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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Loyalty by Larry
Despite admitting that he loves the efficiency of buying stuff on the internet, Chicago Tribune Perspective Editor Charles Madigan enjoyed a terrific buying experience in the hands of a sales…
‘Hopelessly Complicated’ Benefit Plan Signup to Begin
The Bush administration has said that the new Medicare D drug benefit program will help seniors covered by Medicare to cut their prescription medicine expenses by at least 50 percent,…
Setting Hispanic Market Share Objectives? Look Beyond Market Population.
No doubt, we have been bombarded by population numbers that speak to the enormity of the Hispanic marketplace. But what does that mean to our ability to grow market share…
Consumer Ailments = Retail Opportunities
Targeting products to the health issues of consumers has opened up new business opportunities for food manufacturers and the retailers that sell their products. An aging population with associated health…
Wal-Mart Wishes Boycotters a Happy Holiday
‘Tis the season to boycott retailers and this year it’s Wal-Mart’s turn. The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights has launched a boycott of Wal-Mart for its use of…
Lowest Prices Come Down to Consumer Legwork
It is generally assumed that Wal-Mart has the lowest prices on grocery products but that’s not true, according to Michael Berberick of “The Grocery Advantage” web site. Mr. Berberick analyzed…
David’s Not Even a Handmaiden to Federated
Federated Department Stores does not even count David’s Bridal in its performance numbers. As far as the company that owns Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s is concerned, David’s is “a discontinued operation.”…
Loose Lips Sink Retail Chains?
In retail as in Washington, leaks of information appear to becoming increasingly common. Wal-Mart recently found itself having to answer some questions about its sincerity in looking to care for…
Prices Going Up On Oreos, Kraft Mac & Cheese and…
The high cost of energy has not made its full impact apparent on grocery story shelves but that may be about to change. Kraft Foods announced it is increasing prices…
Powerful List of Women
Fortune magazine has released its annual list of the “Most Powerful Women in Business” and, not surprisingly, it includes a number of female executives in retailing. Which women would you…
Organized Crime Gives Retailers That Shrinking Feeling
The Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates that retailers lose as much as $30 billion a year to organized crime rings and now industry businesses are getting organized themselves to stop…
Newspaper Circulation Numbers Drop Again
Only two of the top 20 newspapers in the country saw their weekday circulation numbers increase during the first six months of 2005, according to the Newspaper Association of America…
Executive Moves Continue at Sears Holdings
Lisa Schultz, who helped upgrade the image of Kmart’s fashion line, has been named to a new position, executive vice president, Sears Holdings Apparel Design, to oversee clothing design for…
Retailers Try to Grab Dollars Ahead of Utilities
Retailers are looking to drive holiday sales early before high home energy prices force consumers to put the brakes to spending. Companies began advertising and promoting sale prices and…
Putting an End to Customers’ Cherry Picking Ways
A number of general merchandise retailers have begun altering return policies to address customers they’ve identified as shoppers who return an unusually high number of products to the stores. …
Online Loyalty Through Research
A recently released Consumer Preference Index survey from Prospectiv of Woburn, MA – a provider of customer acquisition, e-mail marketing and data analytics solutions – found that while 89 percent…
Latest Deal Renews Name Game Debate
Contrary to rumors, industry analysts say, the regional department store is not dead. The announcement that Bon-Ton Stores would acquire the Northern department store group of Saks Inc. may not…
Culture Clash or Cash
It’s safe to say that Ralph Waldo Emerson’s observation that “culture, with us, ends in headache” had nothing to do with large retailer merger and acquisition activity. It does,…
Girls with Brains Call for Boycott of A&F
T-shirts with sayings such as, “Who needs a brain when you have these?,” has a group of high school girls calling for a boycott of Abercrombie & Fitch. The teenagers…
IT: The In-house or Outsourced Debate
Many companies are struggling with their IT budgets. Some have literally chosen to give up on all or a portion of IT and turn it over to outside firms. …
Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Others Accused of Selling Illegal Wood
Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Target, Kmart and Macy’s are among the retailers accused by two environmental advocacy groups of stocking products made from illegal and endangered species of wood from…
