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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Consumers Placing Greater Value on Saving Time
Consumers still want to save money, but according to a new study, saving time is important enough that a good number of shoppers will spend more just to move along…
Bloomie’s Item-Level RFID Test Shows Results
A 13-week test where EPC Gen 2 passive UHF RFID tags were put on denim jeans in a Bloomingdale’s store found that the technology improved inventory accuracy and count speed…
JTPP: Urban Outfitters Moves to Vendor Scorecards
To alleviate growing pains and facilitate its supplier management process, Urban Outfitters is launching a Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system which will provide the information needed to scorecard vendor performance…
Toys ‘R’ Us Offers Its Own Clunker Program
Cribs and car seats are most likely to be handed down, but are also high on the list of items that are somehow damaged or otherwise unsafe for use. Toys…
Celebrities Failing to Drive Product
A new survey by AdWeekMedia found that fewer than one in ten respondents claimed that their purchases were swayed by celebrity endorsements of products. Is Madison Avenue overestimating the power…
Study Predicts Store Closings
A new report from Grant Thornton predicts that the number of store closings this year will nearly double from 2008 reaching up to 10,000 nationwide. Are there too many retail…
Barbie Meets American Girl in Buenos Aires
Celebrating her 50th year in 2009, Barbie at long last is getting into retail. A six-story, 37,000 square feet flagship palace opened in Shanghai in March of this year, but…
Lee Scott’s 10 Steps to Leadership Success
Lee Scott, the former chief executive of Wal-Mart Stores, spoke to a group of honorees at the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 event and offered his personal list…
Compete Blog: Back-to-School Shoppers Hit Web Early
Based on the search data, it’s clear that consumers are spending more time this year researching their back-to-school needs on the web. Are most retail websites serving their role as…
Something Fishy Going On in Restaurants
Consumers sitting down for a nice dinner and ordering either grouper or snapper at a restaurant in the U.S. have a better than even chance of actually–and unknowingly–getting served some…
Sears Needs to Get Real
Sears had been watching its sales go south pre-Edward Lampert. Since taking over the company, however, Mr. Lampert has turned in same-store sales declines with a systematic precision. What is…
CPGmatters: Coca-Cola Aims to Connect With Recession-Weary Shoppers
Coca-Cola is mounting a major marketing offensive as it tries to connect with shoppers keeping a tight grip on their purse strings in these challenging economic times. Which of Coca-Cola’s…
AC Brings Shoppers in From the Heat
Air conditioning seems to be one of the costs of entry for retailers, especially in the dog days of summer. But to some, it’s also one of society’s most shameful…
Retail Customer Experience: Why good customer service is like billiards
It’s not up to the customer to respond correctly. Associates in a group should break up, and one should offer assistance. Is associate congregation a significant inhibitor to customer service…
Wal-Mart Revisits Urban Expansion
Wal-Mart appears to be making a renewed effort to open stores in major urban markets. The moves are apparently part of a longstanding, albeit highly frustrating, strategy to open stores…
Government Looks to Stimulate Appliance Sales
Home appliance sales are down about 15 percent this year so it comes as no surprise that manufacturers and sellers are enthusiastic about the start of a new federal program,…
Customers Claiming Their Rewards
If speculating means spending, and spending increases the ability to accumulate rewards, then perhaps Tesco’s new policy of giving two points instead of one for each £1 spent will actually…
BrainTrust Query: Has a Fashion Apparel Bubble Burst?
Walking the local mall and watching customers react to merchandise, shopping fashion right now feels like witnessing the after affects of a retail bubble having burst. Is the current weakness…
2009: J. Crew’s Year
It’s been a good year for J. Crew. The company has benefited from lots of free press and an unofficial endorsement of its clothing line from the nation’s first lady…
SCDigest: Global Supply Chain – Keys to Succeeding in China
Navigating the complexities of buying from or selling into China has never been easy. Still, the companies that have been doing business in China for many years have learned a…
Target is Ready to Make a Move
Target has been keeping costs down in the first half of the year by managing its inventory and limiting marketing expenditures. Now, with back-to-school in full swing and Halloween and…
