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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
New Concept for the Dogs (Humans Too)
Sometime in November, dogs in the Dallas, Tex. area will have another excuse to take their humans out as a new three-in-one store, City Pet Supply, opens that includes a…
Building Customer Relationships by Design
It takes time to build brand relationships, and executive management must commit to this for the long term. The ultimate goal of consumer campaigns should be relationship building because that…
Wal-Mart Making Benefits More Affordable
Wal-Mart is introducing a new health care plan with lower premiums and higher deductibles to give its workers more options when it comes to looking after their and their families…
Loyalty Programs Are Not the Problem
According to Direct magazine, the conventional wisdom followed by many retailers hampers the success of loyalty programs. Few loyalty programs are differentiated based on solid customer insights. Breaking out…
Residents Don’t Want ‘Low End’ Tenant
Residents from a neighborhood in Santa Clarita, Cal. would be happy if a grocer such as Trader Joe’s moved into a storefront left empty since Albertsons pulled out, but they…
Behind Albertsons’ For Sale Sign
Albertsons is for sale but an actual deal being signed seems pretty far off, according to a piece in The Wall Street Journal. The article points out that while Albertsons…
Lampert Wants More Lands’ End
For many, it has been a foregone conclusion that it is simply a matter of time before Edward Lampert sells off Lands’ End because its upscale image simply doesn’t fit…
Wal-Mart ‘Going Good’
Critics of how it treats its employees at home are not likely to give Wal-Mart any points for trying or they may slough it off to public posturing, but there…
The Near-Naked Actress and the Grand Opening
Sharon Stone was on hand to help open the new Luis Vuitton store in Paris last week and her choice of clothes caused quite a stir. According to a report…
Best Buy Plans to KO Competition This Holiday
Best Buy believes it has a one-two punch combination that will put its competitors down for the count this holiday season. First, it will take a swing with low prices…
Supervalu Looks to Grow Organically
Supervalu appears to be going the way of Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Wild Oats and others with a new organic and natural foods store concept under the Sunflower Market banner…
Walgreens Takes Heat for Gay Games Sponsorship
The Illinois Family Institute in Glen Ellyn, Ill. says homosexuality is against God’s law and it has biblical references to support its position. That’s why the organization is coming out…
Burd Pledges Aggressive Remodeling for Dominick’s – On One Condition
Yesterday, Mr. Burd announced Safeway would “aggressively remodel” its Dominick’s stores in and around Chicago “if” (intended as a big IF) the labor union that represents 7,900 of its workers…
Retailing Faux Pas
Bill Bittner writes, “We all have them – those encounters with a sales person that are permanently embedded in our memories. As I was hiking the other day, thinking about…
Randalls’ Rumors Renew
Since Safeway took over Randalls in Houston back in 1999, the chain has gone from holding a 20 percent share of market to 10.8 percent.That performance, or lack thereof, has…
Bath & Body Works Going Multi-Channel Route
Bath & Body Works, the 1,600-store division of Limited Brands, figured it was time it had an online store. Until last week when it went live with its e-commerce function,…
Automation and Customer Service: The Emperor Has No Clothes
Over the weekend, Al McClain had a couple of experiences that illustrate the problems consumers have getting real people to pay attention to them. His theory is that big businesses…
Seasonal Retail Grows in Orlando
When most people think of seasonal retail in Orlando, Fla., they have visions of shoppers visiting stores during the prime tourist season. For those who live in and around the…
RFID Keeps Wal-Mart in Stock
The results of a study conducted by the University of Arkansas show that using RFID technology has helped Wal-Mart reduce OOS and decrease the amount of time it takes to…
One from Amex Tries to Save for Loyalty
American Express has launched a new card called One from American Express. The unique feature of the card is that consumers will save automatically with every purchase. Is there any…
New Generation of Self-Service in Giant’s New Concept Store
The supermarket industry became a powerhouse in American retailing through the concept of self-service. Now, Giant Foods is taking self-service into the future with a new concept store in Camp…
