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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Walgreens to Take Care of Some Unemployed for Free
Walgreens announced it would offer free visits to its in-store Take Care health clinics for existing customers without health insurance should they lose their jobs after March 31. Will the…
Strategies for Turnaround CEOs
While new CEOs in turnaround situations need to move quickly and decisively, they shouldn’t come off as a “know it all” and need to make friends quickly, according to an…
Retail TouchPoints: Re-Courting Customers for Winback Strategies Requires Right Access to Data
When is a customer simply out of the market for your product, in danger of going to a competitor…and when do they need to be “won back?” With new customers…
Study Examines Asian Indians in America
Most Asian Indians play a balancing act between celebrating their native culture and embarking on new experiences in the U.S., according to a new study by the multicultural research firm…
Godin’s Guide to Productive Meetings
Seth Godin, best-selling author, lecturer, blogger, founder of Squidoo.com, etc., is not alone in thinking that American businesses have a “meeting problem.” Have meetings gotten out of control at your…
RSR Research: Time to Try Business-to-IT Alignment
There’s an ongoing argument in the technology press and on techie blogs that “IT/business alignment is dead.” What are the challenges of aligning business objectives with IT capabilities? What’s…
Gartner: Four Ways Companies Use Twitter for Business
Although Twitter was originally intended for communication among individuals, a number of companies have begun to actively participate on the platform. However, Gartner notes that not all companies are using…
Amazon Called Best Retailer in the World
It was not that many years ago that a good number of people thought Jeff Bezos was either not that bright or perhaps a bit unbalanced because they saw no…
What You Need to Know to Be a ‘Go-To’ Wal-Mart Supplier
Many retailers are gaining new insight into their businesses by analyzing downstream data. A new RetailWire white paper, “Providing Bottom-Up Support for Wal-Mart and Other Retail Accounts,” underwritten by Shiloh…
Macy’s Ties Exec Pay to Stock Price
It’s not unusual for retail executives holding stock options to benefit when their company’s share price improves. But at Macy’s, executive compensation is taking on a new twist. Will Macy’s…
Food’s Water Footprint
Countless column inches have been written recently about present and potential global water shortages. What has not always been spelled out is that some of the problems are caused by…
Retail Technology for Beginners
For new store owners, baby steps are required before the latest and greatest retail technology can be explored. Tapping into technology that controls operating costs is also crucial early on…
Luxury Retailers Told to Focus on Loyalty Programs
Lori Holliday Banks, senior fashion editor at the fashion retail consulting firm the Tobe Report, said luxury retailers have taken major hits in the economic downturn and the surest way…
America’s Favorite Retail Imports
As a piece on Forbes.com points out, consumers here are increasingly drawn to the high style and low prices of chains such as Sweden’s H&M and Spain’s Zara. What is…
Liz Claiborne Outsources Sourcing
Liz Claiborne recently announced plans to close down its sourcing operations and buy all its offshore garments through Hong Kong-based Li & Fung. What do you think of Claiborne’s move…
Consumers Checking Out TV
According to research conducted by GfK Custom Research North America, consumers’ recall of ad messages from the Premier Retail Networks’ (PRN) Checkout TV was up 18 percent in 2008 compared…
Consumers Tired of Waiting (No Joke)
“Americans are split into three separate camps when it comes to the growing national frustration: Those who think everything is taking too long; those who think everything is taking too…
PL Buyer: Extreme Makeover – Health & Wellness Edition
Building a successful health and wellness destination – starring your store brands – will require a workable game plan and oodles of hard work. What role should private label play…
Chains Seek Compromise on Card Check
Costco, Starbucks and Whole Foods are looking for an alternative to both the proposed law that would enable retail workers to become members of a union by signing a card…
CPGmatters: Meal-Planning Center Provides Incremental Sales Opportunities
Whether meal-planning takes place in the aisle or at home, simply coming up with what to prepare for dinner each night can be a stressful challenge. Most shoppers have a…
Surveys Less Than Truthful
Ever accentuating the positive, people tend to exaggerate accomplishments, downplay faults, or outright lie on surveys, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. Do you think…
