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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Dollar Tree Looks To Grow On TV
Dollar Tree is taking to the airwaves with television spots the company hopes will help it stand out in the minds of consumers against all the other dollar store format…
Home Depot For Newlyweds
Now, couples beginning a life together will have another option for well-wishers who want to help get them off on the right foot. Home Depot has launched a gift registry…
The Book On Warhol and Wal-Mart
In Cool News About Retail: From Warhol to Wal-Mart, the author Tim Manners shares 92 stories that speak to the power of the retail environment to connect with consumers and…
Plan B: Pharmacists’ Versus Patients’ Rights
A number of states are considering legislation that would allow pharmacists the right to refuse filling a prescription for the so-called morning-after pill or Plan B without fear of losing…
CEO Sleeps Better With Security Measures
Last week’s Food Safety Summit in Washington, DC coincided with the first anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, and many of the questions asked about the safety of the food…
Reichheld’s Great Reassessment: Focus on Promoters
If you’ve spent any time working on loyalty, you’ve encountered the work of Frederick Reichheld. If you haven’t kept up on Reichheld, he’s changed. What do you think of Reichheld’s…
McD’s New Look Happy Meals
McDonald’s is celebrating the 25th anniversary of its introduction of the children’s Happy Meal with new packaging and healthy items selected to meet the tastes of local markets around the…
Mervyn’s Tries Dollar Store-Within-The-Store
The department store chain, Mervyn’s, announced yesterday it would add a store-within-a-store concept called the “$1 to $5 Shop” to each of its retail locations. What are your thoughts on…
Best Buy’s CEO Focuses On Customer Centric Service
Brad Anderson, chief executive officer, Best Buy told Reuters, “People come to specialty stores because they are looking for some service or selection that they can’t get from the mass…
Ralphs Closing 15 Stores
Ralphs Grocery is planning to close 15 stores it says are not performing well enough to keep open. How are the chains doing in the aftermath of the grocery worker…
Forget Atkins, Have A Grapefruit
Few businesses have been hurt more by the popularity of the low-carb weight loss craze than the Florida citrus industry. What do you think about the Florida citrus industry’s newest…
BK Franchisee Blames Corporate
The largest franchisee of Burger King restaurants in the U.S. says its net income was down 66 percent in 2003 and it was because the chain’s new product initiatives and…
Kids Cutting Back Clothes
American kids are spending a lot less on clothes than they used to. According to a report from NPD Group, teens spent 13 percent less last year while tweens (7…
The Passion Still Inspires Christian Sales
Mel Gibson’s film, ‘The Passion of the Christ’, has brought about a boom in the sale of Christian religious articles and there is little sign of abatement as the movie…
What Will You Do With Your Tax Refund?
Despite Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan’s latest remarks expressing less concern about consumer debt, almost half of consumers plan on using their tax refund money to pay down what they…
Survey: Catalogs Drive Online Shopping
A survey by Millard Group Inc. found 80 percent of consumers receiving catalogs in the mail say receiving them influenced them to shop for an item online. Nearly two-thirds of…
Laws May Require RFID Notification
The states of Utah and Missouri are currently considering legislation that would require that consumers be notified if a package or product they purchased contained a radio frequency identification (RFID)…
Pols Saying No To Wal-Mart National Bank
Members from both sides of the political aisle are joining together to limit the ability of industrial loan companies to branch out. Should Congress pass a law limiting the ability…
Dollar General Looks Ahead
Management at Dollar General doesn’t want to spend much time talking about past mistakes it says it has fixed. It is much more interested in its plans to open new…
Home Depot’s CEO Believes In Top Down Leadership
Bob Nardelli’s tenure as the chief executive of Home Depot is the subject of the latest In The Lead column by Carol Hymovitz in the Wall Street Journal. What is…
FDA’s New Anti-Obesity Plan Gets Mixed Reaction
The Food and Drug Administration unveiled its proposals to fight the growing rise of obesity in the country with new voluntary labeling guidelines that would make it easier for consumers…
