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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
What can Yogi Berra teach retailers?
Some may have known Yogi Berra as a coach and a manager, others may have seen him in commercials, but almost all remember his oft-quoted Yogi-isms, profound observations spoken in…
Meetings: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Meetings have emerged as one of the most universally despised conventions of American work life, and they show no sign of letting up. But if workers and managers alike feel…
Online visits drive sales of major appliances in stores
Consumers visiting appliance websites that have strong content and are easy to navigate are more likely to visit stores and make additional purchases, according to new research by J.D. Power…
Will Mobile Order & Pay eliminate checkout lines at Starbucks?
Sometimes it seems as though waiting to be served at Starbucks takes forever, and that’s not even during rush periods. But waiting may be a thing of the past as…
Is Target crazy to swap granola bars for candy at its checkouts?
Even with the proliferation of self-checkouts and the attention-diverting use of mobile devices making impulse buys in the checkout line less of a sure thing, Target is turning their product…
Are Gen Z workers ready to work in retail?
Retailers are already hiring many members of Gen Z and some are wondering how the generation will fare as workers compared to preceding generations. What adjustments may retailers need to…
Former peanut company CEO gets virtual life sentence in salmonella case
Stewart Parnell, the 61-year-old former CEO of the Peanut Corporation of America, was sentenced to 28 years in jail for charges that he and other executives at the company knowingly…
Why can’t retailers enable us to go on a virtual ‘safari’ in their stores?
Google has sent their cameras to Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve to enable online browsers to experience a virtual “safari” from their computer via Street View. Why can’t retailers create the…
Utah’s high court says workers have the right to protect themselves
Workers at Walmart cannot be fired for engaging threatening customers if they feel they are in physical danger. That is the ruling of the Supreme Court of Utah, after hearing…
Have warehouse clubs been more disruptive than e-commerce sites?
Warehouse clubs have had a “greater effect on retail than e-commerce” over the past 15 to 20 years, according to a university study. Do you agree that warehouse clubs been…
What would a Facebook ‘dislike’ button mean for retail?
Facebook indicated last week it was close to testing a “dislike” button, or at least one that expresses empathy, to sit alongside its thumbs-up “like” button, promising both benefits and…
Target outfits stores to test multiple innovations
Target is using 25 stores in the Los Angeles area to test about 50 of its top enhancements and innovations, many supporting its digital services. Some of the tests will…
Will visual search unlock m-commerce?
Mobile visual search capabilities have been cropping up in retailers’ apps with regularity for good reason: the feature will likely play a big role this coming holiday as shoppers turn…
George Zimmer is back. Should Men’s Wearhouse worry?
Will men like the way they look more in tuxedos and suits rented from Men’s Wearhouse or a new company, Generation Tux, founded by George Zimmer, the founder and former…
Coming soon: A chain built by geeks for geeks
It has only been a few months since video game retailer GameStop acquired Geeknet and its longstanding geek-chic e-commerce outlet, ThinkGeek, but now GameStop is rolling out a new brick-and-mortar…
Will fewer holiday hires hurt customer service levels?
Some retailers are making the strategic decision to hire fewer seasonal workers this year, raising the concern that stores will have fewer associates available to wait on customers. What factors…
Will 25¢ coffee help Whole Foods shed its ‘Whole Paycheck’ tag?
If you’re looking for a cheap 12-ounce cup of coffee, head to a Whole Foods near you. The organic foods chain is serving up hot cups of its Allegro brewed…
What tools do retailers need to build a winning loyalty program?
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, COLLOQUY gathered a select group of loyalty leaders and visionaries and asked them to share their insights into the loyalty industry’s evolution. What tools do you…
Stores rejoice as dads take their kids shopping
A survey exploring dads’ impulses wound up exploring, more significantly, how kids drive impulse purchases. The research conducted with 1,500 dads found that, when shopping with their kids, they’re more…
Retailers under attack by organized crime gangs
They may win some battles, but it’s hard to say merchants are winning the war against organized crime gangs when you look at the $30 billion the retail industry is…
Will things get better after being worse at Lands’ End?
Optimism, both inside and outside the company, ran high for Lands’ End last year after being spun off from Sears Holdings. But disappointing quarterly results in 2015 have some investors…
