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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Warnings About RFID Security Breach
Retailers who may eventually deploy radio frequency identification (RFID) tags on individual items are going to have more to worry about than protecting the privacy of the consumers who purchase…
Wanted: More Closet Space
Americans, it seems, are always on a diet. That is, of course, unless they’re off one. This on-again, off-again approach to weight maintenance has had an interesting side effect, reports…
Publix Not Stepping On The Gas
Publix isn’t like other grocery store operators. That’s always been one of the main reasons for its success. Today, for example, when others, such as Wal-Mart, Kroger, Albertsons and Costco,…
The Hamburguesa Wars
There is nothing more American than a good burger. And two burger joint giants – Burger King and Carl’s Jr. – agree that Hispanic Americans share a penchant for the…
Meijer Banks On Getting Bigger
Meijer plans to open 14 new stores between now and the end of next year in an attempt to keep up with the Wal-Marts and Targets of the world. According…
Charges Expected For Alleged Book Cooking
Former executives at Ahold’s U.S. Foodservice unit will reportedly be charged this week for their participation in alleged acts of insider trading and conspiracy related to the company’s accounting scandal…
Shoppers PO’d Over BOGOs
Some single people and seniors believe they are being unfairly penalized by retail store deals that reward multiple purchases of a product while not offering the same unit pricing for…
Magic Takes Starbucks Straight Into Compton
Ask most people what they think of when you mention the Los Angeles suburb of Compton and you’re likely to hear about the type of brutality and hopelessness expressed in…
Jewel-Osco Acts Like Mom-And-Pop
Large retail chains are not generally known for their nimbleness in addressing differences in local markets, so it may come as a surprise to some that one of the largest…
Will Work for Personalization
Internet Retailer had an item on July 19th regarding a survey on the value of online privacy. In exchange for a more personalized shopping experience, 64% of those who…
Penney Tries To Get Back On Target
J.C. Penney’s target consumer for the retailer’s Original Arizona Jean Co. private label clothing line is 17 to 24 year olds. The majority of people actually buying the apparel were…
Plastic or Paper: It’s All Money To Fast Feeders
Welcome to the twenty-first century and the reduced paper society. Fast food operators, the quintessential cash and carry business, are finding that whether payment comes in the form of plastic…
Molson Coors Not A Done Deal, Yet
Although Molson and Adolph Coors announced plans to merge their businesses yesterday, there still remains the possibility the deal may not go through, reports The New York Times. In-fighting within…
How Much Will America Pay for a Cup of Joe?
Starbucks completely changed the notion of how much Americans were willing to pay for a cup of coffee. And the company is not done testing the limits just yet. According…
Fed Chief to Biz: OK To Spend Again
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan understands why businesses may be reluctant to start spending on new systems or hiring permanent employees. He also understands that, if businesses get over their…
Companies Test For Compatibility
A report in the July issue of CFO Magazine, says employers are turning to various forms of personality testing “to ensure that the hires they make are a good fit…
Older Execs Need Not Apply
Forget about the silver lining. As far as some former senior executives in the fifty-something and above age group are concerned, some gray clouds are just that — gray –…
Wal-Mart Tries On(line) Apparel Again
If at first you don’t succeed…Three years after pulling the plug on selling clothing online, Wal-Mart announced it was going to give it another go, just in time for the…
To Organize or Not to Organize Around a Multicultural Strategy
Sears, Roebuck and Co. announced on Friday in the Chicago Tribune that their multicultural marketing group will be disbanded and the individuals in the department will be reassigned to individual…
KFC: Fire Chicken Abusers
An investigator for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) videotaped workers at a Pilgrim’s Pride plant in West Virginia, which supplies KFC, abusing chickens prior to slaughter. The…
Costco and Wal-Mart in Political Fight
A Bloomberg report says Costco and Wal-Mart are not only competitors in retailing but in national politics, as well. Wal-Mart, according to the report, gives more money to Republicans than…
