Michelle McFarland The Wedding Shoppe, Berkley By Shandra Martinez, Michigan Retailer Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) may sound dull, but they can be transformative for a business, especially a retailer. A document detailing practices can be key to easier onboarding of new employees, consistent customer experiences, and even increasing the value of a business in a sale. Michelle McFarland, founder and owner of The Wedding Shoppe in Berkley, is glad she made the investment in an SOP. “It’s just been such a weight off my shoulders, knowing that our procedures are documented. Now that ..read more

What is a valid credit card number worth to the bad guys? A lot, it seems. Imagine having a ‘customer’ come into your physical store and stand at the cash wrap station asking you to run one card after another, one thousand times or five thousand or ten thousand? Obviously you wouldn’t allow that in a face-to-face environment but, depending on how your website is set up, the bad guys could be doing that right now ‘in your store.’ Card tumbling or Card Enumeration/Account testing is when someone uses a legitimate merchant account (not their own) to test thousands of cards, one right after anothe ..read more

As of July 21, all three of MRA’s Organized Retail Crime (ORC) initiatives have been signed into law. This three-pronged approach includes the INFORM Act, adding ORC as a racketeering offense, and a $3.5M budget line item to create an ORC unit under the Attorney General. (See MRA President and CEO William J. Hallan’s column for more detail.) It wouldn’t have been possible to check all three of these boxes this year without help from the legislators who championed these bills and those who supported our efforts. Below, you’ll hear directly from our bill sponsors about why they felt it was impor ..read more

By: Shandra Martinez As COVID-19 continues to upend the higher education landscape, North Central Michigan College in Petoskey is finding creative ways to serve students. (L-R) Troy Slater, NCMC Director of Business Services and Tom Zeidel, NCMC VP of Finance and Facilities Online learning became universal during the pandemic as gatherings were restricted to prevent the spread of contagious and sometimes deadly illnesses. While students are returning to the classroom, the online component isn’t going away. “Students are used to that now and are actually expecting that, so we’ve had to ramp u ..read more

For as long as Alpena High School students can remember, the Campus Closet has been open for business. What likely started as a quick pit-stop to buy a pencil or small snack between classes has merged into a full-scale, student-run retail store. [READ MORE] The post Training retail leaders: Alpena High School Campus Closet appeared first on Michigan Retailers Association ..read more

An unfortunate reality of owning and operating a retail store is dealing with problem customers. Whether they are disruptive, displeased with the service they have received, in violation of reasonable rules that you have put into place, or just downright unpleasant, dealing with these situations requires both deft interpersonal skills and a strong backbone. Perhaps the initial reaction is to simply kick the customer out and tell them never to return. In many circumstances this is the perfect response, especially where safety is an issue. In other situations, an outright ban may be an overreact ..read more

Needed Action by MRA Members: None. What we know Yesterday afternoon, Michigan Court of Claims Judge Douglas Shapiro ruled that the legislature’s “adopt and amend” strategy on the 2018 minimum wage and paid sick leave ballot proposals was unconstitutional. The decision found that the subsequent revised laws passed in December 2018 were invalid and the original ballot proposals that were adopted in September 2018 must stand. The Judge also ruled that the Legislature does not have standing to appeal this decision. The Attorney General’s office, representing the state/legislature will be filing a ..read more

Michigan Retailers Association President and CEO William J. Hallan today joined Governor Gretchen Whitmer for the official signing of the INFORM (Integrity Notification and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces) Act, HB 5486-5487, into law. This package of legislation will now be known as Public Acts 152-153 of 2022. The INFORM Act requires online marketplaces to verify high-volume, third-party sellers and provide their contact information to purchasers. This new set of laws also gives prosecutors the ability to charge criminal Organized Retail Crime rings with up to 20-year felonies and requ ..read more

This week MRA’s Legislative Committee designated 99 legislative candidates as Friends of Retail; 66 running for the Michigan House of Representative and 33 running for the Michigan Senate. These 99 candidates, who will appear on the August 2 primary ballot, are considered a “Friend of Retail” and have earned Association members’ support. “The retail industry is facing a lot of challenges and it’s more important than ever to have elected officials who are willing to work with us and find solutions to help the industry thrive,” said William J. Hallan, President and CEO of Michigan Retailers Asso ..read more

Michigan Retailers Association applauds legislators for approving legislation and a budget that include steps to crack down on Organized Retail Crime. The Michigan Senate unanimously approved the INFORM (Integrity Notification and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces) Act, HB 5486-5487, yesterday. It will require online marketplaces to verify its high-volume, third-party sellers and provide their contact information to purchasers. HB 5486-5487 mirror pending federal legislation (HR 5502) and legislation signed into law in ten other states. Yesterday evening, the Michigan House of Representat ..read more