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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Store fulfillment is creating associate tension
Using the store as a fulfillment center is creating service challenges and associate push-back, according to Andrea Weiss, co-founder of O Alliance, the retail consultancy. Should or can stores afford…
Can Target continue to succeed by ticking off its customers?
Target has a new designer line partnership. This time it comes in the form of swimwear and home décor items from the Finnish brand Marimekko. As in past deals, Target…
Harris Teeter tests service for customers in an UberRUSH
Harris Teeter is going outside its comfort zone. The Kroger-owned grocery chain, which has offered online ordering and in-store pickup at its stores, is running a pilot program using the…
Are mass e-mail campaigns here to stay?
Many advertising mediums are considered annoying, but consumers have become used to them. E-mail has joined that pack. Despite their effectiveness, what flaws do you see in retailers’ mass e-mail…
Walmart’s grocery biz is driven by demand, not by do-gooding
Walmart has earned some praise in the mainstream press for democratizing organics, particularly from a price perspective. But Charles Redfield, Walmart’s EVP of its U.S. food division, said it still…
Target’s future lab focuses on food transparency
In its collaboration with global design firm IDEO and MIT Media Lab, Target’s Food + Future coLab last week unveiled its first two innovations with a focus on food transparency…
How to make associates feel appreciated
In an industry that is known for high turnover and low pay, some leading retailers are working to ensure their employees are happy. In turn, they’re experiencing improved employee loyalty…
Dollar General invests in major expansion
Dollar General may have lost out to Dollar Tree in its bid to acquire Family Dollar, but that’s the only place the company’s management plans to lose to its rivals…
Will Starbucks win by giving rewards for purchases made at Dunkin’ Donuts?
Starbucks wanted to find a way to reward customers for using a payment card with its name on it, even for purchases made at other businesses. That’s where the new…
Is Amazon acting like Walmart in the eighties?
Amazon’s investments in trucks, planes, cargo boats and drones continue to drive speculation on whether the company is building a full-scale delivery platform. But an RBC Capital Markets analyst is…
Will Publix conquer Virginia?
Reports out of Richmond and the area around the nation’s capital tell the same story: Publix is looking to move into Virginia in a big way, and the employee-owned grocery…
Starbucks sets goal to donate all unsold food to charity
Grocery retailers and foodservice operators have been among the leaders in the business community offering hope to food banks and charities. A case in point is Starbucks, which earlier this…
Stores offer t-shirt and hoodie deliveries in a hurry
You may never need a new t-shirt or a hoodie in an hour’s time but, if you do, American Apparel wants you to know it’s there with you. On Monday,…
Should consumers be given incentives to write reviews?
While the presence of reviews on a site can help establish authenticity and trust among consumers, only a minority of consumers write them. Should retailers provide incentives for the writing…
Will Rue La La score well by ‘Dancing with the Stars’?
Flash sales sites are not dead, despite rumors to the contrary. They’ve just gone Hollywood. Earlier this week, Rue La La announced it is partnering with the hit ABC show,…
Location remains retail’s MVP
You’ve heard the argument that location is less critical to retail success today since consumers are going online to buy the goods they need and want. Yet on the whole,…
Retail and the cashless society
For some tech fanatics, a cashless society is a no brainer. For others, it’s a terrifying prospect. A recent think-piece from Fast Company speculates that a cashless society would be…
What’s wrong with retailers’ content?
Rich, creative content is said to be critically important for marketers propping up blogs, e-zines, e-mail campaigns and other digital communications. And yet, according to surveys, engaging content is getting…
Instacart scores vendor ads
Moving further down the supply chain, Instacart Inc., the grocery delivery start-up, has partnered with a number of vendors to help defray delivery expenses. Will vendors increasingly get involved in…
Are good managers born or made?
Managing requires setting aside doing the work of the firm in favor of empowering others to do the work. But can anyone, with enough desire and proper training, become a…
What does the ongoing cloud battle mean to retail?
Google has reportedly won some of Apple’s massive spending on cloud services in what many saw as a potential blow to the data storage leader, Amazon. Should retailers welcome Google…
