This review is part of our directory of buying groups/group purchasing organizations. Buying Group Name: Premier Industry/Specialty (if applicable): Medical Number of members: 130,000+ (including 3,750 hospitals) Website: https://www.premierinc.com It has two offices – one in Charlotte, NC, and the other in Washington, DC. The group leverages its...

This review is part of our directory of buying groups/group purchasing organizations. Buying Group Name: MEGA Group USA Industry/Specialty (if applicable): Appliances, Furniture, Mattresses, Consumer Electronics Number of members: 1,700 Website: http://www.megagroupusa.com/ Based in Tennessee, the group has 1,700 members with 3,200 storefronts ac...

This review is part of our directory of buying groups/group purchasing organizations. Buying Group Name: Furniture 1st National Buying Group Industry/Specialty (if applicable): Furniture Number of members: 215+ Website: http://www.furniturefirst.coop The group was founded in 1994 by a group of independent furniture retailers and by September 2016...

This review is part of our directory of buying groups/group purchasing organizations. Buying Group Name: Furniture Marketing Group Industry/Specialty (if applicable): Furniture Number of members: 100+ Website: http://www.fmgbuyinggroup.com/ FMG was founded in 1991 after the demise of Retailers Marketing Guild (RMG). The founding members of FMG wa...

You’ve probably seen wait staff carrying tablets to let customers pay tableside, or noted the sleek, low-profile systems at trendy bars. While many smaller establishments use a tablet at the counter, Olive Garden, Panera Bread, and Chili’s are among the major restaurant chains using them at tables. These tablets allow diners to view menus, order fo...

This review is part of our directory of buying groups/group purchasing organizations. Buying Group Name: ProSource Industry/Specialty (if applicable): Consumer electronics/home entertainment Number of members: 500+ Website: http://www.prosourceinfo.com/ In 2008, the two groups formed a strategic alliance, and by the end of 2010, they officially m...

This review is part of our directory of buying groups/group purchasing organizations. Buying Group Name: Nationwide Marketing Group Industry/Specialty (if applicable): Appliances, furniture, electronics, custom installations Number of members: 3,500+ Website: http://www.nationwidegroup.org/ How does this group work? Surprisingly, there isn’t very ...

Jump to Resources for the margin calculator. You know the margin has to cover a lot more than you and your employees' salaries. Everything your business does, all the money it spends, from utilities to credit card processing, comes from that sliver of income. It’s vital to understand exactly what your costs and expenses are (yes, all of them) so...

Consumer Reports published a survey of how consumers feel about self-checkout. The top complaint of the 62,917 subscribers surveyed was too few open checkout lanes. Nearly 75 percent of respondents liked self-checkout’s ability to save time. We decided to delve into the self-checkout lanes to determine the good and bad. Here’s what you need to k...

With a good understanding of your costs, margins, and sales, you can calculate exactly how long you’ll be able to stay in business. More importantly, you can use those figures to make informed decisions so you can survive longer, and get a plan in place for achieving profitability. Defining Profitability First, let’s define profitable. At t...