The U.S. Navy began blockading the Strait of Hormuz yesterday — 13 warships, no ships in or out of Iranian ports. Twenty percent of the world’s oil moves through that strait. Gas is already up 38% since this conflict started, diesel is above $5.80, and shipping costs are climbing across the board — FedEx and…
Anthropic walked away from a $200 million government contract to protect what they built. The best independent retailers make the same kind of call every season. Plus: USPS rates jump 8% on April 26 and shipping costs aren’t coming down soon.
Indie retailers don’t have a benefits department. Here’s a rule change the Walmart benefits team will catch — that you need to catch yourself. What the quiet Nasdaq-100 rule change means for your retirement account.
What Shoptalk’s loudest conversation revealed about the four things humans bring to retail that no algorithm will ever replicate — and why independent retailers already have all four.
A phrase is picking up steam in the business world this week: “AI-free is the new organic.” The idea is simple — as AI-generated products, images, and content flood every corner of the market, anything made by actual human hands starts to command a premium. Not a small one. Investors and trend watchers are comparing…
A computer program made more money in 30 days than most people see in a decade. Not because it was smarter — because it was faster at math. I read that this morning and had to sit with it for a minute. Speed and math. That’s the whole trick. And there are a lot of…
On April 1, Visa’s new VAMP threshold kicked in — dropping from 2.2% to 1.5%. That’s the maximum ratio of chargebacks and fraud disputes to total transactions before penalties hit. If you’re over that line, Visa charges $8 per disputed transaction, plus higher reserve requirements and potential account termination. This affects every merchant in the…
LaRae started with a $382 Compendium order in 2022. By staying on top of reorders every single month, she turned it into $30K+ in retail sales. The lesson: inventory discipline and consistent small actions compound into something remarkable.
Looking for Waxing Poetic jewelry? These independent retailers still have beautiful handcrafted charms, chains, and pendants in stock. Find remaining pieces near you before they’re gone.
Learn how collegiate licensing works, why it matters for your store, and how to verify that the brands you carry are officially licensed. A retailer’s guide to CLC, the OLCP hologram, and staying protected.