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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
What IS Customer Service?
A new research study commissioned by American Express and the NRF Foundation attempts to get at exactly what retailers and consumers mean by customer service, and what state they think…
Online Retailing: How High is Up?
According to Forrester Research, online as a retailing venue is looking good on a number of fronts. During a discussion on Monday at the National Retail Federation convention, moderated by…
Wal-Mart, Tesco and Metro Group Present a Glimpse into the RFID Future
In the Monday morning Super Session at the National Retail Federation conference sponsored by Intel, three retailers in the vanguard of RFID implementation discussed their efforts and their vision for…
Where Are Department Stores Headed?
Although May Department Stores didn’t provide an explanation or announce store closings, Gene Kahn’s exit comes on the heels of a 3.2 percent holiday sales drop. May’s troubles are representative…
OfficeMax Sued Over Rebates and Rainchecks
The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has filed a lawsuit against the office supplies retailer, OfficeMax, for failing to honor rebates and offer customers a raincheck when sale items are not…
Realizing Rev. King’s Dream
On Aug. 28, 1963, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and delivered his famous speech where he said his was “the American dream,”…
SPAM Concerns Limit Loyalty Communication Options
ReleMail, a Cody, Wyo. e-mail monitoring and certification service, commissioned a survey on e-mail attitudes. The survey reported that 87% of respondents say they believe that, if they subscribe to…
Macy’s Agrees to Settle Profiling Case
New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is expected to announce today that his office has reached an out-of-court settlement with Macy’s over charges the department store engaged in racial profiling…
Penney Targets Middle America and Target
In an informal meeting with Wall Street investors in New York yesterday, new J.C. Penney chief executive Mike Ullman indicated the chain needs to continue sharpening its pencil on pricing…
Demography Is Destiny:
Three Monumental Trends That Will Rock Your (Retail) World
The 19th century French mathematician Auguste Comte’s tenet “demography is destiny” has particular resonance today in light of the new demographic trends which confront America’s immediate future. Three primary forces…
Walgreens Refutes Mail Order Assumptions
While the corner drugstore may be losing share to mail-order pharmacies required by some benefit plans, it’s not true that the prescriptions are less costly, says Walgreens’ chief executive David…
Convenience, Older Women, No Returns and Martha Stewart
Oh, no! It can’t be another ‘What will the retailing business look like in 2005?’ article. Oh yes. It is. And this one’s from Emily Lambert on the Forbes.com Web…
Wal-Mart Fighting Urban Legend
Wal-Mart’s chief executive, Lee Scott, says an “urban legend” has grown up around his company and it’s time to dispel the myth. Will Wal-Mart’s campaign to set the facts straight…
Kraft Isn’t Kidding With Marketing Changes
Kraft Foods announced today it was changing the message mix of its advertising in media targeted to kids, primarily in the six to 11-year age groups, to emphasize the company’s…
Apple’s Jobs: No Excuse Not to Switch
To all those who have cited the high price of Macintosh computers as a reason for sticking with Windows, Apple Computer’s Steve Jobs has a message for you. You no…
Computer Vision Applications vs. Privacy Rights
You can’t argue with the notion that the better you know your customers, the better you’ll be able to serve them. This was simple when single shop owners made it their…
Lights, Camera, Ethics
In an environment where it sometimes seems as though if it weren’t for bad news, there wouldn’t be any business news at all, a number of television shows are bringing…
Loyalty Means Saying You’re Sorry
A Starbucks Sumatra coffee email promotion was ill timed in light of the devastation the Tsunami caused that island. The willingness of Starbucks to step up and quickly apologize stands…
GHQ Cover Story 01/05: Bowed But Unbroken
The supermarket as we know it may not be dead, but there’s not much doubt when you look around and see the problems companies such as Penn Traffic, Winn-Dixie and…
Natural Competition Grows in Charlotte
Charlotte, N.C. is a growing market for retailers catering to consumers of natural goods and organic foods. Whole Foods plans to open its first store in the market within the…
Costco and Wal-Mart: A Tale of Two Very Different Competitors
Costco and Wal-Mart. As different as they are, they are also similar in a number of respects. Provide your own comparison of Wal-Mart and Costco. Does either one have anything…
