A question often asked of retirees, whether their career was spent working in a hardware store, leading an office of employees or teaching a classroom of children, is, “What’s next?” Many people get excited to devote more time to hobbies, volunteering …
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Banks Pushing to Increase Debit Card Swipe Fees
Banks are pushing to change a cap on debit card swipe fees that the Federal Reserve implemented in 2011. However, 89 percent of consumers believe the “swipe fee limits should not be undone,” according to a survey by the National Retail Federation. Additionally, 84 percent of …
Read More »Retirees Make Hardware Their Late-in-Life Career
Through Edgewood Do it Best Hardware & Rental, Jerry Mobley and Dale Streets are able to use lifetimes of knowledge and experience to help customers from their community. Both men began working for the store after long careers in other industries, …
Read More »Are Regulations Impeding Your Growth?
New and complex government regulations — especially rules connected to taxes, health care and employee safety—can discourage small business growth and entrepreneurship, according to new data from the National Retail Federation. The reasons? Owners of small businesses often work long …
Read More »Do You Check How Happy Your Employees Are?
You might do annual employee reviews, but how often do you check how happy and motivated your employees are? High employee engagement at work is linked to a business’ overall success, and companies such as John Deere are taking that …
Read More »Retail Inventory Shrinkage Up in 2015
According to the 2016 National Retail Security Survey (NRSS), conducted by the National Retail Federation and the University of Florida, retailers’ inventory shrink averaged 1.38 percent of retail sales, or $45.2 billion in 2015, up by $1.2 billion from 2014. …
Read More »5 Ways Ace Hardware ‘Takes on the Big Guy and Wins’
In an article written for Forbes, customer service and experience expert Shep Hyken discusses how Ace Hardware stores stay competitive in an industry glutted with big boxes. The reasons he credits for Ace’s success are true of many independent home improvement …
Read More »Insights from a Succession Planning Expert
In the July issue of Hardware Retailing magazine, we discuss the succession planning process for the entering generation in the article, “Stepping In.” In the story, we share best practices and real-life examples from retailers who have gone through or …
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