Governmental Affairs: May 16, 2014
Senate passes $9.20 minimum wage tied to inflation
In a surprising turn of events, the Senate quickly passed legislation yesterday that repeals Michigan’s existing minimum wage law, replaces it with a gradual increase to $9.20 an hour by 2017 and indexes the rate to the lower of inflation or 4%.
Governmental Affairs: May 9, 2014
MRA’s legislative reception a success
Last week, Michigan Retailers Association held its annual legislative reception and had great turnout from legislators and lawmakers. This year we had 39 legislators attend and nearly 100 attendees overall.
Governmental Affairs: April 25, 2014
State senator suggests alternative minimum wage increase
In an attempt to stop the momentum behind the minimum wage ballot proposal, Sen. Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge) announced plans to introduce legislation raising the minimum wage from $7.40 to $8.15.
Retail sales remain chilled during March
LANSING – A hoped-for surge in Michigan retail sales after a long, severe winter never materialized in March, building up expectations for improvement in April, according to the latest Michigan Retail Index,
License required to start a retail business
In order to sell products, a state sales tax license is required. According to state law, individuals or businesses who sell tangible personal property to the final consumer need a sales tax license.
Governmental Affairs: April 11, 2014
Spring break
Lawmakers are currently in the middle of a legislative spring break. They will return for one day over the next two weeks and resume regular session the last week of April.
Simple ways to improve store layout
A good store layout is a powerful tool in retail, with several aspects to consider.
One area that can often use improvement is the sales counter. Doug Fleener,
Governmental Affairs: March 28, 2014
Retail sales and forecasts improve, but still cool
LANSING – Sales and short-term forecasts for Michigan retail businesses improved during February, but they still have a lot of frozen ground to make up after the extreme winter, according to the latest Michigan Retail Index,
