BELLEVUE, Wis.- Tina Pierquet owns Josephine's Attic in Bellevue. She's been in business there for more than a decade selling women's clothing, gift baskets and unique items.
Pierquet says competing with big stores on a daily basis can be a challenge, but when she heard several lawmakers are backing a bill that would eliminate the minimum markup law, she was outraged.
"How is the community going to survive without small businesses," said Pierquet.
The minimum markup law, also known as the Unfair Sales Act, has been in place since the 1930's. It requires all stores in Wisconsin to only lower prices on goods so far. It was originally instated to protect small businesses from big box retailers who could lower prices to a level small shops couldn't compete with.
"There's a lot of organizations that rely on us small businesses, we do a lot of donations," said Pierquet about small businesses impacting the community.
Still others say it will hurt the economy.
"That's a lot of people out of work, that's a lot of empty grocery stores, that's a lot of business who will be impacted very, very negatively," said President and CEO of the Wisconsin Grocer's Association, Brandon Scholz.
For legislators who support the bill, they say that's just not the case.
"Really if you look at what minimum markup is, it's anti-competition, it's anti-free-market," said Republican representative Andre Jacque of De Pere.
Rep. Jacque argues this will give consumers the chance to save money and choose where to shop based on price.
"I think that a business owner is better able to price than a government bureaucrat," said Rep. Jacque.
For Pierquet she says she's staying positive.
"I think you just have to keep doing what I've always been doing, great customer service," said Pierquet.
Right now the bill to repeal it has been introduced to both the Assembly and the Senate, but there's no hearing currently scheduled for the bill.
