Retail is Paying a Heavy Price, Get Some Relief
Retailers are paying a heavy price for measures intended to limit the spread of COVID-19. To serve all retailers better, Retail Merchants has opened membership up to all local retailers and restaurants so that they may utilize RMA’s reformatted benefits to help bring relief, at no cost.
Retail Relief Community
Members, at no cost, can access and utilize the Retail Relief online community where they can share information, ask questions, or connect with other businesses. The community hosts special small business coronavirus topic threads to help navigate through these challenging and fluid times.
Receive Consolidated and Translated Updates
Receive consolidated and translated information regarding government mandates, stimulus packages, loans, grants, and other relief efforts that impact retail specifically.
Legislative Impact
Virginia Retail Federation is Retail Merchants’ statewide lobbying organization that protects members’ legislative interests, ensuring their voice is heard in the legislative process and informs them on issues impacting their business on the local, state, and federal levels.
ACTION ALERTS
Be a part of the collective voice as we implore our elected officials to take specific action to keep the local retail sector intact.
Think. Shop. Buy. Local Program
Engage with our consumer-facing brand Think. Shop. Buy. Local that highlights how retailers are coping and how our consumers can support them through the Local Shop, blog, bi-weekly newsletter, and social media platforms.
SELL ONLINE WITH THE LOCAL SHOP
The Local Shop extends your storefront to reach our curated audience of area shoppers loyal to supporting local retailers. The Local Shop is open to retailers who already sell online, or those who’d like to try out e-commerce. View Packages & Options
RIBBON CUTTINGS & MILESTONE CELEBRATIONS
Through the Think. Shop. Buy. Local program, RMA offers ribbon cutting services to new businesses as well as milestone celebrations to existing businesses. We’ll bring the ribbon, giant scissors, a professional photographer, and some fun! We’re now hosting these celebrations virtually. Reserve Your Spot
LOCAL EVENTS
Promote your event to Think. Shop. Buy. Local’s curated audience of local supporters in one easy step. Simply add Think. Shop. Buy. Local as a “co-host” on Facebook, and your event will be added to the Think. Shop. Buy. Local’s Facebook event feed for added visibility. How to Add a Co-host on Facebook Events
Virtual Events
ROUNDTABLES
Facilitated peer-to-peer video conferencing roundtables on relevant topics affecting retailers.
INDUSTRY SPECIFIC WEBINARS
Industry-specific webinars on crisis management, government mandates, and other relevant topics based on your needs.
Payment Processing
BLUESWIPE
Blueswipe is a payment processing provider that delivers online integration, gateways, and in-person payment services with a new inclusive pricing model providing better value and an exceptional experience.
Member-Only Offer: 10% off Monthly Subscription
Hiring Solutions for Shift Work
SNAGAJOB’S SHIFT APP
Snagajob’s Shift app is an on-demand platform that instantly connects workers with open shifts in restaurants and retail storefronts. They help retailers with headaches like daily callouts, high turnover, difficulty hiring, and lack of control.
Member-Only Offer: 20% off Snagajob Mark-Up
Richmond Region Hospitality Association
Richmond Region Hospitality Association is a sub-association of RMA specifically for hotels, motels, restaurants, and regional tourism leaders.
- Promotes special interests unique to the hospitality industry through lobbying efforts
- Holds industry-specific educational presentations
- Encourages collaboration within the industry
Health Insurance Help
EXPERIENT HEALTH
Through Experient Health, RMA is able to connect members to group and individual health insurance plans and offerings. Experient Health is able to help members navigate plans for Medical Insurance, Dental Insurance, Life Insurance, Disability Insurance, Voluntary Benefits, Cafeteria Plans, HSA’s, and COBRA.
Collaborative Advertising
RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH METRO BUSINESS DECK ADS
Retail Merchants has partnered with Richmond Times-Dispatch to offer members special negotiated rates on highly visible, full-color banner ads located on the front of the Metro Business section. This ad spot also comes with 50,000 impressions of digital ads to run on richmond.com.
RMA Member Blog
RMA’s blog is a mix of curated content where you can find informative sourced articles, member-submitted announcements or celebrations, and guest-posts from industry experts.
Contact: Melissa Greenfield | mgreenfield@retailmerchants.com
Meeting Rooms (suspended)
Suspended use in accordance with CDC and Virginia Governor’s guidelines.
Centrally located across from the Willow Lawn Shopping Center, Retail Merchants offers five flexible meeting rooms of various sizes and layouts. space for members to hold interviews, client meetings, or team building sessions. RMA members may reserve meeting rooms at no cost for internal staff meetings or training.