Thank you to the 398 bookstore owners who responded to ABA’s operational/financial survey. The survey results are helpful to ABA in our discussions with publishers and in our planning. These numbers are just a snapshot, though; sales results vary store by store depending on region, size, shelter-in-place mandates, the degree to which stores were open (fully, partially, by appointment, only curbside pickups, ecommerce sales, etc.), and many other factors. If your store sales have been up or flat during COVID, ABA would love to hear your thoughts about the factors and/or initiatives that most contributed to those results. Please email us at [email protected] or email me directly and we’ll share the collected information in a future update, keeping the individual store names confidential (unless you choose otherwise). For those whose numbers are down, you can see that you’re not alone. This next quarter is critical for everyone and will determine where we finish for the year. Watch for next week’s BTW article on preparing for Q4. In the meantime... Reporting Sales for Bestseller Lists We are also asking booksellers to take a four-question survey to help ABA gather data on how you are (or are not) reporting online and in-store sales to ABA and the New York Times for the creation of bestseller lists. This information will be helpful as we continue discussions with the New York Times and with POS vendors. In addition, your responses will guide ABA in the creation of future education on this topic. Here is the link to the survey, and thank you in advance for your participation. Advocacy - President Trump’s executive orders: On Saturday, August 8, President Trump signed four executive orders to (1) extend unemployment benefits at a reduced level of $400 per week, (2) defer student loan payments through 2020, (3) allow the health secretary and CDC director to consider a halt in evictions, and (4) defer the employee-side of payroll taxes for employees earning under about $104,000 a year. The executive orders are likely to face legal challenges.
A warning about employee payroll tax deferral: Employers need to think twice before participating in the employee-side payroll tax deferral. It is a deferral, not a cut — meaning the IRS will collect the money at a later time. If employers choose to stop withholding employee payroll taxes from their employees’ paychecks, businesses will be on the hook for the money later. Congress could pass legislation forgiving the deferred employee-side payroll taxes, though this is unlikely. Employers may want to continue retaining the employees’ share of payroll taxes instead of passing the deferral on to workers in anticipation of paying it back to the IRS.
- Tell your lawmakers to pass COVID relief: As Congressional negotiations on another COVID-19 relief package broke down last week, it is increasingly important to stress the need for renewed negotiations and additional relief to your lawmakers.
Events Coffee Break: Current Wage & Labor Requirements
Tuesday, August 11, 3:00-4:00 PM ET
This week’s coffee break, titled “Safety Moving Forward: Your Post-COVID Game Plan,” will focus on wage and labor requirements during the pandemic. We’ll take general questions and address some of the specific challenges stores are facing, like considerations when a bookseller or someone they live with travels to and returns from a hotspot or some states’ quarantine mandates restricting entering from out-of-state. Guest speakers include Tom Jardim and Scott Salmon, experts in employment and labor law from the law firm Jardim, Meisner & Susser, P.C, and Stephanie Steinberg, human resources director at Hachette Book Group. Email [email protected] for Zoom details.
Technology Meetup: Crowdcast
Thursday, August 13, 1:00-2:00 PM ET
Steve Fisher, Crowdcast specialist and a general fan of indie bookstores, has offered his time to provide a brief demonstration of how to create an effective virtual event through Crowdcast as well as best practices for virtual events. He will also answer questions regarding the platform during this session. Learn more and sign up for ABA Meetups here.
IndieCommerce Three weeks ago, IndieCommerce (IC) announced changes to how some bookstores process credit card transactions on IndieCommerce and IndieLite websites. The IC team recently addressed many of the frequently asked questions from booksellers about the upcoming changes. This Wednesday’s (August 12) IndieCommerce webinar hosted by Senior Manager Geetha Nathan on credit card processing for IndieCommerce websites is completely filled up, so if you made a reservation and can’t make it, please cancel your reservation so that someone else can take your place. There is a cancellation link in the registration confirmation email you received. We’ll make the recording of the webinar available to everyone in about a week. If you want to attend the live event, there may be a few seats opening up. Please note: ABA will continue to support stores with their credit card processing until every store has been transitioned. The goal is to transition everyone by October 1 though, to avoid any potential disruption of service caused by high volume during the fourth quarter. ABA is here for all of you. Please reach out if there is anything we can help with. Members can contact me directly or email the Membership, Advocacy, or IndieCommerce teams. Best,
Allison |
