by admin | May 6, 2026 | Customer Experience, Debate, Insurance, News, Opinion, Outdoor, Surf, Tourism
The Wavegarden pool under construction at DSRT SURF in Palm Springs, California. Photo: Wavegarden It feels like a lifetime ago that Kelly Slater unveiled his clandestine wave pool project in the Central California farmland. It’s been a little over a decade since...
by Doug Works | May 3, 2026 | News
A Sun Care Brand With Strong Shelf Appeal, Smart Repeat Sales Potential, And A Story Customers Connect With Not every sunscreen belongs in every store. Big-box SPF may work in a supermarket aisle, but independent surf, skate, wake, SUP, and outdoor retailers know...
by admin | May 2, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Customer Experience, Customer Service, Sales Training
Your associate looks up at the register and says: “Anything else?”The customer says no. The sale closes. And roughly 10% of that transaction walks out the door with them.Not because the customer did not want more. Because your associate handed them the...
by Doug Works | Apr 30, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence / CHAT GPT, News
Credit: Getty Images by Paper Boat Creative Retail has always been a human-centered business. Every sale, return, upsell and resolution depends on an employee’s ability to read emotion, respond appropriately, and guide a customer through an experience that feels both...
by admin | Apr 27, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Clearance Sales / Discounting, Commercial Real Estate, Customer Experience, Customer Loyalty, Customer Service, E-Commerce, News
An Eddie Bauer store in March 2026 that is slated to shutter this year. Closures over the next five years could weigh on already struggling malls. Daphne Howland/Retail Dive Tariffs and immigration policies are weighing on the industry and could drive even more...
by admin | Apr 24, 2026 | News, Resources, Sales Training
Retail training fails for one reason: it protects associates from failure instead of using it as the mechanism for learning. Videos, quizzes, and microlearning apps improve completion rates but do not change behavior on the floor. The only thing that does is repeated...
by admin | Apr 21, 2026 | News, Surf Expo, Trade Shows
Surf Expo Show Director Roy Turner, second from left, with the Coastal Edge crew from Virginia Beach, Virginia. Photo by Surf Expo. As Surf Expo celebrates its 50th anniversary, the show continues to serve as a vital hub for the surf, resort, swim, and coastal outdoor...
by admin | Apr 17, 2026 | News
A shipping container is offloaded at the Port of Los Angeles on Sep. 25, 2026. Mario Tama via Getty Images The First Sale valuation method has helped companies lower their tariff costs for decades, but renewed scrutiny claims it harms U.S. production. Retailers, along...
by admin | Apr 14, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence / CHAT GPT, Brick & Mortar, Industry, News, Resources
Shop Eat Surf Outdoor has assembled a panel of independent retailers who will share their personal journeys, their learning curves, and the specific ways they are integrating AI to make their businesses more efficient Register now for Unlocking AI Tools for...
by admin | Apr 11, 2026 | Accounting and Business Services, Brick & Mortar, Data Driven Performance, Resources, Retail Strategy, Staffing
screenshot of Doug Works, Executive Director of BRA, and Dan Jablons, President of Retail Smart Guys Did you know that there are three small tweaks (just a 2% change) that you can make to significantly increase your bottom line? Watch this relevant and helpful webinar...
