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.

“Sales Training – 5 of The Stupidest Questions to Ask Retail Shoppers” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Mar 5, 2023 | Brick & Mortar, Customer Service, HR, Resources, Retail Strategy

1. How are you today? Admit it, you don’t care; the shopper knows you don’t care. This leads the customer to parrot a specific answer, “Fine, and you?” To which the retail employee responds with another expected answer, “Fine,” or they launch into another unthinking...

“Beyond the Resume: 3 Hidden Characteristics of Valuable Employees” by Mike Szczesny via Total Retail

by admin | Mar 2, 2023 | Brick & Mortar, HR, Resources, Retail Strategy

Credit: Getty Images by Luis Alvarez The question of employee engagement has never been more pressing. Coming out of the pandemic, there has been a shift in employee expectations about both pay and working conditions. With potential economic headwinds — e.g., debt...

“14 Ideas for Effective Retail Customer Service Training” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Feb 26, 2023 | Brick & Mortar, Customer Service, HR, Resources, Retail Strategy

Retail customer service training aims to create an exceptional customer experience. So, what goals do you focus on when you teach your employees how to give customers exceptional experiences? Sometimes good customer service means something quick, cheap, and...

“IN MEMORIAM: THOMAS F. TAYLOR (1966-2023)” by Cullen Poythress via Transworld Skateboarding

by admin | Feb 25, 2023 | Brick & Mortar, Legends, Rest In Peace, Retail History, Skateboard

Thomas in the pages of TWS. Photo: King Thomas with Grant in the backyard bowl. Photo: @jt_lushbag In the light of the great past masters of our kind, none so embodied the spirit of the craft quite like Thomas Taylor. In our lifetime of friendship and hell raising,...

“Dick’s Sporting Goods heads for the big outdoors with Moosejaw deal” by George Anderson via Retail Wire

by admin | Feb 23, 2023 | Brick & Mortar, News, Outdoor

Dick’s Sporting Goods is acquiring Moosejaw from Walmart. The sporting goods giant made the deal to advance its ambitions in the multibillion-dollar outdoor retail market. According to The NPD Group, dollar sales in the outdoor specialty market grew seven percent...

“The Retail Party’s Not Over…It Just Has a Different Menu” by Warren Shoulberg via The Robin Report

by admin | Feb 22, 2023 | Brick & Mortar, Retail Economy, Retail Strategy

A funny thing happened on the way to the next recession: the consumer said, “No thanks.” With surprisingly strong retail sales numbers for January, shoppers are continuing to act like it’s business as usual when it comes to buying things. Driven by high employment...