RETAILERS GATHER IN LANSING

Retailers and legislators gathered in Lansing in late April for Capitol Day and MRA’s annual Legislative Reception.

To begin the day, Retail Ambassadors and board members met with their local representatives and senators to discuss issues affecting their stores and how to come together to assist the retail industry.

Following Capitol Day meetings, the ambassadors, legislators, retailers, sponsors, and MRA Board of Directors gathered at Dykema Law Firm for further conversations, drinks, and appetizers.

Thank you to our Legislative Reception Sponsors, and to Busch’s Fresh Food Market for preparing the delicious spread of fresh fruits, cheeses, meats, and desserts.

DIFS Supports Michigan Retailers

ANITA FOX Director of the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services

The Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) strives to ensure that Michigan’s insurance and financial services industries are safe, sound, and entitled to the public confidence. With one in five Michiganders working in the retail sector, our work to support retailers as we regulate the insurance and financial services sectors is critical to Michigan’s success.

Over the last three years, DIFS took action to support small businesses when they needed it most, including:

• Working with banks and credit unions as they distributed $21 billion in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to more than 110,000 Michigan small businesses, including ensuring minority-owned and other underserved businesses had the support they needed to navigate this program.

• Working with health and dental insurers to put $102 million in premiums back into the pockets of Michigan consumers and businesses.

• Establishing the Michigan Open Account Coalition to help consumers find low- and no-cost bank and credit union accounts and to save or obtain credit for purchases, bolstering consumer confidence and Michigan’s economy.

DIFS will continue to work with our regulated entities for the benefit of Michigan consumers, our small businesses, and the state’s economy. As you grow your businesses, it is important to understand and assess your insurance needs so that your property, assets, and workforce are protected. Maintaining a strong relationship with your financial service providers will ensure that you have the capital you need to grow your business and the financial tools to be successful.

In addition to providing publications, shopping tips, and other resources on our website, DIFS stands ready to assist with questions or concerns about insurance companies, banks, credit unions, and mortgage lenders. You can contact DIFS’ call center Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 877.999.6442 or file a complaint at Michigan.gov/

DIFScomplaints

Retailers seeing nationwide fake cash card scam

Nationwide retail theft rings are increasingly using gift cards and fake cash cards to steal from retailers around the country. A group of three were caught in North Carolina using fake cash cards to trick sales clerks into accepting fraudulent payment. In this instance, the card looked like just a Wells Fargo card but includes instructions on the back for what the “customer” should tell the clerk to punch in. Retailers should train sales clerks to be suspicious whenever the customer tells them instructions on how to ring payment for a transaction. The money gained from organized retail crime scams like these are often funneled into other illegal activities.

Hands-free driving bills likely to become law on July 1

The Legislature recently sent bills (HB 4250-4252) creating a hands-free driving law and strengthening penalties to the governor’s desk. By the time this publication reaches mailboxes, we expect the bills will be signed into law and they will go into effect on July 1. The July 1 date was chosen since there are more traffic accidents in the summer months.

The new law will prohibit an individual from holding or using a mobile electronic device while operating a motor vehicle, including while it’s temporarily stopped. A first violation would be a $100 civil fine and/or perform 16 hours of community service and second or subsequent offense would carry a $250 fine and/ or 24 hours of community service. The fines are higher for commercial drivers driving with a CDL: $200 and/or 32 hours of community service and $500 and/or 48 hours of community service, respectively.

Enhanced protections for pregnant workers take effect

June 27

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, requires businesses with 15 or more employees to provide “reasonable accommodations,” such as additional bathroom breaks or modified work duties, for workers who are limited by “pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions.” The law expands upon previous protections enshrined in the decades-old Americans With Disabilities Act and the Pregnancy

Discrimination Act of 1978.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which is tasked with enforcing the law, has not yet proposed regulations governing how it will apply the new law and has a partisan deadlock preventing them from moving forward. Congress gave the EEOC until late December to finalize those rules. In the meantime, the EEOC has put out an FAQ outlining the law’s parameters, and an agency spokesperson said it is planning to host a webinar for employers. Despite a lack of formal rules, the EEOC should be able to enforce the full law and employers should be prepared to follow the new laws as of June 27.

View the FAQs by scanning the QR code: days of the close of each month. Receipt of a complete Form 5012 is required regardless of payment method.

Quarterly reminders:

Corporate Income Tax (CIT) Estimated Returns and Payments (Jan. 15, April 15, July 15, Oct. 15).

Sales & Use Tax – Quarterly & EFT – On or before the 20th day of the month following the quarter (Jan. 20, April 20, July 20, Oct. 20).

New firearm sales regulations

Gov. Whitmer has signed into law legislation requiring anyone selling a firearm to run a background check and to check for extreme risk orders before selling to an individual. The laws prohibit the sale of a firearm to an individual without first performing a background check and prohibits the sale of a firearm to someone who has an extreme risk order on file. Other recently signed bills, Public Acts 14-15 of 2023, exempt firearm safety devices including gun locks, gun safes, ear and eye protection from the state’s sales and use taxes. The new laws will take effect 90 days after the legislature adjourns.

Reminder: Delivery and installation charges are not taxable as of April 26

As of April 26, delivery and installation charges should not be included in the “sales price” for sales tax purposes or the “purchase price” for use tax purposes if both the following conditions are met:

• The charges are separately stated on the invoice, bill of sale, or similar document provided to the purchaser; and

• The seller (taxpayer) maintains its books and records to show separately the transactions used to determine the sales tax or use tax, as applicable.

Withholding Tax – Quarterly – On or before the 20th day of the month following the quarter (Jan. 20, April 20, July 20, Oct. 20).

Unemployment Employer’s Quarterly Wage/Tax Reports (Jan. 25, April 25, July 25, Oct. 25).

Delivery and installation charges that fail to satisfy the above conditions or that involve, or are related to, the sale of electricity, natural gas, or artificial gas by a utility remain subject to sales tax and use tax unless otherwise exempt.

Read the full notice on delivery and installation charges here:

Borr’s Shoes & Accessories Still Fresh After 100 Years

With locations in two popular beach towns, the retailer draws loyal locals and tourists alike

BY: SHANDRA MARTINEZ

In her youth, Cathy Tubbergen dreamed of owning a clothing shop. As the coowner of the century-old Borr’s Shoes & Accessories, she appreciates how life has delivered a variation on that dream.

Tubbergen started as a high school student in Borr’s Grand Haven store in the late 1980s. Within a few years, she was chosen to manage the Holland store, then offered a partnership.

“There have definitely been struggles throughout the years, and you just have to kind of go with the flow and change with the times,” she said. “You’re always looking for ways to survive, and not just to survive, but thrive.”

Changing with the times

As Borr’s celebrates its centennial, the retailer is doing well with its prime locations in popular beach towns in Ottawa County, Michigan’s fastestgrowing county.

Founded in downtown Holland in 1923 by James Borr, the shop has passed through six owners over the decades. Tubbergen has the distinction of being the retailer’s first female owner. She shares ownership with Sharon Behm, who runs the downtown Grand Haven location, which opened In 1979. They have worked together for over 20 years and have been business partners for nine years.

The women credit their success to “adaptation, perseverance and lots of prayer.”

“The customer base is ever-changing,” Tubbergen said. “So in order to not only keep our longtime loyal customers but gain new ones, we must be adaptable to the times.”

By doing so, they have built a loyal customer base while attracting new customers who appreciate the value of trying footwear on and the importance of buying local.

Community favorites

The Holland and Grand Haven locations both have been nominated for their local “Best of the Best’’ lists, and Grand Haven has won the People’s Choice Award for Best Shoe Store in the Tri-Cities and Muskegon area for 17 years in a row.

Customers also include those who come to visit the beach towns, especially during Holland’s Tulip Time Festival in May and Grand Haven’s Coast Guard Festival every summer.

Borr’s carries a wide assortment of styles and sizes from leading brand names and an array of fashionable and functional accessories, including sunglasses, socks, scarves, jewelry, and handbags.

While the retailer’s namesake family no longer owns the store, the business is still very much centered around family.

“Our staff is not only co-workers but ‘family,’ and we boast that we have over 160 years of combined experience, from more than 40 years to just a few months of working together,” Tubbergen said. “We share a common goal of turning each customer into a lifelong client.”

They have also benefited from their longtime Michigan Retailers Association membership.

“Not only does Michigan Retailers Association legislatively advocate on the behalf of independent retailers in Michigan, they support our business with the Buy Nearby campaign, which encourages local shopping. We receive valuable information on retail practices and trends in our state, and they provide other valuable benefits such as discounted rates on shipping and credit card processing,” Tubbergen said.

Downtown leaders

The downtown Holland store has been at its current location, 51 E. Eighth St., since 1979. There was a short-lived third store at the Westshore Mall in Holland from 1988 to 1991, when the downtown struggled as the new mall pulled away foot traffic. But multi- decade revitalization funded with public and private dollars turned Holland’s downtown around.

Understanding that their businesses’ health is tied to that of neighboring stores, both women are leaders in supporting their downtowns. Tubbergen served on the Downtown Holland Principal Shopping District and helped craft its strategic plan. Behm was elected the first female board chair of the Grand Haven Mainstreet Downtown Development Authority in 2016 and served for three terms. Last year, Behm was elected board chair of the Chamber of Commerce and was chosen to be the grand marshal of the chamber’s annual Jingle Bell Parade in honor of her service to the community. In the past two years, she was elected board chair for the Coast Guard Festival.

Tubbergen hopes that she and Behm eventually will be able to hand off the reins to a new generation of owners who will help keep the stores going for another century.

“It’s been here 100 years, and I would love to see it last past my lifetime,” Tubbergen said.

“Not only does Michigan Retailers Association legislatively advocate on the behalf of independent retailers in Michigan, they support our business with the Buy Nearby campaign, which encourages local shopping. We receive valuable information on retail practices and trends in our state, and they provide other valuable benefits such as discounted rates on shipping and credit card processing,”

– Cathy Tubbergen, Borr’s Co-Owner