reach out.

Your voice can make a different on e-fairness.  Thanks for turning down the Minnesota nice and turning up the voice of retail.

Holiday Trends
UST Experts Weigh in on Shopping Climate for Holiday Season

From 5 Eyewitness News (ABC), Lindsey Brown, November 19, 2014

'"Tis the season for family, fun and gift giving.

We are getting our first look at just how much Twin Cities shoppers are planning to spend over the holidays. The University of St. Thomas released its sentiment survey. Marketing professors at the school compiled the data.

According to their research, Twin Cities shoppers are planning to spend  $868 per household this holiday season. That's the highest amount since the survey began 13 years ago. It's up $231 or 36 percent from the survey's recession-era low point in 2009.

Now, you just have to figure out where to shop. The decorations and music of a traditional mall or downtown area still pull in the Christmas shopping crowds. Many were out Wednesday at Rosedale Center enjoying the calm before the mall halls are decked with people.

"I like to try things on, feel the fabrics, you know, get in the moment. Have my coffee. It's all about the experience," said Lauren Rostron, a mother of two. Turns out the hands on experience still matters for many people. "We're kind of looking at the mall here today getting ideas," said Mary Reinke, while holding her granddaughter in her arms.

Those surveyed said they would spend this breakdown of their budget in these locations:
  • 43 percent at a mall or downtown area
  • 33 percent online
  • 19 percent stand-alone stores
  • 5 percent catalogs
Again this year the most popular gift is expected to be gift certificates, followed by clothing and accessories, cash, travel, toys and hobbies. Special sales are becoming more and more spread out between now and Christmas, making it easier on retailers, who used to see the bulk of the crowds on Black Friday."

Holiday Shopping
140 Million Holiday Shoppers Likely to Take Advantage of Thanksgiving Weekend Deals in Stores and Online, According to NRF

From the National Retail Federation, November 20, 2014

"Americans are readying for the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend by making sure they have a menu for their family gathering and a complete shopping list for their weekend shopping activities. According to NRF's Thanksgiving Weekend Expectations survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, which provides a preliminary look at shopping expectations over Thanksgiving weekend, six in 10 (61.1%) say they will or may shop either Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday, which equates to more than 140.1 million unique shoppers.* Expectations are similar to last year's preliminary survey results of 140.3 million.

Specifically, 67.6 million holiday shoppers (29.5%) say they will shop, down slightly from 69.4 million who planned to do so last year, and 72.5 million (31.6%) say they will wait and see if the deals are worth it before they decide, up 2 percent over last year's 71 million "maybe" shoppers.

"Consumers today want more than just the discounts they've been showered with since the start of the recession; they want exclusive offerings and a good reason to spend their discretionary budgets," said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. "We could witness a sea change this holiday season as consumers' reliance on extremely deep discounts over the biggest shopping weekend of the year shifts to more of a 'wait- and-see' mentality around what retailers will be offering on Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday."

Holiday Season
Small Business Saturday Is November 29; MnRA Has Your Materials

MnRA has your Small Business Saturday materials! Call us at (651) 227-6631 or email [email protected] for more information.


Retail Operations
Reducing Shopping Cart Abandonment Is A $2 Trillion Opportunity For Online Retailers

From Business Insider, Cooper Smith, November 18, 2014

"An astounding $4 trillion worth of merchandise will be abandoned in online shopping carts this year, and about 63% of that is potentially recoverable by savvy online retailers, according to estimates from BI Intelligence, Business Insider's tech industry research service.

Shopping cart abandonment is growing. The data shows that around three-fourths of all shopping carts will be abandoned by online shoppers this year.

In a recent report, BI Intelligence explains what leads a shopper to abandon an online purchase and how retailers can begin to combat rising shopping cart abandonment rates. We collected and analyzed data from top e-commerce companies, and spoke with industry experts whose job it is to reduce abandonment rates and boost conversions, to come up with a number of solutions that can help retailers recover lost sales."

Regulation
Bloomington Cracks Down On E-cigs & Single Sale Cigars

From the Star Tribune, John Reinan, November 18, 2014

"Bloomington is the latest Minnesota city to get tough on e-cigarettes. The City Council passed a new ordinance 7-0 on Monday night that bans e-cigarette use in most public places and bans sampling in stores where e-cigarettes are sold.

The council's action puts an end to "vaping" in two e-cigarette retailers operating in the city.

The council also cracked down on sales of cheap cigars, which health officials said are popular with young people. The ordinance requires cigars to be sold in packages of at least five, unless the individual cigars cost more than $2.60 apiece."

Paint Recycling
Retailers Collect Old Paint Under New Minnesota Recycling Program

From the Star Tribune, Dee DePass, November 18, 2014

"Basement paint-can hoarders, it's time to clean up. Under a new Minnesota law, more than 120 paint and hardware stores across the state in October started accepting old paint from the public at no charge. Dozens of additional retailers will join the program by summer.

New drop-off stores include Sherwin Williams, Abbott Paints & Carpet, Hirshfield's, Diamond Vogel, PPG Pittsburgh Paints and Smith Brothers Decorating. Minnesota is the sixth state to adopt the program, which will be managed by nonprofit PaintCare.

Retailers play a key role in the pollution control and recycling program created by the Minnesota Legislature, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), retailers and paint manufacturers.

The new law should keep old paint cans out of landfills and snag thousands more out of basements. But it will ultimately cost consumers. That's because PaintCare and the state face $6.8 million a year in administrative, collection, transportation and recycling expenses. Those costs will be passed to consumers.

On Nov. 1, prices on new house paint sold in Minnesota rose 35 cents for pints or quarts; 75 cents for one-gallon containers and $1.60 for up to five gallons."

Minnesota Economy
Hunting Boosts State's Economy

From St., Cloud Times, Letter to the editor by MnRA president Bruce Nustad, November 20, 2014

"As we enter hunting season in Minnesota, I am reminded of the many economic benefits hunting brings to communities across our state.

Every year, hunters visit the far-flung corners of our state to hunt for pheasant, deer, turkey and more. On the way to their preferred hunting areas, they spend money at gas stations, convenience stores, cafes and motels. In some Minnesota communities, this spending is critical to keeping businesses in the black and open.

The average hunter in Minnesota spends about $1,500 every year. That money translates into economic vitality for our state."

Immigration
Retailers Renew Call for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

From the National Retail Federation, November 20, 2014

"The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay on the announcement that President Obama will issue a series of executive actions on immigration:

"The nation's retailers support common-sense and comprehensive immigration reform that addresses the needs of employers and employees, and is flexible enough to enforce and implement. We believe the current immigration system is broken and in serious need of reform.

"While it is regrettable the president felt it necessary to issue this executive order in an effort to alleviate the problem, we are disappointed that the administration and Congress could not work together toward a more comprehensive solution. "This executive action only provides a temporary and incomplete fix to the immigration problem and may jeopardize the chance to achieve a more complete and permanent resolution."

Member Service
MnRA's RetailPlus+ Buying Group

The Minnesota Retailers Association (MnRA) has leveraged the collective clout of our members to offer increased savings on the products and services essential to retailers. These vital products and services help Minnesota retailers navigate the often complicated terrain of operating as a retailer.

Thank you for your patience as we redesign the web presence of the RetailPlus+ Buying Group in the coming weeks.

Question on the program? Contact the MnRA staff at (651) 227-6631.  

 
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Minnesota Retailers Associaiton
400 Robert Street North, suite 1540
St. Paul, MN 55101
Tel. (651) 227-6631 - mnretail.org - [email protected]


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