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...

A few years back, PayPal reached deals with Visa, Mastercard, and First Data (now Fiserv) that enabled easier payments offline using PayPal. Those agreements came as Apple Pay began ramping up its use in online transactions, PayPal’s bread and butter, so it’s no surprise the company began taking in-store payments more seriously. Let’s take a loo...

This review is part of our directory of buying groups/group purchasing organizations. Buying Group Name: National Association of Retail Buyers & Sellers Industry/Specialty: Retail Number of members: Unknown Website: http://www.narbuyers.org/ How does this group work? NARB bills itself as a community of retail professionals who share insights a...

This review is part of our directory of buying groups/group purchasing organizations. Buying Group Name: Royal Buying Group Industry/Specialty (if applicable): Independent Convenience Store Retailers Number of members: 6,000+ Website: http://www.royalbuying.com How does this group work? Like most group purchasing organizations, RBG negotiates reba...