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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Unclear Waters
Nutritionists have been telling us for a long time that water is good for us. Now drink manufacturers are trying to make it “better” by adding vitamins, flavors and other…
Online Drives Offline
Consumers who research products like televisions and digital cameras online spend an average of 10 percent more in-store than their non-web searching counterparts, according to research from Yahoo! and ChannelForce…
Dallas Discounter Accepts Pesos
Talk about embracing the Hispanic customer! Dallas-based chain Value Giant announced last Thursday that their stores will begin accepting Mexican pesos as payment. Should American retailers and restaurants ‘explore accepting’…
Retailers Have Faith, Seek Sales
Many Christian book and product retailers got into the business because they saw it as an extension of their faith and ministry. Now, however, these same individuals are finding that…
Consumer Survey Overkill
According to Jupiter Research, the value of customers’ feedback from surveys will diminish over time due to excess surveying and a “self-selecting surveying audience.” The research firm also found that…
Harry Potter and the Deathly Discounts
The final installation of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, will debut for sale at one minute past midnight on July 21 and retailers are…
P&G Seeks to Expand Pampers’ Reach
Pampers is a power brand in the baby care category and now it is looking to take equity built up over 46 years of positive consumer experiences and project that…
Liz Claiborne Shuns Department Stores
With a massive restructuring announcement, Liz Claiborne becomes the latest brand to say “No” to department stores. The plan involves the possible sale or closing of up to 16 apparel…
Whole Foods’ John Mackey: ‘For the sheer fun of arguing’
What was he thinking? That’s the question that many were left asking after a Wall Street Journal report revealed that over an eight-year period, Whole Foods’ CEO John Mackey went…
The Science of Retail Site Selection
A new crop of modeling tools and data analysis applications are making retail site selection much more of a science for retailers. Wegmans is supplementing its traditional gravity modeling approach…
PL Buyer: A Brave New World of Convenient Dinners
The food industry has finally taken seriously what their marketing departments have been saying for years. No one has time anymore to cook, and families want their children to eat…
Sprint Fires Customers
On June 29, Sprint sent letters to more than 1,000 subscribers, saying their service had been terminated because of their excessive calls to customer service. What do you think of…
Supplement Co. Touts Products ‘Not Made in China’
It’s virtually impossible, especially in some categories, to pick up an item in retail stores that was not manufactured in China or at the least contains ingredients from that country…
Publix Brings Deli Orders Out to Customers
Pretty much everything Publix does is news in the grocery industry. The reason for that is straightforward: Publix is willing to test concepts others are not. The latest concept…
Supply Chain IT Confusion
While creating a seamless view of enterprise information for suppliers and trading partners is often cited as the ultimate vision for supply chain technologies, a survey shows that most companies…
Bullies Poison the Workplace
For those who thought they left bullies behind on the playgrounds of their youth, think again. According to studies, bullying is fairly common and, in fact, is so much a…
CPGmatters: Coke Focuses on Segmentation For New Go-to-Market Strategy
The right product in the right place with the right message for the right shopper. That’s the goal of Coca-Cola’s new go-to-market strategy that focuses on a segmentation platform to…
Imagine Macy’s with Lampert in Charge
Rumor-meisters rejoice. The current gossip behind the most recent run up in the price of Macy’s shares is that Edward Lampert, chairman of Sears Holdings, is interested in putting his…
Counterfeits Causing Real Damage in Human Terms
Fake pharmaceuticals, toothpaste, infant formula, extension cords and batteries are just a few of the products that have made their way into unsuspecting consumers’ homes with deadly consequences. The increase…
New Ways to Fuel Choice
Sometimes there is such a thing as too much choice. How many people really want, or need, to choose between more than three types of fuel for their car? In…
R&FF Retailer – Meijer: Back on Track
What a difference a few years can make. In September 2003, Meijer, Inc. laid off 350 headquarters workers – 15 percent of its corporate work force of about 2,300 -…
