WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation on Monday said it was forecasting 3.4% retail sales growth in 2013, saying consumer uncertainty, higher taxes and a slow economic recovery would result in decrease from the 4.2% growth in 2012.

Shop.org, NRF’s digital division, expects online sales in 2013 to grow between 9% and 12%. Online sales in 2012 during the months of November and December last year grew 11.1%.

Retail industry sales according to NRF include most traditional retail categories including auto parts and accessories stores, non-store categories, discounters, department stores, grocery stores and specialty stores, and exclude sales at automotive dealers, gas stations and restaurants.

The subdued forecast comes on the heels of a holiday season that went head-to-head with Washington’s political wrangling over fiscal concerns, shifting consumers’ spending plans downward. In the end, holiday sales in 2012 grew 3%, NRF said.


Read More: http://supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/nrf-forecasts-slower-sales-2013#ixzz2JM8Mi5hS

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — Hy-Vee Food Stores assured shoppers that it will not charge a fee if they use a credit card.

“You might have heard or read about new rules that allow merchants to charge customers a fee on credit card transactions as a way to recoup some of the costs associated with accepting this method of payment,” the retailer wrote on its Facebook page Monday. “Hy-Vee has no plans at this time to charge fees for using credit cards in our stores.”

Hy-Vee made the statement in response to a policy change implemented Sunday allowing merchants who accept Visa and MasterCard credit cards to add a service charge to the purchase price. In the past, Visa and MasterCard prohibited merchants from charging the fees. The companies changed their position as part of a settlement of an antitrust suit.

Meanwhile, credit card surcharges are banned by law in 10 states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma and Texas.

Read More: http://supermarketnews.com/retail-amp-financial/hy-vee-addresses-credit-card-surcharge#ixzz2JM5vIstP

Enjoy!

Celebrate in your own manner!

\In a snowstorm at Fort Keogh, Montana, the world's largest snowflakes are reported, 15 inches (38 cm) wide and 8 inches (20 cm) thick

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Keogh#Giant_snowflake

Northwestern University becomes the first chartered university in Illinois

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwestern_University

Governor Jay Nixon’s (D) choice to head up his Office of Administration will have to wait a bit longer before permanently taking over.

Acting Commissioner Doug Nelson’s confirmation is being delayed in the Missouri Senate after news broke that the State Highway Patrol spent around $5.6 million on a new airplane, which has been designated for use by the Governor and other statewide officials. State Senator Kurt Schaefer (R, Columbia), who sponsored Nelson’s nomination, first wants to know who made the decision to buy the plane, and why.


“At this point it’s being portrayed both by OA and the (Highway) Patrol as the Patrol’s decision," Schaefer said. "I don’t know if that’s true or not – ultimately it was the Patrol’s decision, but I think we need to start with the Patrol and find out what their purpose was.”


Senate Republicans say lawmakers should have played a role in deciding whether the purchase of the King Air 250 was necessary. Meanwhile, MSHP Colonel Ron Replogle says the plane was bought to upgrade the Patrol's fleet and that he would answer senators' questions.

The man who recently took over as President of the Missouri State Board of Education resigned today from the board.

Rev. Stan Archie submitted his resignation to Governor Jay Nixon (D) two days after Archie was hit by a civil lawsuit accusing him of sexual misconduct. It’s the second such lawsuit filed against the long-time Kansas City pastor and State Education board member. It accuses him of having sexually inappropriate conversations with a female minor whom he was counseling, giving her money and gifts, and later harassing her after she ended their relationship.

http://www.news.stlpublicradio.org/post/stan-archie-resigns-mo-state-board-education-following-2nd-sexual-misconduct-lawsuit

The head of the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission has unveiled a plan for funding the state’s aging highways and bridges.

The centerpiece would be a new one-cent sales tax. It would expire after 10 years, and would need approval from both lawmakers and Missouri voters. Transportation Commission Chairman Rudy Farber says the tax would not be collected on medicine, groceries or gasoline purchases.

“We’re not saying we have the final draft of this, but we are asking for input and we are going to be studying it," Farber said. "The members of the commission, while we have not formally adopted this, have certainly discussed it among ourselves.”

http://www.news.stlpublicradio.org/post/mhtc-chairman-proposes-1-cent-sales-tax-fund-mos-transportation-needs