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 to Train Retail Associates to Ask Why Questions Instead of What Questions” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Jan 23, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Customer Experience, Customer Service, Educational Opportunity, Resources, Retail Strategy, Sales Training, Staffing, Story Telling

The laziest way to attempt to sell something in a retail store is to let your associates ask “what” questions. What product do you need? What size? What color? What price range? It’s what I call the “let’s cut to the chase” way of...

“Retailers carefully balance human intelligence with AI adoption” by Dani James via Retail Dive

by admin | Jan 18, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence / CHAT GPT, Brick & Mortar, News, Outdoor, Predictions, Retail Technologies, Staffing, Trade Shows

Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google and Alphabet, and John Furner, incoming Walmart CEO, speak at NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show in New York City on Sunday. Courtesy of NRF Big Show 2026 – Jason Dixson Photography Executives at NRF’s Big Show were quick to say AI can...

“How to Develop Retail Managers From Within” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Jan 7, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, HR, Opinion, Resources, Sales Training

Your store manager is buried. They’re unpacking boxes at 6 AM, fixing the display that nobody else can seem to get right, covering a call-out on the register, and trying to squeeze in interviews for the third assistant manager who quit this year. Meanwhile,...

“Gift cards gain popularity as top choice for holiday shoppers in 2025” by Lea Grgich via National Retail Federation (NRF) Newsletter articles

by admin | Dec 24, 2025 | Brick & Mortar, E-Commerce, Gift Cards, News, Retail Economy

The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is in full swing, and plenty of consumers have gift cards on their shopping list. Gift cards rank as the second-most popular gift this holiday season and total spending on gift cards is expected to reach $29 billion this...

“For the first time in years, Pacsun is opening more stores than closing stores” by Julia Waldow via Modern Retail

by admin | Dec 22, 2025 | Apparel /Fashion, Brick & Mortar, Commercial Real Estate, Customer Experience, Industry, News, Retail Strategy

Courtesy of Pacsun 2025 marks a major milestone for the Y2K-favorite brand Pacsun: It’s the first time in 18 years that it’s increasing its store count, rather than decreasing it, the company told Modern Retail. Pacsun, which is now at just over 300 stores, opened...

“How Retailers Can Mobilize for Peak Season: A Holiday Readiness Checklist” by Joel Mathew via Total Retail

by admin | Dec 17, 2025 | Brick & Mortar, Holiday, Opinion, Resources

Credit: Getty Images by Caiaimage/Paul Bradbury With holiday 2025 in full swing, retailers must ensure their technology and operations can support rising demand and higher consumer expectations. This comes at a time when mobile technology is emerging as the critical...