On Christmas Day, the entire state of Alabama was placed under a state of emergency related to excessive rainfall and flooding. Alabama experienced record rainfall and record temperatures. Rivers in Alabama that exceeded the flood stage include the Pea, Alabama,…
With less than a week until Christmas, retailers are hoping to see a cold snap to heat up the sales of winter weather apparel. Much of the country has experienced unseasonably warm temperatures in November and December. Retailers, who based…
The clock is ticking for holiday shoppers, making for an extra busy time for retailers and shippers. Standard shipping deadlines will hit in the next week or so, and those who still have gift shopping and shipping left to do…
For the 38 years they owned a business, Dennis and Dianne Wammack’s biggest competitors were out-of-state sellers who weren’t required to collect sales taxes. From the beginning, competition came from New York mail-order sales. Still, it wasn’t until remote Internet…
The Holiday Edition of the Alabama Retail Quarterly should be arriving in your mailbox soon. If yours has yet to arrive, you can read it now online. Inside This Issue: Alabama 2015 holiday sales to near $11 billion Alabama Retail Comp…
Every year small package carriers FedEx and UPS evaluate their shipping rates and make adjustments that can have a substantial effect on you and your business. UPS rate increases will be effective Dec. 28, while the new FedEx rates take…
When Terry Shea stepped off the plane Oct. 7 in Washington D.C., she knew the next several hours would be a whirlwind. In less than 24 hours, the co-owner and vice president of Wrapsody in Hoover and Auburn and a member of…
Long before the Christmas lights are strung and the glittery décor starts popping up in window displays, retailers were hard at work preparing for the holiday shopping season. Store owners describe the months of November and December as “make-or break”…
Tax-exempts need certificates Retailers buying or selling for resale need sales tax license A notice the Alabama Revenue Department sent to retailers Nov. 4 about new certification requirements for statutorily tax-exempt organizations — such as United Way agencies and YMCAs…
Major trial lawyers in the state are actively looking for private, class-actions under the Alabama Deceptive Trade Practices Act, or ADTPA, thanks to a July ruling by the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The appeals court ruled that federal…