RECENT discussions
Discussions
Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Reduce Worker Comp Cases – Be Nice
Researchers report in the February issue of The Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA), “people who are unhappy at work and are forced to work under intense and hectic conditions…
P&G to Run Spots in Spanish on CBS
USA Today reports, “Procter & Gamble will air a Spanish-language TV spot for Crest Whitening Plus Scope toothpaste during Sunday’s Grammy Awards on CBS.” Will this become a more…
Will That Be Visa, Mastercard, Amex or Meijer’s?
Meijer began rolling out its new proprietary credit card this week to encourage consumers to spend more with the chain, says The Detroit News. What are opportunities and pit falls…
You’re Kidding. He Really Said That?
Greg Tipsford, senior vice president for laundry care, Dial Corp., told analysts the company was increasing the size of caps on its Purex laundry detergent bottles because, “If you have…
Women’s Salary Increases Outpace Men’s
The latest Labor Department numbers show that the average pay raise for women was up 3.9 percent last year compared to 1.9 percent for men. Despite the gain, women still…
McD’s Consumers Can’t Get No Satisfaction
The American Customer Satisfaction Index has McDonald’s at the bottom of its fast food rating list – again. McDonald’s ranking is attributed to “a combination of poor product quality…
What Does Innovation Look Like?
Failure to create innovative organizations is often a case of having the will but not seeing a way, says the author, educator and chairman of the consulting company Strategos, Gary…
Tops is Tops But Losing Share
Business First of Buffalo (NY) reports that Tops Friendly Markets (Ahold) has the greatest share of the area’s supermarket sales according to research conducted by the publication and Goldhaber Research…
Penta Tops in Health Food Water Sales
A press release from Bio-Hydration Research Lab (San Diego, CA), citing SPINSscan, claims Penta water’s 500ml bottle is the best selling water item in health food stores. According to the…
What’s a Little Snow
The blizzard of 2003 has passed, but the cleanup and the cost accounting continues. Fortunately, according to a Reuters’ report, “The massive storms that paralyzed most of the U.S. Northeast…
Campbell’s in On-The-Go with Soup Expansion
Campbell Soup Co. announced its biggest product launch since the 1970’s today with an expansion of ready-to-eat soups. The Wall Street Journal reports “The latest effort includes a new package…
Are Farmer Jack and Foodtown in Trouble?
An article in the Toledo Blade says that local Farmer Jack (A&P), Foodtown (Spartan Stores), or both could be sold or closed this year. What do you believe is likely…
Building Relationships and Brands
The Gallup Management Journal says businesses more concerned with creating transactions than building relationships with customers is at the heart of the growing consumer cynicism about marketing messages. How do…
Prices Jump at the Pump
Oil prices reached a 28-month high yesterday as the prospect of a war in Iraq cast doubt on nations’ ability to meet their supply needs. How will higher prices at…
Grocery Store Sales Up Nearly 4%
The Food Institute, citing Bureau of Census numbers, reports that “During January, sales at the nation’s grocery stores rose 3.9% over the same month of 2002 to $36.6 billion -…
Positive Attitude Transforms Businesses
Larry Johnston, chief executive, Albertsons has done quite a bit since arriving at the chain from GE a couple of years back. In the March 3 issue of Forbes, Mr…
Asda Sells Love Connection
An Asda store in Huddersfield, England is holding a singles’ evening to give its shoppers a chance to make a love connection. Store associates will don evening wear and serve…
FreshDirect Delivers Ahead of Expectations
FreshDirect, an online grocery home-delivery service operating in New York City has announced that it is now filling more than 2,000 orders per day and adding approximately 3,000 new customers…
Connecticut Investigates Stop & Shop
The Attorney General’s Office of Connecticut is investigating Stop & Shop for alleged “restraint of trade.” Stop & Shop (a division of Ahold) has been accused of leasing property…
Greenspan Says Forget Tax Cuts, Decrease Deficits
Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan supports President Bush’s plan to eliminate double taxation on dividends but sees little evidence to support the belief that administration’s proposals will spur economic growth…
Terror Alert Drives Retail Sales
Consumers, particularly those in New York City and Washington, D.C., have gone shopping in large numbers to stock up on food, water and other emergency supplies. This shopping wave follows…
