April 18, 2016

Brought to you by:







Legislative leaders provided their thoughts on the legislative session at the half way point during Thursday's I Am RETAIL Day At The Capitol kick-off breakfast.
Consumer Spending
Retail Sales Unexpectedly Fall as U.S. Consumers Scrimp   

From Bloomberg, Sho Chandra , April 13, 2016

"Sales at U.S. retailers unexpectedly fell in March, raising concern consumer spending is losing momentum.

The 0.3 percent drop in purchases followed little change the prior month, Commerce Department figures showed Wednesday in Washington. The median forecast of 81 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a 0.1 percent gain.

The decrease was led by the biggest drop in demand for autos in a year, and cutbacks at clothing stores, Internet merchants and restaurants. Sustained gains in consumer spending, the biggest part of the economy, are needed at a time exports are still depressed by cooling global markets and U.S. manufacturing is barely emerging from a slump.

"We're having a little bit of a soft patch here for the consumer, with no obvious rationale," said Michael Feroli, chief U.S. economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in New York. "It's definitely a softer start to the year. Provided job gains remain as strong as they've been, we expect consumer spending should be OK."

Estimates in the Bloomberg survey for total retail sales ranged from declines of 0.8 percent to a gain of 0.4 percent. The February tally was previously reported as a 0.1 percent drop.

While nine of 13 major categories showed gains last month, those increases weren't large enough to offset the drop in autos, clothing and restaurants."   
 
 
Retail Day At The Capitol 
Retailers Connected With Legislators At 5th Annual Retail Day At The Capitol Last Week 
 
The Minnesota Retailers Association (MnRA) appreciated retailers from across the state for their participation in Thursday's I Am RETAIL Day At The Capitol. Retailers connected with legislators through hundreds of interactions throughout the event beginning with a legislative breakfast reception at St. Paul Union Depot followed by visits at the State Capitol Office Buildings.

Special thanks to legislative leaders Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, Assistant House Majority Leader Dave Baker, Senate Minority Leader David Hann, and House Minority Leader Paul Thissen for sharing their perspective on the legislative session at the morning breakfast. 



If you missed the event but would like to connect with your legislators on issues vital to the 788,000 Minnesota jobs dependent on the success of our industry, contact MnRA's Government Relations Director & Legal Counsel Brian Carr at [email protected].

MnRA thanks these event sponsors for their support:
 
Presenting:
 
Supporting:
     
Partnership:
Contributing:
REAL ID
State House Debates When to Implement REAL ID  

From KSTP, Gabriel Sanchez, April 15, 2016

"The state House of Representatives received a report Friday to begin planning for REAL ID-compliant driver's licenses.

The question before lawmakers is: implement now or later?

The Department of Public safety began preparing the report after March 31, when a 2009 law banning the legislature from planning the implementation of the new licenses was lifted. Some of the urgency behind the report and planning is the Jan. 22, 2018, federal deadline that would forbid Minnesotans from boarding domestic flights without alternative forms of ID. Though the Dayton administration filed for a federal extension of the deadline, it is uncertain whether it will be granted, according to Minnesota Department of Public Safety Commissioner Ramona Dohman.

Implementation as early as fall of 2016 is possible, but would be expensive, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. It would cost $4.3 million to $5.1 million if the legislature were to implement the new licenses by October 2016. Under that plan, the costs include a $2 million budget for computer programming costs, $300 per agent for training and about $20 per agent for background checks required by the federal mandate."      
 


Workplace
7 Smart Ways To Effectively Manage Your Boss  

From Inc., Lolly Daskal, April 14, 2016

"We spend most of our waking hours at work, and if your relationship with your boss is a difficult one, it makes all those hours arduous.

Some people approach the situation by gritting their teeth and toughing it out, but it's hard to do good work under those circumstances.

Others engage in manipulation and games, but that turns out badly more often than not, and it takes an ethical toll.

Being the best we can be at work is largely a matter of successfully managing our relationships--including our relationship with the boss.
  1. Be a problem solver, not a problem creator.
  2. Stay calm even when everything around you is in a state of chaos.
  3. Don't blame others but always hold yourself accountable.
  4. Set up healthy boundaries.
  5. Never make excuses. It's normal to want to get yourself off the hook, but the fact is that excuses don't work and they make you look bad.
  6. Make your boss look good.
  7. Be a consistently positive force."     
 
The Economy
State Loses 2,900 jobs, Unemployment Rate Holds At 3.7 percent  

From Star Tribune, Adam Belz, April 14, 2016

"Minnesota employers shed a modest 2,900 jobs in March, as construction and health care cut employment in the state.

The change wasn't enough to move the unemployment rate, which held at 3.7 percent for the fifth straight month, according to data released Thursday by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Manufacturing and back-end business support each added about 1,000 jobs. Most other industries were close to flat on the month.

Minnesota has added 35,940 jobs in the past 12 months, a growth rate of 1.3 percent that's well below the national growth rate of 2 percent.

That's in large part because Minnesota's job market recovered more quickly than most of the rest of the country. The state is at full employment, and labor force participation - the share of working-age adults either working or trying to work - rose in March to 71.2 percent, its highest level since 2010." 
 
 


Tool and Tips
5 Reasons Facebook Will Have A Major Impact On CRM     

From Retailing Today, Dan Berthiaume, April 15, 2016

"Facebook has been getting a lot of attention for recent updates which make it more of a direct customer engagement tool. The attention is deserved, as Facebook is on its way to becoming a vitally important CRM platform. Here are five reasons why.
  1. Everyone is doing it
  2. Nobody else is duplicating it
  3. The data speaks for itself
  4. Celebrities are cool
  5. Messenger is cool, too
There is also the intriguing possibility of integrating Messenger with Facebook's artificial intelligence-based "M" personal assistant, opening the potential for fully automated and intelligent customer service. Consumers are increasingly interacting with retailers via mobile devices. Facebook now offers the opportunity to deliver sophisticated services in real time, without the need to download any new apps or leave the Facebook platform."     
 
Spotlight On Minnesota
Must-Watch Video Series Showcases Retail's Impact In Minnesota

Watch these five videos as a part of the National Retail Federation's Retail Across America series. Feel the pride!

1. Retail In Minnesota Is Connected! 
Title
2. It's True, There Is A Minnesota Nice 
3. Small Businesses: More Than A Place To Shop
Title
4. Handcrafted And Only In Minnesota!
Title
5. Minnesota Innovation: Retail Tech In Real Time
Title
Bar code
Minnesota Retailers Associaiton
400 Robert Street North, suite 1540
St. Paul, MN 55101
Tel. (651) 227-6631 - mnretail.org - [email protected]