Simply Fashion Founder Headlines Retail Day

Federal and state laws haAffordable Care Act notifications should have gone out by Oct.1By Oct. 1, almost all U.S. businesses should have provided theiremployees with mandated notices under 2010’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also widely referred to as Obamacare. There is no penalty at this time for failing to make thenotifications, however, doing so is fairly simple and advisable.The notices inform employees of the existence of Health Insurance Marketplaces or Exchanges, where they can get affordablehealth insurance coverage. The notices are required even if youoffer health insurance to your employees. The exchange inAlabama will be run by the federal government as Alabama chosenot to set up its own exchange. Open enrollment for the exchangebegins Oct. 1 at healthcare.govOn Sept. 17, attorney Ted Hosp with the Maynard, Cooper &Gale law firm talked with almost 150 Alabama Retail Associationmembers about the required notices during an hour-long conference call. A recording of that call and Hosp’s accompanyingpresentation are available by request. E-mail Nancy Dennis atndennis@alabamaretail.org or Virgie Todd atvtodd@alabamaretail.org to receive copies of either or both.The vast majority of employers should have provided all currentfull and part-time employees with a notice of the Health InsuranceMarketplaces/Exchanges by Oct. 1, 2013.The model notices for employers to use are available on the U.S.Department of Labor website: Employers who do not offer health care coverage to theiremployees, should use the notice f Employers who offer health care coverage to some or allemployees, should use the notice ter Oct. 1, 2013, employers must notify all new employees ofthe existence of the Health Insurance Exchanges/Marketplaceswithin 14 days of the new employee’s start date. At this time,there appears to be no requirement for employers to maintain arecord of the notice or that the notice was received.Under the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, individuals must havehealth insurance by Jan. 1 or potentially face penalties. See storybelow for information on the employer mandate related to ACA.Affordable Care Act has implications for smallMARKETPLACES OPEN OCT. 1 FOR SMALL BUSINESSAs of Oct. 1, small businesses can enroll in the Small BusinessHealth Insurance Options Program (SHOP) marketplaces forhealth insurance coverage for your employees. Coverage can startas soon as Jan. 1, 2014. The marketplaces are to provide side-byside health insurance comparisons.In 2014, the SHOP Marketplace will be available for smallemployers with 50 or fewer full-time (30 hours/week) equivalentemployees.Also beginning in 2014, a small business health care tax creditof up to 50% of a for-profit employer’s premium contribution, canonly be claimed for health plans purchased through SHOP.To learn more, go /Those who are self-employed with no employees can get healthinsurance through the individual Health Insurance Marketplace,but not through SHOP.ONE-YEAR DELAY IN LARGE EMPLOYER MANDATEGIVES RETAILERS CHANCE TO TEST SYSTEMSOriginally, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Actmandated that any company with the equivalent of 50 or more fulltime employees (30 hours/week) offer each of those full-timershealth coverage meeting the law’s affordability standards by January of 2014. That mandate has been moved to Jan. 1, 2015.Small businesses – those with less than 50 full-time equivalentAlabama Retail Quarterly - T HIRD E DITION 2013Small employers can get tax credits for offering health insurancepurchased through federal marketplaces; Large employers weregiven a year reprieve to fine tune/contemplate what coveragethey will provide their employees.employees – are exempt from the health law’s mandate, althoughthose businesses can purchase insurance through SHOP and get atax credit for doing so.The original Affordable Care Act, or ACA, also required employers to report information on their health coverage plans bythe start of 2014. That has been moved back to Jan. 1, 2015, aswell. On Sept. 5, the U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal4

ave Oct.1 effective datesONE SPOT wentonline statewide Oct. 1AAlabama Revenue Commissioner Julie Magee, second from left,discusses the ONE SPOT tax filing system with members of herstaff, the Alabama Retail Association staff and the AutomobileDealers Association of Alabama before the Sept. 10 conferencecall with Alabama Retail and ADAA members.and large employersRevenue Service issued proposed regulations to implement theinformation reporting requirements. Public comment will betaken on those proposed rules through Nov. 8.The decision to delay some mandates by one year does not postpone implementation of other parts of the law such as new taxcredits to help individuals buy health insurance if their employerdoes not provide it, the notification of the insurance exchanges/marketplaces as outlined in the story above and the individualmandate to have health care coverage by Jan. 1.Large companies should use 2014 to build and test their systems for the health plan, said Neil Trautwein, vice presidentand employee benefits policy counsel for the National RetailFederation.Tratwein recommends you consult with your benefits expertson how your plan fits into the new law.Congress could change more aspects of the law before its fullimplementation.AFFORDABLE CARE ACT TOPICOF ALABAMA RETAIL’S ANNUAL MEETINGMichael Patterson, vice president, general counsel and corporatesecretary of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, will addressthe issues for both large and small retailers under the AffordableCare Act during the luncheon preceding the Tuesday, Nov. 5,annual meeting for the Alabama Retail Association and AlabamaRetail Comp. See how to register in the story on Page 1.5s of Oct.1 with your September return, retailers can go toONE SPOT to file and remit city, county and state sales, useand lease/rental taxes.The system, known as the Optional Network Election for SinglePoint Online Transactions, or ONE SPOT, streamlines tax filingfor retailers and other businesses.Participation by businesses is optional but all governmental entities in the state must accept the returns when accompanied by theapproved electronic payment. In other words, you can continue tofile your sales/use/lease tax returns with the individual governments or third-party administrators, but if you use ONE SPOT,the governments and/or their administrator will receive your returnand payment. The system was created to save you time and paperwork.Rather than each business having to use multiple forms and/ormultiple websites, the new system allows retailers statewide tohandle sales/use/lease taxes for all government entities all in oneplace: the My Alabama Taxes portal on the Alabama Departmentof Revenue website. In all likelihood, your business has alreadysigned up at myalabamataxes.alabama.govIn July, taxpayers began using the online system to remit stateand many local taxes, including those administered by the stateand those for 20 of the counties and cities that serve as their ownadministrator. As of Oct. 1, sales, use and rental taxes for all localities, no matter who administers those taxes can be filed and remitted through My Alabama Taxes.On Sept. 10, Alabama Revenue Commissioner Julie Magee andkey members of her staff provided ONE SPOT training for morethan 200 Alabama Retail Association and Alabama AutomobileDealers Association members via conference call.If you missed that call, the recording isavailable at alabamaretail.org/ONESPOT/There are also tips for using ONE SPOTon the Alabama Retail website at the link above.For more information, go toalabamaretail.org/ONESPOT/If you need assistance with or have a question about usingONE SPOT, e-mail onespot@revenue.alabama.govOR contact your local Taxpayer Service Center.Contact information for the local taxpayer centerscan be found s.cfmAlabama Retail Quarterly - T HIRD E DITION 2013

Alabama’s new gun law took effect Aug. 1Gun-related posters, policy available for download from Alabama Retail AssociationAnew law governing gun rights inAlabama took effect Aug. 1. Alabama Retail Association members shouldhave received information via email priorto the law’s effective date. The full member communication regarding the gun lawcan be found at alabamaretail.org/gunlaw/On that web page, four possible postersare available for download.The signs differ based on the level of security at your business. The signs, alsoshown on this page, are provided as examples for your possible use. Other notices may be sufficient as well. Thesample signs are intended to help youcomply with this new law while maintaining workplace/store safety. If thedownloadable posters do not meet yourexpectations, contact your county sheriff’s office. Many of the state’s sheriff’soffices have stickers or other gun-relatedsignage available for businesses.WHAT BUSINESSESARE IMPACTEDNearly all businesses are affected bythe new law. The exceptions are: Businesses that only allow employees in their building and do not provide employee parking; and Businesses that allow possession offirearms on their property or do notwant to regulate or restrict firearmpossession on their property.SAMPLE GUN POLICYTed Hosp with Maynard Cooper &Gale has developed a sample weaponspolicy for businesses that wish to prohibit firearms inside their facility andwhile their employees are conductingcompany business.This policy is provided purely as anexample. The circumstances at yourbusiness may require different conditions and terms and you should consultwith an attorney and human resourcesprofessionals prior to adopting anyfirearm policy. That sample policy alsois available at alabamaretail.org/gunlaw/Alabama Retail Quarterly - T HIRD E DITION 2013POSSESSIONOF FIREARMSON THESEPREMISESIS PROHIBITEDPursuant to Alabama Act 2013-283,THE POSSESSION OF FIREARMS ISPROHIBITED ON THESE PREMISESPossible poster for businesses thatcontinuously have guards and at leastone other security featureTO THE FULLEST EXTENTOF ALABAMA ANDFEDERAL LAWA business that gives the publicaccess to its building and does nothave guards and other securityfeatures may want to post this signNOTICEPOSSESSION OF VISIBLEFIREARMS ON THESE PREMISESIS PROHIBITEDAnother option for businesseswithout full-time securityKEY PROVISIONS OF THE LAW An employer can always prohibit anemployee from possessing a firearminside the place of business and/oranywhere when the employee is engaged in the employer’s business. An employee with a valid concealedweapons permit may have a pistol orany firearm legal for hunting in Alabama (such as a shotgun or rifle) thatis out of sight and in his or herlocked car. The law includes a strong civil liability immunity provision designed toprotect businesses from lawsuits thatresult from harm caused when anemployee brings a weapon onto theemployer’s property. That immunitydoes not extend to the actions ofnon-employees.LAWFULLYCONCEALEDFIREARMS AREALLOWED ON THESEPREMISESUse this or a similar sign if youwish to permit guns to be carriedin your storeOTHER RESOURCES“A Business Guide to Alabama’s NewGun Law,” provided by Maynard,Cooper & Gale PC, can be accessed aswell on the Alabama Retail Associationwebsite page pertaining to the new law.You will also find links there for“Do’s and Don’ts for Private Employersunder Alabama’s Guns in the ParkingLot Law” and “7 Tips for AvoidingWorkplace Violence,” two 50-minutewebinars hosted on the Alabama Cooperative Extension Service’s You Tubechannel. Presenters for both videos areTommy Eden of Constangy, Brooks &Smith LLP; Jay Jones, Lee CountySheriff; Rosemary Elebash, Alabamachapter of the National Federation ofIndependent Business.6

Ricky Bromberg, third from left, FrankBromberg Jr., and Clayton Brombergsurrounded by other members of theBromberg family with their Triple Zero awards.AWARDS/HONORSGem Society honors Bromberg familyMuch of the Bromberg family waspresent in late July as Frank Jr., Rickyand Clayton Bromberg were presentedwith the Triple Zero Award at the American Gem Society Circle of Distinctiondinner in New York City. Triple Zero is areference to the highest grade a diamondcan receive. “The Bromberg family is avaluable member of not only the Society,but of our industry,” the society’s releaseconcerning the award stated.Ricky Bromberg, president ofBromberg & Co. Inc. and executivecommittee designee for the Alabama Retail Association board of directors, said,“We share this recognition with sevengenerations of our family (and) ourdedicated employees, past and present,many of whom worked at Bromberg’stheir entire adult lives.” Bromberg’s wasfounded in 1836, making it the oldestfamily-owned retailer in the UnitedStates. Bromberg’s has been an AlabamaRetail member since 1992.SOURCES: Bromberg & Co. Inc., American Gem SocietyWEBSITE: brombergs.comMagazine recognizesShaia’s innovationsShaia’s of Homewood, a men’s betterclothing, furnishings and shoe store, hasbeen named one of North America’s mostinnovative men’sretailers by MRMagazine. EightJ.L. Shaia, left, andhis son, Ken, rightwere in New York toaccept the awardfor Shaia’s.7other retailers also accepted the awardduring the annual Uptown Downtowndinner in July in New York. BrothersLeo and J.L. Shaia, along with J.L’s son,Ken, run the fourth-generation familybusiness that predates the city of Homewood. In 2009, the three Shaias werenamed the Gold Alabama Retailers of theYear in the Annual Sales 1 Million to 5 Million Category. Shaia’s has beenan Alabama Retail member since 1992.of Rite Aid’s new wellness65 program,which offers special services and benefitsjust for seniors, including exclusive salepricing, rewards and 24/7 access to a RiteAid pharmacist online or by phone. RiteAid operates a distribution center and93 stores in Alabama and has been anAlabama Retail member since 1987.SOURCES: al.comYogurt stores add popsicles to lineupWBSITE: shaias.comRocky Ridge Western yields bestbagger in Alabama for 2nd yearTaylor M. Neumann of WesternSupermarkets’ Rocky Ridge store inVestavia Hills won first place in thisyear’s Alabama Grocers Association BestBagger Competition. This is the secondyear in a row thatthe Alabama winnercame from theRocky Ridge store.Neumann will represent Western andthe state of Alabamaon Feb. 11 at theBest Bagger TaylorNational GrocersNeuman and hisAssociation Bestboss, Western SuperBagger Champion- markets PresidentDarwin Metcalfship in Las Vegaswith a chance to win 10,000 and an appearance on The David Letterman Show.Western has been an Alabama Retailmember since 1989.SOURCES: Western Supermarkets, AlabamaGrocers Association, National Grocers AssociationWEBSITE: westernsupermarkets.comCOMMUNITY INVOLVEMENTRite Aid holds free health fair,promotes wellness65 programOn Aug. 21, Rite Aid celebrated National Senior Citizens Day in Birminghamwith a four-hour free health and wellnessfair at the East Pinson Valley RecreationCenter on the campus of Jefferson StateCommunity College. The event featuredhealth screenings, immunizations, seminars, games and lunch. It was part of a national tour to help seniors become awareWEB SITE: riteaid.comNEW VENTURES32 , a Birmingham-based familyowned frozen yogurt chain with 20stores in nine states, has added gourmetpopsicles to its lineup. “Cool Pops”went on sale in August at the company’sCrestline and Cullman locations in Alabama with more locations coming soon.32 has introduced several new menuitems in the past year, including Greekfrozen yogurt and the Twister, a blendedmilkshake-like treat of yogurt and toppings. 32 A Yogurt Bar was foundedin 2010 by Pizitz Management Group,the nation’s largest Great AmericanCookies franchisee. The group alsooperates the upscale specialty store GusMayer at The Summit in Birminghamand in Nashville. Pizitz ManagementGroup has been an Alabama Retailmember since 1988.SOURCES: al.com and 32º A Yogurt Bar WEBSITE: 32yogurt.comIn less than 2 years,Steel City Pops opens 4 storesArtisan and gourmet popsicle chain,Steel City Pops, which opened its firststore in Homewood in May 2012, now hasfour stores. The latest store opened in lateJuly on University Boulevard in Tuscaloosa. In April, Steel City opened a store atBirmingham’s the Summit and a monthlater opened a store at The Pantry in Crestline Village, which is in Mountain Brook.Steel City also takes vending carts to various places throughout its communities andto weddings and other events. Steel CityPops has been an Alabama Retail membersince 2012.SOURCE: al.comWEBSITE: steelcitypops.comAlabama Retail Quarterly - T HIRD E DITION 2013

Please send address corrections to:PRESORTED STDUS POSTAGEPAIDPERMIT #198MONTGOMERY, AL 2013, Alabama Retail Association. All rights reserved.Attn: Virgie Todd7265 Halcyon Summit Dr.P.O. Box 240669Montgomery, Alabama 36124-0669Workers must be trained on new labelsand Safety Data Sheets by Dec. 1By Dec. 1, employers must train workers on new label elements and a standardized format for new Safety DataSheets, formerly known as Material SafetyData Sheets, related to chemical hazards inthe workplace. The training is requiredunder the Occupational Safety and HealthAdministration’s updated HazardCommunication Standard.The new 16-section Safety Data Sheets,or SDS, are required for all chemicalssold in the United States. The purpose ofthe sheets is to provide safety and healthinformation about chemicals to helpprevent accidents and exposures.An OSHA Fact Sheet lains the minimum required topics forthe training that must be completed byDec. 1.Two Alabama Retail Comp membershave recently been audited related toOSHA’s Hazard CommunicationsStandard. It is important that your storeor business be up to date in case of anOSHA audit or accident that involvesthe use of the Hazard CommunicationStandard.Data sheets for most chemicals purchased in the past three years have beenrevised, so those sheets should be up todate. However, you may still have olddata sheets for older chemicals in yourHazards Communications Binders. Employers need to go to the manufacturers’websites and print off new SDS formsand place them in your binder for anychemicals with outdated sheets.Chemical manufacturers and importersare required to provide a label that includes a signal word, pictogram andhazard statement for each hazard classand category. Precautionary statementsmust also be provided. The trainingshould familiarize workers with the newlabel elements.Alabama Retail Comp can providemembers with Power Point presentations,training exercises and quizzes and answersrelated to chemical labels and SafetyData Sheets from ARC’s Safety TrainingLibrary. Contact Tessa Lowery attessa@alabamaretail.org or 1-800-239-5423to find out how you can access theinformation.

Cameras Brookwood, Vestavia Hills VICE CHAIRMAN: GEORGE WILDER The Locker Room, Montgomery and Auburn PRESIDENT: RICK BROWN Montgomery VICE PRESIDENT: ALISON WINGATE Montgomery TREASURER: BOB AKERS Davis Direct, Montgomery SECRETARY: VIRGIE TODD Montgomery IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN: JIMMY RAY SMITH Jimmy Smith Jewelers,