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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
PL Buyer Editorial: Oldsmobiles & SKU Rationalizaton
In his Warren’s Wanderings editorial in the October 2004 PL Buyer magazine, Warren Thayer, related a story of a recent car shopping trip. “So one day I saw a brand…
Costco’s Home Store Test – Unit Two
Costco opened its second Costco Home store in Tempe, Ariz. last Friday and customers were lined up outside waiting for the doors to open. What will be the keys to…
Giant Eagle Cuts Prices to Head Off Competition
Giant Eagle is cutting prices, as Wal-Mart, limited assortment grocers and dollar store competitors continue to open new stores in the grocer’s home market. Do you agree with Giant Eagle’s…
Bush to Opponents: ‘I will need your support’
Four years after winning his first election victory for President of the United States, in part because of his message that he would help unite the country, George W. Bush…
Wal-Mart $17.36, Blockbuster $17.49, Netflix $17.99
A price war has broken out in the online DVD rental business and the winner, at least in the short term, are consumers who get to keep a few extra…
Stop & Shop’s Shopping Buddy Pilot Moves Forward
Stop & Shop has decided to roll out a system of intelligent shopping carts developed and marketed by Cuesol and IBM in three stores where it has been conducting a…
GHQ Cover Story 11/04: Private Label’s New Edge
Retailers seeking the Holy Grail of differentiation need look no further than their store brand offerings, according to private label industry executives. Are retailers using their store brands to create…
Whole Foods Looks For Organic Growth with Clothes
Whole Foods Markets will begin selling a line of organic fiber clothing and home bedding products in a new store in Austin, Tex. beginning in February. The marketer of the…
Record Turnout at Polls May Mean Slow Sales Day
Many are predicting that voters will turn out in record numbers for today’s presidential election and, while many retailers have done their utmost to achieve this goal (see RW -…
Retailers Get Out the Vote
With many calling today’s Presidential election the most important of their lifetime, employers, unions and associations connected with the retailing industry have stepped up efforts to get out the vote…
Lampert vs. Lacy
A report in the Chicago Sun-Times says the retailer’s largest shareholder, Edward Lampert, who also happens to be the chairman at Kmart, is at odds with Sears’ chief executive Alan…
President _____ To Face Jobs Challenge
No matter who wins the election tomorrow, the next President of the United States may find that structural changes in the economy and the realities of the federal budget make…
Delivering Low Value Marketing Messages is No Way to Demonstrate Loyalty to Your Shoppers
“We can be more precise and more relevant, but all we’re doing with these technologies is using them to overwhelm people with things they don’t want. Marketers are in the…
Sears Settles Case with Federal Safety Officials
Sears has agreed to pay $500,000 to settle allegations by federal safety officials that it failed to report known defects on its Craftsman riding lawnmowers. The Consumer Product Safety Commission…
Indy Auto Parts Shops File Antitrust Suit
A CBS MarketWatch report says 160 independent auto parts shop owners have filed an antitrust lawsuit against large retailers such as AutoZone, Advanced Auto, Wal-Mart and manufacturers including Ford alleging…
Families Sue Over Dollar General Employees’ Deaths
The families of two former Dollar General store clerks murdered by a co-worker are suing the chain for failing to adequately screen the employee before hiring him. Does Dollar General…
J.C. Penney’s New Chief a Surprise to Some
The person thought to be the favorite to succeed Allen Questrom as the chief executive at J.C. Penney, Vanessa Castagna, isn’t talking about the retailer’s decision to go outside the…
Retailers, Restaurants Fight Fla. Minimum Wage Measure
A group called The Coalition to Save Florida Jobs, primarily funded by restaurants and supermarkets, is running an aggressive campaign to try and beat back a ballot initiative that would…
Currying Favor with Indian Americans
An article by Joseph Berger that appeared in the New York Times this week about the Indian caste system raised a lot of American eyebrows, but not because the caste…
Report: Pathmark Puts Out For Sale Sign
A report in The Star-Ledger newspaper says Carteret, NJ-based Pathmark has hired the investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein to find a buyer for the 142 store chain. What is the…
Wal-Mart Spends to Influence California Voters and Pols
An Associated Press article points out that Wal-Mart “once had a tradition of trying to stay out of politics.” Based on its current practices, the operative words here would have…
