From the staff at the Minnesota Retailers Association, happy holidays!   

From Retail DIVE, December 20, 2016

"80% of Americans are "online shoppers," Pew Research Center stated in a report released Monday.

According to the independent opinion research group's findings, 79% of Americans have made an online purchase of some type, up from just 22% when Pew first asked about online shopping activity 16 years ago. In addition, 51% have bought something using a smartphone and 15% have made a purchase by following a link from a social media site.

But 64% of Americans still prefer buying from brick-and-mortar stores: 78% say it's important to be able to try a product out in person, 77% want advice from people they know, and 74% at least want to be able to read reviews, with 45% using their phones to look up reviews or compare prices while in stores."

Following MnRA's 2016 Annual meeting, we received feedback from members surrounding the importance of the Association being more proactive on local issues impacting retailers and consumers.   

Please help us tailor our local education and engagement efforts on your behalf by completing our local issues survey ( www.mnretail.org/local) before December 27.

Your responses will influence MnRA's local issue engagement and communication with members.
 

From the Star Tribune, John Ewoldt, December 26, 20126

"There is good news if you're making a return Monday or soon thereafter: Retailers are in a mood to please.

Even without a receipt, consumers are likely to find retailers that want lines to move quickly and have customers leaving the returns desk happy.

"Retailers want the least amount of friction," said Sandy Stein, a Twin Cities-based retail consultant.

They're trying to facilitate the most number of people in the shortest amount of time."

About 1 out of 10 gifts are expected to be returned, according to the National Retail Federation.

While the knock on retailers for many years was that they were slowly tightening return policies, the annual review by Consumer World, the news site started by consumer lawyer Ed Dworsky, found that return policies held steady or improved this year.

Return policies at brick-and-mortar stores are leaning toward becoming more friendly to remain competitive, said Marshal Cohen, a retail analyst with the NPD Group."
 

From the Star Tribune, Allsion Sherry, December 25, 2016

"U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar will run for re-election in 2018, ruling herself out for Minnesota's next race for governor as she prepares to challenge the new Trump administration and look for ways to work with Republicans leading Congress.

In an interview with the Star Tribune, Klobuchar acknowledged that many DFLers asked her to run for governor instead of Senate re-election. But she said it's not the right time to walk away from Washington.

"I really looked at the moment in history and I feel like my job is there," said Klobuchar, who was first elected in 2006. "The fact that I've been able to get through the gridlock many, many times means that you can't just walk away when it's an ugly time. It means you have a duty and obligation to keep doing your job. It may sound Pollyanna but it's what I decided."

Speculation had swirled for months that Klobuchar, consistently the state's most popular politician, might be ready to switch political jobs. Gov. Mark Dayton won't run again in 2018, and the DFL is desperate to keep a seat he's held for two terms. A former Hennepin County attorney, Klobuchar often says she misses being being a chief executive and running a big organization."