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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
To Gift or Regift, That is the Question…
Are you a regifter? If yes, you are not alone. According to a survey commissioned by Braun’s Tassimo Hot Beverage System, sixty percent of people between 25 and 34 reported…
U.K. Takes Simpler Approach to Food Safety
The British Food Standards Agency (FSA) is looking to “cut red tape and increase consumer protection” at the same time with a new program designed to make it easier for…
Retailing Becoming Dangerous Profession
This is the time of year when shoppers in stores begin to tell retail associates and other customers where they can put their holiday cheer. With just a few…
Macy’s Courts Out-of-Time Shoppers
It’s just a few days before Christmas and the pressure is starting to build for those who have yet to buy presents and have ruled out going the gift card…
BrainTrust Advice 2006: ‘Told You So, CVS’
There was a whole lot of buying going on at CVS this year. The drugstore chain was in wheeling and dealing mode. RetailWire has followed the doings at CVS quite…
Starbucks Makes a ‘Lifestyle’ Move
There’s something going on in Chicago and we’re not talking about the Bears. Starbucks is taking its baristas and beans and leaving Jewel. At the same time, the coffee chain…
Go Online Young Man (Woman)
To start with, a bit of techie jargon – the “digital divide” is slowing the achievement of a “knowledge economy.” What it means is that there are still an awful…
BrainTrust Advice 2006: ‘Told You So, Wawa’
Wawa has a lot of fans on the RetailWire BrainTrust. That explains the almost universally positive discussions that took place this year as members of the RW community offered opinions…
No Rainbow Needed for This Pot of Gold
So much of what is consumed in America comes from foreign countries, but now American “farmers” have made a former import their own. Yes indeed, today the largest cash crop…
PL Buyer: Opportunities Online
Online market research firm InsightExpress recently conducted an exclusive research study for PL Buyer inquiring about consumer attitudes about retailers’ web sites. All answers point to tremendous opportunities online for…
Consumers Go Online for Last Minute Gifts
Today, online merchants have gotten much closer to perfecting the timely delivery of goods prior to Christmas. Many are guaranteeing regular ground delivery with orders placed as late as Dec…
Experience Breeds Devotion
Consumers rate some products as great. They give companies such as Harley-Davidson are Starbucks even higher grades. They are products consumers cannot see themselves doing without, according to a report…
GHQ: Bridge to the Future
A&P is repositioning The Food Emporium from an upscale supermarket into a cross between a gourmet store and a neighborhood market to better compete with Balducci’s, Dean & Deluca and…
Where’s Elmo?
Okay. First Wal-Mart had some stock of Elmo T.M.X. and then it didn’t. But, now it does? The retailer announced earlier this week that it had come into additional…
Seasonal is Sensational, But You Have to Work at It
According to GMDC’s Seasonal Best Practices study, seasonal has been sensational for many retailers, and current shopping trends suggest now is a time to cultivate seasonal sales even further. But…
Diamonds Are a Terrorist’s Best Friend
A new movie, Blood Diamond, starring Jennifer Connelly, Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou has Americans looking at bling in a whole new light. The movie looks at how rebel…
BrainTrust Advice 2006: ‘Told You So, Macy’s’
You could say 2006 has been a lot of things, but if you work for Macy’s, one thing you couldn’t say was that it was boring. The retailer began…
Stew Leonard’s Celebrates Christmas
Stew Leonard’s is one grocer that knows how to entertain its shoppers and move products. This time of year, it’s moving a lot of Christmas trees. In fact, the company…
Safeway’s Burd Goes to Washington
Steve Burd, chairman, president and CEO of Safeway, has been calling for healthcare reform for years and now he has gone to Capitol Hill to draw increased attention to an…
Personal Shoppers Relieve Holiday Stress
There’s so much to do around the holidays and very little time to do it in. That’s why top retailers are looking to make life and buying a little easier…
GHQ Cover Story 12/06: Ethnic Education
If a consumer lives in Arizona, she can go to her local Food City and come face to face with a mariachi band, a fiesta, complete with games and clowns,…
