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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Customer Value: A Competitive Advantage for Private Companies
“Private companies have the opportunity to create the best of all worlds when it comes to customer experience, measurement and equity,” say Don Peppers and Martha Rogers Ph.D. Cargill, is…
Albertsons Looks To Make Impact With Price Format
Albertsons officially announced its entry into the limited-assortment (price impact) grocery store format with seven Super Saver stores to be opened in the Dallas and Baton Rouge markets. The stores…
The Objection Opportunity
One thing that any salesperson worth their commissions knows is that every prospect or customer objection represents a selling opportunity. Are stores taking advantage of the disgruntled customer opportunity to…
President Floats Comp Time Proposal
The Bush Administration has proposed a change in labor laws to give workers the option of choosing to take additional time off for working beyond their normal 40-hour week rather…
The Evolution of eBay
A report in The Guardian says eBay is being transformed from “the world’s online flea market” where everything was negotiable to a fixed price selling sight being used by large…
Softer Side Is Hard On Sears’ Bottom Line
Sears’ management believed when it bought Lands’ End two years ago that it would help the company finally get its act together on the clothing side of business. Sears’ management…
Who Knew What And When Did They Know It
Despite reportedly being in negotiations with the Department of Justice to head-off an indictment, Wal-Mart continues to maintain its innocence against the suggestion it knew anything about company contractors using…
What’s More Important Than RFID?
When Wal-Mart throws its energy and dollars into developing its radio frequency identification (RFID) technology program, the whole consumer goods manufacturing and retail industry industry took notice and many got…
Senior Discounts Promote Age Discrimination
William Ecenbarger, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author, says seniors need to take a stand against age discrimination and one of the best ways they can do that is by…
Need-State Marketing May Enter the World of Ethnic Marketing
Interest in need-state-oriented marketing has increased in the grocery business, as more specialized retailers like dollar stores, limited-assortment stores, and natural/organic supermarkets have picked off certain types of shopping trips…
Wal-Mart Tests Pharmacies Around The Clock
Wal-Mart is testing 24-hour pharmacies in five stores in Arkansas and Texas to determine if it should rollout the feature in its other stores. “The need to consult a pharmacist…
E-tailers Give Sites Poor Marks
Consumers give online shopping sites better marks than those who run them. According to a survey of 400 executives by ForeSee Results, e-tailers gave themselves a grade of 65 out…
UFCW Finally Wins A Battle With Wal-Mart
Thanks to a labor board in Quebec, the UFCW may just finally win one in its head-to-head competition with the world’s largest retailer. A ruling yesterday by the Quebec Labor…
UFCW Fails To Organize Home Depot
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) was successful in getting enough signatures to get a vote on whether it would represent associates at a Detroit-area Home Depot. The…
Pharmacy’s No Profit Strategy For Building Business
It’s been said that no good deed goes unpunished. In the case of Kaylei Mosier, owner of Smith Drug Co. in McKinney, Tex., the cynical adage could eventually turn out…
Privacy Issues and Loyalty Marketing
There is a lot of ground covered in an article on loyalty marketing in the June 25 IndyStar.com. Reporter Sherry Anne Rubiano does an excellent job of capturing many sides…
Krispy Kreme’s Problems Go Deeper Than Atkins
Krispy Kreme has been blaming reduced levels of performance on the popularity of low-carb diets, but is there more to the story than this? As a report in USA Today…
Mentors Wanted
Young professionals are looking for advice on career and life from more experience and successful colleagues but few are getting it, according to the latest Act One column by Jennifer…
Target Can Concentrate On Target Now
Yesterday’s announcement by Target Corporation that it had agreed to sell the Mervyn’s department store chain to an investment consortium for approximately $1.65 billion in cash means the retailer can…
Kmart, Sears Learn Value of Location, Location, Location
A recent report from analysts at Deutsche Bank says the real estate holdings of Kmart and Sears are worth substantially more than the current value of the companies as reflected…
Loyalty Reduction Cards
Bill Virgin, a columnist with the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, has a number of problems with loyalty cards and his grievances provide food-for-thought for retailers with card programs. For one, Mr. Virgin…
