Legal

Ten states will start collecting sales tax from out-of-state online retailers starting today, thanks to a series of new laws created in response to the South Dakota v. Wayfair case the U.S. Supreme Court decided in June. In deciding the case, the Supreme Court overturned a ruling (Quill Corporation v. North Dakota) that said the Constitution bars states from requiring…

Google and Mastercard reportedly drafted a secret deal in which certain Google advertisers had access to data that shows if an online ad resulted in a purchase in a physical store. Bloomberg, citing four people with knowledge of the deal, reported that for the past year, select Google advertisers had access to a tool that tracks…

Two women have filed a class-action lawsuit against Nike Inc., alleging it discriminated against them in pay and career advancement, according to a report in Friday's Wall Street Journal. The suit was filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court in Portland, Ore., by two former employees, Kelly Cahill and Sara Johnston, who said that they endured a…

In a sign of the times, two more traditional brick-and-mortar retailers have recently filed for bankruptcy protection. National Stores, Inc., parent company of retail brands such as Fallas, Anna’s Linens, and Factory 2-U, announced that in addition to filing for bankruptcy reorganization, it will be closing 74 of its 344 stores. National Stores, which is headquartered in Gardena,…

After about two months of deliberation, the Supreme Court ruled on one of the most closely watched cases in our industry. Internet retailers like Wayfair, Amazon.com, Overstock.com, and countless others can be required to collect sales taxes in states despite having no physical presence. Online retailers previously benefited from not having to shoulder the burden of…

Specialty goods retailer Brookstone, known for quirky products, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Thursday and plans to close all of its remaining mall-based stores. The company hired liquidators to close its roughly 100 remaining mall locations after declining foot traffic and management blunders crushed sales. The retailer has been bleeding cash as customers increasingly shop online…

California’s new consumer privacy law is facing a backlash from businesses, including retailers, across the U.S. that contend the law will hurt their businesses, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 grants consumers more control over and insight into the spread of their personal information online, creating one…

In this week's episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Caitlin Sullivan and Joe Keenan discuss two Supreme Court rulings in the past week that will have an impact on the retail industry going forward. First up is the High Court's decision to side with states in the South Dakota vs. Wayfair case — giving…

The Supreme Court handed American Express a win Monday in a lawsuit over rules it imposes on merchants that accept its cards. Under their contracts, merchants which accept American Express generally can’t encourage customers to use other credit cards, even though they charge merchants lower fees. The federal government and a group of states sued over…

Internet retailers can be required to collect sales taxes in states where they have no physical presence, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday. Brick-and-mortar businesses have long complained that they're disadvantaged by having to charge sales taxes while many of their online competitors do not. States have said that they're missing out on tens of billions…