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.

“If You’re Always Running a Sale, You’re Always Losing Margin” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Mar 2, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Clearance Sales / Discounting, Consumer Behavior, Customer Experience, Event Planning, Resources, Retail Strategy

From independent boutiques to national chains, many retailers lean heavily on coupons, sales, and markdowns to drive traffic. On the surface, discounting seems like an easy win to boost sales. In fact, almost all American shoppers (a whopping 94%) redeem at least one...

“How One Surf Shop 2X Their Sales, Proving that “Core Culture” is the Ultimate Growth Strategy” by Mark Fletcher via the Trackfly Blog

by admin | Feb 14, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Data Driven Performance, Retail Strategy, Retail Technologies, Skateboard, Surf, Surf Expo, Trade Shows

The story of Ocean Magic’s recent resurgence doesn’t begin in a corporate boardroom; it begins with a sponsored skateboarder being moved out of a pickleball store. A little over a year ago, Christian—now the shop’s manager—was running a completely different business...

“How Dick’s Sporting Goods Built a $13.7 Billion Business by Putting Community First” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Feb 4, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Community, Customer Experience, News, Opinion, Outdoor, Resources, Retail Strategy

“It’s Never Just a Baseball Glove”: The Story That Shaped Dick’s Culture Dick’s Sporting Goods built a $13.7 billion business by treating every customer as a human being first and a transaction second. At NRF’s Big Show this past...

“How to Train Retail Associates to Ask Why Questions Instead of What Questions” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Jan 23, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, Customer Experience, Customer Service, Educational Opportunity, Resources, Retail Strategy, Sales Training, Staffing, Story Telling

The laziest way to attempt to sell something in a retail store is to let your associates ask “what” questions. What product do you need? What size? What color? What price range? It’s what I call the “let’s cut to the chase” way of...

“Retailers carefully balance human intelligence with AI adoption” by Dani James via Retail Dive

by admin | Jan 18, 2026 | Artificial Intelligence / CHAT GPT, Brick & Mortar, News, Outdoor, Predictions, Retail Technologies, Staffing, Trade Shows

Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google and Alphabet, and John Furner, incoming Walmart CEO, speak at NRF 2026: Retail’s Big Show in New York City on Sunday. Courtesy of NRF Big Show 2026 – Jason Dixson Photography Executives at NRF’s Big Show were quick to say AI can...

“How to Develop Retail Managers From Within” by Bob Phibbs via The Retail Doctor Blog

by admin | Jan 7, 2026 | Brick & Mortar, HR, Opinion, Resources, Sales Training

Your store manager is buried. They’re unpacking boxes at 6 AM, fixing the display that nobody else can seem to get right, covering a call-out on the register, and trying to squeeze in interviews for the third assistant manager who quit this year. Meanwhile,...