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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Walmart still trying to figure out home delivery
Walmart, like many other retailers, is still trying to work out how to meet the home delivery needs of its customers without losing money in the process. How can retailers…
What can retailers do about consumer’s AI concerns?
While consumers are more aware of artificial intelligence through chatbots, voice assistants and intelligent homes, they’re also confused and wary about the technology. Do you see fears over artificial intelligence…
Can Tesco beat Aldi and Lidl at their own game?
Concern over increased competition from grocery discounters like Aldi and Lidl seems to be a big factor pushing Tesco to open its own low-price concept. Is launching a discount concept…
Will RadioShack find new life inside HobbyTown’s stores?
In yet another comeback attempt, RadioShack plans to install RadioShack Express “store-within-a-store” shops inside select locations of HobbyTown, the hobby and toy franchisor. Do in-store shops make more sense for…
Does Five Below make sense for 5th Ave?
Five Below, the discounter, recently announced plans to open its first store in Manhattan on Fifth Avenue between 44th and 45th streets near Bryant Park and the landlord community isn’t…
Retail’s new cobbling economy
The entrepreneurial concept of gigging obscures the fact that a growing number of people and companies are cobbling together multiple opportunities just to pay the bills. Are retailers confusing gigging…
Having little luck with Millennials, J.C. Penney refocuses on middle-age women
One of the criticisms of J.C. Penney during former Apple executive Ron Johnson’s disastrous tenure as CEO was that it moved away from its older core customers too quickly before…
Can store associates do anything about rude customers?
Business Insider recently interviewed 34 Target floor associates and found 14, or about 40 percent, citing rude guests as the worst part of their job. What advice do you have…
Retailers fail to reward long-time customers at their own risk
“Tenure” gets rewarded. Shouldn’t that be the case in loyalty marketing? With a goal of maximizing the lifetime value of a healthy relationship, shouldn’t longevity be factored into the algorithm? Why…
Study: Online retailers losing billions in sales to out-of-stocks
Out-of-stocks are a problem for retailers that may be almost twice as bad online than in stores. That’s the conclusion of new research from the Grocery Manufacturers Association. Do you…
Retailers throw ‘hiring parties’ to reach staffing goals
Taco Bell is holding “hiring parties” featuring free food and games to help support its goal of hiring 100,000 new employees by 2022. Are hiring parties worth the expense and…
7-Eleven franchisees have to pay up to stay in business
If 7-Eleven franchisees want to keep doing business under the chain’s moniker, it’s going to cost them, thanks to some controversial new stipulations in the company’s franchise agreement. Is making…
Kroger’s 90-day terms have CPG suppliers seeing red
Kroger’s announcement of a shift to 90-day payment terms, effective August 1, has many manufacturers up in arms. What particularly frosted them was one of the reasons given: to “harmonize…
Lessons from Comic-Con – the world’s biggest pop-up store
Comic-Con International is an extravaganza that turns sleepy San Diego into the world’s pop culture capital, transforming downtown into a playground for attendees and for onlookers. What can retailers, malls…
Lululemon goes shopping and finds its new CEO at Sephora
Lululemon Athletica has announced the appointment of Calvin McDonald as its new chief executive officer, effective Aug. 20. How does a new CEO approach their job coming into a…
Chick-fil-A to pilot meal kit market test in ATL
The meal kit business isn’t easy, but that isn’t stopping new players from entering the market on a regular basis. The latest case in point is Chick-fil-A, which will begin…
Kellogg urges retailers to cater to ‘brick & order’ shoppers
“It’s still a very brick world, but it’s becoming an order world,” said Craig Geiger, senior manager, Insights & Planning for the Kellogg Company, in a presentation in Chicago at…
Is robotic micro-fulfillment the path to streamlined grocery pickup?
Much of the news about robotic order packing has centered on the automation of big-scale warehouse operations. But a few startups have been working on robotic grocery fulfillment solutions on…
Retailers use brand ads to help pay for free delivery
Barnes & Noble College, Saks Fifth Avenue and Zulily are among more than 25 retailers that are now allowing brands to pay them to place printed ads in boxes being…
How should specialty retail respond to Amazon’s apparel push?
Sometime this year, Amazon.com is predicted to become the biggest apparel retailer in the U.S. But, when it comes to fashion, it’s just not a very good one. What is…
McDonald’s offers free fries for mobile orders
McDonald’s is offering free fries every Friday for the rest of the year for spending at least $1.00 through its mobile app. How important is it for QSR establishments to…
