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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
‘Who Says Football Isn’t Pretty?’ Asks NFL
For years, the apparel industry has been criticized for taking a “pink it and shrink it” approach when designing apparel for active women or sports fans. In response, the National…
BrainTrust Query: CNBC’s Skewed View of ‘Supermarkets Inc.’
“Wonder why you go to the supermarket for a quart of milk and leave with $30 worth of other stuff? It’s no accident. The secrets behind sneaky merchandising are found.”…
Teen Clothing Chains Nix Monthly Reports
Abercrombie & Fitch, Aeropostale and American Eagle Outfitters will no longer announce monthly results. Does ending monthly reports make for better longer-term results for retailers or will it lead to…
Public Database Created for Consumer Complaints
National, non-profit, Washington D.C.-based public interest organization Public Citizen is endorsing a database of consumer complaints to be launched in March by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. How will having…
Supervalu Struggles, Continues Value Push
Finding more heavy-handed price promotions and price cuts failing to drive traffic, Supervalu last month reported a “well under plan” comp decline in its third quarter, its 11th-straight quarter of…
Consumers Bank on Retailers’ Services
While retailers have chosen not to pursue banking following the opposition that eventually resulted in Walmart and Home Depot pulling out of bids to open industrial banks in recent years,…
No Limits on Small Grocers Growth
Among the hottest retailing segments in recent years has been limited-assortment grocery stores, as consumers are drawn to savings well below traditional supermarkets and others selling food. Will limited assortment…
Braintrust Query: Social Media? – Nah, It’s Personal
All the recent chatter about “social media for business” is driving Jamie Tenser around the bend. Do you agree with the author that effective mobile media is more “personal” than…
Meijer’s Online Grocery Knows No Borders
While it seems as though no conversation about online grocery can take place without raising the specter of those departed, more and more retailers are taking a stab at it,…
CPG Promos Not Generating Lift Like Before
Consumers are looking for deals. They are clipping coupons from various sources at an increasing rate. So why are retailers not getting the same sales lift they once did? Why…
Retail Customer Experience: Does Mobile Render Kiosks Irrelevant?
Predictions and rumors are running rampant about whether retailers will combine kiosk and mobile technology to serve consumers or if mobile will simply replace kiosks. How will the increased use…
Social Network Bubble?
After LinkedIn filed its initial public offering last week, early private stock transactions quickly placed its market value between $2.5 billion and $3 billion. What similarities and differences does the…
Walmart Opens Itty-Bitty College Store
Walmart in mid-January opened a 3,500-square-foot full-service pharmacy and general merchandise store on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville. What do you make of the learning opportunity for Walmart…
BrainTrust Query: The Death of Loyalty Rewards As We Know Them?
A tipping point may have been reached in how customers relate to loyalty program rewards: When customers choose which company to do business with, rewards just don’t matter like they…
Allegra to Make Rx to OTC Switch
Some of the biggest “new” product introductions in HBC over the years have been products that were moved from prescription-only status to over-the-counter (OTC). The newest popular drug to go…
WSJ: Average Joes to Get Technicolor Coats
Color us skeptical. A report on The Wall Street Journal website says that fashion designers are looking to brighten up guys’ lives by putting them in Pepto-Bismol pink overcoats and…
Great Retailers Work for Workers
Fortune magazine recently released its annual 100 Best Companies to Work For list and, no surprise, Wegmans ranked number one among retailers and number three overall. What makes a retailer…
Safeway Seeks Lift From New Private Brand
In a BrainTrust Query last week on RetailWire, Carol Spieckerman, president of newmarketbuilders, wrote about Safeway’s success introducing private labels through its Better Living Brands Alliance. Yesterday, Safeway announced the…
Prof Calls IKEA Layout Tortuous
Describing it as “more S&M than M&S,” a U.K. professor claims IKEA has been successful largely because its floor design is maze-like and confuses shoppers. What do you think of…
Product, Not Price, Key to Retail Success
Though large numbers of consumers in lower rungs of the economic ladder are buying based on what they can afford, a Bloomberg News piece contends that retailers are going to…
Big Spending Planned for Big Game
According to a new survey by the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA), conducted by BIGresearch, the average consumer is expected to spend $59.33 on items related to the Super…
