To view a PDF of this story, click here.   To learn how to sell outdoor power equipment in a small store, click here. Operating in High Gear To start the peak spring season, Roy Mason stocks 40 different models of …

Less is more when it comes to building your brand presence. That’s the conclusion of a study from Siegel and Gale, the Global Brand Simplicity Index. The study asked consumers to rank brands based on their simplicity, and what it …

It’s a tricky balance. You want to extend a line of credit to your contractor and commercial customers, but you also need to get paid. When they’re slow to pay, how do you get your money without making your customer …

Ironically, one way to increase sales in your store is to have a lenient return policy. Big-box stores have figured it out. They’ve made it easy to return almost any item, sometimes even without a receipt. Retailers with lenient return …

Retailers have been pulling out their camping related gear a little early this year. According to a report by global information company The NPD Group, many retailers saw a rise in camping-related equipment in what is typically a colder time …

The staff at Lake Ridge Ace Hardware are problem solvers, so it’s no surprise that customer Marlene Maxon came to the store this past December with an unusual request. Her family was planning a trip to a local ski resort …

According to the latest forecast released by the American Rental Association (ARA), the equipment rental industry should experience stable growth through the next few years. Reflecting the continued growth in residential and nonresidential construction combined with a downward shift in …

To view a PDF of the story, click here. Breaking In In the early 1980s, residents of Avenal, California, made what may have seemed like an unusual petition to their state government. The state was making plans to build one …