MSA North Atlantic Chapter Meeting Minutes Posted
from MSA
Minutes from the August meeting of MSA's North Atlantic Chapter have been posted to MuseumStoreAssociation.org. More    

Fall Issue of Museum Store Magazine Mailed
from MSA
The fall issue of Museum Store magazine was recently mailed to MSA members. You can view the Table of Contents and find links to related Web articles online. More    

MSA Directory & Buyers Guide Advertiser Highlights
from MSA
Wrapped in with the fall magazine, MSA members will also receive their copy of the MSA 2009 - 2010 Directory & Buyers Guide. You can discover new merchandise with this sneak peek of special products from selected advertisers in this year's directory! More    

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Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act

A Destructive Toy Story Made in Washington
from The Wall Street Journal
The House Energy and Commerce Committee finally held a hearing on the highly controversial Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, the children's product safety law that took effect on Feb. 10. Chairman Henry Waxman allowed a single witness: Inez Tenenbaum, the newly installed chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, who, like himself, is a strong advocate of the law. Not one of the thousands of craftspeople, retailers and small manufacturers the law has sent reeling was permitted to testify. More    

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Avoid Desperate E-Mail Tactics This Holiday
from ClickZ
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas 2008, at least for holiday spending. Survey after survey reports that shoppers are planning to spend less and bargain hunt even more vigorously than last year. When e-mail marketers are pressed to make their sales numbers, sometimes they resort to risky maneuvers. However, what retailers must understand is bad e-mail behavior is more likely than ever this year to cripple an e-mail program. More    

21 Holiday Selling Tips for Retailers
from PictureBusiness Magazine
Use these 21 tips to help ensure that your holiday shoppers will come back for more throughout this holiday season and the rest of the year. More    

Back to School Lessons for the Holidays
from Chief Marketer
Understanding not only what's worked in past holiday seasons but learning lessons from this year's back to school efforts will help retailers put their best foot forward come November. More    

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Retail Sales Jump 2.7% in August on Widespread Gains
from MarketWatch
U.S. retail sales rose a seasonally adjusted 2.7% in August, the biggest increase in more than three years, boosted by government subsidies for cars, higher gas prices and busy crowds at the malls, the Commerce Department estimated. More     

Product Showcase: ChemArt Our artisans have perfected the making of an ornament. Like the White House Historical Association, many museums and historic organizations work with ChemArt to create a unique ornament to sell, to use to raise funds, as a thank you or to commemorate a special event. Let us help you today. More info

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Unconventional Ways to Grow Your Retail Business
from The Age
In today's economy, the financial axe is falling on budgets and marketing is often the first to go. Many business owners are worried that they can't keep pace with their competitors. But it need not be this way. With a bit of time, energy and imagination, you can boost your retail sales, brand awareness, and customer loyalty without breaking the bank. More    

What to Look For in a Point Of Sale System
from bMighty.com
Point of Sale systems can help retail and service industry businesses cut costs, manage inventory, and streamline sales -- but you need to know what options and features are right for you. More     

Top 5 Word-of-mouth Tips for Retailers
from SmartBlog on Social Media
Give them something to walk out with, offer remarkable service, sell a secret item, use your receipts and have a private sale. More     

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Retailers Try to Get Personal With Shoppers
from the Los Angeles Times
Stores know, that in light of the recession and more Web-based shopping sites, that they have to try harder for business. More    

To Attract a Buyer, Make the Deal Irresistible
from The New York Times
Given the relentlessly dismal retail sales numbers, consumers seem to have locked away their wallets and hid the key. But some recent promotions show that shoppers will still chase a bargain, particularly one that seems unlikely to be repeated anytime soon. More    

Web Shoppers Trust Customer Reviews More Than Friends
from Sales & Marketing Management
Online shoppers trust the online reviews of strangers more than the recommendations of their friends, new research finds. A new report finds that shoppers buying products on the Internet are influenced both by online social networking sites and face-to-face conversations with friends. But when it comes to whose opinions influence the shoppers, strangers have as much if not more impact than friends. More    

Organized Retail Theft on the Rise as Recession Hits Wallets
from the Baltimore Business Journal
Twenty-two major retailers lost more than $6 billion to shoplifters and dishonest employees in 2008, according to a recent survey. On the upside, a record 904,226 thieves were apprehended, up 7.26 percent from 2007. Of them, 832,106 were shoplifters and 72,120 were dishonest employees, the survey said. That breaks down to one in every 30 employees being apprehended for theft from their employer in 2008, based on more 2.1 million employees. More    

Recession Forcing Retailers to Think Small
from The Associated Press
The Great Recession and Americans' retreat into thriftiness are teaching retailers a new lesson: How to survive when consumers are focused on "needs" rather than "wants." Retailers' first response to the sudden and sharp pullback in spending last fall was to offer deep discounts and more coupons to keep merchandise moving. But to survive over the long haul, the watch word for stores and product makers is "small." More    

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Delaware Art Museum Announces Highest August Attendance Since 2005 Opening
from Artdaily.org
The Delaware Art Museum announced its highest attendance for the month of August since 2005, when the Museum reopened following a renovation and expansion project. The Museum welcomed 4,164 visitors in August 2009, an increase of 17% over last year and the best tally since August 2005. More    

Modern Art More Likely to Stir the Heart
from Miller-McCune
Why do people visit art museums? The answer depends on the type of art on display. Viewing works of art engages both the mind and heart. But whether a museum visit is primarily an intellectual or an emotional activity depends upon the type of art on display, and the era in which it was created. More    

Museums Feel Sting of Recession But Count on Strong Attendance for Future Growth
from the Connecticut Post
Museums across the country can take lessons from local Connecticut galleries, which are counting on people like couple Meg and Skip Sutton, of White Plains, N.Y., who stay local by viewing works of art at the Bruce Museum. "We took a day off work and were thinking of going to New York City, but we decided not to because it was too expensive," Meg Sutton said. "We knew about the Bruce Museum, so we decided to come here. You are up close and personal with the art here." More    

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