Minnesota Senator Melisa Franzen (left) toured Creative Kidstuff in Edina
last week and visited with Roberta Bonoff (middle). 

Last week Mn Retailers IMPACT announced the endorsement of 11 candidates running for the State Legislature:

Minnesota House

• Dave Baker - 17B
• Greg Davids - 28B
• Dennis Smith - 34B
• Jim Nash - 47A
• Jenifer Loon - 48B
• Roz Peterson - 56B

Minnesota Senate

• Paul Gazelka - 9
• Julie Rosen - 23
• Vicki Jensen - 24
• Paul Anderson - 44
• Ann Rest - 45

" These candidates have demonstrated an appreciation for what the retail industry offers Minnesota's economy as the industry supports 788,000 jobs across the State. Each endorsed candidate is a champion for Minnesota consumers, retailers, and our communities," said Mn Retailers IMPACT treasurer Bruce Nustad.

Mn Retailers IMPACT is funded through personal contributions used to support candidates who appreciate retailer contributions to Minnesota communities.   

From Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, October 20, 2016     

  

From the Star Tribune Editorial Board, October 17, 2016

"Local mandates are wrong path, but good employers offer time off.

The state's business community last week opened a second front of resistance - a legal one - to the paid sick- and safe-leave ordinances enacted in May in Minneapolis and September in St. Paul.

Employer organizations have long made clear their intention to ask the 2017 Legislature to expressly pre-empt municipal moves to require employers to offer their employees paid time off. On Friday, they filed a lawsuit in Hennepin County District Court arguing that an implicit pre-emption of paid leave ordinances already exists in statute, and should be invoked to nullify the actions of the Minneapolis and St. Paul city councils.

Both at the State Capitol and in the courtroom, an array of employers and their associations, including the powerful Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, will argue that employee benefit regulations are rightfully a matter for state regulation, not local control.

But as those same organizations have also made clear during recent legislative sessions, they don't think state government should impose such regulations either. As the Star Tribune Editorial Board has previously written, employers make a compelling argument that the one-size-fits-all mandate that has been proposed in recent legislative sessions is ill-suited to the plethora of business circumstances and employer-employee relationships that exist in today's Minnesota.."

From STORES Magazine, Susan Reda, October 19, 2016

"When my daughter Jill was around 12 years old, she started making detailed lists of gifts she hoped to receive for her birthday and the holidays. She would capture pictures from websites and provide specific details about stores, sizes, colors, etc. Then she would email the list to her aunts and uncles.

I was mortified when I first learned about it. I tried to raise my children to be grateful for a gift - whatever it was. A letter to Santa was one thing; a wish list sent to relatives smacked of self-indulgence. Nevertheless, when I apologized to my siblings for her actions, they brushed it off, telling me she had saved them time - and at least they knew they would be giving her something she really wanted.

It turns out Jill was ahead of her time. Gift registries have moved well beyond bridal and baby showers and are emerging as relevant, useful customer service tools imbued with time-saving and lifestyle-sensitive benefits for all - the gift-giver, the recipient and the retailer. No occasion is out of bounds - from the traditional home-buying or wedding events to landing a new job or celebrating a special birthday.

Shoppers are more time-stressed than ever before. Gift-giving solutions that ease the stress and allow friends and loved ones to receive an item they truly need and will cherish is a win. Curtailing the upsurge of retail returns is a bonus."