Good news: your indie store just gained some ground on Amazon.
About 60% of Amazon sales are via third-party sellers. They pass thru what it calls the 'marketplace.' These Amazon purchases have not historically been taxed because the purchase is made from a business in one state and shipped to another state. But that loophole started to close last year when the Supreme Court ruled that states can collect tax on these types of Internet purchases.
Many state laws have acted on that Supreme ...
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April 18, 2019
April 18, 2019
Imagine helping your brands sell direct and bypass you? That’s what Nordstrom is faced with doing as it gets beat up by Amazon and online sellers. As the Nordstrom CEO, think about the dire straits you’d have to be in to approve this. But since most retailers didn’t plan 20 years ago for the internet tsunami, they’re stuck playing package boy for Wall St. darling Amazon.
I agree that it’s great to get customers in the store—I just wish it wasn’t under these terms. It’s like saying you enjoy ...
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March 13, 2019
March 13, 2019
China steps up attacks on the U.S. Navy.
In the article below this one, China is suspected of spying via underwater internet cables that connect countries.
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December 30, 2018
December 30, 2018
Before Amazon, there was Sears with 350,000 employees reports today’s Times. A key difference between the two is that Sears provided quality benefits and wages to employees, Sears paid more per sale in taxes (aka helped local schools more), and Sears’ reach was largely limited to its immediate stores’ locations. Since there was no the Internet, the Sears catalog’s impact was limited.
Timo Sarpaneva is the focus of an exhibition at the Design Museum in Helsinki, Finland. He has had enormous influence on two of our Smart Brands partners Iittala and Rosenthal.
Also in the exhibition are photographs that tell some of his story — among them, images of the fantastical, crowd-attracting shop windows (adorned with glass harps and butterflies hanging from invisible wires) that he created for Iittala, the company that hired him in 1950. It was there that he made his name as a glass ...
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One of my favorite quotes from a retailer about the last edition of Specialty Shop Retailing is this one: “I have read, highlighted, marked up and re-read this book so many times it groans when I pick it up!” It’s been so much fun for me to hear from shopkeepers around the world about how helpful they have found the first three editions of my book, which sold over 40,000 copies and were translated into Russian. I am very happy to announce that the fourth edition has just been published as a ...
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January 27, 2018
January 27, 2018
Amazon sales decreased between 9% - 29% when it stated charging tax on purchase. It currently only charges tax on things it sells—not things by third parties which account for maybe 60% of its sales. If we want to help Main Street, we have to collect tax on internet purchases. That will level the playing field and financially help our schools, roads, and communities. Let’s hope the Supreme Court overturns Quill.
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September 14, 2017
September 14, 2017
Know someone that shops on Amazon.com? Thank them for supporting a company that cheats American schools (taxes pay for better schools), safety in our community (taxes pay for safety), and the repairing of roads (ditto).
Need some proof? Here's some:
Franklin Foer, in his book World Without Mind, recounts how Amazon, according to IRS calculations, has used a headquarters in Luxembourg to dodge "a bill of at least $1.5 billion that would otherwise have been paid to the US government."
When the internet became poplar, many people thought this would lead to more people living outside of expensive cities and metropolitan regions. Instead, there's a rush to move downtown and most e-commerce jobs are being created close to cities.
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July 6, 2017
July 6, 2017
Try, Then Buy? Amazon’s Move Is Part of a Shopping Trend
Read the story from today's NY Times. And it isn't only fashion sites and Amazon that are doing this. Jewelry stores are also getting into the act. Is Tabletop next?
Full text: When I was a child, I would watch my grandmother try on dresses and coats she had brought home on “appro” (or approbation) from Mrs. Downey’s boutique in Dungarvan, Ireland: deciding, at her leisure, what to buy and what to return. Who knew that, decades later, “appro,...
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June 21, 2017
June 21, 2017
Carol Schroeder, a shop owner that writes about retail, suggests in her weekly column that stores give up and let Amazon and other online entities eat their lunch. Upon reading this, I had to ask: "pardon me?"
Carol appears to be wearing a troglodyte's writer cap. Steer clear of her advice. Bridge encourages you to use the most efficient tools to get online, get found in Google, and sell.
Excerpt from Carol's column:
"...Most of us didn't go into retailing in order to handle faceless orders ...
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March 10, 2017
March 10, 2017
The Bridal Council interviewed Andrew Pickard Morgan about the historic manufacturer's history and future. Please find the interview below:
................................
10 Questions with Andy Pickard Morgan, President of Pickard China
1) Pickard China is made in America a fine china company since 1893, what kind of china are you known for?
Pickard China is a fine porcelain china company best known for luxurious gold, platinum and cobalt-based china patterns.
Shopping on the Internet is an Achilles heel! Have you purchased a gift on the internet and it didn’t come in on time? You never have to worry about that when you shop at La Dentelliere. We most likely have the gift you need already in the store and if we don’t, and we order it for you, you can be sure you will get it in time. This is why we have been in business since 1985. We offer you great customer service. We are known for our beautiful free wrapping and we even have the perfect card to ...
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January 15, 2017
January 15, 2017
Main Street vs. Wall Street How a 4-person web design firm united 200 indie stores against a $40m competitor
What if someone said that they're spending $40 million to beat up your small business? That's what new online gift registry retailer Zola plans to do. (Please see attached NY Times picture.) Gift registries are the last refuge of small, Main Street businesses and Zola has borrowed (in the banking world they call it "raised") $40m to swipe this registry business. Zola is backed by the same ...
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December 20, 2016
December 20, 2016
“Greenery” is Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2017. (It’s also known as Pantone 15-0343.) Did anyone notice it is surprisingly close to the color of the Bridge logo? :) What are the green pieces you are going to see in your store come 2017?
When the question of what will define 2017 comes up, the response most often includes words like “Trump” and “populism” and “...
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September 9, 2016
September 9, 2016
"Shoptiques is a scam."
A retailer in Massachusetts today told us how much they lost by joining Shoptiques. The retailer Fabvilla paid Shoptiques approximately $1,000 to join and got less than $50 in sales.
Bhawana Chitkara, the owner of FabVilla, said about Shoptiques:
"I got very little in return for spending $1,000 to join. Shoptiques is a scam. Small businesses get lost on Shoptiques. I want to save other businesses from getting trapped like we did."
You may ask: why does Bridge share this? ...
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June 23, 2016
June 23, 2016
25% Off Select MacKenzie-Childs at Glassworks and Cheeks!A Summer Sale From MacKenzie-Childs! From June 27th - July 31st, all Flower Market and Butterfly Garden In-Stock items are 25% off. Come in and see our large array of items! Internet customers, please call for selection and discount.
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April 14, 2016
April 14, 2016
From today's NY Times:
In the bizarre world of Internet “discounts,” inconsistent list prices can make it tough to figure out what a product is really worth.
Key Takeaways 1. Most people want convenience of e-commerce as opposed to price manipulation. 2. We should appreciate our industry for not engaging in these tacky practices. 3. We don't sell dog food.
Why don't you have to charge tax on out-of-state purchases? Are out of state internet retailers hurting your business? Both answers lie in 1992 Supreme Court ruling. Today's WSJ reports on the debate.