Training & Resources

Retailer's Guide Archive

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How Not To Dread Accounting Volume 8, Issue 1 When it comes to taxes and accounting, most people respond in one of two ways. The first way, procrastinate. The second way, hire an accountant and ignore it. Neither of these responses makes sense for the business, and even retailers on the up-and-up can find themselves dreading accounting. As Mark Rintoul, a tax expert at Buchanan Barry LLP explains, “Income tax and sales tax rules are horrendously complex and it’s easy to have blind spots.” This Retailer’s Guide offers tips to help make accounting less dreadful and to remove some of those blind spots. Take it as a reminder of things you knew and forgot, and things you didn’t know you needed to know.
Preparing your team for the expected… and unexpected Volume 7, Issue 6 Dealing with large crowds and unexpected events can throw a store into emergency mode. Having a plan to deal with the unexpected, and having a plan for what’s entirely expected, can mean the difference between an unmitigated problem and a manageable challenge.
Sourcing & Engaging Talent In The Digital Age Volume 7, Issue 5 Best practices in social media recruiting, online job posting, careers site design, and candidate engagement.
How to measure success and recalibrate a plan Volume 7, Issue 4 Marketing is important to the success of any business. Whether big or small, retailers that use their limited marketing resources effectively get the best results. This Retailer's Guide will provide you with tips and tools to put together, and execute, an effective marketing plan.
How to measure success and recalibrate a plan Volume 7, Issue 2 This Retailer's Guide reminds retailers of the reasons to plan and how to plan. If you don't have a future, stop reading now. If you have a future, take out your business plan and use this guide to review, and revise if necessary, what you've got.
What the Customer Experiences Volume 7, Issue 1 With technology allowing consumers to shop whenever and wherever they like, how do retailers get customers to get off their mobile phones and laptops and into the physical bricks and mortar store? One way is to give them a memorable, one-of-a-kind experience that resonates with them on a deep emotional level each time they enter the store. This Retailer's Guide provides a simple set of guidelines for evaluating a store's customer experience.
Measuring for Success Volume 6, Issue 6 Retailers that understand and leverage key data within their business are not only aware of their store's past performance and current standing, but position themselves to be able to forecast and make the right choices and adjustments for their business to improve efficiencies and their bottom line. This Retailer's Guide will help you make sense of some of this data and the ways that it can be used to enhance your store's performance.
Buying Smarter Volume 6, Issue 5 What's the best way to buy? The way that lets you give customers what they want, sell out your stock without running short, score the widest margins possible, and collect enough sales and inventory information to do it all again the following year. This Retailer's Guide isn't comprehensive, retail buying is a full-time career, but it does offer some ideas to help you brainstorm better ways to buy smarter and cheaper.
Performance Management Volume 6, Issue 4 Why manage employee performance? It's a dumb question to ask, perhaps, because the answer's so clearly understood. Performance management helps employers build on the strengths of employees, and helps employees develop confidence in their work and loyalty for their employer. Employers generate better sales and smarter staff. And employees feel appreciated and more motivated.
Refined Recruitment: Toolkit (With Web Resources) Volume 6, Issue 3 There are a number of different factors that come in to play when developing and executing an effective hiring process for your business. To ensure the greatest success, retailers would be wise to treat the recruitment process as an investment — careful recruitment and good hiring practices pay off when the right candidate gets the job. This Retailer's Guide provides the basis of a targeted Human Resources management strategy.
From Staff to Manager: Transitioning top employees into management Volume 6, Issue 2 Taking the time to transition top talent amongst staff to management roles can prove to be challenging, but essential to the future health of your store.
GREENING YOUR BUSINESS: What you need to know Volume 6, Issue 1 Retail Council of Canada is committed to helping its members on their path to environmental sustainability. This Retailer's Guide pulls together best practices, tips and advice to help you start the process.
Working with Accountants: What to Ask? What to Do? Volume 5, Issue 5 A recent survey conducted by Retail Council of Canada found that independent retailers worry about their taxes and that they don't always know what to say to their accountants. Understanding that maintaining good financial books is central to the success of a company, this Retailer's Guide offers tips and advice to help make the process a little easier and less stressful for retailers.
Responding to Robberies Volume 5, Issue 4 When we think of robberies, we usually think of the stick-up, when a masked robber waves a gun in a retailer's face. While some robberies involve guns (14 per cent of all robberies in Canada in 2004 involved a firearm), it doesn't take a gun to make a robbery real. A robbery is any theft that involves violence or the threat of violence by an individual(s) against a retailer.
Feeling Groovy (... and how to make sure your people stay that way) Volume 5, Issue 3 Whether they're stocking shelves, moving pallets, standing at a counter or on the floor for long periods, or typing on a keyboard all day, retail employees face serious health and safety hazards if they don't take the proper precautions. This Retailer's Guide provides strategies for preventing the types of injuries common to the retail workplace — so that your people can feel groovy and stay that way all day.
Six essential ingredients for great customer service Volume 5, Issue 2 "Every retailer has a recipe for how they like their customer service to look and taste," says Keren Dolan, President of Premier Service, a Montreal-based company that provides mystery shopping services to retailers. And the look and taste of a store's customer service becomes more important — maybe even crucial — during tough economic times when store traffic declines and consumer spending shrinks.
Be A Brand Ambassador! Volume 5, Issue 1 10 easy (and cheap!) steps to turning your customers, your staff — and even you — into bona fide brand boosters.

Canadian Retail Institute