RECENT discussions
Discussions
Commentary and Discussion From the Retail Community
No Accounting for Unredeemed Gift Cards
While the exchange of gift cards would appear to be good for retailers, it has a downside. Many gift card recipients never redeem them. In non-accounting terms, getting something for…
Safeway Connects with Lifestyles
By most accounts, Safeway’s lifestyle concept stores have been a hit with consumers from one coast to the other. Some analysts have expressed concern over the costs of remodeling…
Family Dollar Hurts Along with Its Shoppers
Howard Levine, chairman and CEO of Family Dollar Stores, will be the first to tell you that the company’s success is the result of its focus on low-income and value-conscious…
Judge Tries Scarlet Letter Approach to Shoplifting
Some individuals convicted of shoplifting in Rhea Country, Tennessee are being given the option by a judge of standing in front of the stores wearing a sign that says they…
Christian Stores Battle for Narnia Sales
Christian retail stores are looking to today’s release of “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” with great anticipation as the film is expected to be…
Spanish Speakers Find Christmas Place on the Web
The combination of a growing Hispanic population and a study from Internet Retailer that showed many Latinos are going online to buy things was enough to convince management at The…
Walgreens Accused of Religious Discrimination
A group founded by the conservative Christian preacher Pat Robertson has filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charging that Walgreens engaged in religious discrimination by “effectively firing”…
Customers and Employees Top Female CEO Priority Lists
A new study by Babson College’s Center for Women’s Leadership says that, when it comes to business priorities, female CEOs put customers and employees at the top of their list…
Walgreens to Track Displays
A lack of in-store compliance with manufacturer promotional programs may be a thing of the past now that Walgreens, in partnership with 15 package goods companies, is rolling out a…
Certified Grocers Midwest Buying Fresh Brands
The grocery wholesaler and operator of Piggly Wiggly and Dick’s Supermarkets, Fresh Brands, announced yesterday it has agreed to be sold to Certified Grocers Midwest in a deal valued at…
Marketers Get Social with Young Consumers
If you’re a marketer and you’re looking to get some of the $175 billion spent annually by 12- to 17-year-olds or the $200 billion plunked down by college students, then…
Study: Ads Lead to Bad Eating Habits
A new report from the National Academies of Science’s Institute of Medicine says food marketers’ advertising on children’s television has influenced the eating habits of the nation’s youth, contributing to…
Associates Joining Wal-Mart Health Insurance Program
Even Wal-Mart’s critics have something good to say about the company’s announcement that it has enrolled 70,000 employees in its healthcare benefits programs for next year. According to a report…
Sears Centralizes Merchandising Functions
There’s more changes going on at Sears Holdings. The company announced it is combining the merchandising divisions of its Sears and Kmart businesses under a single unit with the heads…
Supervalu Joins Albertsons’ Suitor List
According to a report in the Financial Times, Kroger is no longer in the running to buy Albertsons but now Supervalu has stepped up to join with Cerberus Capital Management…
Sears Big Holiday Wish is Profitability
Brit Beemer, founder and chairman of America’s Research Group, said retailers have one of two ways they can go this holiday season. “You can be promotional, give up some profit…
Testing Links to Online Loyalty
According to a new survey commissioned by applications monitoring service provider TeaLeaf Technology and conducted by Harris Interactive, 89 percent of those surveyed about their consumer transactions at shopping, banking,…
Sears Looks to Buy Rest of Canadian Business
Sears Holdings announced it has offered to buy all outstanding shares of Sears Canada that it does not already own. In a released statement, Alan Lacy, vice chairman of Sears…
Designer Shoe Warehouse Agrees to Tighten Security
The discount shoe chain, Designer Shoe Warehouse, has agreed to put in place a more comprehensive security plan to protect customers’ financial information following the discovery that the records of…
SuperTarget’s Customers Get the Message
SuperTarget is serious about staying connected to its customers. The retailer is now giving shoppers the option of receiving text messages on mobile devices alerting them to sales and providing…
Cost of Smoking Goes Up for Retail Workers
The high cost of smoking cigarettes is about to go even higher as employers begin adding an extra charge to healthcare premiums for those who choose to smoke. Beginning next…
