When it comes to spending money on our dads, the average is about $95 dollars. That is one of the lowest spending dollar amounts for gifts of any of the ‘holidays’ in this country. However, we will spend on our dads, so on Good Morning Maryland @ 9 we showed off a few ideas from local stores.

Q: I manage a chain of stores and we do thousands of transactions a month. Our problem is that, given our large volume of business, a few people are inevitably unhappy about something, and these days, people post their unhappiness online. When people Google us, they often see these few complaints first. What do we do?

As they decide how to stock their shelves later this year, America’s shopkeepers are debating whether the recent rise in consumer spending will last.

Every week, Merritt Islander Sharon Burrows has a date night with her husband. When she heard the shops in Cocoa Village planned to stay open later on Fridays and Saturdays starting June 4, she saw an opportunity.

Whether it’s road resurfacing, sidewalk repairs or a sewer upgrade, public works projects can wreak havoc on local businesses — and thanks to stimulus money, 2010 has been full of them.

It is often the little details that customers recall even more than the product they purchased or the service they received. Little details that customers notice, and that makes them feel good about not only making the purchase, but making the purchase from you, is a significant part of the overall customer experience. Here are six ways to go above and beyond good customer service and boost customer loyalty.

Now, more retailers are looking to offer attractive bras in all sizes. The name of a year-old shop in Los Angeles’s hip Silverlake neighborhood says it all: “Jenette Bras: The Alphabet Starts at D.”

Wise businesses are now weaving environmental sustainability into their long-term strategies, and they’re doing it by writing comprehensive sustainability plans. The point: to identify key areas of eco-friendly opportunity and give your business a roadmap of how to maximize of those opportunities.

Retailers are expected to post very modest sales growth when they report April figures on Thursday, as stores seek to maintain the recent momentum in consumer spending.

Christine Carter of Epps Consulting will be featured on a segment to discuss Mother’s Day gift ideas for ABC2News. If your store or your shopping district plans to offer incredible deals for Mother’s Day, or your store offers unique gifts you’d like to promote to a large audience, please email Christine by May 1st!

Discount retailers, including Nordstrom Rack, Wal-Mart, Forman Mills, AJ Wright and Hobby Lobby, are moving more aggressively into the Washington region, leasing space vacated by Circuit City and other stores that went out of business, according to real estate research firm Delta Associates.

In an industry obsessed with the wants and needs of women, men have been an afterthought among retail and marketing executives for as long as many can remember.

Youth-oriented retailers report strong sales for the second consecutive month, nurturing hopes of a broader upswing.

Twitter is getting an affectionate embrace from fashion. Calvin Klein designer Francisco Costa tweeted pictures of models being fitted backstage before his latest fashion show. The late Alexander McQueen sent his final inspirations into the Tweetosphere. Hot new arrival Prabal Gurung tweets about his gym workouts.

Don’t look to Baby Boomers to lead the way in consumer spending in the months ahead. A new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and Retail Forward, owned by Kantar Retail, says that this recovery — unlike those in last few decades — will be shaped by the values of tech-loving Gen Y, and to a lesser degree, affluent members of Gen X.

Lure of a global marketplace has craftspeople competing for shoppers through such sites as Etsy.com, Artfire.com and 1000 Markets.

Imagine getting a promotion and being publicly praised by the boss for your hard work. On the way home, do you buy a fancy watch or comfy couch?

Adidas and the National Basketball Association are hitting the malls. Adidas, which is the league’s official uniform provider, has inked a deal with the NBA and mall-based retailer Champs Sports for an “Official NBA Shop at Champs Sports.” The NBA Shop will debut in 69 Champs Sports stores this month and will be in the remaining 486 Champs Sports stores nationwide by the start of the 2010-11 NBA season, per the companies.

Retail sales rose in January as consumers bought more electronics and appliances, but a separate consumer-sentiment index fell in February, highlighting the mixed signals coming from the economy.

If you want to make your sweetheart fall in love with you all over again (or for the first time), you have to find them the perfect Valentine’s Day gift. The perfect gift should be thoughtful and exciting, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. Christine Carter, owner of Epps Consulting did all of the dirty work for you! She found some of the most creative gifts on the planet!