News - Michigan Retailers Association

Michigan Retailers names business representative for Central/Southwest Michigan

Posted on May 12, 2016

LANSING – Brian Scott, a mid-Michigan resident with solid experience in sales and client service, has joined Michigan Retailers Association (MRA) as its business development representative in Central and Southwest Michigan.

Gov’t Affairs News – tax appeal changes, plastic bags and more

Posted on May 6, 2016

Committee discusses Tax Tribunal changes

The House Tax Policy Committee held two weeks of hearings on legislation that HB 5578 could have a big impact on commercial property taxes and tax appeals.

Gov’t Affairs News – property taxes, plastic bags, 9-1-1 regulations, and more

Posted on April 22, 2016

Tax Tribunal changes could have big impact

Legislation introduced on April 19 as HB 5578 could have a big impact on commercial property taxes and tax appeals. Authored by the “Dark Stores” workgroup leader and vice-chairman of the House Tax Policy Committee,

In the blink of an eye, thieves can steal your customers’ data

Posted on April 12, 2016

Recent news reports and the accompanying CCTV video show how quick and easy it is for thieves to install a skimming device – built into a skin that snaps over your credit card terminal – and steal your customers’ data.

Year of BIG change in credit card processing

Posted on April 1, 2016

2015 is the year of big change in the credit card processing world…

Bigger than the introduction of the magnetic stripe on cards way back in the late 1970s and early 80s…

Bigger even than Y2K and the need to upgrade terminals because cards were issued with year 2000 expiration dates.

A card ‘by any other name’ would still run as Discover

Posted on March 25, 2016

Apologies to William Shakespeare for that headline. But it makes a dramatic point that can have your business coming up roses.

In case you aren’t aware, as a merchant who is able to accept Discover card transactions (all of our merchants are set up to accept Discover cards),

Gov’t Affairs News – plastic bags, patio permits, and more

Posted on March 18, 2016

Plastic bag/container pre-emption bill introduced

Legislation to pre-empt local ordinances related to plastic bags and containers was introduced on March 15 as SB 853 and referred to the Senate Commerce Committee.

Michigan retailers’ sales and forecasts rise

Posted on March 16, 2016

LANSING – Michigan retailers boosted their three-month sales forecasts after posting improved sales in February, according to the latest Michigan Retail Index survey, a joint project of Michigan Retailers Association (MRA) and the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.

Gov’t Affairs News – direct wine shipments, judicial levies, and more

Posted on March 4, 2016

Senate committee discusses judicial levies

Over the last two weeks, the Senate Local Government Committee heard testimony on legislation that seeks to address how judgments against municipalities can be funded.