Several bills have been introduced in the 2019 regular session to ban and set penalties for telephone solicitors who intentionally use misleading caller identification information. A coalition, including the Alabama Retail Association, worked to amend the first of those bills…
The Alabama Woman, Infants and Children (WIC) supplemental foods program is transitioning from a paper-based to an electronic-based delivery system known as eWIC. Food benefits automatically will be added onto a card, much like a debit card. The first phase…
A state of emergency now applies throughout Alabama. On Feb. 27, Gov. Kay Ivey expanded a 19-county declaration to the entire state and extended the duration of the emergency for a full 60 days past her original Feb. 23 declaration. The state of emergency…
The Alabama Legislature’s 2019 regular session begins March 5, one week from today. Slightly more than a quarter of the 140 individuals who will govern us over the next four years will be brand new to their jobs. More than…
MONTGOMERY – From Friday, Feb. 22, to Sunday, Feb. 24, Alabama will observe its eighth annual Severe Weather Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday. The Alabama Retail Association encourages Alabamians to restock emergency supplies in homes, workplaces and vehicles during this three-day…
In the third quarter of this year, a 40,000-square-foot grocery store will open in Phenix City. It will be the fourth store bearing the Renfroe family name. “We’ve established a brand, so people know they can go to any of…
Updated Feb. 14, 2019, with national holiday sales growth As predicted, holiday spending in Alabama broke all previous records in 2018. Alabamians spent more than $12 billion during the holiday shopping months of November and December. Taxed holiday sales in…
There’s a certain kind of power that comes from a handwritten note. Whether a note of love, thanks, sympathy or congratulations, the warmth and graciousness it exudes leaves a gentle, yet lasting impact. It’s the same way employees and customers describe…
Valentine’s Day spending looks very different than it did a decade ago. Ten years ago, more than 60 percent of adults planned to celebrate Valentine’s Day; today, that’s dropped to just over half. At the same time, spending for the…
It’s been 35 years since Brian Harsany got his first job in the restaurant industry, and he never looked back. Brian started busing tables and washing dishes in 1983 while in high school, and later went on to major in…