Below you will find helpful and relevant articles that we carefully curate for the benefit of our B.R.A. Retail Members almost every day. Be sure to scroll through the most recent article or use the Search/Lookup feature to find topics and keywords related to articles that may help you to lower costs, increase margins or create more remarkable customer experiences.

“How Will the United States Tariffs Affect the Surfing Industry?” by August Howell via Surfer Mag

by admin | Apr 10, 2025 | Governmental Affairs, Industry, News, Opinion, Predictions, Surf

Economic uncertainty plus a revolving door of tariffs means surfers and brands will likely feel a squeeze. Following the news of tariffs announced (then unannounced) by United States President Donald Trump is like reading the world’s worst surf forecast. Impending one...

“Save Your Margins: 15 Retail Management Tactics” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Apr 8, 2025 | Brick & Mortar, Governmental Affairs, News, Resources, Retail Economy, Retail Strategy, Sales Training

All retail chains face a brutal reality in 2025. Your margins are under attack from three directions: Promotion addiction: Your marketing team runs flash sales that train customers to wait for discounts, delivering temporary revenue spikes but permanent margin erosion...

“There’s No Way This Can Last: Surf and Outdoor Industry on Trump Tariffs” by Tiffany Montgomery and Kate Robinson via Shop Eat Surf X Outdoor

by admin | Apr 4, 2025 | Industry, News, Opinion, Predictions, Retail Economy

Stocks tanked, a major U.S. bank upped its risk of a recession to 60%, and brand executives scrambled Thursday to come up with a plan to respond to the severe tariffs announced Wednesday by the Trump administration.  Paul Naude, the CEO of surf and...

“Powerful Snow Storm to Dump Up to 3 Feet of Powder in the Sierra Nevada” by Joe Carberry via The Inertia

by admin | Mar 30, 2025 | Holiday, News, Outdoor, Snowboard

Strap in, ’cause here we go. Photo: Andrew Miller//Mammoth Mountain ollowing a brief respite of high pressure that teased summer in western North America, a powerful winter storm is set to dump up to three feet of snow in the Sierra Nevada over the next...

“Retail’s AI Taskmaster: Technology Turns Associates into Digital Servants” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Mar 26, 2025 | Artificial Intelligence / CHAT GPT, Brick & Mortar, Customer Experience, Customer Service, HR, m-commerce, Resources, Retail Strategy, Social Media

I shared a story last month about a visit to Saks where associates were too engrossed in their smartphones to look up at shoppers. A friend commented they had the same experience and when they asked the manager, they were told, “Oh, they’re clienteling.” First, I...