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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Circuit City’s Week of Turmoil
The week began for Circuit City with the announcement that a shareholder, Highfields Capital Management, had made an offer to buy the company with the intention of taking it private…
Consumers Hate Spam But Buy Anyway
In the U.S. and elsewhere today, it’s hard to find anyone who will admit they liking getting spam in their email. But, a recent study by Rockbridge Associates said four…
Are Burgers Still King?
It sounds implausible, but will there come a day when McDonald’s, Burger King and other fast-food hamburger restaurants sell more chicken than beef? Numbers in a USA Today report indicate…
Montana Debates Tax to Achieve Living Wage
Critics of large national and regional retailers have argued that states ultimately pick up the cost for caring for many of the employees of these companies through public assistance programs…
Dinosaurs, Dodo Birds and Department Stores
Annette McEvoy, a retail analyst and president of A. McEvoy & Associates, is among those who believe the prognosis for department stores is grim. “Some of them will not make…
Marketechnics Report: In-store vs. Host-based Systems
The typical supermarket technical environment has been an in-store processor integrated with a point of sale system that managed the customer checkout process. But the Internet and the widespread implementation…
Unhappy Shoppers
According to the University of Michigan’s American Customer Satisfaction Index for retail (online and off) and financial services, consumers’ overall satisfaction level was down last year. This was in direct…
Putting a Stop to Shoppers Shopping Elsewhere
Todd Hale, senior vice president for ACNielsen’s Consumer Insights’ business, writes in the February issue of the e-publication Facts, Figures & the Future that consumers continue to shop at supermarkets…
Marketechnics Report: The Power of Letting Go
The opening session at the Food Marketing Institute’s annual Marketechnics show yesterday stressed how technology will affect how we will work and make decisions in future organizations. Are top-level managers…
Customers Control Privacy; Business Builds Loyalty
As reported in Inside 1to1 Privacy, in order for customers to get certain benefits with HP products, they must share some information. Rather than assume customers wish to accept these…
Kid’s Must-Have Bedrooms Replace Toys
This past holiday season demonstrated that there really are very few, if any, must-have toys anymore as kids look to entertain themselves with electronic games and other means beyond simply…
A Dog’s Life
It’s not news that most Americans think of their family dog as part of, well, the family. What’s surprising to those who don’t own dogs themselves and downright upsetting to…
Mail Order Brings Bad News to Walgreens
You’ve probably seen the commercial where a ton of bricks is dropped in the flatbed of a pickup truck to demonstrate its ruggedness and strength. Today, Walgreens management may be…
Retailer Sued in Tobacco Case
Martin & Bayley Inc., the parent company of the 150-store Huck’s Food and Fuel convenience chain, is being sued along with Philip Morris for deceptively scheming to get consumers to…
Talking Out of Work Causes Unemployment
David Pilgreen was tired of seeing his employer kicked around and he wanted to set the record straight. That was his first mistake. Where do you stand on the right…
When Wal-Mart Says No, It Means No
Wal-Mart’s decision to close the first company store in Canada to get union representation shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone. The company said in October that closing was…
Who Will Own Whom?
While the May and Federated Department Stores merger deal doesn’t appear to be going anywhere, Neiman Marcus may be on the block. The company has a policy of not commenting…
What Would Jesus Buy?
“What would Jesus do? is a question that many a Christian has asked himself or herself. In this month’s issue of Marketing News, the question posed is “What would Jesus…
Sears Hopes Stores Become Essential Shopping Destinations
Sears, Roebuck and Co. has decided what it wants to be when it grows up (even before it formally joins with Kmart). It wants to be Kmart…or Target…or Wal-Mart or…
Shoppers Come in All Shapes and Sizes
It’s obvious that many clothing retailers did not get the memo that consumers come in all shapes and sizes. Well, the memo may have been late in being received, but…
Online Shopper Universe Expands
Retail merchants doing business online found a lot to be jolly about this past holiday season as 17.7 million new shoppers helped drive a 22 percent increase in dollar sales…
