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Dream Shopping
I’ve just created my dream shopping experience. It is the only thing I can think of that would persuade me to enter a super-store of 100,000 sq. ft. or more,…
Avoiding CEM: Customer Elimination Management
In the April 2004 Direct magazine, “curmudgeon-at-large” Herschell Gordon Lewis writes about his experiences with American Express Platinum Card customer service, or as he characterizes it, “Customer Elimination Management.” …
McD’s Goes Bunless
Beginning as early as next month, people following the Atkins Diet can walk right into their local McDonald’s and get a hamburger or chicken sandwich their way. That’s without the…
Jim Beam Adds Kick To Starbucks Coffee
For those who define strong coffee in different terms, there will shortly be a premium coffee liqueur from Starbucks and Jim Beam on the market later this year. The still…
Better Overworked Than Unemployed
ComPsych, an international employee assistance company, recently polled 700 employees of its U.S. clients and found respondents view their jobs as being less stressful than those asked the same question…
Kohl’s Looks To Get Back On Track
Kohl’s, once the darling of Wall Street as it sped past its department store competition, has hit a bump in the road. According to a report in USA Today by…
Wal-Mart’s CEO Lists Concerns
Lee Scott, president and ceo of Wal-Mart stores, has a lot on his mind and he shared his concerns with an audience at the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce’s…
Trains Were Not The Only Target In Madrid
A report on the Ananova Web site sourcing El Mundo newspaper in Spain said, “Terrorists who blew themselves up last weekend as police moved in to arrest them over the…
Inglewood Votes No On Wal-Mart
Voters in the predominantly African-American suburb of Los Angeles, Inglewood, voted by a 60.6 percent to 39.3 percent margin to reject Wal-Mart in its bid to build one of its…
Safeway’s MOR Differentiation Strategy
Safeway’s new competitive strategy calls for it to “strengthen its standing among grocers that fall between discount stores and high-end supermarkets.” The company’s latest attempt to capture the middle of…
Amazon’s Partners Are Happy
Toys R Us and Target are at the beginning of long-term contracts with Amazon.com to create and run their Web sites. Both are losing money online but publicly express happiness…
Downloadable Coupons On The Rise
Despite the growing concern of merchants and manufacturers about counterfeiting activity, coupons downloaded from the Internet for redemption in stores are gaining in popularity. What are your thoughts on the…
Everybody’s Got To Get Victoria’s Secret
Despite the frequent meeting of the music and fashion worlds, there is still a bit of an uproar over Bob Dylan’s decision to not only lend (sell actually) his song,…
Americans Staying Put
“Go west young man” may have been the call to Americans for generations, but it now appears as though it is falling on deaf (or the very least hearing impaired)…
Burnout and Productivity Rates Go Hand-In-Hand
American workers have found that they are working longer hours, as companies have laid-off workers as a means to bolster the bottom line. The result nationally has been what a…
Georgia-Pacific Undertakes Relationship Marketing On Its Own
Georgia-Pacific is stepping up with an online relationship marketing program. Their objective is to better manage their online interactions with customers of their U.S. consumer brands. Should supermarkets view steps…
Eckerd Finally Sold
J.C. Penney has signed agreements with CVS and the Jean Coutu Group of Canada to sell Eckerd drugstores for $4.525 billion. CVS will acquire 1,260 Eckerd stores and support facilities…
The Doors To Gateway Are Being Shut
Gateway, the only major manufacturer to run its own stores (not counting Apple), announced it was going close all 188 locations on April 9. The move will result in 2,500…
Four Seasons Focuses Year-Round on Customer Service
At the recent Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) Marketing Conference, Barbara Talbot, executive vice president marketing for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, presented a case study on how they built…
Free At Last, Free At Last, Trans-Fat Free At Last
With medical authorities agreeing that there is no amount of trans-fat that can be deemed either good or necessary for human consumption and new labeling requirements to start in 2006,…
Forrester Questions Wisdom of Pursuing RFID
A report from Forrester Research. RFID At What Cost?, argues that, with an annual price tag of $9 million, there is no short term business case to be made for…
