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.

“No, Black Friday isn’t here quite yet” by Daphne Howland via Retail Dive

by admin | Nov 4, 2022 | Brick & Mortar, Event Planning, Holiday, News, Predictions, Retail History, Retail Strategy

Daphne Howland/Retail Dive A few retailers held splashy sales early in October. But so far discounting is down from last year despite reports of high inventories and wary consumers. A flurry of pre-Halloween blockbuster sales made a lot of observers wonder if the...

“Modern Machines: A Brief History of the Mid-Length Surfboard” by Sam George via The Inertia

by admin | Oct 28, 2022 | Educational Opportunity, Industry, Product Reviews, Retail History, Surf

Mr. February, a mid-length, and the highline. Photo: Screenshot Editor’s Note: Welcome to our new series, “By Design” with Sam George that examines the genius, and sometimes the mystery, of surfing’s storied design history. Sam has been writing about...

“Sign the Petition for a Designation Plaque for Velzy’s, the Worlds First Surf Shop” by Jaqueline May via MoveOn.org petitions

by admin | Oct 3, 2022 | Brick & Mortar, Industry, News, Retail History, Surf

Dale Velzy opened the world’s first surf shop at 117 Manhattan Beach blvd, Manhattan Beach, California in 1950. We support installing a bronze plaque to designate this historical spot. Why is this important? There are numerous bronze plaques around Manhattan Beach...

“How retailers are hiring for the holidays in 2022 – In preparation for demand, some companies are staffing for the season similarly to 2021 while others are reducing their efforts.” by Staff via Retail Dive

by admin | Sep 28, 2022 | Brick & Mortar, Holiday, HR, Predictions, Retail History, Retail Strategy

Hiroko Masuike / Stringer via Getty Images The backdrop of this holiday season looks quite different than last year’s. While many consumers have adopted a sense of pre-pandemic normalcy with in-store shopping, inflation has largely hampered the...

“Will Americans get started earlier or later this year on their Christmas shopping?” by Matthew Stern via Retail Wire

by admin | Aug 31, 2022 | Debate, Holiday, Predictions, Retail History

A Salesforce survey reported by Practical Ecommerce found that 37 percent of consumers anticipate starting to shop for the holidays early this year. According to that article, customers may shift their Christmas spending from the big seasonal shopping...

“Technological Inventions That Shaped the History of Retail” by Bobby Marmahat via Total Retail

by admin | Aug 19, 2022 | Brick & Mortar, Retail History, Retail Strategy, Retail Technologies

Brick-and-mortar retail is in a technology boom. While innovations like self-checkout, mobile apps, and digital kiosks were already popping up in stores, the pandemic only accelerated the adoption of new technologies to connect with customers and keep them safe....