MSA Board Adopts Revised Code of Ethics
from MSA
At their July meeting, the MSA board of directors adopted a revised and simplified Code of Ethics. The new code is briefer but still covers all the essential points of the original in a more up-to-date format. More

MSA 2009 Nominating Committee Announced
from MSA
Volunteers for the 2009 Nominating Committee have been selected. This group is responsible for selecting qualified candidates to run in an election to serve on the Association's board of directors. More

New MSA Retail Tip: Green, Sustainable, Eco-Friendly, Healthy Design: Part II -- Store Operations
from MSA
In Part I of the “Green, Sustainable, Eco-Friendly, Healthy Design” article, Lyn Falk covered how to assess how environmentally friendly your store interior is. In Part II, she discusses auditing your store operations. More

Three Tips To Avoid Holiday Inventory Woes
from Retail Solutions Online
Since retailers generate between 20 to 30 percent of their annual sales during the holiday season, they can ill afford a repeat of 2008 this year. The challenge is to plan well now to prevent holiday season inventory problems later. More than ever, retailers must walk a fine line when it comes to holiday inventory management. Here are three inventory management tips you can use to make the best of the upcoming holiday season. More

Forecasts Strong for Online Holiday Shopping
from the Sun Journal
Despite concerns that an ongoing credit crunch will put the pinch on consumers this holiday season, experts still expect shoppers to open their wallets online. Holiday shopping on the Web is expected to top the $30 billion mark this year, according to a pair of forecasts. That would represent an increase of more than 20 percent from last year's totals. More

Shop.org Holiday E-Tail Tips (Yes, Already)
from Internetnews.com
In the dog days of summer, it might seem a little early to start thinking about the holiday shopping season. It might, unless you're a member of Shop.org. The trade association for online retailers held a Webinar with experts from the industry offering advice for Internet merchants trying to make the best of the busiest shopping season in a year that has offered little in the way of hopeful economic indicators. More

Wi-Fi Drives Innovation in Tourism
from Wi-Fi Planet
From a game that leads you through the streets of Venice to a Web-based audio tour of New York's Museum of Modern Art, Wi-Fi can make information available to tourists in a variety of innovative ways. More

Honing the Art of Haggling
from Crain’s New York Business.com
As the owner of Vintedge, an upscale vintage clothing store in Manhattan's Flatiron District, Joe Sundlie thought he had become inured to requests for markdowns on expensive antique dresses on his racks. But in the past year, he's seen more customers than ever driving harder bargains. More

Declutter Your Website
from Small Business Trends
If you don't know the primary goal of your website or you have a variety of goals, objectives and ideals for your website than you may be suffering from what I like to call, "MPNS" or "Multi-Purpose No Success" syndrome. More

Getting Your Marketing Groove On
from OneCoast
In today's economy, those of us who are still in the retail game know that now more than ever we have to find creative ways to keep customers coming through our doors. It's not enough just to flip over your open sign and expect our clients to just flock in to see our fabulous new merchandise, or how we've artfully rearranged our stores. More

Who’s Seeing Sales Increases? We Share Their Tips
from OneCoast
Although business has been challenging this year, a segment of Giftbeat's reporting retailers is seeing some positive trends: A poll finds that 36% describe sales over the past few months as "moderate," while 12% say business has been "strong." Which factors are contributing most to these increases? More

Opinion: Why Customer Satisfaction Surveys Don't Work
from RetailCustomerExperience.com
Your customers are irrational. You may think you already knew that, but -- as recent research suggests -- it's true. In fact, we're all irrational. By that I mean that we all perceive the world around us, and make decisions, and act based largely on what’s happening in our "irrational" subconscious. Recent evidence suggests fully 95 percent of our cognitive processing is subconscious. More

Why Customer Service Is So Bad
from The New York Times
Many people would agree that customer service is not what it used to be and not what it should be. Many people blame it on a particular generation, and others see it as just another example of the decline of civilization. This author has another explanation -- or three. More

Treasuries Fall as Retail Sales Rise, Reducing Demand for Debt
from Bloomberg
Treasuries fell as sales at U.S. retailers rose more than forecast in June, adding to signs the steepest recession in over 50 years may be easing and crimping demand for the relative safety of government debt. More

Online Stores' Route to Retail Success
from On Windows
Russell Dorset, sales and marketing director at Maginus, argues that retailers investing in online retailing are likely to prosper, but they must also invest in the customer service experience to ensure they keep coming back for more. More

Six Tampa Bay Museum Directors Tell How They Are Coping with Recession
from the St. Petersburg Times
The directors of the six Tampa Bay area museums are one busy group. But they got together for a portrait and discussion of their individual and collective takes on the business and art of museums in tough times. Their responses are as varied as their institutions. More

The Museum Bubble
from artnet
Almost everyone admits that there was an "art bubble." People admitted it as it was happening. However, most of us are probably still coming to grips with the fact that there was a "museum bubble" as well. More