Independent hardware store owner Gina Schaefer attended a meeting on antitrust issues at the White House this week as a representative for brick-and-mortar businesses. The meetings addressed the challenges entrepreneurs, brick-and-mortar retailers and other businesses face competing against tech giants. …
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Ace Hardware Named Top Omnichannel Customer Service Provider
Incisiv, one of the leading insights firms for consumer industry digital transformation leaders, recently released its Omnichannel Customer Service Index and named Ace Hardware as the top omnichannel customer service provider. The index assesses top retailers’ customer service experience and …
Read More »Supreme Court Strikes Down Vaccine Mandate for Large Employers
The Supreme Court has blocked the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for large employers, but is allowing the separate rule applying only to health care workers employed at facilities receiving federal funding. In November 2021, President Joe Biden released two new rules …
Read More »Job Openings Drop in November
In its latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the number of job openings decreased to 10.6 million in November 2021, down from 11 million in October 2021. The number of hires …
Read More »SHRM Finds Most Employers Believe They Can Endure Omicron
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) hosted a pulse survey of U.S. executives and employers and found that 87 percent believe their organization will be able to endure the omicron variant of COVID-19. Despite the confidence in enduring the …
Read More »Holiday Returns Will Cost Retailers More This Year
Despite an increase in holiday spending, retailers are facing a financial crunch with an increase in holiday returns that will cost them more money. Holiday spending between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24 was up 8.5 percent in 2021, according to …
Read More »How to Host Group Interviews
Every month, HomCo Lumber & Hardware hosts a group interview, whether they’re looking to fill open positions in the store or not. These group interviews have become an integral part of the operation’s hiring process. While many retailers are struggling …
Read More »HIRI Releases New Data on Consumer Behavior
The Home Improvement Research Institute (HIRI) continuously provides home improvement consumer data to its members to aid them in making better business decisions. As part of its efforts, HIRI recently surveyed consumers on their shopping habits and found that 59.2 …
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