In the UK
Owners of independent shops and small chains in the UK: convenience and grocery, newsagents and off licences, fashion, gifts, hardware, and garden and farm shops.
- Am I really making the margin I think, once VAT and markdowns come off?How to work margin on the price net of VAT, price a new line from a target margin, plan markdowns before they eat the season, and keep shelf prices and promotions legal.Read the lesson
- Paying for Christmas stock before Christmas pays youWhy a shop's cash can run out in January, straight after its best month, and how a 13-week forecast shows it in time to act.Read the lesson
- Am I charging the right VAT, and paying the right business rates?Which of a shop's lines carry VAT, how to code the till and pick a retail scheme, what to do about a past mistake, and how a shop's rates bill is worked out.Read the lesson
- Selling alcohol, tobacco and vapes without putting the licence at riskThe ages, the defence that protects you, the fireworks sale windows, keeping the licence live, what to do after a failed test purchase, and the tobacco and vape changes landing between October 2026 and March 2027.Read the lesson
- Signing or renewing a shop lease without walking into a trapSecurity of tenure, notice deadlines, break clauses, service charges and personal guarantees: the lease terms that decide whether a shop can stay and what it really pays.Read the lesson
- Sundays, under-18s on the till and customers who cross the lineThe shop-floor staff rules: Sunday opt-outs, young workers selling alcohol, harassment by customers, and what staff should do about shoplifters.Read the lesson
- A customer is back with something faulty and wants a refundWhat the law says you owe on day 25, day 70 and in month 5, why a 'no refunds' sign can get you into trouble, and what a gift voucher must say about expiry.Read the lesson
In the US
Owners of independent stores and small chains in the US: convenience and grocery, liquor and smoke shops, fashion, gifts, hardware, and garden and farm stores.
- Am I really making the margin I think, after markdowns?Margin versus markup, pricing from a target margin, what a markdown really costs, and working out open-to-buy before you order.Read the lesson
- Paying for holiday inventory before the holidays pay youWhy a store's cash runs short in the fourth quarter, how a 13-week forecast shows it early, and what to borrow if you must.Read the lesson
- Do I charge sales tax on candy, soda and clothing?Grocery exemptions and the items that stay taxable, clothing rules, resale certificates and use tax, and what to do if the POS has been wrong.Read the lesson
- Selling alcohol, tobacco, vapes and hemp without losing a licenseAge 21 for alcohol and tobacco, pseudoephedrine limits, which vapes you can legally sell, why hemp is a moving target, SNAP, and what to do after a failed sting.Read the lesson
- Signing a store lease without overpaying on CAM and percentage rentNNN, CAM caps and audits, percentage rent breakpoints, co-tenancy and guaranties: the clauses that decide what a store really pays, and what to do when a notice arrives.Read the lesson
- Schedules, teenage stockers and staff who chase shopliftersRetail scheduling laws, the federal limits on 14 and 15-year-olds, commission pay, and why staff must never try to stop a thief.Read the lesson
- A customer says my card fee or gift card is illegalCard surcharges, dual pricing, gift card expiration dates and refund signs: where stores get caught, state by state.Read the lesson
What Greymill knows about shops and physical retail · Every Academy lesson