RECENT discussions
Discussions
Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
Analyst: Wal-Mart to Roll Out New Format
Wal-Mart recently announced it would reign in its capital expenditures over the next fiscal year with most of the dollars it intends to spend going to remodels and, where new…
Starbucks Outsources IT Functions
Earlier this week, Starbucks joined those going the outsourcing route when it entered into a deal that will have Unisys take over a large number of IT functions for the…
Get Ready, Set, Spend for the Holidays
Whatever consumers (primarily Moms) want this holiday, they can get in one place – the new Ready, Set, Holiday joint web site from Sears, Kmart and Lands’ End. That, at…
Customers Want Their Wal-Mart Back
You can keep your new Wal-Mart with its upgraded merchandise. We want the same stuff we’ve been buying at the low prices Wal-Mart has always charged. That, according to a…
CSD Cover Story: Chevron Gets Fresh
Amateurs work until they get it right. Professionals work until they can’t get it wrong. It’s this philosophy that is driving Chevron to display its professional prowess as it prepares…
What (Gadgets) Women Want
It’s time to dispel some myths about women, according to Nichole Monroe Bell of The Charlotte Observer. For one, she writes, while many girls are very fond of diamonds,…
One Minute Past Thanksgiving
The competition on Black Friday seems to become more intense each year. Some retailers looking for a fast start aren’t even waiting for Friday, with store hours on Thanksgiving Day…
Costco Takes a Different Route Online
If you’re looking for the Scallywag Sloop Pirate Themed Club House, forget about going to your local Costco Warehouse Club to buy it. It just isn’t there. Of course, the…
Circle K Program Features Hispanic Brands
When people from various Latin American countries move to the U.S., they are certainly leaving things they cherish behind. Sometimes that something can be as simple as a favorite food…
BrainTrust Query: What do consumers want from in-store media?
A hot topic in today’s retail media landscape is trust and acceptance. As new and evolving retail media are appearing, the industry is looking to better understand how they will…
New Jersey Sues Rite Aid
Most large retailers have to deal with disgruntled customers and the occasional bad press but Rite Aid is facing a much more serious situation in New Jersey. The state’s…
Odak Out, Industry Vet Takes Helm at Wild Oats
Perry Odak is now the former CEO of Wild Oats and the company’s chairman, Gregory Mays, a long-time supermarket industry veteran, will take over the position on an interim basis…
Online Grocers: Where are they going?
Safeway has just taken 100 percent of online retailer GroceryWorks, Fresh Direct in the metro New York region is growing, and Amazon.com launched its online grocery store in July. It…
BrainTrust Query: Do the use of high tech criminal methods somehow lessen a retailer’s responsibility for trafficking in stolen merchandise?
A man, apparently well known on the internet as a very reliable source of deeply discounted Lego sets, has been found to be using fake barcodes to fool the POS…
Blind Web Surfers Sue Target for Access
Retailers are required by law to make special accommodations for the disabled in their stores. The same, say groups such as the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), should apply…
Bookseller Introduces Item Level RFID in Stores
The largest bookseller in the Netherlands is done testing radio frequency identification (RFID) in its stores. Selexyz (formerly Boekhandels Groep Nederland) had decided that it is time to roll out…
Retailers Get Organized for the Holidays
Sharply reduced prices, free shipping, one-of-a-kind gifts, remodeled stores, self-serve technology and helpful employees are just some of the means retailers intend to use this holiday season to get consumers…
Wal-Mart is Slowing Down
Wal-Mart is looking to slow down the rate of its capital expenditures and that means it will build fewer new stores in the coming years. The company’s CFO Tom…
Guilty Pleas Entered in Coke Case
Two men who stole trade secrets from Coca-Cola and sought to sell them to Pepsi have pleaded guilty in the case. They were charged along with another former Coke…
BrainTrust Query: Do brick and mortar retailers really want to make online shopping succeed?
Bill Bittner has been doing some work with an online retailer and it has made him wonder if brick and mortar retailers that have online stores really want to make…
Columnist: Dollar Stores Worth a Look
A columnist with the Morning Call of Allentown, PA, says consumers who have not checked out dollar stores recently or at all are missing out. Stores are not the…
