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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
ICE raids 7-Eleven stores to arrest illegal immigrants
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested 21 people across the country on suspicion of being in the U.S. illegally after targeting 98 7-Eleven franchised stores in 17 states and…
Whole Foods asks vendors to pay to play
Many criticisms are levied against grocery stores that rely on slotting allowances and other supplier fees to operate their businesses is that these charges result in higher prices to consumers…
Should American Apparel bring its sexy image marketing back?
American Apparel, long criticized for ads featuring women in provocative poses, is being relaunched by a new owner, Gildan Apparel, and many are surprised that its comeback campaign is still…
Are overseas shipping apps stealing share from off-pricers in the U.S.?
Overseas shopping apps such as Wish and SheIn offer unique products at rock-bottom prices. Both apps specialize in cheaply-manufactured versions of popular brand name products and their popularity has skyrocketed…
Will consumers wear Alexa-enabled AR glasses?
Augmented reality glasses may finally offer the functionality needed to convince people to wear them — by letting users leverage Amazon.com’s Alexa voice-activated technology. Will Alexa’s voice-activation tech be the…
Kohl’s is on a roll coming off the holidays
Department store operators went into the 2017 Christmas selling season hoping to put their struggles behind them. It was Kohl’s with a 6.9 percent year-over-year gain for the holidays that…
Facial recognition software comes to loyalty
Cali Group, the holding company that owns California restaurant chain CaliBurger, is piloting facial recognition software to recognize loyalty program members in-store. Could facial recognition technology create as big a…
Amazon may put Alexa to work pitching brands
According to CNBC, Amazon is in discussions with some major CPG vendors about presenting ads via Echo devices. The ads promise to work similar to Google search with brands paying…
How steep are the barriers to smartphone checkout?
While mobile has certainly expanded exponentially as a purchase influencer, consumers remain reluctant on pulling the trigger to make actual purchases. A university study explores a number of reasons why…
Should grocers be teaching Americans how to eat?
Doubling down on its mission to educate consumers on how to eat right, Earth Fare, the natural and organic food retailer, last week introduced the first edition of its quarterly…
Will retail be woven into the fabric of the new, walkable suburb?
The U.S. suburbs are known for being the home of big box retailers and shopping malls — and for requiring customers to do a lot of driving to get to…
J.C. Penney is feeling merry about its Christmas performance
J.C. Penney is on a mini same-store sales gain roll. The department store retailer built on a 1.7 increase in third-quarter comparable store sales with a 3.4 percent year-over-year gain…
Can progressive web apps solve the app vs. browser dilemma?
Mobile app or mobile web? While the debate has been discussed for years, an emerging solution brings many of the advantages of native mobile apps to the mobile browser. …
Have Aldi and Lidl started a grocery price war in the U.S.?
The German hard discount grocery chain Aldi has been in the U.S. since 1976. Lidl, another German import, began opening its first American stores last June. The two chains are…
Does online shopping have a cardboard box problem?
With all those cardboard boxes piling up on doorsteps, what’s the cost for retailers and society? The most obvious is environmental. Cardboard is more biodegradable than plastic, but the problem…
Consumers want their digital promos and print circulars, too
A whopping 85 percent of households use print circulars delivered to the home and 79 percent use those distributed in stores, according to recent data released by Nielsen. Nonetheless, digital…
Should Amazon have Target in its acquisition sights?
It’s not unusual for organizations of all types to release prediction papers around this time of year. One that has drawn a lot of attention is the prediction by Loup…
Kroger may have an Ace (Hardware) up its sleeve
Is Ace Hardware’s friendly service coming to a Kroger near you? According to a report by TheStreet, the two companies are in the early stages of discussing adding Ace store-within-a-store…
What will The Company Store do for Home Depot?
Extending its position as the one-stop solution for the home, Home Depot acquired The Company Store, the online seller of bedding, bath and related categories. Terms were not disclosed. In…
Is Walmart aiming for a new customer with personalized text shopping?
A subsidiary of Walmart headed by Rent the Runway founder Jennifer Fleiss called Code Eight is testing a personal shopping service, according to Recode. What does Code Eight indicate about…
Amazon and Google engage in a smart speaker price war
For Black Friday, Amazon.com slashed the price of its Echo Dot. In sync, Google reduced prices on its Google Home Mini. Many now believe that establishing a foothold in connected…
