Retailers

A Walmart Supercenter is scheduled to open Oct. 17 on Liberty Road in Randallstown, and Baltimore County officials hope it will give a boost to a corridor targeted for revitalization. County officials and community leaders expect that the store at Liberty Plaza will attract attention from other major chains to the area. Consumers in Randallstown have high levels of education and income, they say, but the area has struggled to draw national retailers and restaurants. Residents complain that there are too many fast-food restaurants and low-quality stores.

The U.S. Senate recently passed a bill that would allow states to require Internet retailers to collect sales taxes on behalf of local governments. This bill has flaws, but they could be fixed in the House. It should be passed. I don't like the idea of the state and local governments collecting more taxes - they know no limits to their capacity to tax and squander our hard-earned dollars - but the current situation is unfair and bad economic policy. (Also, Marylanders stand to gain from this legislation in another way, because of a state law that will reduce future increases in gasoline taxes if taxing Internet sales is allowed.)

The U.S. Senate recently passed a bill that would allow states to require Internet retailers to collect sales taxes on behalf of local governments. This bill has flaws, but they could be fixed in the House. It should be passed. I don't like the idea of the state and local governments collecting more taxes - they know no limits to their capacity to tax and squander our hard-earned dollars - but the current situation is unfair and bad economic policy. (Also, Marylanders stand to gain from this legislation in another way, because of a state law that will reduce future increases in gasoline taxes if taxing Internet sales is allowed.)

Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. expects first quarter earnings of 27 cents to 30 cents per diluted share, down from 53 cents per share in the first quarter of 2012, the Hampstead-based retailer said Monday. Sales for the quarter that ended May 4 dipped 3 percent, with unseasonably cool weather hurting spring business, the company said. The men's apparel seller was able to control expenses and improve advertising efficiency but had higher inventory sourcing costs during the quarter, the company said.

  Thousands of retailers are offering free shipping today, with delivery guaranteed by Christmas Eve. But which retailers are the most reliable when it comes to shipping during one of the busiest weeks of the year? One survey, based on shipping times in November, shows Zappos, Staples and OfficeDepot.com leading the way, delivering packages in one day, on average. The survey shows that JCPenney.com took the longest, an average of nine days. Others on the slower end of the spectrum included store.Apple.com, with a six-day average, Target.com, with six days, seven hours, and Walmart.com, with six days, 16 hours.

Walmart's size and clout have long enabled it to make waves in retailing, and this holiday season was no exception when the world's largest retailer's decision to offer free shipping had ripple effects. When Walmart announced earlier in the season that it wouldn't charge to ship nearly 60,000 items from its website, with no minimum purchase, other retailers were forced to follow to compete. Best Buy, the electronics chain, was just one that responded by also offering free shipping.

When Walmart wanted to get the word out that it had received a huge shipment of the most sought-after toy just in time for the year-end shopping season, the retailer turned to its more than 400,000 Facebook friends first. Through teaser messages on its Facebook page, followers were asked to guess the mystery product that would soon be stocked on shelves. When Walmart revealed that the toy was the robotic hamster Zhu Zhu pets, it posted up-to-date messages and videos on when the toy would reach stores.

At GameStop Kids at White Marsh Mall, shoppers will find plush Mario book bags and Angry Birds hats mixed in with the Lego Star Wars and other kid-friendly video games, a mix meant to attract both serious "gamers" as well as those who've never played but want some gift-giving advice. That's by design, said executives of the video game chain, which is testing out the new, kid-focused format as a way to appeal to new crowds of shoppers during the busiest time of year. "Our business grows exponentially during the holiday season," said Bob Puzon, GameStop's executive vice president of merchandising.

It was just a matter of time before businesses began to push back against some of the worst behaviors of extreme couponers. Some retailers and manufacturers have revised their policies lately, restricting the number of coupons consumers can use to prevent them from stripping shelves bare or from paying little or nothing for baskets of groceries. Rite Aid, for example, changed its policy in May so savvy shoppers can no longer double up on buy-one-get-one-free coupons and not pay anything.

So, the reindeer sweater from Aunt Emma this Christmas isn't quite your style, so you and thousands of others are now in the process of returning gifts. Which retailers provide the speediest returns? STELLAService, which rates the customer service of online retailers, put them to the test. The company ordered and returned several items to the top 25 retailers from various parts of the country during the weeks before Christmas. The fastest: Amazon.com, whose returns averaged 4.3 days.

Did you get out and shop in April? Retail sales numbers released today show improving consumer confidence and more spending in stores. The National Retail Federation reported a 0.6 percent seasonally adjusted sales gain from March to April, excluding autos, gas stations and restaurants, and a 3.9 percent gain compared with April 2012. The U.S. Department of Commerce said total retail and food service sales - which do include autos, gas stations and restaurants - grew 0.1 percent on a seasonally adjusted, month-to-month basis in April and 3.7 percent year-over-year.

Deadly industrial accidents in the developing world are tragically common, but the recent collapse of a garment factory in Bangladesh that took the lives of more than 500 workers has captured the American public's attention, and no wonder. Knowingly or unknowingly, most Americans at some point have purchased clothing or other items made in Bangladesh, where factory workers labor under sweatshop conditions and employers keep manufacturing costs down by ignoring safety and building code violations.

A vacant building in a prime location at Annapolis City Dock is about to be sold. An investment group led by Mark Ordan, CEO of Sunrise Senior Living, has signed a deal to buy the former Fawcett Boat Supplies building at 110 Compromise St. The building sits in a key spot in downtown Annapolis and will figure into the city's plans to redevelop the City Dock area. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed, and Ordan said it won't be final until the proposal passes a five-month study period "to make sure we have the support and cooperation of the city and the various constituents.

It is amazing that the U.S. Senate has been paralyzed to the extent that it is unable to pass legislation favored by 90 percent of Americans requiring simple background checks on gun purchasers but at the same time is poised to sock it to consumers by requiring Internet marketers to collect state and local sales tax on online purchases ("Click and pay," April 24). While The Sun's editors argue that the present sales tax collection system gives out-of-state Internet marketers an unfair advantage over in-state marketers, they ignore the fact that in-state sellers have an inherent advantage over online sellers: They are closer to the consumer and the point of delivery and therefore have substantially lower delivery costs than out-of-state sellers.

Imagine you are a benevolent monarch and you have the power to institute a sales tax. (Even benevolent government has to be financed, after all.) Would you set one up that gave preference to sellers located outside your kingdom and penalized your own subjects? Would you go further and discourage those outsiders from even setting up shop in your country? Of course you wouldn't. That would be crazy. And while there are plenty of examples of insane heads of state, they aren't usually beloved by their people.

A bill meant to boost recycling of drink cans and bottles by charging a nickel deposit on them died in the House Environmental Matters Committee Monday. The measure, HB1085 , sponsored by the committee's chairwoman, Del. Maggie McIntosh, a Baltimore city Democrat, had the backing of environmental groups, who noted that states with similar container deposit laws had much higher recycling rates than those without. McIntosh touted the bill as a new, improved version of the bottle deposit legislation that was repeatedly pushed - and defeated - years ago in Annapolis.

Last year, the Persian Gulf crisis. This year, the economic crisis.The nation's retailers, operating with lean inventories and xTC reduced staffs, are soberly prepared for slim profits this Christmas shopping season. A sales gain of 2 percent to 4 percent over the dour results of last year's holiday season is predicted by many Wall Street analysts.Though enthusiasm is modestly better than a couple of months ago, analysts somberly note that this year there are six less shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

It is amazing that the U.S. Senate has been paralyzed to the extent that it is unable to pass legislation favored by 90 percent of Americans requiring simple background checks on gun purchasers but at the same time is poised to sock it to consumers by requiring Internet marketers to collect state and local sales tax on online purchases ("Click and pay," April 24). While The Sun's editors argue that the present sales tax collection system gives out-of-state Internet marketers an unfair advantage over in-state marketers, they ignore the fact that in-state sellers have an inherent advantage over online sellers: They are closer to the consumer and the point of delivery and therefore have substantially lower delivery costs than out-of-state sellers.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued Toys "R" Us, alleging the company broke the law when staff at its Columbia store refused to provide a sign-language interpreter for a job applicant who is deaf. The lawsuit, filed last week in U.S. District Court in Baltimore, says the retailer discriminated against the woman, Shakirra Thomas, after she applied for a position at the store in 2011. It alleges the company violated the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires employers to provide "reasonable accommodations" for job applicants and workers with disabilities.

Under Armour solidified its push to market to women and change the company's often masculine image Thursday by announcing a deal to become the official gear provider for USA Gymnastics for the next eight years. The partnership marks the first time Under Armour has sponsored an entire national team for the Summer Olympic Games, meaning the sports apparel company's logo will appear during televised events and could be seen on the medal stand in 2016 and 2020. Other athletes sponsored by the Baltimore-based company, such as Michael Phelps, were forced to wear competitors' gear, like Nike's, because of strict rules governing branding during the Olympics.