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.

“Etnies, éS, and Emerica Closed E-Commerce Sites for Skate Shop Day” by Tiffany Montgomery via Shop Eat Surf

by admin | Mar 5, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Community, Customer Experience, E-Commerce, Event Planning, Holiday, News, Opinion, Shoe Market, Skateboard

Clockwise from top left: Swedish sales rep Ante with the Kiosk Skate Shop crew in Orebro, Sweden; Kevin “Spanky” Long delivered a hand-drawn postcard and donuts to Val Surf in Los Angeles; A special delivery of goodies for Slappy’s Garage in San...

“If You’re Always Running a Sale, You’re Always Losing Margin” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Mar 2, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Clearance Sales / Discounting, Consumer Behavior, Customer Experience, Event Planning, Resources, Retail Strategy

From independent boutiques to national chains, many retailers lean heavily on coupons, sales, and markdowns to drive traffic. On the surface, discounting seems like an easy win to boost sales. In fact, almost all American shoppers (a whopping 94%) redeem at least one...

“Let’s talk about winter UV rays.” by Maggie Raymond via BRA Blog

by admin | Feb 6, 2026 | Customer Experience, Educational Opportunity, News, Opinion, Product Reviews

When the temperatures drop and the snow starts to fall, most people pack away their beach towels and their sunscreen, assuming the sun’s harmful rays have also gone into hibernation. UV radiation is a year-round threat, and for winter action sports enthusiasts,...

“How Dick’s Sporting Goods Built a $13.7 Billion Business by Putting Community First” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Feb 4, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Community, Customer Experience, News, Opinion, Outdoor, Resources, Retail Strategy

“It’s Never Just a Baseball Glove”: The Story That Shaped Dick’s Culture Dick’s Sporting Goods built a $13.7 billion business by treating every customer as a human being first and a transaction second. At NRF’s Big Show this past...

“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...

“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...