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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Bird Flu Takes Human Lives in Turkey
At least five deaths in Turkey are thought to be tied directly to humans coming in contact with chickens infected with the bird or avian flu known in medical terms…
Coughlin Expected to Plead Guilty to Greed
Some people simply can’t get enough even when they’re getting millions. In apparently another in a long line of cases of business leaders run amok, the former number two…
Home Shopping Network Captures Viewers and Sales
QVC, the home shopping network, is sweeping up a growing number of television viewers and their purchasing dollars, reports Bloomberg News. Greg Maffei, the next CEO at QVC parent company…
Unions Call for ‘Fair Share Health Care’ Laws
The AFL-CIO says the healthcare system in the U.S. is broken and it’s up to legislators to make sure that large companies such as Wal-Mart do their part to fix…
Solving Backdoor Issues Key to Driving DSD Efficiency
A new study, Unleash the Power of DSD: Driving Supply Chain Efficiencies and Profitability, conducted for GMA by Willard Bishop Consulting concludes that direct store deliveries can be made more…
IKEA Founder Finds Lack of Female Managers ‘Strange’
Ingvar Kamprad, founder of IKEA, is not happy about his own company’s lack of females in top management positions and he’s looking to change that. “It’s very strange that we…
McD’s Wants Government to Tighten Up BSE Safeguards
A group that includes McDonald’s is calling on the government to do more to protect animals and people from bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease. …
Analysts Call for Gap CEO’s Head
Gap Inc.’s sales performance and stock price is not where analysts believe it should be and they are calling for the ouster of the company’s CEO Paul Pressler. Under Mr…
Penney Seeks ‘Really Cool’ Status
Anna Garlington didn’t expect to buy anything other than underwear for her daughters when she visited her local J.C. Penney, reports BusinessWeek. But, she had a coupon in hand for…
Some Suppliers Dragging Feet on Wal-Mart’s RFID Program
Wal-Mart’s top suppliers that participated in the first phase of its radio frequency identification (RFID) technology program all met the minimum requirements set by the retailer but that is not…
What’s Up with Wal-Mart?
While it got out of the gates fast this past holiday season, Wal-Mart sales numbers for December have many wondering what’s wrong with the world’s largest retailer and whether its…
Sears Brands Go Into Kmart But Not Vice Versa
It was widely expected when Kmart and Sears merged that the combined company would take the best each chain had to offer and bring it together under one roof. As…
Shopping by Phone Takes on New Meaning
The year 2006 will mark the year that consumers began ordering items from retailers by cell phone, according to industry experts. As an article in The New York Times points…
Stores Called Unprepared for Coming Gray Wave
Everyone knows that the population is aging and that a growing percentage of society will be made up of senior citizens in the very near future, so some who follow…
Feds Seek to Clamp Down on Meth Abuse
Despite 20 years of fighting the illegal manufacture and use of methamphetamine in the U.S., the drug is at the peak of its popularity and is said to have reached…
Customers Rage
A study conducted by the Customer Care Alliance shows what many already know: customer service stinks. For many, dealing with customer service issues means taking away from their limited…
Another Year, Another List
It’s a consistently repeated phrase in retailing circles that the only constant is change. That said, looking back on 2005 we find that many of the issues that were high…
Podcasts Evolving as Marketing Medium
A new survey indicates that while podcasts remain a small market, it is growing and the makeup of the audience is becoming more populated with female listeners. A survey…
Retailers Spring Into Action
Retailers looking to differentiate themselves from the competition and boost the bottom line with sales of full margin product moved swiftly to put spring merchandise out on display when shoppers…
The Gift of Loyalty
Delta Airlines, through their SkyWish program, lets SkyMiles members donate flight miles to 16 designated SkyWish charities. Delta will cap off this year by donating 5 million miles. The…
7-Eleven Parent Now the Fifth Largest Global Retailer
The parent of 7-Eleven convenience stores, Seven & I Holdings Co., is set to become the fifth largest retailer in the world after it completes a $1.13 billion deal to…
