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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Will Stores Become Warehouses in the Omnichannel Future?
A host of chains are now expanding their capacity to fulfill online orders from stores. In February, Macy’s announced it was expanding online fulfillment from 292 stores to 500 by…
Walmart Asks Shoppers: Will You Drop This Off On Your Way Home?
Walmart really is intent on competing with Amazon.com by any legal means necessary and the latest idea the chain is kicking around truly involves thinking outside the big box. What…
Penney Surrenders, Goes Back to Hi-Lo Pricing
It may still be too soon to say that the entirety of the ambitious J.C. Penney reinvention is a failure, but one element of it clearly is. Earlier this week,…
BrainTrust Query: Is Hointer the Future of U.S. Clothing Stores?
Visiting Hointer, a men’s denim store in Seattle, is a bit like crawling inside a website. As it turns out, the physical interior of a website can be a pleasant…
Is the New Supervalu a Stronger Supervalu?
Now that Supervalu has completed a spate of sales and acquisitions, the question is: what comes next? The company, which had shifted most of its focus to retail operations in…
BrainBrainTrust Query: Grow Your Marketing Credibility Before It’s Too Late
Anyone who has a teenager in the family knows the meaning of the phrase “they tuned you out.” What if the CEO of your company treated you the same way?…
Will Walmart Win the E-Commerce Battle?
Imitation, they say, is the sincerest form of flattery, so clearly Walmart’s decision to test the use of lockers in its stores for pick-up of online orders is a compliment…
When Will Retailers Patch the Holes in My Data?
There’s no doubt a massive amount of our personal information is floating around out there. Of concern, however, is not an Orwellian loss of privacy but whether or not the…
Will Cash Rebates Get People to Eat Healthier Foods?
Results from research conducted by the RAND Corporation, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine (AJPM), showed “rebates on healthy food purchases lead to significant changes in what people…
What Will Return of Founder Mean for Best Buy?
Best Buy announced that the chain’s founder, Richard Schulze, is returning to the company as its chairman emeritus. Joining Mr. Schulze on the board are former Best Buy CEO Brad…
BrainTrust Query: What Will It Be Like to Shop with Google Glass?
ConAgra Foods, makers of Healthy Choice and Marie Callender’s meals, has created a video to show what the future of shopping may look like from behind Google Glass. What do…
Is Publix Right to Take It to Walmart in Comparison Ads?
A number of retailers around the country have been grumbling that Walmart hasn’t played fair in some of its price comparison ads. Whether fair or not, retailers targeted by Walmart’s…
Is ‘Little Data’ the Key to Making Loyalty Programs Work?
At last week’s Loyalty Expo, a presentation by Phil Rubin and Maggie Lang highlighted the work of Kimpton hotels while addressing some key issues with creating loyalty programs that treat…
RSR Research: Why Women Retailers of All Ages Should Read ‘Lean In’
Women made some gains in the workforce in the ’70s and ’80s, but those gains have stalled. In her book “Lean In,” Sheryl Sandberg neither asks women to “try…
BrainTrust Query: How Can Supermarkets Hold Off Fresh Food Rivals?
A recent study details how fresh categories are transitioning from a reliance on commodity markets and seasonal strategies to more of a packaged goods approach, imperiling one of the traditional…
Target Gets Cooking(.com)
Target agreed to buy Chefs Catalog and Cooking.com, two leading e-commerce businesses focused on cooking and kitchenware, in two separate transactions. What do you think of the potential benefits and…
Should CVS Require Workers to Submit to Medical Screenings?
Retail businesses, large and small, are trying to hold down the cost of health insurance. The quickest way to do that is to have healthy employees. Is the new CVS…
Are Retailers Taking Full Advantage of YouTube?
YouTube is huge. According to a recent post on the service’s blog, It attracts more than one billion unique users every month. What are your recommendations to retailers for effectively…
How Far Can Starbucks Loyalty Program Reach?
During Starbucks’ last conference call in January, chairman, president and CEO Howard Schultz was pumped about the growth of the My Starbucks Rewards program, as membership of the program grew…
Will Walmart’s Customers Scan & Go to the Self-Checkout?
Members of the RetailWire community were split back in September on the viability of Walmart’s “Scan & Go.” Now comes word the retailer is expanding the test to 200 other…
Walgreens Plans First Zero-Energy Store
Utilizing solar panels, wind turbines and geothermal technology, Walgreens plans to build what it believes will be the nation’s first net zero energy retail store. How much of a competitive…
