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Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
RadioShack Fires Workers Electronically
Last Tuesday, 400 workers at RadioShack’s headquarters were fired. But, instead of it being done face-to-face they got the message via email. RadioShack said it had informed workers in…
Costco Adds Service to Reduce Returns
While club members are very happy with Costco’s willingness to accept returns, there is a negative side for the retailer. The company has seen a number of product returns on…
Debate: Are Paper Coupons History?
Can you envision it? There’s a room in a church hall basement with a group of people sitting on metal folding chairs and the smell of too-weak coffee filling the…
Supervalu’s Sunflower
Glenn Backus, the general manager of Supervalu’s Sunflower Market business, knows it is no longer possible to fly under the radar when it comes to opening a store that sells…
Restaurant Chain Succeeds by Being Kind
It seems as though it might have come right out of a Norman Rockwell painting or a Frank Capra movie. Chick-fil-A continues to grow and add to its legion of…
Reality Retailing: Designers Battle for Space
According to a USA Today report, general consolidation within the industry along with the elimination of regional department stores in favor of Federated’s national branding strategy for Macy’s has found…
Consumers Seek Advice from Strangers
Forget the advice to never talk to strangers. An increasing number of consumers are getting advice from people they don’t know on a daily basis as more people flock to…
Penney Looks to Blur Line Between Ads and Show
Where does the commercial begin and the show leave off? If viewers of this year’s MTV Video Music Awards have a difficult time distinguishing, then JCPenney will have achieved its…
Retail Lessons from the Inner-City
Why would retailers build new stores in a city like New Orleans, where large segments of the population have yet to return? Herb Tyson, vice president of state and local…
Medicare D: Early windfall, but what’s next?
Since the beginning of the year, pharmacy retailers have been reaping an unexpected windfall. It’s the result of a big jump in selected HBC sales, and it’s being driven by…
McD’s Plays Chicken with Burger Rivals
Burger King, Hardee’s, Carl’s Jr., Jack in the Box and numerous other chain and independent fast-food and fast casual restaurant’s have tried to cash in on the so-called beefier burger…
Frozen Heats Up Baby Food Biz
Small-batch produced frozen baby food is becoming the product of choice for busy families seeking high quality, tasty, nutritious meals for their little ones. Without the time to prepare a…
Retailers Ready for Christmas
Many retailers are expecting Christmas to be a bit less cheery this year and are taking steps to make the most of the selling season by aggressively managing inventories and…
BrainTrust Query: Has consolidation helped U.S. supermarkets to be more competitive?
Two heads may be better than one, but combining two companies into one has often created nothing more than a headache for the executives that put these deals together (along…
Coming Up With a Plan for Plan B
According to the new FDA ruling, stores may now sell Plan B to women 18 or older without a prescription. A prescription is still required for girls 17 and younger…
Hot Food Trends: Part 4 – Mission Accomplished
It’s been a long-held belief that consumers go to food stores looking for a set of products. To help stimulate that activity and build market basket size, retailers have used…
Wal-Mart Not Acting Very Pro-Family, Say Groups
The announcement this week that Wal-Mart is joining the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce’s corporate advisory council has groups such as the American Family Association and the Family…
J.C. Penney Stands Alone
J.C. Penney continues to roll out off-mall standalone stores and the latest area to get one of these single-level units is a suburb outside of Chicago. Traditional mall-based stores are…
Rite Aid Buying Brooks, Eckerd from Jean Coutu
Rite Aid is about to get a whole lot larger. The company announced an agreement to purchase the Eckerd and Brooks drugstore chains from the Jean Coutu group for $3.4…
BrainTrust Query: Are we seeing a diminishing need for trust in retailing?
A recent survey of online retailers showed that they are improving when it comes to earning the respect of their customers, but that they haven’t done as well when it…
Aldi Cuts Costs, Adds Markets
With locations in roughly half of the states in the U.S., Aldi has a lot of room to grow. The limited assortment chain is looking to add another state to…
